The most magical place on Earth has yet to monopolize the entire world. Disney might own Marvel, ABC Television Group and McDonald’s, but not everyone in the world is a Mouseketeer.
If Disney is not known for their entertainment, they’re known for their parks on practically every continent; North America – Disneyland and Disney World, Europe – Disneyland Paris and Asia – Disneyland Tokyo, Hong Kong and very soon Shanghai. Despite this domination, Disney is still unappealing to some.
Walt Disney began his Hollywood career in his garage in Missouri. He was an American man who created a very profitable American company – practically the ultimate American Dream. A universal dream of success but not many foreigners appreciate foreign – in this case American – corporations in their country, since the money goes to the corporation and not the country.
Disney movies, shows, and characters are a part of growing up in English-speaking countries, but in other places, that’s not always the case. Many non-English speaking countries do not face constant marketing attacks from Disney – especially since movies and advertisements need to be translated. Although they know what Disney is, they never really get into it because English is sometimes an issue.
Because I was born in Canada and raised in America, “Have you gone to Disney World?” was one of the most frequent questions I was asked as a child. As a child in North America, it’s practically impossible to escape the infamous Mouse Ears – especially since there is a park on the West and East Coast of the United States.
“In Pakistan, people don’t ask if you’ve gone to Disney World. There are more important things to worry about,” answered Basim Siddiqui, an I.T. sophomore, after I asked about Disney in Pakistan. “It’s not that they don’t know what it is, it’s just there are just other things. Most people don’t have money to get the simplest of things, let alone travel to another country. Disney World is a far off land in America.”
It’s the complete opposite in South America. South America has the luxury of being very close to a Disney Park. If you travel to Brazil, especially in the capital, there are advertisements everywhere for Disney World, which is how most fifteen year-old girls celebrate their quinces – they go to Disney World.
Also, Disney tends to advertise to countries who have the socioeconomic stability to go other countries and spend money in Disney Parks and on Disney Products. If you have the ability to travel and money to spend, you’ve seen a Disney advertisement somewhere.
Some – including Americans – disregard or are indifferent to the company’s schemes because they play to the child in us, they have us ignore the crazy rumors and suspicions that circulate about who Walt Disney was.
ome people refuse to support the company after they find out that Walt Disney was a bigot, anti-Semitic and a Nazi supporter.
So maybe it’s not only because they’re not constantly under the marketing attacks of Disney but one thing is for sure, some places are simply indifferent to the magic.
