'Imagineering Multiculturalism: Examining Multiculturalism at Disney California Adventure from 2001-2017'

Disney California Adventure acts as a microcosm that reflects both national trends and local trends which have been essentialized and run through Disney Company lenses. This dissertation explores the tension between following tried-and-true business goals and reflecting mainstream and academic trends that fluctuate between conservative and progressive ideologies as they have been exhibited at Disney California Adventure from 2001 through 2017. Utilizing critical multiculturalism and textual analyses of in-park imagery, rides and attractions, and seasonal events, I argue that there have been three phases of multiculturalism and the Disney versions of multiculturalism at Disney California Adventure since its opening. Within each phase, Imagineered Multiculturalism, Multicultural Disconnect, and the simultaneous phases of Everyday Ethnic Erasure and Seasonal Inclusivity, I have found that the Disney Company struggles to find a balance between their business goals, corporate multiculturalism and its Traditional Disney Ideologies, and national trends of conservatism, versus increasing diversity with local populations and the growing strength of multiculturalism and critical race theories. Through examples of ethnic misrecognition, misrepresentation, and erasure that have occurred at the park, my research has revealed that some of these representations, like those found in the Everyday Ethnic Erasure phase with Ramone and Luigi in Cars Land, are financially successful and popular with park visitors, yet critical evaluation demonstrates that they are rife with stereotypes, and racism. Attempts in the Seasonal Inclusivity phase with events like Celebrate Gospel, ¡Viva Navidad! and Lunar New Year, have supported business goals while making better attempts at ethnic representation with events that feature relevant ethnic foods, music, and performances. However, Disney characters in traditional dress, like Goofy in a mariachi outfit or Chip and Dale in traditional Chinese garb, follow more of the Traditional Disney Ideologies and can be interpreted as cultural appropriation with their use of 'brownface' and 'yellowface.' Examining in-park imagery, rides and attractions, and seasonal events reveals the insidious and pervasive nature of the homogenizing effects of the Disney Company as a major agent of popular culture and globalization, and specifically as a theme park that was designed and built to represent the diverse peoples of California.