Summary: In this paper, Pierre Bismuth’s desire to disturb expected reactions to works of art – as witnessed in The Jungle Book Project (2002) – becomes a starting point through which to explore Walt Disney’s own approach to his art. With the opening of Disneyland in 1955, Disney transformed his animated worlds and characters into 3-dimensional spaces that individuals could walk into and interact with. In doing so, he created what he and many urban planners considered to be a utopian space. Disney’s obsession with urban planning would culminate in his later vision of a utopian community – Project X – which remained unrealised due to his death but which was revised into the theme park EPCOT (Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow) and the town Celebration. This paper will explore Disney’s work and his filmic understanding of urban planning, which came to influence contemporary architects such as Jon Jerde and the design of cities including Las Vegas. Angela Ndalianis is Associate Professor in Cinema and Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne. Her publications include Stars in Our Eyes: the Star Phenomenon in the Contemporary Era (2002), Neo-Baroque Aesthetics and Contemporary Entertainment (2004), Super/Heroes: from Hercules to Superman (2007) and The Comic Book Superhero (2009).
