Chapter 3 - For over 60 years, it has been that careful balance, coupled with a flair for innovation that has left Disney unique among its peers and has enabled Disney to find the heart within the darkness. As riders journey into the dimness of the unknown, they draw comfort in that whatever frights may await them, there is always going to be light at the end. Join Cody, Justin, Jared, and Joe as we talk with Shawn Patrick Farrell the author of Heart And Darkness Scarry Adventures and the Evolution of Disney's Dark Rides. So jump in here we go.
The Definitive Book of Disney Dark Rides
The dark rides in Disney theme parks have delighted—and sometimes terrified—millions of people. The history of these attractions is a fascinating story of creativity, engineering, and pop culture, and it's told here for the first time.
From their primitive beginnings in the 1800s to their perfection by the Disney Imagineers, dark rides are an ingenious way to tell a visually exciting story to guests who "travel" through the action, scene by scene, aboard vehicles ranging from boats to (Doom) buggies.
Despite their popularity, dark rides still retain an aura of mystery: when did they originate? how did Disney transform them from curiosities into crowd pleasers? why are they such a draw to young and old?
Shawn Farrell dispels the darkness with the definitive history of Disney's dark rides, from Disneyland's Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, and Snow White, to Disneyland Shanghai's cutting-edge version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Farrell also explores notable dark rides, not in a Disney park, the many that have gone into the gloom, and some hints of what's to come.
Shawn Patrick Farrell spent his youth in Buffalo New York and its suburbs before earning an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Fordham University in New York City. He returned to western New York to earn his MA degree from the University at Buffalo and spent the next several years living in New York City before moving to the midwest.
An introvert by nature, Shawn periodically attempts to belie his innate wussery by appearing on stage or in major motion pictures and in addition to parts in a number of films, has worked with Disney, and with such luminaries as Judy Blume, Cookie Monster and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He is currently working on his second book. His first, "Heart and Darkness: Scary Adventures and the Evolution of Disney's Dark Rides," was released in late 2017 by Theme Park Press.
Shawn is single but has successfully nurtured a cactus for several months and is raising a pug named Darby O'Gill.
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