Bradley’s Disney Story

Like many other kids, my parents took my little sister and me to Disney World when we were young. As the story goes, I was so overwhelmed by everything happening that I didn’t want to get out of my stroller at first. That didn’t last long.

The story goes on to say that later that trip I would get off the Peter Pan ride only to run back to the end of the line to ride it again. I think my parents have ridden in those flying pirate ships enough for a couple of lifetimes now.

That wasn’t the only trip we took to Disney World. Later, my little brother came along, and we had to go back for him to experience the Disney magic, right? Then my dad had a convention to attend that was taking place in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. How my mom survived the parks until my dad met up with us in the afternoon after his convention I’ll never know. Then there were spring break trips to Orlando to play baseball, and of course we have to swing by the Magic Kingdom before we head home. And then my first trip with my first “real” job was to a convention at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Several months later was my honeymoon at Disney World, and then a handful of trips since.

I remember when it all started to really look like magic. It wasn’t that first trip. Or the second. It was when I started to understand how the magic was created that I became hooked. It was the trip during my sophomore year of high school.

First, let me say that I have always loved admiring how a building is designed and built. My dad is an architect, so I hear about design whether I want to hear it or not. On this particular trip, I remember walking down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom when my dad explained forced perspective. “The first floors are normal height. But the second floor is a little shorter, and the third even shorter,” he explained. “It makes the buildings seem taller than they really are, it makes the street seem longer than it really is, and it makes the castle stand out at the very end.” Wow!

Since then, I have loved studying Disney and how they pay attention to every detail. I love how you cannot see another land from where you are standing. I love how everything has a story. I love the details in the concrete as you walk through the parks. I love the scene as you stand in line. I love how your favorite Disney song has been rerecorded in the style that fits wherever you are on Disney property. No detail is missed, and that’s the magic of it all.

As an adult, I have learned to see Disney not as a place for parents to take their kids but as a place where every member of the family can have a great time. I’m excited to share that with you.

I’m serious about this Disney stuff