Sightlines: How Disney Controls What You Can See 

The “what building, theres no building!” Is like genuinely funny and not even too out of place in the context of toontown tbh. Good on them for that one.

Disney sightlines are SO genius. It's really a work of art. It makes me wonder what life would be like if cities and neighborhoods were designed with this much care

I was injured when a ride malfunctioned at Disney. I was swiftly taken to a train station looking building and whisked back behind to where guests wouldn’t see. When the ambulance came, it was silent, no lights. And was hidden behind a large wall. No guest ever had any idea that just feet away from them someone was being loaded into an ambulance.

What made Disney World and Land so good is immersion and world building within the Theme Park industry.

Love that Morocco pavilion so much. It's the only pavilion in which the country's government aided in the design. During the pavilion's construction in the 1980s, then King Hassan II actually sent Moroccan artisans to design and create the many mosaics. Due to Islamic religious beliefs on the content of art, the mosaics contain no representations of people. The pavilion's minaret is based off one from the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh, and the real mosque's minaret was built around 1195. Because of its religious meaning, the pavilion doesn't light up during fireworks. The pavilion's fortress walls were based off Chellah which was once a heavily fortified necropolis in what's now Rabat, the country's capital. Not a tree having to do with sightlines but another special tree at Disneyland is the Dominguez Tree in Adventureland. It's a Canary Island date palm that was originally planted in 1896 by the Dominguez family who once owned the orange grove that's now Disneyland. The tree was originally a wedding present given to the grandparents of Ron Dominguez who later sold the grove to WED Enterprises for Disneyland, under the condition that they leave up the palm. Hence why it's there! Ron didn’t leave Anaheim after Disneyland arrived, in fact, he started as a ticket tacker on opening day! He held several positions within the park. He retired in 1994, and was honored with a window on Main Street!

I actually got to talking with one of the managers of the Tower of Terror, and the sightline with morocco and the tower is actually a myth! it was a complete coincidence, and they mentioned that if it was planned, the tower would've been painted the same color as morocco

There's even immersion when it comes to the transit built to take people to the parks. This is not a sightline thing but on the MTR's Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Line, it's a shuttle service between two stations, Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort. Sunny Bay station has a futuristic theme, while Disneyland Resort station has a Victorian theme. The idea was that the train would act like a time machine, taking people from the future to the fantasy world of Hong Kong Disneyland. The trains themselves are very different from the rest of the MTR network as they have Mickey-shaped windows, Mickey-shaped handles, and bronze statues of Disney characters in glass displays. Another example is Magic Kingdom. The reason they put the parking lot on the other side of Seven Seas Lagoon and you have to take a boat or monorail to get to Magic Kingdom from the parking lot is they wanted the immersion of feeling like you're on a journey to a magical place, with the castle revealing itself as you get closer. On top of working around the fact the site of the lagoon was deemed unstable and unsuitable for construction, so the earth that was removed from that site was relocated to form a ground-level floor for Magic Kingdom, and it became Seven Seas Lagoon. When they cleaned up Bay Lake, they found pure white sand, which was used to create the beaches.

I think one sightline failure that’s worth mentioning is WDW’s clear view of the backside of Galaxy’s Edge being in clear view from the highway.

There is one big "weenie" at Disneyland that helps the park as a whole -- the Matterhorn. But this is a sightline from *outside* the park. For years, when my family would come to visit Anaheim, we kids played a game -- who could spot the Matterhorn first? That mountain was a promise of a magical day ahead and drew us, as a family, in the direction of Mouse Town :-)

You don't realize how important this aspect of disney is until you go to universal. Universal does NOT control sightlines and it severely affects the impact and immersion of their parks for the worse. Disney does it right.

I beg to differ on the opinion that you won’t find high levels of detail at the universal parks. Diagon Alley is easily the most well themed land in any park I’ve visited. Fantastic use of sight lines and utilizing a superb weenie (the dragon).

Yeah they don’t care about this at all anymore. Look no further than DCA: you’re immersed in Buena Vista Street and all its elaborate theming and then…. the Guardians building sticking out like a giant, industrial, radar-covered sore thumb.

Mission Breakout is a great ride but good god is that building an eyesore. Just a hideous mass of industrial pipes and garbage ruining the views in the whole resort.

When i was at disneyland, i happened to see the tree that blocks the matterhorn. I thought it was just a coincidence at first, but then i remembered it was disney.

There's a big sightline problem at the Magic Kingdom with the addition of the Tangled restroom section. The Rapunzel tower should be viewed as a visual weenie for the west side of Fantasyland, leading you down that path past Small world and Peter Pan's Flight. Instead, the tower is off centre which means you can't see it. The tower is mostly visible from the Haunted Mansion end of Liberty Square, and it totally takes you out of the immersion of that land. It was an early indication that all was not well in the world of Imagineering.

I absolutely love these videos about Disney, found it through the Urban Exploring video and am excited to see you continue on the topic! As someone who's never been to Disney parks, or cared much for Disney itself, you've definitely made me a lot more interested with your videos

4:09 YEAHH STRETCHING ROOM! My favorite factoid to share in line EVER

One of the most surreal experiences I've had at a Disney Park was because of sight line of Cars Land. I was staying in one of the hotels blocked by the sight line. It was possible to look into the park from my hotel room. It took me a while to realize that because a big part of the sightline was that cut out. Broke the illusion of how big Disneyland was. When I went to Cars land it took me awhile to realize where i was and what I was looking at even though I had already seen the back of the illusion. I really enjoyed this video talking about the massive attention to detail in the Disney Parks. My favorite part was the explanation about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.

I gasped at that Matterhorn tree block, wow!

I've always been obsessed with the strong theming in Disneyland and other Disney parks. The very deliberate sightlines play a big role in that. Excellent video!

The Tower of Terror and Morocco blending is actually totally false. It was 100% a coincidence and the hotel is themed after multiple hotels based (mostly) in California and different aspects from the 30’s. The color of the tower was totally coincidental and was a shade that I think was titled “Moroccan sunset”. Imagineers didn’t put that much effort into forced perspective. Pinks and various shades of terracotta were popular then and common out west. It just happened to play out well for Morocco’s skyline. Any cast member you ask will gladly debunk it.

Loved loved loved this video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. I’ve seen sideline videos, but they don’t cover all of the types of variations. Thank you for putting it all in one video.

For me its the tree that blocks the Matterhorn. It's hilarious when you know its there and look for it.

You are absolutely crushing it with these Disney videos and you can tell by the viewership on them too! Congrats!

This is something i never took into account when being there, but after watching this video its so accurate, it always felt like you were in another place...

I recently came across ur Disney videos, I’ve been watching these type of videos for years, and I’ve never seen many detailed videos for Disney newbies in these past few years, it’s amazing especially for a new Disney theme park youtuber, a keep up the good job 👍

Been watching amusement park content for over a decade now and your videos always teach me many new fun facts- no matter the topic. Keep up the great work!

Dude great video, George, thanks for all of your contributions

Your videos feel like they scratch an itch in my brain in a way that's so satisfying. Great analysis!

Wonderful work!!! Elements of architecture and landscape design. Wonderful video!

I think my personal favourite is the tower of terror looking different from both sides. That's some great attention to detail. It's also kinda disappointing how out of place mission breakout is

Another great video! Love your content. Keep it coming!

Wow that was surprisingly cool to watch! Super interesting topic and I didn't expect this quality :D

This is such a great video! Informative, funny, great history, tiny details. One of the best Disney design / architecture videos I’ve ever seen!

That's what I love, it's like in video game level designs and art design

Getting to the middle of toontown and being surrounded by fake hills that blended in perfectly with the sky was a little bit terrifying. It was so seamless

You deserve these subs mate, I'm a new subscriber and to be honest I had zero interest with Disney but after watching a lot of your videos, now I have a great appreciation for what goes into creating such a place

This is a really good video. I have subscribed. This takes me back to when I was young and went to DisneyWorld with my parents. I am very aware of how things look and even then I recall how everything was immersive, even though I didn't know how to articulate that at the time. My parents noticed it too.

These are so cool and I had no idea about them but now I know I'll see them everywhere! Especially on my trip to Portland soon I'll look out for that mountain

amazing video, never know so much design were given to theme park designs!

awesome video! didn’t know how big of a deal sight lines were at the disney parks since the beginning!

Looking at vintage aerial photographs of Anaheim, and Southern California in general, it’s amazing just how many orange groves there actually were. Locations that are now suburban sprawl and theme parks were devoted to oranges.

I enjoyed the presentation of the controlled view and the journey. There seems to be a subconscious trick to transport it's guest into different times and scales ... I would add that the weenie of the Astro Orbiter at Disneyland was a diminished relocation of the Rockets that once flew above the people mover. The rockets and the people mover both drew people into tomorrowland whereas the current Astro Orbiter is a visual barrier to the depth of Tomorrowland. Ironically there is really nothing else to discover ... except for the uncelebrated arrive to space mountain. I'd also say that the sightlines are better managed at Disneyland verse Magic Kingdom. great video!

This is a really cool video. Really well done man!

Have you ever covered the vertical sightlines? The way in which the park appears so much bigger for a child because of the added perspective from their level. Ingenious. Would love to see your video about that!

i always wondered what the ugly blue building was at epcot… very upset to hear that it’s a poorly disguised building for the guardians ride 😬 it definitely takes away from the magic of the experience

The weenies remind me of level design in games like Elden Ring, you see one big point of interest you start moving towards, and then along the way see closer points of interest you then move towards.

This was a great video! I'm a newer subscriber and have really enjoyed everything I've watched so far!

I have been to Disneyland in California like 15+ times in my life as I only live 2 hours away and I have never noticed that tree and that it is blocking the Matterhorn. Actually blew my mind

I love your vids and analyses!! Pls make moreeee

I love this channel man. You do an excellent job discussing theme park concepts and staying entertaining. I really hope to see your channel grow so more people can see this kind of quality work. Thanks!

Thank you so much! ❤

I know this video is about Disney, but the reveal in Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure is incredible. It uses curved paths and overhead bridges to reveal the lagoon and the entire park once you reach the shore

That was amazing. Thanks.

Favorite sight line is the one in Tomorrowland WDW- the one that hides the castle when you look back the way you came. I remember being so giddy when I noticed it.

Loving these videos! Been a big fan of imagineering and Disney Parks history for years now and these mini docs you’ve been putting out are exactly what I’ve been looking for! Definitely becoming one of my favourite channels! Ps. If you have any more ideas for Paris videos I’d love that as it’s my “Home” Park 😁

Dude, diagon alley is so hidden it was hard to find for me. Also Kong and Jurassic blended well. Universal definitely does have sight lines. Have you been there?

A full everest video would be amazing! Please do!!

very informative video! I'd always wondered about some of the design choices in individual spots but now I think I've gained even more respect for the skill and creativity that's needed to make such well quilted parks

Fascinating!

Haha Ellen’s World of Energy. Thanks for making me feel old (47), as I still remember that as the update to Exxon’s universe of energy!

Ugh that cars land tunnel is amazing. I want to see it irl so bad. My family are Disney world people but I need to get out to California to see cars land

I always respect it when people give so much attention to details I care nothing about

In the parking lot trees are added on both sides of drains to make a swamp scene that also blocks views of the park

Wonderful!

Another fun thing I noticed is the amount of service routes for personel throughout the park, that you can see clearly on google earth, but that are also completely hidden from the visitors.

I think Universal's Epic Universe is stepping up their sightlines based on the construction photos I've seen.

love your videos :)

Great video keep it up

When DCA first opened their sight lines were not so great. You could see the power lines from Karelia and Harbor Blvd in the parks. It was one of the things that was overlooked when they were cost cutting before opening that park. When they did the remodel and added cars land it was something they really concentrated on fixing. That’s why those hills behind Radiator City Racers is so tall. Great video though. One area Universal created great sight lines is Diagon Alley. They made it so you do t see any part of it from the “muggle” world outside the entrance. The exception is the dragon on top of Gringotts because it is escaping. Otherwise your right they aren’t as good as Disney on that

the park who does this even better is phantasialand, foot example rookburgh, you can't see it from the outside so the immersion is impressive

the ground theming around mission breakout tries to sell the transported narrative - the jagged edge - would be cool for you to talk about that some.

Watching you from austin tx!!

The ceiling actually DOES lift up in the HM elevators, in addition to the elevators going down. If you pay close attention, you can feel yourself being lowered down and reaching the lower floor. You can also see the point where the walls start to extend upward and the ceiling along with them.

Lived about a block away from Disneyland for a few years. While the park does a great job of keeping the real world out it does a terrible job of keeping the park noise in. I still have nightmares with the steamboat whistles in the background. One of my best memories though was pranking park guests using the "family radios" which were used quite frequently in the park before cell phones became ubiquitous.

Designing scenes with sightlines in mind can be very challenging since making one sightline better may require major architectural changes and can affect other sightlines. Will Nintendo be able to make use of sightlines in their open world 3D Mario platformer?

Absolutely genius work! Heard about it before in other videos, but this is the first one explaining and showing it! "What big building? There is no big building here!" Disney gaslighting its guests and customers, nothing new there, tho.

Splash Mountain is also a part of hiding the rest of the showbuilding behind the berm. Impressively, the two distinct areas work together even though it and the haunted mansion are right next to each other, but both sharing a space, but having it's own sight line.

This is a really good video

I just found your channel yesterday and binged all of your vidoes. You're already becoming one of my favorite theme park RU-vidrs. Might I suggest a video on the differences between Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland?

An opposite example of how to destroy a sight line is "Nintendo world" within Universal in LA; it is just a pile of boxes droped wherever they got a piece of land and you feel certain claustrophobia inside the area

Besides at a theme park; sightlines are important in the home. How many homes have you been into that you can see into the bathroom door with a direct view of the toilet from a long distance? I have. Or out a window on an unappealing view. Sightlines are very important.

I think Zelda: BOTW and TOTK are good examples of the landscape being used as a story element. They use sightlines and 'weenies' to lead players though quest progressions in an open world.

I feel like it’s worth mentioning that the Matterhorn originally had the skyway running directly through it. When Disneyland originally opened sight lines were definitely valued less than they are now.

I know there have been some genius imagineers all throughout the years but, man, those original ones were really exceptional. Haunted Mansion and Pirates are over 50 years old and are still brilliant attractions.

Interestingly this video doesn't reminds me of other theme parks, but games - FromSoftware's titles, such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. The map designs of these games employ strong use of similar sightline control strategies, mostly using dominating structures to draw the player's attention, or blocking important point of interests from view and then carefully revealing it. Of course, it is much more easier to tweak spaces in a game engine than in the real life, but the experiences provided are both fantastic.

haha all these years and I didn't realize that the two Stretching Rooms were that different. Nice stuff overall! That's funny about the Matterhorn-blocking-tree- I can see that mountain from so much of the park I forget sometimes there are other things blocking its view in certain areas.

make no mention of the back side of the Star Wars land fully visible from the parking structure XD

I went to Disney last month and noticed they don’t really care about sight lines anymore which is unfortunate

4:56 i fr thought it just lifted up the ceiling cuz it was easier Edit: he was talking about the dsny land one with the floor decreasing but and world (where i go) the ceiling DOES go up

It is amazing what they do to eliminate sightlines, but one thing I did notice is that the peaks from Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Hollywood Studios at WDW are clearly visible from areas external to the park, but still on the resort property, so it appears like they are giant triangle mountaintops held up by poles, and just looks tacky when driving by. Sightlines were definitely not considered there...

The designed Morocco - Tower of Terror sight line is not a thing. It only works from a single, unimportant, and random location in Epcot. If you shift along the same walkway to other equally unimportant areas, the Tower of Terror appears behind other pavilions. The myth easily debunks itself.

Very nice. New subscriber here!

Disney’s care for sight lines *especially* at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora: World of Avatar is what sets them apart from everyone else in my opinion. As much as I love Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, their sight lines still aren’t as well crafted as WDW’s

18:20 I’d be curious to know if there are any examples of these kinds of sight-lines and attention to detail at the Disney World hotels and resorts or only at the parks? 🤔

The current Disney isn’t doing a very good job with hiding the buildings as much as they used to

I had vip one time and it really took away the magic because you could see behind the scenes

People who use the Harry Potter areas to say universal can do sightlines well, all I have to say is perhaps but it's the exception to the rule and I'd argue that if JK hadn't been so particular with it that it wouldn't have been as well themed.

The amount of time this guy says Weenie Waypoint without cracking the hell up is blowing my mind.

i really hope we get a community discord soon