Disney Tip # 83- Forced Perspective Disney Magic
Disney Imagineers used all sorts of illusion and magic to create their parks. One of the main ones throughout the park is called “forced perspective” and it’s a powerful tool.
Look at the photo above taken at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. See the door and the window above me? It looks like a 2 story building. In truth, it is only about 1 1/2 stories. The doors and windows above me are much smaller than anyone could actually enter. By making the entire floor completely on a smaller scale it “forces” our eyes to make full sized.
Let me demonstrate. Look at it now:
I actually had to duck to get under the awning. The door is very small and so is the window. But when it is combined with the rest of the building (in the first photo) it all goes together to make our eyes believe we’re looking at full two-story buildings.
Look at it again with both stories, but with me at the top:
Each story, stacked on top of the previous one gets scaled to be smaller and smaller. That is forced perspective. Disney uses this technique throughout their parks. One of the major ways it used though is on Main Street. Check it out:
If you look at Main Street from this angle, it really looks like 3 story buildings lining the street leading to a massive castle. However, the buildings are really only about 2 stories. The smaller doors and windows have been stacked above the bottom floor to force our eyes into making them taller than they really are.
What is the effect of those buildings lining Main Street seeming taller? It makes the castle seem like it is HUGE when in fact, it’s only 189 feet tall. This is all part of the Disney magic that goes into every detail to make the “story” seem exactly as it is supposed to be to our minds.
Now you know another secret behind the Disney magic!
