Ah, Main Street. An icon of Disney Parks the world over, the origin of this picturesque land is as timeless as the story of Disneyland itself: a dream-like, hazy recreation of “everytown” America right at the turn of the century. Of course, this sleepy downtown is passed through the idealized lens of a child’s vision, creating a romanticized, nostalgic version of the truth; a sort of “ease” into the fantasy and surrealism of the park’s literary lands.
And at once, Imagineering fans will begin to share details of the cinematic details that bring the land to life, like the use of forced perspective to make the streetscape appear taller than it is; the almost-imperceptible incline of the street at Magic Kingdom making the castle appear further away and taller that it truly is; the inevitable nods to Walt hidden throughout the land…