“The Spirit of Aloha:” A history of how Disney theming performs Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures

Abstract

The view from Hawaiʻi in the 21st century has to contend with haole fantasies made of the reified stuff of discovery and paradise. Each tour package and 'experience' touts the ability of newcomers to 'discover' Hawaiʻi anew, to enjoy a lūʻau (a Hawaiian feast), feted Cook-like.Noelani Arista, "Encountering History: 'Discovery' and 'Resolution' Revisited"Remember to share the Spirit of Aloha wherever you go. Auntie Wini, "The Spirit of Aloha" Dinner Show, February 2020 I N T RODUC T IONOne hallway of the main lobby, or the Great Ceremonial Hall, of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort houses a glass display. This collection archives the Disney Company's history with the resort, and by extension, its history with Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures. The display includes original images and ephemera: photos from the resort and Aunty Kau'i performing in the 1970s, Walt and Lillian Disney in leis, company-produced Annette Funicello pop-Hawaiian LPs, and branded educational materials. This display foregrounds one of the key concepts of Disney parks and resorts, which is the detail and care Imagineers put into themed spaces. The display also draws a direct line from the Polynesian to interests of founder Walt Disney himself. The image of Disney, from his 1934 visit to Honolulu, is something guests easily walk by without noticing that it is Disney in the picture or this miniature archive at all. But this hallway display shares a history of Disney, man and company, crafting, literally in some images, paradisiacal illustrations of Hawaiian and Polynesian 1 cultures. Disney's history and framing offers insight into how