Why the pauses at Disney mean more now than ever

What if I told you the most memorable part of a Disney trip is not the E-ticket rides or magical shows? Or even (gasp!) our beloved characters?

The truth is, the magic is in the pauses.

I don’t mean the break between busy crowds (though that does feel magical when it happens, like finding a unicorn) or the moments when you sit down for a Dole Whip with the rest of humanity in what feels like the smallest eating area ever created between Aloha Isle and the Magic Carpets.

A pause is that Disney moment we all have when we really just take it in. The ones that make your heart skip a beat and your joy level hit astronomical heights. Moments you can’t plan, but they happen to you, and you remember them long after you’ve hung up your ears and resumed day-to-day life.

The parks were designed for these pauses, no doubt. The dramatic waterfalls of Pandora that pull you in and make you one with the landscape. The wishing well at Cinderella’s Castle that makes you feel like you’ve left the rest of the world behind for a moment and that a single dropped coin really could make your wish come true. The fountains of Paris that transport you a world away in an instant as an evening breeze graces you with notes of croissants and luxury. These are places I think it’s safe to admit we’ve all had a pause a time or two.

Pandora after dark is a glorious affair! The sounds you hear change from day to night as new nocturnal creatures emerge, and plants illuminate with bioluminescence. The large egg-shaped plants are called Vein Pods, which detoxify the air in Pandora, and below them (bottom left) are bladder polyps, which apparently taste like pickles (though I don’t recommend eating them!). Next time you are in Pandora, look up at the highest waterfalls in the land… they aren’t made of water at all, but of a spinning water-shaped wheel behind a mesh screen.

But even more than the pre-designed places of wonder are the more subtle ones. Like when we give a silent nod to the windows on Main Street USA and recognize the creative genius that came together to birth Disney as we know it. Or when a meaningful song starts playing on Sunset Boulevard and you just close your eyes to savor it, knowing it was just for you. Or when you see the awe and wonder on the face of someone you love, and you join them in their pause, internalizing the moment for when you need it.

These pauses have only increased with the pandemic, I believe. Many of us are slowing down for more snack breaks (simply to breath without a mask for a few minutes). We are finding new places to sit while doing so as many of our usual perches have been removed or relocated for the time being.

We are also looking at the parks with an appreciation we never had before.

The rock work for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was based on the buttes in Arizona and Utah’s Monument Valley. The whistle sounds you hear are purely for the guests observing the ride from outside the attraction, there are no actual whistles or whistle sounds on the trains themselves.

The sad truth is we most certainly took our Disney parks for granted in pre-pandemic days. Disneyland rarely closed, and now it feels like it will never open. The ache of loss and the fear that we may never again feel Disney surround us became a housemate in our lockdowns. For the first time, we couldn’t say “I’m going to Disney World” whenever we wanted.

It was a dark time.

So now… when we can walk through those tapstyles (in Disney World, at least) and into the magic again, there are different pauses than we ever had before. Pauses of gratitude and thankfulness. Pauses of eased anxiety and a sense of normalcy. Pauses of sheer relief.

It feels almost like a desperate hunger to drink it all in because of the uncertainty of tomorrow. As if we need to soak up all the Disney magic we can and store it away for whatever crisis comes next. Sailing through the skies on Soarin’ is no longer for our amusement, it’s for our mental health.

Soarin’ in Disney World is a bit different than the original Disney California Adventure version. The concept for the loading area for Soarin’ was originally that you are about to take flight to California (back when the show was Soarin’ Over California), and so the cast member costumes are all flight attendant uniforms. In California, the cast members originally wore airfield crew uniforms to match the Grizzly Peak Airfield theming of the area, as you were taking off from California, and didn’t need to board a commercial flight first to get there.

We pause in all the places Disney created for us, but not for the reasons they originally planned. We pause not out of our escapism or entertainment, but to truly know that we are ok.

We pause not out of our escapism or entertainment, but to truly know that we are ok.

It sounds a little crazy, but somehow we believe that if we can observe tiny cars zip around London from the deck of a floating ship or escape the cannons of the Wicked Wench, we can do anything. And, Disney friends, I’m here to remind you that you can.

As Walt would say it, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

We dream in the pauses. Pure, simple dreams of a great, big, beautiful tomorrow. And we grab hold of a piece of that wonderful thought and tuck it away in our minds for when we need it. Because if this past year has taught us nothing, we know we will need it.

The pauses become pixie dust for our ordinary days.

The pauses become pixie dust for our ordinary days.

So, Disney friends, this is my invitation to you. Take more Disney pauses. Look for reasons to slow down and savor the magic instead of rushing to the next attraction. And, while you’re at it, see if you can find ways to share your pixie dust pauses with those around you, because the world needs those merry little thoughts now more than ever.

Hey Disney friends! I’d love to hear about one of your Disney pauses in the comments! And if you’d like to continue to learn more about why your love of Disney has great personal and social value, sign on up to subscribe!