Failures, adjuncts, absences, and outsourcing: Histories and attitudes towards VR experiences at Walt Disney World Resort

Garner, Ross 2027. Failures, adjuncts, absences, and outsourcing: Histories and attitudes towards VR experiences at Walt Disney World Resort. Atkinson, Sarah, Bucknall, Joanna and Kennedy, Helen W., eds. The Routledge Companion to Immersive Arts and Media, London: Routledge,

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Abstract

This chapter critically examines the historical roles and meanings assigned to virtual reality (VR) technologies and experiences at Disney’s US theme parks (primarily focusing on Walt Disney World, Florida). Through synthesizing and analyzing a combination of historical press reports, fan-generated material, and trade commentaries, the paper examines two significant moments in WDW’s (non-)handling of VR. These are the DisneyQuest entertainment space housed at retail district Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) and, more recently, the company’s involvement with start-up company The VOID. By reviewing these instances, the industrial, economic, technological, and cultural tensions that have contributed to VR’s marginalisation in Disney’s themed spaces are highlighted. The chapter argues that Disney’s attitude has been to symbolically and institutionally marginalize VR by either locating it in park-adjacent spaces or outsource its development to third parties. In turn, this review raises critical questions about the potential opportunities for integrating VR into themed entertainment spaces at the same time as calling for more in-depth and institutionally focused examinations of attitudes towards VR.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	Routledge
ISBN:	9781032825014
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2026 12:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190092

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