Astroworld and Other Worlds

Fri, 05 May 2006 18:57:53 GMT

Last September the news came, abruptly, that Astroworld was closing. I was about 5 years old when it first opened, and I loved it, though less over the years as it moved away from its initial world theme. Anyway, I just wrote a long piece on my blog All Things about the evolution of Astroworld over the years and the changes now underway at Six Flags Inc.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the length of my post. After all, I've had nearly my whole life to think about theme parks, and from several perspectives: child, teen, and parent. I've also seen at least a little of how fascinated kids, and some adults, can get over places like Astroworld or Disneyland.

One friend was a particularly bad case. Susan and I, along with our baby daughter, were part of one of the yearly groups he put together to go to EPCOT and Disneyworld. This was 1988, and Susan was already pregnant with our oldest son (who is now taller than me). I don't know if it's true that Every Person Comes Out Tired, but Every Parent Comes Out Tired likely isn't far off the mark! Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable trip - plus a chance to see Kennedy Space Center - and (though we didn't realize it at the time) one of the last real vacations we'd get for a number of years.

While I hardly hear from him nowadays, at that time we'd get regular updates about "Project X", a quaint name for his effort, more or less I guess, to put together a portfolio that would get him hired at Disney. Even though he was probably the most creative guy I had ever met, it still took him a number of years to reach his goal of working at Imagineering/theme park design. Sometimes I wonder if there's hardly anyone in business out there looking for creative types, even though most companies (unlike Disney) are obviously desperate for them!

It seemed pretty clear to everyone who knew him that he was perfect for Disney, so I was glad that he finally got his chance, but concerned that the company was losing its vision. I guess they've managed to hold things together the last 15 years, and hopefully Steve Jobs (on Disney's Board since the Pixar buyout) will stir the pot soon and unleash a new burst of creative activity.

I'm not going to repeat everything I wrote on All Things, which was mostly about how Six Flags needs to (and is reportedly aiming to) recapture more of Walt Disney's theme park vision, but I guess in a way you could say that making your own little world is the essence of good theme park design, and making your own world is, perhaps, the ultimate creative experience.

I think this is similar in many respects to the appeal of space travel. The public for the most part sees space travel as exploration of other worlds, which it is, but to the space community, space also represents the opportunity to build new worlds. In my own case, while I'm fascinated by both theme parks and space colonization, I think the latter opportunity, though much more difficult, interests me more because it's a chance to affect the real world.

This contrast was brought home to me in our 1988 trip. After nearly a week in Orlando, we went to KSC, where the rubber meets the road in space flight (OK, poor analogy). As I reflected on the contrast between the Cape and the Magic Kingdom, I concluded that, while it could be neat for a while, in my own case I'd probably tire eventually of working on something that's pretend.

Perhaps it's that a different mix of creativity and building is involved. Creativity and building are integral to both, but theme parks likely offer more of a chance for unbridled creativity, whereas space offers, in the long run, a greater opportunity to build something. Ultimately, the neat thing about space is that it offers unlimited growth. There are a lot of challenges to overcome, but done properly, these should be turned into growth experiences as well.

Light Side: Travel

Astroworld and Other Worlds