It would be nice—I guess—to close out Adventureland August with a
bang, but the Disneyland Dilettante isn't just about the E-tickets
and momentous events. The smaller stuff definitely has its place here
too...maybe even a more cherished place, considering how often it's
overlooked by not only the general park-going public but even the
aficionados. There are entire websites dedicated to extolling the
virtues of the Haunted Mansion or catering to the exalted fraternity
of Jungle Cruise skippers, but when was the last time you saw even
the smallest blog post praising the Silhouette Studio?
This blog post is not about the Silhouette Studio. It's about a
feature of Disneyland that actually does have a following (though
it's still definitely a niche interest by normal standards):
background music.* This is one of those under-appreciated but
absolutely essential parts of the Disneyland experience, like the
standards of cleanliness. Most guests don't really notice that it's
there. They might not overtly notice if it were gone...but they would
certainly feel the detriment on some level. What would Main Street be
without its light orchestra instrumentals? The New Orleans Square
riverfront without its lively Dixieland jazz? Frontierland without
its Western folk tunes or Fantasyland without its (gasp) actual
Disney songs?
And where would Adventureland be without its...uh...hang on...huh.
Adventureland
does not have an overall area music loop. I can think of potential
reasons for this oddity. Perhaps there aren't enough good places
along the walkway to install speakers for such ambiance. Perhaps the
diversity of the locations represented is such that no single loop
could adequately serve. Perhaps it was decided that any
ambient music would detract from the impression of a remote area
where survival is Priority Number One and performing arts are an
unaffordable luxury.
Or
maybe, given how narrow the walkable space is, an overall loop would
clash with the queue loops for the individual attractions. Because
Adventureland does
have a plethora of background music tailored to its specific
offerings. This, of course, is one way to get around the second issue
mentioned above. So let's take a tour!
