Immersive protagonists – exploring the notion of the ‘hero’ in theme parks

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers how the prolonged immersive storytelling experiences that theme parks provide have developed over time, with a particular focus on the role the individual guest can choose to take. Using examples from the Star Wars Intellectual Property developed for Disney Parks, and specifically Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (an extended three-day/two-night immersive experience), I consider how the role and agency of the individual participant/guest has changed over time and opened up from rather passive, to much more engaged. I argue that recent developments in theme park land, attraction and experience design (including extensions made possible by digital media) have opened up different structures in the narrative, allowing guests the option to become protagonists in a story they have agency over. This significantly extends the notion of the templated ‘hero’ Joseph Campbell introduced as part of his hero’s journey framework and makes way for the guest as immersive protagonist.