How does Disneyland maintain the magic for modern families?

On our recent visit to Disneyland Paris for the launch of the 20th anniversary celebrations, my 8-year-old and I were dazzled by all the spectacles that go along with the celebrations – from new costumes and choreography to a new evening light, music and, um, fire show.

But it got me thinking about how a company like Disney keeps its gee-whiz, goodnatured, wholesome appeal going. After all, while Disneyland Paris is 20 years old this year, Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971. Since then, not only has our love of polyester print shirts faded, but kids have become a lot more sophisticated – some might even say jaded.

I have to admit that I was surprised at how wholeheartedly my daughter got into the Disneyland spirit – she loved meeting the characters, riding all the rides (even ones she deemed “too young” we rode on several times) and browsing the shops. Everything is clean and tidy, and all the employees have a level of chirpy friendliness that borders on manic, but in a good way.

When I was a single, I used to roll my eyes a bit at Disney. “Haven’t we all moved past that?” I thought, as I tossed back cocktails and read important literature. People who hadn’t “moved past it” needed to wise up, I thought smugly. Now that I have children and have, y’know, actually visited a park, I understand the appeal. There are timeless characters, peppy singing and dancing — that gets me every time and I’m not kidding — dazzling displays and parades. You can tell that the company works hard to make it unlike the outside world.

Of course there are things that I would like to see at Disneyland Paris. I wish the old-fashioned themed Main Street featured not just shops but old-fashioned-style businesses as well – a cobbler demonstrating the traditional way to make shoes, a mustachioed barber, maybe a blacksmith. Even without those things, the magic does endure at Disneyland. My daughter didn’t ask to play on the iPad once during our visit — she mainly fell into bed and immediately to sleep each night. At lunchtime, she wanted to discuss what we’d done and seen and plan our next move. We were there with some other Disney-philes of all ages and I realised that there’s nothing unsophisticated about getting excited about a family experience that’s unashamedly earnest.

Plus, it turns out you can drink cocktails at Cafe Fantastia. Bring our own important literature.

Below, I talked to Disneyland Paris’s Katy Harris about how they maintain the magic.