This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Why do people love Disneyland?

Why do some people love Disneyland so much that they'll set a goal to visit three Disney parks in one calendar day (Tokyo, Anaheim, Orlando)? Or visit a Disney park every single day for an entire year? Or endeavor to gain an encyclopedic knowledge of a favorite ride?

Scott Renshaw, film critic and arts and entertainment editor for City Weekly, explores this question in his super-smart new book, "Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life." Renshaw, himself a Disney parks enthusiast who will read from his book Tuesday at Weller Book Works, profiles a series of superfans and provides a human context for their passion. He also examines the reasons the parks hold so much sway in the popular imagination and how corporate Disney must, as a result, walk a fine line, honoring beloved traditions and attractions while at the same time embracing new directions for the parks.

What inspired you to write this particular book?

I'm a California native who often went to Disneyland in my youth, but I've been in Utah for nearly 20 years, and between geography and having kids, it hasn't been easy to go regularly. So I tend to get my between-visits fix through Disney-fan websites. It was on one of those sites a couple of years ago that I read about Brent Dodge (who had just completed 365 days in a row at one of the Disney Parks and Resorts properties) and Jeff Reitz (who was approaching 1,000 days in a row visiting Disneyland). I've been fascinated with fan cultures for some time, and I just started to wonder, "What kind of people become that committed to their fan enthusiasm for a place like Disneyland?"

What turns a Disneyland fan into the kind of superfan you profile?

A lot of time it's simple geography — people who grew up close enough to the parks to go regularly and develop those emotional attachments. But I think it can also be about uniquely personal circumstances, like associating Disneyland with the person you fall in love with, or even having a single incredibly powerful moment from childhood that continues to resonate. For many of the people I profiled, it begins when you start to become connected to elements of the parks beyond the rides — from the landscaping to the "hidden Mickeys" in the parks — that make it feel like a home away from home.

Who is the intended audience for this book?

On the most obvious level, I think other Disney parks enthusiasts will see a lot of themselves in these profiles. But I also think it's about the whole idea of fandom and the stereotypes we have about anyone whose fandom for something just doesn't make sense to us — whether it's a theme park, or sports, or a TV show, or anything else. I hope this is a book for anyone willing to dig a little deeper and understand that these people aren't crackpots or losers, but people whose passions make complete sense given their particular circumstances.

You observe in your book that the Disney Corporation must walk a fine line between old and new. Can you elaborate?

Walt Disney created Disneyland in 1954-55 in large part because of his combination of nostalgia and optimism. He idealized Main Street, U.S.A., but also wanted guests to imagine a trip to the moon. The tension now is about how the Disney Corporation makes its decisions about changes to the park, like adding Star Wars Land or turning the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into a ride themed to the Marvel "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie. The integrity of the parks' themed lands has always been a huge part of their appeal to many fans. So while Walt Disney famously said that "Disneyland will never be complete," it's the way in which it continues to change that will cause that tension. At what point does your own personal nostalgia for what Disneyland should be become frustration at what it's becoming? And many of these fans still struggle with that question.

What are some of your favorite blogs or apps about the Disney parks experience?

Disney's own park app is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy, but it will do most of the basics like telling you what the wait time is at a ride on the opposite side of the park or the menu at a restaurant where you're considering having lunch. Personally, I swear by TouringPlans.com, which allows you to build a schedule for your day based on algorithms of how long wait times typically are at certain times of day, when you should get a FastPass, even when you can schedule time just to sit and take a break. If you're a Type-A vacation planner, there's nothing better.

Why do YOU love Disneyland?

I'm a classic monkey-mind person. I'm always working on to-do lists and looking ahead toward some down-the-road task. It's hard for me to be fully in the moment. And a Disney park is one of the rare places where I'm just present. What I did yesterday, or what I need to do tomorrow, is gone. It's hard to grasp for people who find Disney parks crowded and stressful, but for me it's the single most relaxing place I've ever been.

What is a perfect Disney Parks day for Scott Renshaw?

That definition absolutely changed over the course of researching this book. There may be a couple of rides I simply must hit — Pirates of the Caribbean in particular — but an ideal day is now one where I can allow the simpler pleasures of the place the necessary space to reveal themselves — just sitting and listening to the street musicians or people-watching. The "tourist problem" that makes Disney parks a frustration for so many people is this sense that, because it's so expensive and you must take the family once every several years, you have to pack everything possible into those days. Every second in a long line becomes exasperating, every time a ride breaks down is an obstacle. A certain degree of flexibility, and accepting that this place is NOT perfect, is essential to not getting overwhelmed. So maybe the philosophical way to answer this question is that a perfect day at Disneyland is one where I keep in mind that there is no one single way to have a perfect day at Disneyland. —

'Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life'

By Scott Renshaw

The Critical Press

250 pages

$19.95

Meet the author

Scott Renshaw will be reading from and signing his book, "Happy Place: Living the Disney Parks Life."

When • Tuesday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.

Where • Weller Book Works, 607 Trolley Square, 665 E. 600 South, Salt Lake City