Post #161024 by Thomas on Mon, May 23, 2005 5:42 PM

I am actually not surprised by this to tell you the truth. I'm reminded of how the MGM Grand in Las Vegas uses an alternate entrance for Asian high-rollers -- entering a lion's mouth (main entrance) just rankles the sensibilities and seems inauspicious to many. We associate tiki with a certain laid-back playfulness but many in other parts of the world (esp. Asia I suspect) would tend to think, why "play" with images that suggest mysterious powers and are associated with foreign religious beliefs? It just doesn't seem right, and as they have invested quite a bit in their vacation, they may well not at all appreciate having this extraneous factor enter into their (not inexpensive) trip. We are programmed to cue in on human (and human-like) faces. Babies focus in on them very quickly after birth; it's "wired" into our brains. It's not surprising that someone from another culture might find a highly stylized face, seeming to "stare" at the room's inhabitants, unwelcome. Disney's decision seems pretty rational given the range of people they accomodate.