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Disney castle with pretty sky
Disney castle with pretty sky
Thomas Kelley
Culture

Disney Launches ‘Storyliving’: Capitalistic Utopia or Imaginative Feat?

Hannah Musiak
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

When you think of Disney, most people think of the movies, television shows, theme parks and cruise ships that have had a pervasive influence on American culture. To put things into perspective—Disney started as an animation company. Now, 100 years later, they’re making waves in the real estate market. Disney is launching “Storyliving” communities, the latest capitalistic and imaginative endeavor by the entertainment giant. Only two hours from Disneyland in Anaheim, the first community is called Cotino and will be in Rancho Mirage, a town part of Palm Springs, California. Due to the ideal weather and how the city caters to the young and old, Rancho Mirage is understandably a perfect spot to launch a living community.  

There’s no question that the neighborhood won’t be a relatively nice place to live, as the project will not only be an incredibly expensive undertaking, but will also require careful design to attract potential buyers. In the approximately 70 years that Disney has owned theme parks and vacation properties, generally, the consensus is that the company leans toward imagination over overt capitalism. Disney stated that they intend on making Cotino into a community that includes entertainment, shopping and dining. Disney also plans on adding a hotel, and the community will be accessible to all ages, including a retirement community designated for individuals ages 55 and over.  

This venture outside entertainment comes with obvious mixed reactions. Some expect this to be a capitalistic failure and to be Disney’s next cash-grab attempt. Notably, this isn’t Disney’s first attempt at building a living community. In 1995, Disney attempted to build a utopian community called Celebration, Florida, which is less than a 20-minute drive from Disney World. Residents were chosen by a November 1995 lottery, and winners would be able to buy land and build homes in the Utopian town. The project failed, and Disney eventually sold the land in 2004 to private investors.

Of course, Disney’s new Palm Springs community leans more toward a capitalistic utopia for Disney adults than reasonable living communities. Although house prices have not been posted, it’s reasonable to assume this community will only be accessible to upper-class individuals. Especially when one factors that the housing market’s prices are quite high now and California’s economy is only affordable to those who are making six to seven-figure salaries. Truly, these homes are not for middle or working-class families. 

One feature that lends itself toward imagination over capitalism is that Disney will not own, develop, build or sell these homes. The website specifically states, “Disney is not the developer of Cotino™, a Storyliving by Disney community or the builder or seller of homes within Storyliving by Disney communities; third-parties developing and building are independently owned and operated.” 

Within the continental United States, Disney’s properties are generally planted in Southern California and Central Florida. Based on Cotino’s two-hour proximity from Disneyland, it seems that Disney wants these neighborhoods to be succinct and independent of the theme parks. After all, a living community should be residential, not a vacation. If Cotino is successful, it seems the next likely move by Disney would be to launch a living community in Florida. As Disney’s idea is that their residents will not be living in a theme park, perhaps one of these communities could pop up in Fort Lauderdale or Pensacola. 

Currently, the Storyliving website states, “We’ve begun with a setting in California’s Greater Palm Springs and are exploring other location options in the United States—in the places people dream of living in.”

It seems the market of these communities are retirees who have loved Disney for decades and young families with money. Not to mention the bonus of living in a semi-vacation spot but not living directly around a Disney Park. Considering the market, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see Disney communities pop up in states such as Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, Arizona, South Carolina, Nevada, Texas and many other states that are home to ritzy vacation cities.

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Hannah is from a small town outside of Chicago and recently completed FSU's First Year Abroad program in London, UK and Florence, Italy. Her majors are Creative Writing and Media & Communication Studies with a minor in Film. She's loved to write since she was very young, and her ultimate dream is to work on a TV show.