Disneyland and the Rise of Automation
Join author Roland Betancourt for a delightful deep dive into how Disney turned the cold logic of factory assembly lines into the “happiest place on earth.”
Discover the surprising secrets behind your favorite rides, like how missile-testing technology brought the Enchanted Tiki Room’s parrots to life and how car factory robots helped build the Matterhorn. This talk reveals how Disneyland didn’t just entertain us but actually taught a generation to love automation by hiding the gears of industry inside magical adventures. It’s a fun journey showing how the magic of the theme park quietly shaped everything from our traffic patterns to modern AI.
Come ready to see your next visit to the parks with a whole new appreciation for the engineering wizardry behind the smiles!
We will have copies of Betancourt’s book for sale in our gift shop prior to the event and signed copies available the night of.
Agenda
6pm–7pm | Lecture
7pm-8pm | Reception
As a courtesy to our speaker, our door policy stipulates that all guests must arrive before 7pm.
About the Speaker
Roland Betancourt is an art historian, currently based in Washington, D.C., while on leave as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor at the National Gallery of Art, 2024-2026. He is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of California, Irvine, and a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow. His books include the prize-winning Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages (Princeton) and Performing the Gospels in Byzantium: Sight, Sound, and Space in the Divine Liturgy.
About This Event
This lecture is part of our Science and Society speaker series, which explores the history of science embedded in our everyday lives. We invite scientists, historians, policymakers, and educators for engaging, in-depth conversations that expand our perspectives. Program formats include lectures, interviews, roundtables, and book launches. Science and Society events are curated for an adult audience, fostering curiosity, conversation, and interactivity. Each evening concludes with a free reception with the speakers.
Featured image: Detail of the cover of Roland Betancourt’s book, Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth.
More events
Science & Activism Tour
From Rachel Carson to ACT UP, explore how scientists and activists have shaped discovery and created change.
Stories of Science: Celebration of Summer
Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!
The Galápagos Islands: Evolutionary Insights
Travel to the Galápagos Islands with science educator Matt Downing, who spent a year navigating the archipelago as a certified naturalist guide in 1978.