Cara Levine

This project is an excerpt from my MFA thesis entitled We Can Do Better: Designing at the Intersection of Themed Entertainment and Social Activism. The full thesis involved extensive research into Buffy’s cultural significance, as well as the importance of representation and corporate social responsibility in themed entertainment.

Thesis

Theme park attractions primarily focus on IPs with white male protagonists and/or IPs with predominantly male audiences. It’s getting old. I believe that through the strategic choice of diverse IPs plus a new perspective on corporate social responsibility, themed entertainment can be pushed into a more socially responsible place. For this project, I focused on the representation of women in theme parks through a theme park land based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The overall purpose of this thesis was to demonstrate how and why representation matters in theme parks and to provide an example of a socially responsible theme park environment.

Concept

Welcome to Sunnydale, home of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all her friends (and enemies!) Here, you can feel like a true Sunnydale citizen as you stock up at the Magic Box, grab a caffeinated beverage at the Espresso Pump, and dance the night away at the Bronze. But beware! You never know what might be lurking around the corner; Buffy might call on you at any moment to help rid Sunnydale of evil.

Initial Sketches