I just picked up a new read—The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements by Woody Register. It's a historical biopic that tells the story of a man who reinvented the amusement industry at New York's Coney Island during the turn of the century. Although a generation before Walt Disney, Thompson shares much in common with his desire for a holistic experience. Luna Park, which Thompson (along with Elmer "Skip" Dundy) designed, is often referred to as "Disneyland before Disney" and there's certainly reason for this—Luna Park may well represent the first American thematic environment of the twentieth century.
Thompson was obsessed with vernacular architecture as a means to transport his audiences to another time and place. Luna Park featured some of the first architectural collages that later became popular at theme parks from Japan to Dubai (and let's not forget Epcot's World Showcase.) Thompson designed two popular attractions for Luna Park based on the writings of Jules Verne, A Trip to the Moon and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Sound familiar? In fact, both tales were later given their own interpretation at Disney Parks. Walt Disney World's 20,000 Leagues Submarine Ride ran from 1971 to 1994, and was themed based on the art direction of Harper Goff for Disney's 1994 live action adaptation of the novel. An entire land at Tokyo DisneySea is based on the writings of Jules Verne, with attractions based on both Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues. over at disneyland paris, space mountain was envisioned as a trip from the earth to the moon.
As I read on about Thompson I'll have more to say about his contribution to the history of theming. While most of Coney Island's attraction areas over the years were not themed, it's clear that Thompson's Luna Park was a milestone in thematic design, sort of between Tivoli Gardens and Disneyland.