One of the unrealistic things about movies. If you are driving a 1000 miles cross country you would call the park ahead of time to make sure they are open! But that would've ruined the plot of the movie.
shareYou raise an interesting point, Megafauna005 however remember that the trip to Walley World was only intended to take a few days- when they got there, "Marty Moose" tells them that the park is closed for 2 weeks...
Later on Clark tells Roy Walley, that they've "just spent 2 weeks of living hell, driving out here."
The intention for the Griswold family, was to reach the park in a matter of days and, by that time- they'd have had their holiday so the park could then proceed with it's closure.
I know I've probably gone too deep into it for a comedy film but that's my take on it anyway.
It's dumb the park was closed during the summer anyway! It they needed to do maintanence they could've done it all winter long!
Plus IF the park was really closed the gate to the parking lot would've been shut and they wouldn't have even been able to park there! But it's a movie and not real life!
The unrealistic part was that Wally World was closed in the summer, when kids are on vacation.
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The script originally called for Disneyland as the Griswolds' destination, but Disney objected, pointing out that they are open 365 days a year.
shoot, i even call ahead to make sure the 24 hour walmart is open.
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Thread ender.
Walley World is the MacGuffin of the film. We all also have to take into account how big of a doofus Clark is and how in his (overzealous)anticipation to get there, the one detail he overlooked was the possibility that the park may possibly be closed.
But all in all, like the other poster said...its a movie, just go with it.
'When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.'
For a small business, yes, they would have likely called to check, as you say.
But for a huge amusement park--there would be no reason to expect them to be closed.
Real life example involving me, years ago. I planned a trip that included a couple of days in Texas, watching the Astros and then the Rangers play baseball. I had gotten schedules from a national newspaper and planned it all months before leaving.
Sometime later, I found out the schedule for Houston was reversed and they were not at home during the week I was to be in the area. I changed plans, rebooked motels and planned to spend two days in Arlington, with one day spent at the huge waterpark, then called Wet and Wild, before going to the Rangers game that night.
I had a Griswold-like moment, pulling up to the gates of Wet and Wild ready for a day of sliding and swimming to see that beginning that very day, a Monday in mid-August, they began their fall schedule of only being open on weekends. I learned that school in that part of Texas begins the second week of August, prompting the change in schedules.
Where I come from, school by law begins after Labor Day. It never dawned on me that a summertime water park would stop being open daily weeks before Labor Day. Certainly not in Texas, where it is still ridiculously hot much later than in the north, where I'm from.
Obviously, calling ahead would have ruined the movie plot. But realistically, I don't think it odd that Clark would not have phoned Walley World to make sure they would be open during the summer for his family. He would have no reason to think they might be closed.