The passing of the Olympic torch from Paris to Los Angeles was a fitting end to this summer’s games. It shed a light, so to speak, on just how much the games have become Disneyesque. Paris was the attraction itself and, from opening to closing, was made for TV. As the choreographed flotilla of nations came down the Seine, you could almost hear “it’s a small world after all.” Instead on animatronic children waving to the onlookers, of course, were live athletes. They were joined by some of the world’s best known performing artists. The opening ceremony was a feast of entertainment from the lesser-known (who knew France had a heavy metal band?) to A list celebrities performing against literally monumental backdrops.

The glitz didn’t end on Day 1. Throughout the games, the City of Light was certainly alight under the glow of stars in town. When the stars weren’t performing on makeshift stages, they showed up in the stands, striking just the right poses for the cameras and Instagram. Athletes themselves became stars, corporate sponsors in the wings ready to sign advertising partnerships. Paris pulled off an amazing feat of hosting thousands of athletes and tourists who came to watch and be watched. Not that the city needed to advertise itself as a tourist destination. And yet Paris 2024 became the brand of the summer.

Like Disney, it’s not enough to pay to watch its shows or enter its theme parks. You need to buy the merch, too. Which might explain why local businesses complained the tourists spent less on what Paris has to offer in its cafés and shops and more on Olympics offerings instead. Meanwhile, the locals didn’t seem to care much for the pumped-up fame. Many Parisians even skipped town beforehand. Who could blame them? You needed a QR code to get into reserved areas of town then wait hours just to enjoy a few minutes of an attraction. Pretty much like at Disney.

That’s just what seemed so fake about Paris 2024. The Olympics used the city, not even its people, as a prop. For a few weeks, Paris replicated itself as an imaginary place where dreams do come true. The effect was real to be sure, measured in euros spent and metals earned. To match the stunts of the opening ceremony was one in particular. And who better to upstage Tinkerbell in a descent from a rooftop than Tom Cruise making a heroic landing among the fans to close out Paris 2024 happily ever after.

Now it’s the City of Angels’ turn to take up the next round of Olympic mania. The sprawl of entertainment factories from Anaheim to Hollywood are already gearing up for 2028. It might be a homecoming of sorts for the Olympics, too. LA is not known for its sites like Paris so much as what it makes for entertainment. It’s a city of imagination where imaginary worlds come to life and where real-world problems exit the scene. It’s a place that manufactures for consumption. LA has been doing this sort of thing for decades and Paris has now finally caught up. Whereas LA created a home for Disneyland, Paris actually became one.