It’s often said that Disney theme parks are the Imagineer’s playground. Like Walt intended, if they had an infinite budget, they’d keep plussing and plussing things adding more and more levels of storytelling to every square inch. Take for example The Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
Did you know there’s a secret society operating incognito inside Disney’s theme parks around the globe? The Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) is a Walt Disney Imagineering created fiction that operates a bit like myth, by adding another layer of storytelling to the already richly created themed environment.
The first in-park appearance of SEA was at DisneySea, but much of the inspiration for SEA can be traced back to the Adventurer’s Club. When the club closed, the props were distributed around the globe to different Disney theme parks and with that some of the mythology.
Overtime, Imagineering has introduced new characters and subtle signs of SEA whenever it was appropriate in new or remodeled attractions. This has created something of a new resource for Disney to tap for additional storytelling.
SEA has even started to expand beyond the parks. It first showed up in the Disney Kingdoms comic books series. Now there’s a potential tie in to a new Magic Kingdom universe of shows with the first show diving into the world of The Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
It was just announced that producer Ron Moore has exited his deal with Sony and moved to Disney to work on building a universe of shows inspired by Walt Disney’s theme parks. The first show will explore the SEA providing a foundation for the entire storytelling universe.
Moore, is known for the epic relaunch of Battlestar Galactica, and the recent time-travel romance series Outlander. He was also a writer for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ron will also be helping on some already announced projects including the reboot of Swiss Family Robinson.
The ultimate goal in this collaboration between Moore, Disney’s TV production team, and Imagineering is to create a universe of storytelling that builds off Disney’s world famous theme parks, starting with the Magic Kingdom.
If everything works out, there will be some great television with storytelling that attracts a long term audience who already has a nostalgic longing for Disney’s theme parks, and a new layer of mysteries that tie into the theme parks for fans to discover when they’re in the parks.
For the frequent Disney theme park visitor, there is a familiarity with the parks that can make it feel like a second home. Sometimes stories change and then there is a mystery to be solved to figure out how that will impact what one loves about the park. By expanding the SEA to media beyond the gates, it will add an entire new layer of richness to the stories.
Count us among those excited to see where this leads next.
I can’t wait. It is always find to find new things as you walk through Magic Kingdom. I cannot wait as SEA gets a grand re-introduction!
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