There’s a reason a visit to Walt Disney World feels like stepping into a different world, a world where the buildings seem taller, the sounds feel perfectly placed, and even the air smells like popcorn or freshly baked treats. You walk through these lands, from… Read More »Multisensory Storytelling: This Is Why Disney Feels So Real (Even Though It’s Not)
Zsolt Hormay, creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, has been busy creating amazing otherwordly lands for Walt Disney Imagineering over two decades. From Carsland to Pandora – the World of Avatar to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (in two locations), Hormay has led a team of… Read More »Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Interview– Building new worlds with Imagineer Zsolt Hormay
For those looking for ever clue deciphering what will be coming to Disney theme parks on both coasts, the LA Times just published an interview with Walt Disney Imaginering’s Scott Trowbridge. Trowbridge has been given the portfolio of managing how the Star Wars franchise appears… Read More »Star Wars Land: Meet the Imagineer In Charge
Joe Rohde walks with James Cameron and Tom Staggs (among others)
Not only has Joe Rohde, imagineer and champion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, posted a terrific photo of a very hard to get image from Expedition Everest roller coaster, he’s provided something of a master-class on creating a back story for an attraction with just three Instagram posts.
Check out the tale explaining the story of the Forbidden Mountain below: Read More »Imagineer Joe Rohde offers masterclass on storytelling in three Instagram posts
The 18th Annual Thea Awards Recipients were anounced by TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) today. The annual awards for the themed entertainment industry celebrate excellence in storytelling that supports the creation of compelling places and guest experiences. As you might expect Disney is well represented.
Congratulations to all the winners.
The full list of award recipients is below the jump:
The AP reports that Disney has started to prepare the construction site for their first themed resort located off theme park property that isn’t entirely a Disney Vacation Club location. That location, of course, is Ko Olina, Hawaii. MouseExtra found some additional concept art for… Read More »Disney starts work on Ko Olina, Hawaii Resort
FoxFurr has begun posting regularly over at 2719 Hyperion. It’s a great match and I’m happy to see her writing get wider recognition. In “Too Much Stuff?” FoxFurr looks at the offerings at the Walt Disney World resort and wonders if it’s the right balance… Read More »Too Much is Never Enough
The BBC has a great story examining how two of the most recent attractions to open at Walt Disney World point the way toward future development from Walt Disney Imagineering. Disney sees current and future generations of youth who are already so inter-mediated with video games, texting, MP3s, video downloads, and 3-D movies (sometimes all at the same time) that they’re afraid standard attractions just won’t be enough to inspire repeat visits down the line.
“The emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives,” says Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering.
The two attractions the article looks at are Toy Story Midway Mania and Kim Possible. TSMM takes the ‘video game’ experience and brings it into the parks in a very Disney way. While Kim Possible is one of the first examples of how Disney can build an attraction using overlay technology. No need to expand the footprint of the park, just intertwine the experience with what is already there.
Sure, WDI can continue to pump out the heart pumping thrill rides like Expedition Everest or new entertainment environments like The American Idol Experience, but really, so can anyone these days (usually with the help of laid off Imagineers). What will set Disney themed environments apart in the future are overlays (or an even more exciting technology called Total Immersion, but that’s coming well down the line).
Just about exactly 8 years ago, I wrote a short story for LaughingPlace.com (unfortunately, the second page of it appears to have gone missing, so I rescued it from the Internet Archive Wayback machine (woo hoo) and have included it in full below the cut) forecasting where this overlay technology might be heading in the future. If it seems familiar, that probably means you’ve used a Pal Mickey before. It also gives you an idea of how long these ideas percolate in Imagineering before making it into the parks. Additionally, I’m almost finished with a novel by Vernor Vinge called “Rainbows End” which takes this overlay concept to the umpteenth level and extends it worldwide via a combination of future social networking and an economy based on themed design and role play.
I think it’s important to remember that it all comes back to quality story telling with the type of rich detail that Disney knows how to intertwine with entertainment. If Disney keeps their eye on that, the technology is just another color on their canvas.
Read More »Disney’s next generation theme park entertainment, already here?