Walt Disney Imagineering
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Website | Official website |
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.,[1] commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also operates Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio and manages Disney's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd.[2] in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc. then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name.[3] Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.
The term "Imagineering", a
History
WED Enterprises
Walt Disney, Inc. (WDI) was formed by Walt Disney on December 16, 1952 with an engineering division tasked with designing Disneyland.[5][6] In light of objections from his brother Roy as well as those of potential stockholders, WDI was renamed WED Enterprises in 1953 based on Disney's initials.[5][6] In 1961, WED moved into the Grand Central Business Park.[7] WED Enterprises's theme park design and architectural group became so integral to the Disney studio's operations that Walt Disney Productions bought it on February 5, 1965, along with the WED Enterprises name.[8][9][10][11]
Imagineering
The unit was renamed as of January 1986 to Walt Disney Imagineering. In 1996, Disney Development Company, the Disney conglomerate's real estate development subsidiary, merged into Imagineering.[12]
Imagineering created Disney Fair, a U.S. traveling attraction, which premiered in September 1996. With poor attendance, the fair was pulled after a few stops. Disney Entertainment Projects (Asia Pacific), Inc., a new Disney Asian Pacific subsidiary, selected a renamed fair called DisneyFest as its first project taking it to Singapore to open there on October 30, 1997.[13]
By 1997, Imagineers were in several buildings in Grand Central Business Park when Disney purchased the park. In September 1999, Disney Imagineering announced the Grand Central Creative Campus redesign of the industrial park with a new office-studio complex anchored by Disney Imagineering. Some of the buildings were demolished to make way for new buildings. The additional space would be for sound stages, production facilities and offices.[2][14]
As part of The Walt Disney Company's March 2018 strategic reorganization, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts merged with Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media segments into Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (DPEP), giving Disney Imagineering oversight of merchandise, games and publishing development.[15][16]
In July 2021, DPEP chairman Josh D'Amaro announced that approximately 2,000 DPEP positions would be transferred over the next couple of years to the Lake Nona area of Orlando, Florida.[17] In November 2021, it was reported that as many as 90% of the positions to be transferred are Walt Disney Imagineering positions, as DPEP relocates Imagineering's headquarters from Glendale to a new 60-acre corporate campus in Lake Nona.[18] The only Imagineering positions reportedly exempt from relocation were those dedicated to Disneyland or certain international parks.[17] The relocation was reportedly motivated in part by $570 million in tax breaks from the state of Florida, as well as Florida's business-friendly climate, lower cost of living, and lack of a state income tax.[17][18] This relocation was cancelled in May 2023 amidst a feud with Florida governor Ron DeSantis.[19]
Principles
New concepts and improvements are often created to fulfill specific needs. For instance, the
WDI partnered with the Khan Academy to create a series of online video classes called Imagineering in a Box, to allow students to "explore different aspects of theme park design, from characters to ride development..." The classes, which are organized into three main categories (Creating Worlds, Designing Attractions, and Bringing Characters to Life), are presented by WDI employees using multimedia lessons and exercises.
The Imagineering Pyramid
Past Disney Imagineers have shared 15 principles of Disney Imagineering, divided into five tiers. These are:[24][25]
- It All Begins with a Story
- Creative Intent
- Attention to Detail
- Theming
- Long, Medium, and Close Shots
- Wienies
- Transitions
- Storyboards
- Pre-Shows and Post-Shows
- Forced Perspective
- "Read"-ability
- Kinetics
- The "It's a Small World" Effect
- Hidden Mickeys
- Plussing
Walt Disney coined the term "plussing" for the process of constantly striving to perfect Imagineering work. Disney believed that there is always room for innovation and improvement, stating "Disneyland will never be completed as long as there's imagination left in the world".[20] This sometimes takes the form of returning to previously abandoned ideas, such as the rework of the Museum of the Weird wax museum concept into the present The Haunted Mansion.[20]
The Art of the Show
Disney theme parks are storytelling and visual experiences, also known as “The Art of the Show.” The use of theming, atmosphere, and attention to detail are essential in the Disney experience. Creative director John Hench noted the similarities between theme park design and film making, such as the use of techniques including forced perspective.[26] One notable example of forced perspective is Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The scale of architectural elements is much smaller in the upper reaches of the castle compared to the foundation, making it seem significantly taller than its actual height of 189 feet.[3][27]
The attraction,
In 2010, Disney Educational Products produced a series of videos called The Science of Disney Imagineering. Each video was presented by Imagineer Asa Kalama and focused on a different science subject.
Mickey's Ten Commandments
In 1991, Marty Sklar (then-president of Imagineering) presented ten commandments attributed to Mickey Steinberg (the vice president of Imagineering). They are:[30]
- Know your audience
- Wear your guest's shoes (don't forget the human factors; try to experience the parks from the guests' point of view)
- Organize the flow of people and ideas (ensure experiences tell a story that is organized and logically laid out)
- Create a "Wienie" (Walt Disney's term for a "visual magnet")
- Communicate with visual literacy (use a dominant color or shape or building to reinforce a theme)
- Avoid overload—create turn-ons (do not offer too much detailed information)
- Tell one story at a time (put one 'big idea' in each show so guests leave with a clear understanding of the theme)
- Avoid contradictions—maintain identity (avoid irrelevant or contradicting elements; make sure the audience has a clear idea of what is being said)
- For every ounce of treatment, provide a ton of treat (take advantage of the distinction of the theme park, which is that it encourages active participation, compared to passive entertainment)
- Keep it up (do not become complacent or allow things to run down)
Innovation
Imagineering has been granted over 300 patents
Audio-Animatronics
Imagineering is known for its development of Audio-Animatronics, a form of robotics, used in shows and theme park attractions that animate objects in
Today, Audio-Animatronics are featured in many attractions, including
WEDway
Theme park projects
Since 1952, Imagineering has created twelve theme parks, a town, five cruise ships, dozens of resort hotels, water parks, shopping centers, sports complexes and various entertainment venues.[3]
Current Imagineering projects
Project | Park/Resort | Opening Date |
---|---|---|
Fantasy Springs[34] | Tokyo DisneySea | June 6, 2024[35] |
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point[36][37][38] | Disney Cruise Line | June 7, 2024[39] |
CommuniCore Hall | Epcot[40] | June 10, 2024[41] |
CommuniCore Plaza | ||
Tiana's Bayou Adventure[42] | Magic Kingdom | Summer 2024[42] |
County Bear Musical Jamboree[43] | ||
Disney Treasure[44] | Disney Cruise Line | December 21, 2024[44] |
Tiana's Bayou Adventure[45] | Disneyland | 2024[46] |
Disney Adventure[36][47] | Disney Cruise Line | 2025[48][49] |
Disney Destiny[50]
| ||
World of Frozen[51] | Walt Disney Studios Park | |
Cotino[52]
|
Storyliving by Disney | |
Asteria[53]
|
2027[53] | |
Avatar Experience[54] | Disneyland Resort | TBA |
Other projects
Former creative director John Hench designed the "Tower of Nations" for the opening and closing ceremony of the 1960 Winter Olympics, whilst Walt Disney served as Pageantry Committee chairman.
Imagineering has collaborated with Disney Consumer Products on a number of projects for Disney Stores. The first store, in Glendale, was designed and constructed by a group of architectural Imagineers. Imagineering developed the now-defunct Walt Disney Gallery at the Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, California, and a Roman themed Disney Store at The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas. After the purchase of the Disney Stores by The Children's Place in 2004, Imagineering helped design an exclusive chain of flagship stores, called World of Disney. These are located in resorts, Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Anaheim, California, as well as New York City. Another flagship store arrived at Disneyland Paris in 2012. An overhaul of Disney Stores was planned in 2009 with the help of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Disney hoped to transition from a traditional retail model to an interactive entertainment hub.[55]
In the 1990s, Imagineering designed the 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2)
From 1995 to 1997, Imagineering oversaw the renovation of the
Corporate locations
Since the 1960s, Imagineering's headquarters have been located in nondescript office buildings on the site of the former
- Walt Disney Imagineering Disneyland Field Office, Disneyland Resort
- Tokyo Disney Resort Administration Building, Tokyo Disney Resort
- The former Walt Disney Feature Animation field office, Disneyland Paris
- Walt Disney Imagineering Hong Kong Site Office, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
- Walt Disney Imagineering Germany GmbH, Papenburg, Germany
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-7868-5406-5.
- The Imagineers. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look At Making the Magic Real. Disney Editions, 1996, ISBN 0-7868-8372-3(paperback).
- The Imagineers. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making More Magic Real. Disney Editions, 2010, ISBN 1-4231-0766-7(hardcover).
- The Imagineers. The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity. Disney Editions, 2003, ISBN 0-7868-5401-4.
- The Imagineers (as "The Disney Imagineers"). The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles. Disney Editions, 2005, ISBN 0-7868-5554-1.
- The Imagineers. The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland. Disney Editions, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4231-0975-4.
- The Imagineers. The Imagineering Field Guide to Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disney Editions, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4231-0320-2.
- The Imagineers. The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World. Disney Editions, 2006, ISBN 0-7868-4886-3.
- The Imagineers. The Imagineering Field Guide to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disney Editions, 2005, ISBN 0-7868-5553-3.
- Kurtti, Jeff. Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park. Disney Editions, 2006, ISBN 0-7868-5559-2.
- ISBN 0-9729777-3-2.
- Surrell, Jason. The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak. Disney Editions, 2007, ISBN 1-4231-0155-3
- Ghez, Didier; Littaye, Alain; Translated into English by Cohn, Danielle. Disneyland Paris From Sketch To Reality. Nouveau Millénaire Editions, 2002, ISBN 2-9517883-1-2
- Surrell, Jason. Pirates of the Caribbean: From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies. Disney Editions, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4176-9274-3.
- Surrell, Jason. The Haunted Mansion: From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies. Disney Editions, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7868-5419-6
See also
- List of Disney Imagineers
- List of female Disney Imagineers
- Disney Live Entertainment
- Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
- Disneyland
- Disney Research
- The Imagineering Story
- The Muppets Studio
- Retlaw Enterprises
- Universal Creative, the equivalent of Imagineering at Universal Destinations & Experiences
References
- ^ "Statement of Information: Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc". Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c Blankstein, Andrew (March 14, 2000). "Disney Reveals Plans for $2-Billion Glendale Project". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
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- ^ ISBN 1-890110-24-8. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Peltz, James F. (October 2, 1990). "The Wonderful World of Disney's Other Firm : Entertainment: Walt Disney created a separate company for his family. Retlaw Enterprises is now worth hundreds of millions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ Blankstein, Andrew (September 2, 1999). "Disney Plans to Build Major 'Creative Campus' in Glendale". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
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- ^ Gabler, Neal (2006). Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Knopf. p. 629.
- ^ "Walt Disney Imagineering". D23: Disney A to Z. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ Matzer, Marla (August 28, 1997). "It Didn't Play in Puyallup, so Disney Tries Singapore". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Blankstein, Andrew (March 14, 2000). "New Disney Campus in Glendale to Hire 10,000". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ Wang, Christine (March 14, 2018). "Disney announces strategic reorganization, effective immediately". CNBC. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Fact Sheet Walt Disney Imagineering 2019 Q4
- ^ a b c MacDonald, Brady (October 29, 2021). "Disney Imagineering relocation shifts creative balance of power from California to Florida". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ a b Rice, Katie (November 7, 2021). "Disney's Lake Nona campus means big gains for company but likely staff losses, too". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
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- )
- ^ a b Hench, John; Peggy Van Pelt (2003). Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show. New York: Disney Editions.
- ^ a b "8 Key Principles That Disney Imagineers Use to Develop New Attractions". Theme Park Tourist. September 22, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ "Meet Asa Kalama". disney.com. Disney. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- ^ "The Science of Disney Imagineering: Buy All 11 DVDs". dep-store.com. Disney. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
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- ^ Sakowski, Andi (October 27, 2022). "Tokyo Disney Resort Announces Names of Eighth Port Inspired by 'Frozen,' 'Tangled' and 'Peter Pan'". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
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- ^ a b Libbey, Dirk (September 9, 2023). "Destination D23 2023 Disney Parks Panel: Ahsoka In Star Tours, What's Next For Animal Kingdom, And When Epcot's Transformation Will Finally Be Done". Cinema Blend. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Disney Cruise Line New Island Destination will Celebrate the Culture of The Bahamas". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ McKenzie, Natario (March 10, 2021). "Disney's Lighthouse Point development slated for early 2024 opening after pandemic delay". Eyewitness News. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
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- ^ Schoolfield, Jeremy (August 25, 2019). "New Details Revealed for the Historic Transformation of Epcot Underway at Walt Disney World Resort". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
The PLAY! pavilion will open in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World.
- ^ Ace, Shannen (March 21, 2024). "BREAKING: CommuniCore Hall & Plaza Opening Date at EPCOT Announced". WDW News Today. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Scott, Mike (February 13, 2024). "Disney reveals opening date for New Orleans-inspired Tiana's Bayou Adventure". nola.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (September 9, 2023). "New Country Bear Disney Songs, Pirates Lounge, Hatbox Ghost Coming to Magic Kingdom". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Hager, Melanie (September 5, 2023). "Learn All the New Details About Disney Cruise Line's Newest Ship, the Disney Treasure". disneyparks. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Tiana's Bayou Adventure Coming to Disney Parks in Late 2024". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
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- ^ Ludwig, Ashley (December 13, 2023). "Housing Styles Released For 'Storyliving By Disney' In Rancho Mirage". Patch. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Hager, Melanie. "Disney Cruise Line Reveals Name and Theme of Next Ship, Sailing in 2025". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Bricker, Tom (February 7, 2023). "Arendelle Is Going to Be Awesome". disneytouristblog. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Painter, Alycia Gray (April 28, 2022). "Disney's First 'Storyliving' Community Breaks Ground". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Clements, Erin (December 6, 2023). "A New Disney Planned Community Is Coming — and It's Not in Florida or California!". People. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (February 8, 2023). "'Avatar' Experience Coming To Disneyland". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (October 13, 2009). "Disney's Retail Plan Is a Theme Park in Its Stores". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
- ^ Patterson, Maureen (April 1, 1998). "New Amsterdam Theatre". Buildings. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Free Online Library.
- ^ Merrick, Frank. "The Teaser is Coming!". usfirst.org. US FIRST. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
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Of course, we had tremendous help in doing all of this from our friends at Walt Disney Imagineering. Not only did they produce the teaser for us, but they helped us keep the story of this game front and center.
- ^ Bilbao, Richard (October 7, 2021). "Disney's Lake Nona move may accelerate hotel development in the region, says expert". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
Further reading
- Rebuilding Tomorrowland, Scott Kirsner, Wired Magazine. Volume 10,12. September 2002.
- Harriet Burns, who help create Disney rides, dies, Associated Press, Sfgate(San Francisco Chronicle), July 29, 2008.
- The Way We Do Business. Walt Disney Imagineering Workshop 1991. Walt Disney Imagineering, The Disney Development Company. April 25–26, 1991. Retrieved September 15, 2016.