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THE WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING BACKGROUNDER By Walt Disney Publicity Science fiction writer and futurist Ray Bradbury once defined Walt Disney Imagineering as "a true Renaissance organization…the only people I see who are successful at changing the world are right here—people with very special dreams." The company has also been at various times described as an "idea factory," "dreamer’s workshop," and a laboratory for "urban visionaries." The charter of Walt Disney Imagineering is wide ranging—from producing the tiniest wink of an eye for an Audio-Animatronics pirate to master planning the major systems and services that help run an entire project such as the Euro Disney Resort. When asked to explain the Imagineering process, Walt Disney said, "There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting." This exploration and experimentation continues today, 40 years since its creation. Michael Eisner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, describes the Imagineering essence: "Walt Disney dreamed of a place where families could go to have fun together—a place of fantasy and magic. Disneyland was the first of many such places and Imagineering is where the real magic is created. I believe it is the most magical organization in the world." CORPORATE ROLE Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production and project management subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation of the Disney Theme Parks and their expansion. "Our mission is to enable The Walt Disney Company to maintain its leadership position by creating and building the world’s most innovative entertainment projects, on time and on budget, and to ensure their continuing quality. Our goal is to develop the finest guest experience by blending creative imagination with technical know-how." Walt Disney Imagineering, along with the Company’s other major design and development organization, Disney Development Company (DDC), reports to Disney Design and Development. (DDC identifies, plans, develops and implements real estate development opportunities outside of gated attractions for The Walt Disney Company.) "IMAGINEERS" The Imagineering team of more than 1,500 people includes show designers, artists, writers, project managers, engineers, architects, filmmakers, audio and visual specialists, animators, manufacturing groups, computer programmers, land planners, ride system designers, finance experts and researchers. Together, they are responsible for all phases of project development—from concept initiation to field art direction and show installation. WDI maintains facilities in Glendale, California and Long Island, New York, as well as Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland. HISTORY Walt Disney Imagineering
was founded in 1952 by Walt Disney, who named his new
company WED Enterprises (Walter Elias Disney).
The company’s history is marked by the opening of
major attractions: Comprised of an animated downtown and a toonish suburban neighborhood, Mickey’s Toontown gives Disneyland guests the unique opportunity to meet Mickey and his friends in their wacky, wonderful cartoon world. Euro Disneyland features five themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A.; Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland—an entirely new land dedicated to visionaries of the past and their dreams of the future. CURRENT PROJECTS Disneyland Expansion—The Indiana Jones Adventure, opening in 1995, will hurl guests through a string of disasters representing "a day in the life" of the world’s most intrepid explorer. The attraction is another collaboration between Imagineering and George Lucas, who together created Star Tours. The Disneyland Resort—The Disneyland Resort is a proposed new theme park and destination resort adjacent to and including Disneyland. The totally new WESTCOT Center will add a fresh dimension to the fantasy and fun of Disneyland. Inspired by EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World Resort, WESTCOT Center will celebrate the diverse cultures of the world, as well as the elements that truly connect us—our humanity, our history, our planet and our universe. The Four Corners of the World will invite guests to explore human cultures and achievements through dramatic pavilions containing shows and attractions, shops and dining. The Wonders of WESTCOT theme pavilions will examine the wonders of the human body, marvel at the delicacy of our natural environment and provide a stimulating look at new scientific horizons. Disney’s America—WDI and DDC are creating a unique and historically detailed environment—Disney’s America—which celebrates the diversity of America, the plurality of this nation and the conflicts that have defined us as a people. Within the Park’s nine "territories," guests may find themselves piloting a World War II fighter in a virtual reality experience, participating in a harrowing Lewis and Clark river expedition through a Native American Indian village, witnessing an authentic Civil War re-enactment, or meeting the nation’s 41 presidents through the magic of Disney’s Audio-Animatronics technology. The 100-acre Park is scheduled to open in 1998 and will be sited on 3,000 acres of land in Virginia. The Walt Disney Company has options to purchase—an idea compliment to visiting the museums, monuments and national treasures in Washington, D.C. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Expansion—Imagineering has begun the process of transforming Tomorrowland to reflect the future as imagined by machine-age visionaries—a galactic, science-fiction-inspired community inhabited by human beings, aliens and robots. The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, the chilling centerpiece of this fantastic metropolis, debuts in 1996 and will introduce guests to the marvels—and terrifying consequences—of interplanetary transportation. EPCOT Center Expansion—Imagineers will complete a new, everchanging exhibit for Future World in June 1994. Innoventions will showcase the latest products for home, work and play. They are also working on new designs to update and add to such EPCOT Center pavilions as The Land, Journey Into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy and a major new re-development of CommuniCore. In addition, a new thrill ride for World Showcase is in the early stages of development. Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Expansion—The size of the enormously successful Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park will grow considerably in 1994 with the unveiling of Sunset Boulevard, including restaurants, shops and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, an attraction within the haunted halls of a venerable Hollywood hotel. Walt Disney World Resort Expansion—Imagineers have begun design work on a third water park, Blizzard Beach, scheduled to open mid-decade. Themed to an American ski resort experiencing a "meltdown" of gushing proportions, the park will feature what is believed to be the nation’s tallest and fastest water slide, the longest family inner tube slide, a water obstacle course for pre-teens, a miniature-sized water park for small children, several winter sport-themed slides and a chair lift to the top of the mountain. Tokyo Disneyland Expansion—Imagineers are creating a new show to appear in the Country Bear Theater at Tokyo Disneyland. Vacation Jamboree will debut in June 1994 and feature a new storyline, as well as new Audio-Animatronics programming. Tokyo DisneySea—Imagineers have developed a concept for a second theme park on Tokyo Bay which is presently under negotiation with the Oriental Land Company. Inspired by the life and lore of the ocean, Tokyo DisneySea will explore the vibrant maritime regions of the world from coast to coast and pole to pole in brining the adventure of this mysterious world, its myths and realities to life through spectacular sights, thrilling rides, and exotic dining and shopping opportunities. Euro Disneyland Expansion—Imagineering will see three new attractions open at Euro Disneyland in 1994 including Les Mysteres du Nautilus in Discoveryland, a self-guided walking tour of the Nautilus submarine from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea;" Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque in Fantasyland, a tenacious little circus train traveling through charming miniature scenes; and another Fantasyland attraction inspired by the Disneyland Storybook Land Canal Boats. By mid-decade, Imagineering will also complete a major attraction, Discovery Mountain, inspired by Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. A huge cannon will catapult guests to the far reaches of space, where they’ll rocket through high speed curves and gravity-defying loops inside Discovery Mountain. THEME PARK ENTERTAINMENT When Walt Disney and his Imagineering staff designed Disneyland in the early 1950s, an entirely new entertainment medium was born: the Theme Park show. Disney Theme Parks bear little resemblance to traditional amusement parks or World’s Fairs. Instead of a series of unrelated exhibits and shows vying for the visitor’s attention, Disney Theme Parks concentrate on storytelling, using architecture, color, costuming, entertainment and a myriad of small details to tell a themed story. Disney Theme Parks may also be the ultimate theater experience, as the audience actually steps on stage from the moment they enter any of the themed "lands." As the Disney Theme Parks evolve, the Imagineers are always looking for new ways to increase visitor participation and involvement. Often this means a blending of creative showmanship and advanced technology. The Disney Theme Parks have showcased many technological wonders, including the United States’ first daily operating monorail system (1959), the realism and adventure of the Audio-Animatronics characters in Pirates of the Caribbean (1967), the first computer-controlled thrill ride (Space Mountain, 1975), an advanced 3-D motion picture photography system (Magic Journeys, 1982) and a long list of other innovations. In 1987, another new technology was introduced to Disneyland guests, taking them on an exciting trip through distant galaxies. Star Tours, co-produced with George Lucas, utilizes an Imagineering-modified aircraft simulator (used to train military and commercial airline pilots) to provide vividly realistic sensations of space flight, complete with meteor showers and inter-galactic battles. WDI continues to research and develop new technologies for application in Disney Theme Parks. Imagineers have recently developed an environmentally friendly method of displaying fireworks using compressed gas rather than gunpowder, greatly reducing noise and air pollution. They have also created a new projection system that allows face images to be projected from within a head rather than in front of it. Today, the company holds 28 patents and has more than 50 patents pending in such areas as special effects, ride systems, interactive technology, live entertainment, fiber optics and advanced audio systems. PROTOTYPE SYSTEMS DEVELOPED BY WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING AUDIO-ANIMATRONICS Created by Walt Disney Imagineering as a way to bring the art of animation to three-dimensional characters, this electro-mechanical system combines and synchronizes mechanical movement and sound effects. The first true show utilizing Audio-Animatronics characters was Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, which opened at Disneyland in 1963. Here, cues recorded on a magnetic tape give motion and song to a roomful of wisecracking birds, singing flowers and chanting tiki gods. Further refinement of this technology, including the use of both pneumatic and hydraulic pressure to animate the characters, computer-controlled programming and digital electronics, makes possible the sophisticated animation of the "human" figures seen today at Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Ever since 1959, when Disneyland debuted the United States’ first daily operating monorail system, Walt Disney Imagineering has been involved with innovative prototype transportation systems. Today’s Mark VI Monorail System at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida carries 112,500 passengers a day at peak times with a reliability rate of 99.9%. Another innovative transportation system at Walt Disney World is the all-electric, driverless WEDway PeopleMover in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. The 20-passenger PeopleMover trains run silently on dual rails without motors or other mechanical parts. They operate by a linear induction process, with magnetized field coils in the track bed propelling them forward. A newer generation of the WEDway PeopleMover designed by Walt Disney Imagineering was introduced at Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1981, the first public use of the system outside a Disney Theme Park. At EPCOT Center, advanced technology propels and guides the enormous 96-passenger "traveling theater cars" which transport guests through the Universe of Energy. Power for the vehicles is provided by on-board batteries that are charged through an inductive power coupling system. The Universe of Energy vehicles also feature an automatic, driverless guidance system. Sensors on the car detect signals from a thin guide wire in the road bed and issue commands to the front and rear axle steering units. MOTION PICTURE SYSTEMS Since the opening of
Disneyland, new motion picture filming techniques and
projection systems have continually been introduced into
Disney attractions by Walt Disney Imagineering. "From Time to Time,"
which premiered at Euro Disneyland in 1992, is
the first CIRCLE-VISION 360 attraction to
incorporate Audio-Animatronics, three-dimensional
animation and special effects in the 360-degree
medium. Hosted by a robotic inventor named
Timekeeper, and 9-Eye, an intrepid little camera
droid, this film adventure encounters people,
places and events from the vivid tapestry of
Europe’s history, plus a few surprises from
the future. This uniquely Imagineered camera system also made possible Captain EO, a musical motion picture space adventure produced by George Lucas, directed by Franics Coppola and starring Michael Jackson. The Imagineers also conceived a method to synchronize live theater special effects—including lasers, fiber optic stars and fog effects—with the action on screen. At Walt Disney
World, the unprecedented teaming of the late Jim
Henson and his Muppeteers with a group of
Imagineers produced Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision
3D, the first 3-D film to combine Audio-Animatronics
with in-theater special effects. This unique
collaboration at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme
Park required the contributions of nearly all of
WDI’s disciplines—from
electromechanical assembly and industrial design
to optics engineering and plastics fabrication. |