The third episode of “We Call It Imagineering” is available. In this episode, Disney takes you behind the scenes to see how rides come to life, including a first look at Stark Flight Lab coming to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure and new details about one of the Cars-themed attractions coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This episode will also take a sneak peek at the “Monsters, Inc.”-themed rollercoaster heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Walt Disney and the first Imagineers built the original attractions at Disneyland seventy years ago using the most advanced technology of the time — always driven by storytelling.
“There were no smart phones. Nothing was digital. We had no calculators. Everything was done completely by hand,” reflected Disney Legend Bob Gurr. Many ride systems were “prototypical” and had to meet rigorous safety, reliability, and duty cycles that not many other industries have to deal with.
Imagineers today are driven by that same inventive spirit. The Ride Studio continues to push the boundaries of innovation, designing and testing revolutionary ride systems. A typical engineer begins with the technical requirements to help design products. Imagineers are given story scripts and concept art to start designing the ride. The final product must meet the creative intent of the attraction.
Disneyland Avengers
At Stark Flight Lab, coming to Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort, guests will be invited into Tony Stark’s workshop to train on giant robot arms to see if they have what it takes to fly like an Avenger. Imagineers are creating a first-of-its-kind ride system that will transfer guests from a vehicle on a track to a robot arm and back again. Technology will be the center of the attraction, making it a highly visible part of the storytelling.
Car Land
Imagineers are also engineering one of the upcoming Cars-themed attractions to create an off-road rally racing experience. To capture the right feel, the project team tested multiple experiential prototypes—renting ATVs on research trips, collaborating with a partner to build a dirt track, and experimenting with different ride systems—all to capture the unpredictable thrill of racing across different terrains. The largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history will include this family-friendly Cars attraction and the highly anticipated Villains Land.
Monsters Coaster
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, another innovative ride system is in the works for the “Monsters, Inc.” coaster. Guests will experience the iconic door vault scene from the film aboard the first suspended coaster in a Disney park. This ride system will feature interlocking ride mechanics to simulate the moment when doors are hoisted high in the air, before being whisked away into the vault.
Michael Hundgen, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer summed it up best: “This is exactly what we as Imagineers get to do. You have these iconic moments from the films where you want to go live that experience… We get to recreate these moments.”
Excited for the innovative rides and attractions that are on the horizon?