D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is the largest D23 in the show’s history. Walt Disney Imagineering has gone big with a pavilion unlike any other before. “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” is a unique pavilion where guests can get an up-close look at how immersive guest experiences are created. It also continues the trend of pulling back the curtain, like with the “We Call It Imagineering” YouTube series.
A new approach was used in designing the space, making it Imagineering-centric to give guests the full Imagineering experience when they step inside. The venue is divided into four quadrants: Invent, Build, Entertain, and Design, showcasing a creative process like never before.
Guests visiting on Sunday can get an up-close look at future projects revealed during the Disney Experiences showcase on Saturday night hosted by Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro.
Let’s look at some models and exciting surprises in the “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” pavilion!
Experience Iconic Imagineering Technology
In the “Invent” section of the pavilion, guests will step into the world of technology, a cornerstone of Imagineering storytelling.
HoloTile
Guests will see the HoloTile floor in person for the first time. It’s the world’s first multi-person, omnidirectional, modular treadmill floor. Lanny Smoot, a recent inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, created the floor. With the HoloTile floor, any number of people can have a shared virtual reality experience, walk an unlimited distance in any direction, and never collide or walk off its surface. In addition to VR and gaming applications, the HoloTile floor could be used as an insert in a theatrical stage, allowing performers to move and dance in new ways, or stage props and structures to move around or set themselves up.
Droids
Spotted recently at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, BDX Droids will interact with guests in the pavilion. New technologies developed by Disney Research and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, allow these free-roaming robotic characters great balance and highly expressive motions. They are designed to be explorer companions, complete with cute personalities!
Creating Entertaining Costumes
You will have the opportunity to look at how Disney Live Entertainment Costuming designs and develops custom garments created for Disney shows, parades, and more. Within the space, guests will see the various steps that went into the creation of Minnie Mouse’s new Halloween outfit that she will debut at Disneyland this year.
Designing Future Disney Experiences
In the “Design” section, guests will peek at models and moquettes for upcoming projects around the world.
Cruise Line
Imagineers are hard at work on the high seas designing both the Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny cruise ships. Pavilion guests will see how Interior Designers ideate and gather inspiration for Disney Cruise Line ships, including mood boards, sketches, and more.
One display focuses on how happy haunts will materialize aboard the Disney Treasure at the Haunted Mansion Parlor. Concept art, fabrics, and maquettes compiled by the project team have influenced the design of the space, including a sculpture of the Disney Legend Role Crump bust.
Avengers Campus
In 2023 at Destination D23, it was revealed the new concept for the third attraction coming to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park will be an epic family adventure, where you will team up with more of the Avengers and their allies, battling against foes in a multi-world experience, including King Thanos, a variant of the villain who, in his reality … won.
Step inside the space and you will see a maquette of the new ride vehicle, key to the attraction’s story. In the attraction, guests will team with The Avengers on a new multi-world mission spanning destinations across the universe. The heroes have created a new vehicle capable of jumping between these worlds and even realities — on planet Earth and beyond, thanks to unique collaborations between inventors at Avengers Campus.
Frozen
When World of Frozen, inspired by Disney Animation’s “Frozen” opens at Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park will receive a brand-new name, Disney Adventure World. Guests will discover the exciting expansion and reimagining of Disneyland Paris’s second park with a detailed model of Disney Adventure World, bringing with it a new creative vision that will nearly double the park’s footprint, transforming it into a world of adventure.
“Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” celebrates the storytelling and technology that will continue to shape Disney experiences for years to come.
Stay tuned for news and updates coming from D23: The Ultimate Fan Event 2024.
Would you enjoy visiting the “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” Pavilion at the D23 Event?