Thinking Like an Imagineer

The compelling question or idea is to understand how Disney Imagineers think. To fully answer this question, I am going to design and present a potential new land for one of the Disney theme parks. This task will require me to not only use engineering and design but also storytelling, landscape design, and art. The main deliverable of this project will be to create a 3D scale model of this new park, including landscape and background features. The research that will need to be conducted is to study the processes of past Imagineering projects. Studying the successes of the completed projects and the failures of the rejected ones. The current lands and attractions of the parks will be observed to understand the process of bringing my land to life. Since the main deliverable of the thesis will be to create a scale model of the land, techniques like forced perspective and land layout will be researched to be successfully implemented in the model. Other aspects for the park such as, theme and story, restaurants and menus, merchandise, character interactions, and attractions will be explored as well. A strong level of attention to detail is required when designing new lands. Completely understanding the theme and story of the land will enable me to be successful.