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Imagineering Process

JoseLorenzo

JoseLorenzo

Member
Original Poster
Hi, I'm sorry to bother you with this useless thread but I'd like to know what's the process used by Imagineers to develop ideas.
I've heard that everything in Imagineering starts with a storytelling. Is that true? If it's true can you give some examples, for example which is the storytelling of Epcot or Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, etc.
 
orlando678-

orlando678-

Well-Known Member
The imagineers have stories for every ride, restaurant and shop. Also some extra detaills give more pieces to a story. The imagineers begin with thinking of different story plots after they have decided what they want to have. The system of the ride, the things they sell comes after this .

I'm not sure if all the theme parks have stories but I know that DisneySea has one
 
Voxel

Voxel

President of Progress City
orlando678- said:
The imagineers have stories for every ride, restaurant and shop. Also some extra detaills give more pieces to a story. The imagineers begin with thinking of different story plots after they have decided what they want to have. The system of the ride, the things they sell comes after this .

I'm not sure if all the theme parks have stories but I know that DisneySea has one
Click to expand...
Not every park has a story, but they connect it through themes that tell you a story. Animal Kingdom is dense with curved path and hills that seem to move through the land to give guest the sense of adventure as they are "exploring". Where as MGM (Hollywood) was about putting guest into the films hence why many of the sets are half there giving that feel of the guest being on a movie set.
 
Voxel

Voxel

President of Progress City
We have to notice that many disney attractions were created with a "traditional" story, but instead designed to be part of the land. Great examples of these are Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, its only recently that they added story telling to Big Thunder.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Story in regards to themed entertainment is not always the same as narrative. The story of Space Mountain is "a ride through space" and that works just fine. Pleasure Island and Typhoon Lagoon were connected by a massive narrative. They've now become mired in politics and self-reference but things like names on doors or notes were originally just filler, not characters in an elaborate, self-referential/quasi-honorary backstory. Why waste time coming up with names to put on tombstones when you and your team already have names?

The story of the EPCOT Center is that of the ideas of EPCOT, human progress and greater understanding. The Magic Kingdom is just that, a magic kingdom. Disney's Animal Kingdom is about man's connection with animals and the world. Disney's Hollywood Studios is the wonder of movie making.

You should really look into the Eddie Sotto threads. Several times throughout he discusses the different origins to the process. Sometimes it is to fill a specific need dictated by park operations, less often it is an open-pitch and of course everything in between. There is also dedicated Blue Sky group that comes up with different ideas. Very few though are ever going to be on a project from the very beginning to the very end. Jobs are specialized. The guy writing a narrative backstory one day is almost certainly not going to be drawing elevations the next. Films get used a lot as a similar process and for good reason. The director of a film often did not come up with the idea or write the script. Nor did he design costumes, build sets or compose the score.
 
Zweiland

Zweiland

Well-Known Member
JoseLorenzo said:
So, if I want to do an Imagineer exercise how should I start? with a plot?
Click to expand...
You could start with a "need" of some sort. For example, what should be done to improve Walt Disney World?

Once you identify the need, you shouldn't jump to a plot right away. The first step is brainstorming, and a fully-formed plot won't emerge in that stage.

I found this link for you, which is a pretty interesting read:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/49868787/6/The-Imagineering-Process
 
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JoseLorenzo

JoseLorenzo

Member
Original Poster
JoseLorenzo

JoseLorenzo

Member
Original Poster
Let's say I'm working on a waterpark idea and I have some ideas for the water park but I don't know how to make those ideas be coherent in the same story. I don't know what to do. Should I mixed them up in the same park?
 
JoseLorenzo

JoseLorenzo

Member
Original Poster
How does a story in Imagineering usually start?
Once upon a time......?
Or how? I'm completely lost at starting my story-telling
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
JoseLorenzo said:
How does a story in Imagineering usually start?
Once upon a time......?
Or how? I'm completely lost at starting my story-telling
Click to expand...
There is no formula. It's based on the situation. Some of the stories are a sentence or two while others go on for pages. Forcing an idea to have a long narrative will not work, see the ridiculous backstory that was grafted onto Prince Charming Regal Carousel as an example.
 

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