0:04

Close your eyes and imagine you're sitting in a

0:06

train car and racing full speed

0:08

down the track. You weave in and

0:10

then out of a cave, and then up a steep hill

0:12

and down, whipping to the right, and through

0:14

deep valleys that take you back into

0:16

a dark cave. The wind whips at

0:18

your hair and rushes in your face as

0:21

you feel the butterflies in your stomach. Of up

0:23

and down and left and right, you

0:25

hold on tight to the sides of the train car as

0:27

it picks up speed and the momentum

0:29

carries you down another track and through a

0:31

steam of rushing water. The water

0:33

splashes on you and the other passengers, and you

0:36

cry out in joy and surprise. What

0:38

kind of train is this? Anyway? As the

0:40

train pulls into the station, you remember that

0:42

this wasn't a real train, but the ride

0:44

thunder Mountain Railroad at the theme park

0:47

Disneyland Theme Park. Rides

0:49

like thunder Mountain Railroad and others are a

0:51

blast to ride and experience. But how

0:54

do these rides come to be? Who

0:56

designs them, Who builds them and

0:58

creates all of the environments and machine means

1:00

that are required to make them work. Today

1:02

we're going to talk about none other than the world

1:04

famous Disney Imagineers.

1:08

The magical world of Disney theme parks has

1:10

captivated the hearts of millions around the globe

1:12

for decades. Behind the scenes

1:15

of this enchanting experience lies

1:17

a rich history marked by creativity,

1:19

ingenuity, and a team of visionary individuals

1:22

known as imagineers. The

1:24

roots of Disney's theme park legacy can

1:27

be traced back to Wed Enterprises

1:30

and the birth of imagineering. When

1:32

Walt Disney first decided to build a theme

1:34

park after his wild success as

1:37

an animation studio, Disney

1:39

created a group called Wed Enterprises.

1:42

This was in nineteen fifty two, and

1:45

Disney formed the group because he knew he would

1:47

need a grow of very talented people

1:49

help design and engineer his theme

1:51

park, which was still just a thing of his

1:53

dreams and imagination. Wed

1:57

Enterprises included artists, engineers,

1:59

architects, and designers who would bring

2:01

Walt Disney's dreams to life.

2:03

They were known for having more than just one skill,

2:06

such as being an architect or an engineer.

2:09

They had to have big imaginations and

2:11

be ready to think outside the box. At

2:13

heart, they were storytellers responsible

2:16

for creating immersive narratives that

2:18

would become park rides and other experiences.

2:22

Their mission was to blend creativity with

2:24

new technology to create an enchanting

2:26

world for park visitors. In

2:29

nineteen eighty six, WD Enterprises

2:31

changed its name to Walt Disney Imagineering.

2:35

Imagineer is the combination of the words

2:37

engineer and imagine Imagineers

2:40

are expected to not only have the skills to do

2:42

their job, but to think creatively and

2:44

come up with new, bold ideas as

2:46

they tell their stories in the form of attractions.

2:49

In fact, one of the imagineer's first principles

2:52

is it all begins with a story.

2:55

Next, let's dive into the life of some of the most

2:57

famous imagineers. Mark

2:59

Davis would born in Bakersfield, California,

3:02

and from a very young age he loved drawing

3:04

and art. He practiced during

3:06

his free time and eventually went to college

3:08

in Kansas, where he further developed

3:10

his skills. In nineteen thirty

3:12

four, Mark joined Disney as an animator

3:15

and helped illustrate for animated classics

3:18

like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and

3:20

Bambi. He worked closely with Walt

3:22

Disney to create these films and When it

3:24

came time to start designing Disneyland, Walt

3:27

Disney knew Mark would be the perfect fit to

3:29

help bring his dreams to life.

3:31

One of his first projects was designing characters

3:34

for the Haunted Mansion. Mark

3:36

had a great sense of humor and was able

3:38

to bring it to life through art as he designed

3:41

characters such as the Hitching Ghost and

3:43

the Ghostly Bride Constance Hatchaway.

3:46

He also worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride

3:48

and many of the humorous pirates you can see and experience

3:51

throughout the ride. Mark also

3:53

helped design the Enchanted Teaking Room, the

3:56

Jungle Crews, and Epcot's Journey

3:58

into Imagination. Another

4:00

early imagineer was Harriet Burns.

4:03

Harriet was born in San Antonio, Texas,

4:05

and early on had a passion for art

4:07

and design. She started at Disney

4:09

in nineteen fifty five as a set painter for

4:12

many of the rides. She became one

4:14

of the first female imagineers and

4:16

helped design and pink characters on the

4:18

Disney Railroad, It's a Small World,

4:20

and the Madterhorn Bob Sleds. Harriet

4:23

was also known for her strong will and personality.

4:26

When she had a vision for how something should be

4:28

done. She worked hard at it and

4:30

made sure her opinion was known until she got

4:33

results. The

4:35

history of imagineering wouldn't be complete

4:38

without mentioning Tony Baxter, whose

4:40

first job at Disneyland was actually an

4:42

ice cream scooper at age seventeen.

4:45

He loved being at the park and was determined to help

4:47

make it an even more fun and enchanting

4:49

place. He went to school and

4:51

studied landscape architecture and later

4:54

theater design. At this time,

4:56

he also started helping with construction projects

4:58

at Disneyland. In nineteen

5:00

seventy, Tony officially became an imagineer

5:04

his dream job. He helped

5:06

redesign Fantasyland, then later came up

5:08

with the idea that became Splash Mountain.

5:11

Splash Mountain showcased Baxter's ability

5:13

to combine storytelling with groundbreaking

5:16

ride technology. The attraction

5:18

became an instant classic, enchanting

5:20

generations with its whimsical charm.

5:24

Baxter's gift for adventure and storytelling

5:26

reached new heights with the creation of the

5:28

Indiana Jones ride, open

5:30

in nineteen ninety five, This dark eyed

5:32

blended film and theme park elements,

5:35

plunging riders into the heart of an ancient

5:37

temple filled with scary sights. The

5:39

attraction success showed Baxter's ability

5:42

to translate movie magic into an

5:44

immersive and exhilarating theme

5:46

part experience. Other

5:50

famous imagineers worth mentioning are the artist

5:52

Mary Blair, Exantensio

5:55

Waing, t Chow, Alice, SD's

5:57

Davis Yale, Gracie, Bob Kerr,

5:59

Joe Road, and Marty Schuyler.

6:03

Because Disney parks are worldwide, imagineers

6:05

of many different nationalities, races, and

6:07

backgrounds are now part of the imagineering

6:10

team. Something else exciting

6:12

about imagineers is that as they

6:14

are working on new rides, they often invent

6:17

entirely new technologies that are

6:19

not only used at Disneyland, but in other theme

6:21

parks and attractions around the world.

6:25

One of their most famous innovations are audio

6:28

animatronics. These are lifelike

6:30

robots that become characters on the different

6:32

Disney rides. They often look very

6:34

realistic and move in real ways that make

6:36

parkoers feel like they're experiencing

6:39

the characters and the environments for real.

6:42

The animatronics on some of these rides were

6:44

ahead of their time to date. One

6:46

of the most advanced and realistic animatronics

6:48

is the Shaman on the Novi River

6:51

Journey at Animal Kingdom in Orlando,

6:53

Florida. Animatronics like this

6:55

require many designers and engineers

6:58

to figure out how to make them move in life like

7:00

ways. You'll have to check out a video

7:02

of this one because you won't believe your eyes.

7:05

Many of the vehicles for Disney's rides

7:07

also feature very advanced designs in

7:10

order to move guests around the attraction.

7:12

This includes trackless rides that use magnets

7:15

to orient them along the path. Another

7:18

example is the jeep in Indiana Jones that

7:20

makes passengers feel like they're bumping up and down

7:22

on a wild jeep ride, which has the

7:24

flexibility to move many different directions.

7:28

They've also designed RFID wristbands,

7:31

and guests are able to open their hotel room, inner

7:33

parks, and even make purchases using

7:35

radio frequencies. Many of

7:37

these technologies feel like magic when they're

7:39

being used, but under all of the electronics

7:42

are smart engineers who design every

7:44

piece of the advanced equipment to make it work.

7:47

Other technologies include projection mapping,

7:50

augmented reality, and virtual reality

7:52

simulators, all with the goal of making

7:54

guests feel like they've been transported to

7:56

a different place in time and are living

7:58

the actual experience. It's pretty amazing,

8:01

right. Does becoming an imagineer

8:03

sound interesting to you? If so,

8:05

be sure to look up their principles of design and

8:08

think of ways you can apply them to your own interests.

8:11

Do you like to be creative? If so,

8:13

think of the kind of ride you would create if

8:15

you were a Disney imagineer. Drop

8:17

a plan and maybe even make a miniature version

8:19

of it using cardboard and other materials.

8:22

You might even simulate how it works using

8:25

a space in your backyard or living room.

8:27

Be sure to run it by your parents first, of course, But

8:29

remember that all of these imagineers were once

8:32

kids like you, who are passionate about

8:34

art and design and had big imaginations.

8:38

We hope you enjoyed learning about Disney Imagineering.

8:41

Be sure to tune in next Monday for a new

8:44

episode.