Please remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle — it’s time for the third episode of “We Call It Imagineering.” As Josh shared at SXSW, Imagineers are developing exciting new attractions around the world.
This episode 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, new details about one of the Cars-themed attractions coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, and a sneak peek at the “Monsters, Inc.”-themed rollercoaster heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Seventy years ago, Walt Disney and the first Imagineers built the original attractions at Disneyland 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 of the ride systems were “prototypical” and had to meet rigorous safety, reliability, and duty cycles that not many other industries have to deal with.
That same inventive spirit drives Imagineers today. Our Ride Studio continues to push the boundaries of innovation, designing and testing revolutionary ride systems. Most engineers start with technical requirements to help design their products. At Imagineering, they’re given story scripts and concept art to start designing the ride, with the final product needing to meet the creative intent of the attraction.
At Stark Flight Lab, coming to Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort in the future, guests will be invited into Tony Stark’s workshop to train on giant robot arms and see if they have what it takes to fly like an Avenger. For this experience, Imagineers are creating a first-of-its-kind ride system that transfers guests from a vehicle on a track to a robot arm and back again. Inspired by the character of Tony as an inventor, Imagineers are putting this technology in the center of the attraction, making it a highly visible part of the storytelling.
For one of the upcoming Cars-themed attractions, Imagineers are engineering an off-road rally racing experience. To achieve 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. This is just one of several attractions as part of the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history that includes a second family-friendly Cars attraction and the highly-anticipated Villains land.
Another innovative ride system is in the works for the “Monsters, Inc.” coaster! Guests will get to experience the iconic door vault scene from the film aboard the first suspended coaster ever in a Disney park. This dynamic 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.
Portfolio Executive Creative Producer Michael Hundgen 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.”
Want to hear more about what’s being dreamed up, designed and created? Follow the Imagineers every step of the way on YouTube and Instagram and stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes stories on the Disney Parks Blog.