Imagineering
It is one of my
greatest ambitions to become a Walt Disney Imagineer. The Imagineers
are an ingenious group of creative people who develop and execute
ideas for the Walt Disney Company. The Imagineers were originally
known as WED (Walter Elias Disney) Enterprises and were founded in
1952 by Walt Disney himself. The term “Imagineering” was used by
another company, Alcoa, in the 1940s until Walt picked it up in the
mid 1950s. The term “Imagineer” is a portmanteau of “imagination”
and “engineering” – the basic characteristics of the Imagineer
job position.
Imagineers include
engineers, producers, lighting designers, sketch artists, writers,
play-writes, architects, illustrators, sculptors, graphic designers,
and interior designers. According to wikipedia.com, over 140
different job titles fall under the banner of Imagineering.
Imagineers design Disney cruise ships, theme park attractions,
resorts, restaurants, stores, and much more. The Imagineer
headquarters is in Glendale, California, where most of the Imagineers
work, however Imagineers are also needed at Disney locations across
the world.
Walt Disney
Imagineering holds over 115 patents for rides, technology,
entertainment, fiber optics, and special effects. They are most
famous for their use of Animatronics. Although this isn't necessarily
the field I want to go into, I can envision myself designing amazing
attractions in collaboration with the Animatronic Imagineers.
Disney Imagineering
is also famous for it's ability to tell a story. Everything they
design visually tells a story and sets a mood. It's a very immersive
experience, as if the visitor is actually one of the characters in
the story. The Imagineers call this “The Art of the Show.” They
design everything to be part of the experience from the character
costumes and names of the items on the menus to the smell of freshly
baked cookies as you walk down Main Street, U.S.A. Absolutely every
detail is considered. I am a very detail-oriented person, and I love
that kind of stuff.
Every year Walt
Disney Imagineering hosts a design competition called “Imaginations.”
This gives college students a chance to present their ideas and
projects to a panel consisting of Walt Disney Imagineering
executives. They get to showcase their work and gain insight on what
it takes to become an Imagineer. All of the finalist win a trip to
the Imagineering headquarters in Glendale, California and the chance
to get an interview for a possible paid internship at Disney
Imagineering.
After many hours of
doing research on Imagineers I still do not have a clear picture of
the qualifications necessary to be an Imagineer. One website claimed
you have to have a Master's degree in your field, but other websites
disputed. They also gave dozens of clear examples of current and
former Imagineers with little or no formal education. Disney gives no
official information on qualifications necessary for becoming an
Imagineer. Instead they simply list information on what an Imagineer
is and give examples of Imagineering creations.
I guess the best
way to understand what is necessary to become an Imagineer is to find
out what current and former Imagineers say worked for them. Doug
Wolf, a Project Manager Imagineer, said, “Dream and pursue your
imagination and goals. Do anything that stirs your creativity –
read, write, draw, observe, and travel. Learn what you enjoy and
excel at, whether it be model-building, drawing, writing, or
construction. See if there's a fit. Most likely there is since
Imagineering encompasses almost everything imaginable. But above all,
enjoy what path your life travels and learn from each experience.”
Joe Lanzisero, Senior Concept Designer, said, “Become a student of
life.” Larry Nikolai, Show Design Imagineer, said, “Don't give
up. If you really want to be part of Imagineering you will naturally
keep growing while practicing and expanding your knowledge. Wander
far and wide in your quest for experience. Don't just limit it to
what you perceive as the world of Disney. Imagineering is always
growing, too. It is always looking for new realms, styles, and
possibilities.” My favorite advice was from Mark Rhodes, Show
Writer Imagineer, “Beg, whine, and plead.”
Basically when it
comes down to it, the single most important qualification necessary
for becoming an Imagineer is creativity. I've got plenty of that. I
would love designing hotels, rides, and shops in the Disney theme
parks.
Disney has brought
both tears of sadness and of joy to my eyes over the years. Now,
with the addition of Pixar, Disney still manages to bring out my
inner child. I've wanted to be an Interior Designer from the time I
was very small. I had more fun arranging the furniture in my
dollhouse or building things with legos than I did actually playing
with the dolls or the lego people. I also have always loved all
things Disney. I watched all of the movies until the VHS tapes wore
out. Whenever we went to the shopping mall I would beg and beg to go
to the Disney store. It has always been a dream of mine to go to
Disneyland or DisneyWorld. Would you believe I've never been to
either! Well, that will be remedied soon enough! I am going to be an
Imagineer!
I would especially
love designing in a more secluded area of DisneyWorld called “Give
Kids the World.” Give Kids the World is a branch of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. Make-A-Wish helps children with a life-threatening
condition by granting them a wish. Some kids choose to meet famous
people, firefighters, policemen, etc. Some children like to have
one-day experiences where they can be a chef, rock star, etc for a
day. Some children wish for computers, a bedroom makeover, or certain
kinds of toys. A majority of them, of course, choose a trip to
Disney. Give Kids the World is a 70-acre, nonprofit “storybook”
village resort where these children and their families stay while
visiting Disney through Make-A-Wish. Give Kids the World has over 140
Villa-style accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical
venues, and fun specifically designed for children with special
needs. Every year the Village hosts more than 7,000 children and
their families.
My cousin, Tyler,
was born with profound special needs. He remains undiagnosed to this
day, but he was never able to walk, talk, feed himself, or do many
things we take for granted. When he was four years old Make-A-Wish
granted him a wish. Since he was unable to choose for himself his
parents thought a family trip to DisneyWorld would be the best
choice. They had a great time at DisneyWorld and they stayed at Give
Kids the World. Only a few months later, Tyler passed away. Give Kids
the World and Make-A-Wish provided an unforgettable experience to
Tyler's family and to Tyler.
I would love to
work with this aspect of Disney because of how Tyler's life impacted
me. I want to bring that kind of experience to every special child
out there who wouldn't experience these things otherwise. I would
love to design interiors within Give Kids the World itself, and also
to help make all of the Disney parks, cruises, etc equally
accessible and fun to children like Ty.
I have always
wanted to work with Disney in one way, shape, or form. I thought of
working on one of their cruise ships or moving to Florida or
California to work at one of their theme parks. I have applied at
their stores in shopping malls, but the timing was never right. Then
one day someone mentioned Imagineers to me. It instantly got my
attention and I started to look into it. Becoming an Imagineer has
been one of my greatest aspirations ever since. I'm going to apply
myself very hard in school to learn everything I can and seek out
every travel and life experience I can. Some day I will be an
Imagineer. Until then, I'll just whistle while I work, put Tinkerbell
on everything, and, most importantly, remember to, “Have faith in
your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No
matter how your heart is grieving if you keep on believing, the dream
that you wish will come true.”
Works Cited
“Walt Disney
Imagineering.” corporate.disney.go.com, disney.com, n.d.
Web. 01 Aug. 2011
“Walt Disney
Imagineering.” en.wikipedia.org, wikipedia.org, n.d. Web. 01
Aug. 2011.
“Becoming An
Imagineer.” imagineeringorg.wordpress.com, wordpress.com, n..d.
Web. 01 Aug. 2011
“About Us.”
gktw.org, gktw.org, n.de. Web. 01 Aug. 2011
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