Disney is making it very tempting to join Disney+, their new entertainment streaming service, by offering a docuseries that puts a spotlight on its Imagineers.

Entertainment Weekly:

The Imagineering Story, a docuseries from The Pixar Story filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, pulls back the curtain on the work of the brilliant artist-engineers who have made real-life magic at the Disney Parks for decades. Narrated by Angela Bassett, the six-hour series chronicles the history of the Imagineers, beginning with the inception of Disneyland and tracing the development of all the of the Disney parks and all of the fantastical lands within them (yes, including Galaxy’s Edge) to the present day.

The trailer for it promises a look behind the scenes of the Matterhorn and other restricted areas of Disney parks:

The Imagineering Story will premiere November 12, the same day the new service launches. To be clear: the series will only be available on Disney+, which is $6.99/month or $69.99/year. I'm personally thinking it might be worth checking out.

image via EW Read the rest

[[Imagineer Chris Merritt (previously) was the protege of the Disney legend Marc Davis, the character designer whose work defined the look of such classic attractions as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Merritt has written seminal books on southern California's themed attractions, including Knott's Berry Farm and Pacific Ocean Park.

[[His latest book, Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks, is his magnum opus: a gorgeous, two-volume, slipcased set on the life, philosophy, reminisces, career, and designs of Marc Davis, incorporating many never-seen rarities from Davis's own collection, as well as the Disney archives. Chris was kind enough to supply us with this excerpt from Chapter Nine, which tells the backstory of my beloved Haunted Mansion, largely through transcribed, verbatim quotes from Davis himself. -Cory]] Read the rest

Imagineering In a Box is a free lecture series on Khan Academy that covers a broad swathe of elements involved in storytelling in built environments, from theming a land to landscaping, architecture, sound design, robotics, smell design (!), color, material science, food-based theming, ride design from pitch to execution, animatronic programming, queue management (MY FAVORITE!), costuming, etc. Read the rest

Maker Camp teens got a kick-ass treat: a one-hour Google+ hangout with Disney Imagineering, which has been released to YouTube. Here's The Disney Blog's John Frost:

Maker Camp is a month-long virtual DIY camp put on by Maker Faire. Hundreds of teens participate and learn about science, technology, engineering, and math and how to put them together to make useful things. These lucky kids recent got a virtual field trip that included a tour of Walt Disney Imagineering’s facilities and time with Imagineers like Bruce Vaughn.

During the tour students and other viewers got a glimpse at some of the unique and innovative processes Imagineers use during the design phase of their projects. The fields of dimensional design (model-making, sculpting and rapid-prototyping), robotics design and programming, ride design, and previsualization (virtual experiences of yet-to-be-built attractions and facilities) were the main focus. At the end of the tour students were able to ask Bruce and other Imagineers a few questions.

Walt Disney Imagineering participates in Google+ Hangout with Maker Camp Read the rest