The Secrets of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Success: the WDI model (Section I)
Walt Disney Imagineering, as one of the leading design department, belongs to Walt Disney Company, the sub-department of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, have made tremendous and extraordinary contributions and achievements in the past half-century since it was set up.
The majority of the built-up projects are relative to the Disney Themed Parks, water parks, and themed vacation hotels, Downtown Disney, Disney Studios, culture, and retail centers. It is interesting to compare Walt Disney to some parallel competitors such as Universal Studios, and Wanda Groups and a bunch of giant speculators and property holders in Asian China (More data could be found in 2015 Global Theme Park Attendance Report Index). Within the top 20 theme parks & resorts, there are 10 Disney parks and resorts! The Magic Kingdom in Fl, Disneyland in Anaheim Ca, and Tokyo Disneyland win the top three. Actually following the historical analysis Marketing research chart in the TEA index (may be checked in the TEA website), Walt Disney Parks and Resorts have been keeping this magnificent record since many years ago. The rest theme parks & resorts on the index list locate in the Far East and Northern European countries, and China is one of the biggest themed entertainment markets.
Here we shall leave the topic “The survey of Chinese-themed entertainment market and facts” along for a while, and keep dripping down the inner world of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts the Walt Disney Imagineering. Under the lasting extraordinary commercial success facts, one feature we need to keep in mind that WDI is only a family number of the giant theme entertainment empire, and of course theme entertainment success largely relies on the customs services, product quality resorts management with tons of fixed and unfixed features. Thanks to Mr. Walt who established a whole new Disney culture with arts, spirits, philosophy, styles, and administration principles many years ago, every department is logically attached or linked to the other ones under the same operation and principles. While WDI is absolutely significant in the whole system, and if we explore more about the history of WDI, we will know how close the relationship between WDI and Walt Disney Studio. For many years, Walt Disney Studio is Walt Disney itself, and there is no difference between the two. Keep in mind the two key departments’ relationship and history, for we will easily understand the operation styles and principles in WDI, as well as the WDI model.
“Imagineering”, a team combines Imagineering and engineering, the behind the mysterious department of the entertainment empire, Walt Disney gives their official description and identification as below:
“Walt Disney Imagineering is the unique, creative force behind Walt Disney Parks and Resorts that dreams up, designs and builds all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions, cruise ships, real estate developments, and regional entertainment venues worldwide. Imagineering’s unique strength comes from the dynamic global team of creative and technical professionals building on the Disney legacy of storytelling to pioneer new forms of entertainment through technical innovation and creativity.”
“The name “Imagineering” combines imagination with engineering. Building upon the legacy of Walt Disney, Imagineers bring art and science together to turn fantasy into reality and dreams into magic.”
There is a famous quote from Walt himself (the word WED is the previous name of WDI):
“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting. At WED, we call it Imagineering—the blending of creative imagination with technical know-how.”
In some viewpoints, WDI model is a type of “Medici model”, gathering the groups of world-class talents from a great variety of backgrounds, they are famous artists, musician, architects, painters, sculptures, product designers, show designers and managers, film directors, fiction authors, illustrators, actors and actress, and any types of person you want to imagine. Collaborating and making a contribution to the same mission and a task. The Walt Disney Imagineering is where the talents make the magic dream come true. There is no need to explore very deep and the secret of the behind organization of WDI, or the relevant departments in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Maybe there are a few people are able to understand every secret and principle of the empire of Walt Disney in the plant, just like the philosophy of Walt Disney: it is a magic world with endless exploration and imagination; what’s you are able to see by your eyes is much smaller than what’s really inside of the magic world.
Reference
https://disneyimaginations.com/about-imaginations/about-imagineering/
