Week 8

FACE 1 - THE DISNEY IMAGINEERS: An Imagineer (officially known as a Walt Disney Imagineer), is an employee of Walt Disney Imagineering. Nearly all Imagineers develop ideas and attractions for Disney parks. During the construction of a major project, Imagineers sometimes are deployed to work on-site for six months to a year. The word was created by Walt himself, as a portmanteau (combination) of imagine and engineer.

Imagineers come in all forms; artists, writers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, model builders, construction managers, technicians, designers and a whole range of others; in fact, there are over 275 different jobs that carry the title "Imagineer" at Disney. There's no such thing as "thinking too big" at Walt Disney Imagineering. This is where you can dream up your wildest ideas and join forces with world-class experts to make them a reality. Their ultimate goal is to leave the visitors to the parks in awe, while inspiring the next generation of Imagineers to ask, "How can I do that some day?"

FACE 2 - THOMAS STAGGS - Staggs joined Disney in 1990 and soon advanced through a series of positions of increased responsibility, becoming senior vice president. Thomas O. Staggs is now Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts --you might say he is the Imagineers' creativity boss. Staggs has been instrumental in the new construction of many of the park's attractions and is working on the AVATAR world of Pandora which will open in the Animal Kingdom in 2017.
CREATIVITY QUOTE: "The more that their visit can seem personalized, the better."
Creativity knows that whether it is creating something for a friend or a school project, doing so in a way that says this is ME, makes it so much better.

FACE 3 - JOE ROHDE: is a Disney Imagineer best know for serving as the leader of the creative team in Animal Kingdom from the beginning to now. An avid world traveler, he is known for his large collection of earrings he has gotten from the many places he has visited.
Once, during an interview he was asked: "You’re known for your love of storytelling and attention to detail. You’ve visited many places all over the world for research – which have been your favorites? Are there places you’d still like to visit?"
Joe replied, "I love the Himalayas, and I’ve spent a lot of time there. When we were doing research for Expedition Everest, we visited places few people have been before."
What are you looking forward to next?
"When I think about the AVATAR story and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I see the value systems that underlie both. We have the opportunity to tell that story in a way that will make the AVATAR experience feel like a natural part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom."

CREATIVITY QUOTE: "All of us who are designers have an opportunity to take the work we are given and make it something unexpected."

The result of creativity at its best is always something unexpected that takes your breath away.

Plans for Expedition Everest

Notice the roller coaster heading inside the mountain!

Early model of
Avatar world...

FACE 4 - VISITORS TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!: Each person who enters the park becomes a type of Imagineer. You never hear someone saying, "Cinderella's Castle isn't a R E A L castle," or "The pirates aren't real pirates." Each of us has the capacity to enter imaginary worlds and see them as actual places --even imagining more than is really there. This adds to our enjoyment and allows us to be part of that world. At Disney World you see adults acting like kids, having the time of their lives --that is because children love imagining. Imagining helps us see possibilities, ask the "what if" questions, and think about what "could be." Actually, imaginative thinking is what our world needs. We need researchers who imagine cures for diseases, we need scientists who imagine ways to power our houses without electricity, we need farmers who imagine ways to better grow crops... the list goes on and on. Walt Disney World is a place where imagination lives --it reminds us that each and every one of us can be a "Face of Creativity" because we have the capacity to IMAGINE!

FACE 5 - YOU!: You, too, can be a Disney Imagineer. About 1000 full-time Imagineers combine their talents in many different areas to create Disney Parks and Resorts. Here is what those creative people recommend to anyone truly serious about joining their ranks: "Invite in many ideas. Work with others. Never forget your passion. Become an expert in what you do best. Nurture your desire to learn constantly. Be creative, be practical, be patient, by crazy. Be able to blend ideas. Be fearless, be a risk-taker. Be a good communicator who can speak confidently to others. Be curious. Be open to new things, and learn from the past. Be inclusive --that means you value every one you work with. Never give up; remember there is a way to make it work. Be respectful. Explore. Always ask, "What's next?" Listen. Most of all have fun." (paraphrased)