_Imagine it’s the year 3011, Disney has entertainment experiences all around the world, many which don’t even exist today. The human race is finally living on the moon and Walt Disney Imagineering wants to be the first one to provide entertainment and/or recreation to the new citizens there.
What would you imagine that this new Disney experience could be?
What would you imagine that this new Disney experience could be?
Project Overview
In the year 3011, humans will be thriving in self-sustaining communities on the moon, resulting in new generations of those who have never visited Earth. These new humans will only have stories of seasons and atmospheres. Movies, songs, fairy tales and legends will be the only connection between moon citizens and Earth. Moon citizens will have limited entertainment opportunities before the opening of Disney’s newest Signature Experience, “Fly Me To The Earth!”
Modeled after a drive-in theater, this new exclusive experience will be unique to the Moon. Hover-vehicles will carry guests into a series of Earth-like simulations where a performance based on Disney movies of today will immerse guests into the themed environment. In each land, guests will experience the atmosphere of different types of classical Earth locations, such as the bustling city of Paris, the jungles of South America, the savannas of Africa, the forests of Europe and the depths of the Oceans. Food and entertainment in each land will correspond to the theme, making the entire attraction an immersive experience. Quality of show, food, theme and service will be evident throughout the entire experience.
The main human colony will exist adjacent to the rim of the Peary crater, a peak of eternal sunlight. Municipal photovoltaics power all human energy needs on the moon. Future advancements in magnetic field technology have made it possible for a power grid to be built on the moon that controls hover-vehicles soaring smoothly over the surface of the moon carrying groups of people.
Modeled after a drive-in theater, this new exclusive experience will be unique to the Moon. Hover-vehicles will carry guests into a series of Earth-like simulations where a performance based on Disney movies of today will immerse guests into the themed environment. In each land, guests will experience the atmosphere of different types of classical Earth locations, such as the bustling city of Paris, the jungles of South America, the savannas of Africa, the forests of Europe and the depths of the Oceans. Food and entertainment in each land will correspond to the theme, making the entire attraction an immersive experience. Quality of show, food, theme and service will be evident throughout the entire experience.
The main human colony will exist adjacent to the rim of the Peary crater, a peak of eternal sunlight. Municipal photovoltaics power all human energy needs on the moon. Future advancements in magnetic field technology have made it possible for a power grid to be built on the moon that controls hover-vehicles soaring smoothly over the surface of the moon carrying groups of people.
Story Behind The Design
Our design evolved from research on the moon and inflatable structures. The moon’s relatively low gravity drove us to imagine a space that could not structurally exist on Earth. Considering safety during construction and materials available on the moon, we decided the exterior of our building would be produced using tensile fabric on Earth, then inflated on the Moon, with interior elements constructed onsite.
For specific design elements we looked to Disney architectural history for inspiration. The layout of our design is a hub and spoke system, where guests enter via a central hub and then radiate outwards to differently themed lands, returning to the hub to continue moving throughout the space. The inspiration for our domes came from the geodesic sphere at EPCOT. We feel that a colony on the moon would exemplify Walt Disney’s passion for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, as a clean-slate outpost built from the ground up on future principles of urbanism.
The themes for the immersive experience lands came from our favorite Disney films. We chose a mix of films that cover a wide variety of Earth experiences without overlapping, such as Snow White, Up, Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.
For specific design elements we looked to Disney architectural history for inspiration. The layout of our design is a hub and spoke system, where guests enter via a central hub and then radiate outwards to differently themed lands, returning to the hub to continue moving throughout the space. The inspiration for our domes came from the geodesic sphere at EPCOT. We feel that a colony on the moon would exemplify Walt Disney’s passion for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, as a clean-slate outpost built from the ground up on future principles of urbanism.
The themes for the immersive experience lands came from our favorite Disney films. We chose a mix of films that cover a wide variety of Earth experiences without overlapping, such as Snow White, Up, Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.
Guest Experience
Upon entering the central hub guests walk to the loading zone to board a hover-vehicle for their journey. A cast member greets each group to help them board and determine their personalized experience. Each themed land offers small portions of plated food (tapas-size) that correspond to the theme so that guests complete a meal by visiting multiple lands. Every component of a meal is available at each land (drinks, appetizers, main meal offerings and deserts) so guests can choose what to eat where.
When boarding the hover-vehicle guests will have to decide how many lands they want to visit and in what order. Once traveling, menus will appear digitally on the table and guests can select from a variety of choices their food and drink selection. Once the hover-vehicle has docked a cast member will come up via an elevator to visit the guests and give them an introduction to the land and food offered, answering any questions and making the guests feel welcomed. After the food has been served a performance of 20-25 minutes will entertain guests, giving them an immersive experience of Earth food, locations and story. This repeats throughout the visit, until guests have finished their meal.
When boarding the hover-vehicle guests will have to decide how many lands they want to visit and in what order. Once traveling, menus will appear digitally on the table and guests can select from a variety of choices their food and drink selection. Once the hover-vehicle has docked a cast member will come up via an elevator to visit the guests and give them an introduction to the land and food offered, answering any questions and making the guests feel welcomed. After the food has been served a performance of 20-25 minutes will entertain guests, giving them an immersive experience of Earth food, locations and story. This repeats throughout the visit, until guests have finished their meal.
- The project was conceived by the Virginia Tech Team and created for the 2012 Walt Disney Imagineering’s ImagiNations Design Competition
- This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are property of Walt Disney Imagineering
- The competition is a way for students and recent graduates to showcase their talents and for Disney to identify new talent
- Our team made it to the Semi-Finalist round of the competition
- This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are property of Walt Disney Imagineering
- The competition is a way for students and recent graduates to showcase their talents and for Disney to identify new talent
- Our team made it to the Semi-Finalist round of the competition