When I was little, I wanted to be an Imagineer at Walt Disney.
If you’ve ever been to Disneyland and fallen in love with a ride, with a feeling, you have an Imagineer to thank. These are the visionaries, the engineers, in charge of researching, designing, developing and bringing to life your greatest fantasies through attractions. These feelings start from conception and are tangible through light, sound, smell and more.
I am very much a person of juxtaposing characteristics: I love math and physics, but also oil painting, drawing and the physical arts as a whole. I am fully both parts of my brain. For my first science fair I even did a study on the science behind animation. I say all this to say, I thought I could meld my artistic and logical interests into a career as an Imagineer, a visionary expressing herself through math and science leading to physical experiences that make your heart whole.
Long story short,
When thinking about what would be a true test of my skills while also representing my greatest interests, this was born.
I decided to create a a mockup pitch and strategy for a new attraction. Everything you see I have hand drawn, designed, and breathed life into from conception to strategy as if this were a real attraction. And of course, make it Lilo & Stitch themed - because half of my family is from Honolulu, HI so of course I’ve got a soft spot for the film.
I hope you enjoy it.
Thinking through design:
When thinking of what this attraction would be, what it would be centered around, how it would feel, sound, smell — I had to ask myself a lot of questions and think from many perspectives. Think from the size and mind of a kid, from an adult, from a Lilo and Stitch fanatic, from someone who’s never seen the film. Notes on my thought process are listed below:
Naming the ride: the name ‘Wiki Wiki Adventure’ comes from the word wiki which means ‘fast’ in Hawaiian.
I wanted to design a kid friendly, equally comforting and exciting ride that was accessible to all.
I wanted this attraction to be thrilling and reminiscent, to bring forth the feeling and joy of the movie while also being compelling to those who’ve either never seen the movie or maybe don’t remember the movie.
Questions I asked myself through the process:
How can I combine art and engineering to accommodate narrative?
Why would I remember an attraction? A movie? A moment?
How was a story used in an experience?
How are thrills created? How do those thrills interact or relate to a story?
If gravity and the limitations of reality weren’t a problem, what kind of fantasy could you create, and why would people care? Ex: riding a bike to the moon.
High Concept: a high concept captures the essence of an experience and gets people excited about the idea — so the big takeaway here is: If I had to create an ‘elevator pitch’, what would it be and sound like?
Answer: I’m working on a current attraction called Wiki Wiki Adventure and my opening overall archiving statement is, you get to travel through Hawaii in a spaceship.