Mike Riester, is a former Disneystore cast member who enjoys the products of Disney imagineers whenever he gets a chance. His favorite Disney character (and alter ego) is Mike Wazowski from Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. When Mike is not daydreaming about Disney, he finds time to design CEE magazine and serve as the assistant director of Design Services at ACSI.
As an avid fan of all things Disney, I was asked to write an article about imagineering for this issue of CEE. I jumped at the opportunity. But then I started thinking about it, and it turned out to be a bigger project than I thought it would be! What follows is a collection of thoughts, experiences, and trivialities that will, I hope, spark some creative ideas in you. Walt Disney coined the term imagineering to describe the activities of his team of creative people who imagine all the fun things we experience while we’re immersed in a given story. Imagineers have free rein when it comes to ideas. The other part of their job is to make their ideas work from an engineering standpoint, whether the ideas are meant for a theme park or a cruise ship or a movie.
Imagination
I believe that as people created in God’s image we’re all imbued with imagination to some degree. We all dream, and occasionally some of us daydream. Imagination at work! I find it fascinating how long young children can keep themselves occupied with the simplest objects and can seem to be in an entirely different world in the process. If only we could see into their minds while they act out these fantasies—what would these ideas look like in their heads? This early role-playing creates the building blocks for years of creative thinking that will serve these children even in their adulthood. In the story Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1996), a young girl finds a friend who is open-minded enough to see what the young girl’s imagination conjures up, and the two of them become immersed in a world of fantasy that is based on their everyday surroundings. I can’t help wondering whether this book sheds light on how our preschoolers see the world around them—a world where a cardboard box becomes a rocket ship destined for some distant planet.
This early role-playing creates the building blocks for years of creative thinking that will serve these children even in their adulthood.
Recently I saw a preview for Blue Sky Studios’ movie adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. I marveled at the idea that an entire world could exist on a speck of dust that landed on a single clover flower carried by a benevolent elephant. Then I thought about how much our world is like that of the speck of dust and about how Christ is like the elephant Horton, who does everything in his power to protect that little speck of dust despite the ridicule and the attempts from the larger outside world to destroy the speck. What imagination!
While attending ACSI’s International Early Education Leadership Conference in Minneapolis in November, I had an opportunity at the Mall of America to visit the Lego display and store. What I witnessed there was amazing: giant sculptures made entirely of Lego building bricks. The sculptures included a dinosaur, a Ferris wheel, and a spacecraft. Some of the sculptures were almost two stories tall. What disappointed me about this experience was the number of preconceived kits that people were buying. These kits had all the parts necessary to create Star Wars fighters or jumbo jets, leaving little to the imagination. I fondly remember g rowing up with a box full of Lego bricks and a gray baseboard. No instructions or diagrams directed me to create a predesigned item. Instead, I was left with a blank slate and my imagination to design whatever my young mind could think of.
While I was exploring the Lego store, my faith in the creative process was restored when I noticed dozens of children seated at building stations creating what their hearts desired. In many cases it was a group effort, boys and girls working together on a single sculpture in the shadow of their inspiration. What emerged were blue dinosaurs with yellow wings and all-terrain tires being ridden by Lego people wearing cowboy hats. OK, maybe I made up that last part, but these children were playing together, sharing, and building something unique from their imaginations!
How can you as an early educator foster such a creative environment?
- Establish a building blocks center with Duplo or similar building blocks that are age appropriate for your children.
- Provide pictures, models, or both that children can use for inspiration when building.
- Read a creative story, perhaps something from Dr. Seuss, and then ask the children to create their own version of one of the characters described in the story.
Engineering
Once the Disney imagineers carefully consider every idea, they narrow the selection down to the idea that, through engineering, will work best in their chosen medium. The Walt Disney Company considers many factors before making a larger investment in a project. While working on an idea for a new multimedia thrill ride at Disney’s California Adventure theme park, an imagineer pulled out an old Erector set from his childhood and began to tinker with it. The result was a working model that would later be put into production for the Soarin’ attraction. The attraction was so popular that the Walt Disney Company decided to implement the attraction at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World in Florida, and it is one of the most popular rides there. Following are some of the factors that imagineer s consider before doing a project on a large scale. I have also included some suggestions for using these principles.
Size/Scale/Perspective Buildings
The buildings along Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland and at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World appear to be three stories tall, but they aren’t! It’s an optical illusion. Upper floors of the buildings are scaled down to a smaller size so that when you look up, the buildings appear to be getting farther away, giving the illusion that they are taller. The perspective lines then lead you right to the icons of those parks—Cinderella’s or Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Spend a day at the eye level of your children to see things from their perspective. Make adjustments in the learning centers as necessary to facilitate learning that lends itself to the children’s perspective.
Relationship to Other Elements
The imagineers at Disney’s theme parks use landscape elements, paint colors, and architectural elements that blend seamlessly from one distinct “land” to another. Consider activities that will help smooth the transition from one center to another. Perhaps you could transition from the music center to the art center by playing a piece of music and then asking the children to paint what they heard in the music center. The Walt Disney Company used this technique in the late 1930s to create the beloved classic Fantasia.
Environment
Disney maintenance crews maintain pristine park settings despite the millions of visitors they host each year. The crews know the environments that their attractions are located in and constantly repair and update these environments. Show children the importance of caring for their possessions and the possessions of others. Remind them that God has given humankind the very important responsibility of caring for His creation.
Interactivity
Few people who have ever visited a Disney theme park will ever forget the first time they met their favorite character in person. There is a story behind every Disney attraction. Imagineers take several research trips to remote locations to make their rides or environments as authentic as possible. Long lines are made more tolerable by the story that people hear and see displayed along the way to the main attraction. Children respond more favorably when they interact with you, their environment, and other children. Provide plenty of items that children can interact with while waiting their turn at an activity. Several children can learn simultaneously if you include interaction among children during an activity.
Recognizing Talents
God has gifted each one of us with a unique set of talents that when combined with the right tools, opportunities, and encouragement can yield a wealth of possibilities. As early educators, you can recognize certain talents when children are very young, and you can take measures to nurture these talents so that they become strengths. Recognizing certain talent sets can also help you maintain an engaging learning environment by placing children in centers where they can explore their interests. I recommend reading Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton (2001) and Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath (2007). After collecting data for decades, the Gallup Organization, who owns the copyright for both of those books, noticed a pattern of traits in their poll respondents. Years of research enabled Gallup to group these traits into 38 distinct categories and to develop an online assessment as a result. The answers to a series of general personalitybased preferences are assessed and formulated into a list of a respondent’s top five talents. The books focus on developing talents into strengths rather than spending years trying to overcome weaknesses. Even though the authors geared these books toward adults, the identified talents begin in early childhood. Once you recognize talents in children under your care, you can work with their parents in developing those talents into strengths. Early educators and parents must be careful to nurture the talents and the imaginations that God has bestowed on the children in their care.
Passion
Walt Disney had a passion for a good story. As his family grew, he wanted a place where he could take his daughters for a little clean entertainment. He combined his passion, imagination, and engineering talents to create Disneyland, and he always admonished his imagineers to remember that it all began with a mouse. Disney imagineers were left with large shoes to fill, but these creative people have successfully built the dream that Walt Disney had—to expand his legacy for generations to come.
References
Buckingham, Marcus, and Donald O. Clifton. 2001. Now, discover your strengths. New York: Free Press.
Paterson, Katherine. 1996. Bridge to Terabithia. Scholastic ed. New York: HarperCollins.
Rath, Tom. 2007. Strengths finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press.
Imagine That 9.3