“It’s a world where you can take your imagination to another level. It’s like walking into someone’s dream.”
The team offers South China Morning Post a closer look at World of Frozen as they explain some of the work that goes on behind the scenes to help bring Disney magic to life.
1. Disneyland is shaped by Imagineers representing more than 140 disciplines
When Walt Disney, founder of The Walt Disney Company, took his young daughters, Diane and Sharon, to play on the merry-go-round at Griffith Park in California at weekends in the late 1930s, few people would have expected the visits to inspire him to build his own theme parks.
“While he sat on a bench watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round again and again, it ignited in him a dream for a place where children and their parents could have fun together,” says Edward Ovalle, archives manager at Walt Disney Archives, who collects and preserves the history of the company and its founder.
Disney set up a think tank of creatives – the first Imagineers – who designed the first Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, which opened in 1955.
Today, the company’s Imagineering team spans more than 140 disciplines, including architecture, construction, interior design, information technology, illustration, project management, model making, show production, landscape design and writing.
“Every single aspect of this [World of Frozen] land has a tonne of knowledge behind it,” Michel den Dulk, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, says. “I think what’s so magical about this place [is that] everything is coordinated so well in the background so that the guests can just have a worry-less day at the park.”
2. Theme parks abide by Mickey’s 10 Commandments – down to the smallest detail
From the North Mountain in the background of Arendelle – where Anna and Elsa’s castle sits in the Frozen films – to the Norwegian-inspired folk art painting featured on wooden beams inside village houses, every single detail, both big and small, has been painstakingly planned to immerse visitors into the story and world.
Chiu cites the company’s design guidelines, known as Mickey’s 10 Commandments, as the inspiration behind the meticulous designs.
Created in the 1950s by the late Disney Legend Marty Sklar – former principal creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering – Mickey’s 10 Commandments are the guiding principles to help Imagineers to craft the best experience for guests. The rules include: “Know your audience”, “Wear your guest’s shoes”, “Avoid contradictions”, “Communicate with visual literacy” and “Tell one story at a time”.
“For example, World of Frozen is a Scandinavian setting, so you won’t see a tropical plant here, or something so out of place that [it] brings you out of the story,” Chiu says.
3. Hong Kong Disneyland integrates local landscape into design – through placemaking
To keep guests immersed in Disney magic, the team not only looks within the park, but also at the park’s surroundings.
“If there is one thing that I’m proudest of in this [World of Frozen] land, it’s working with the natural backdrop of the park [including Lantau Island’s tree-covered peak, Lik Pik Shan],” den Dulk says. “It creates an enormous amount of depth and layering [to the land]”.
Den Dulk’s ideas for creating World of Frozen began seven years ago when he first visited Hong Kong Disneyland and saw the forested peaks behind the park.
“I realised we need to make this part of our [themed] land,” he says. “The foliage and the trees on the mountain don’t look that much different from the mountains in the fiords. So that was a great gift.”
He and his team made use of the multiplane camera technique – a traditional form of film animation where a sense of depth is created by moving numerous layers of background artwork at various speeds in front of a camera – to seamlessly blend local scenery with the theme park.
Fun fact: By playing with perspective, North Mountain, which was built inside the park, appears bigger than the real peak behind it, making it the tallest mountain in World of Frozen, just as it was in the films.
4. Technology plays a huge role in the magic – despite being hidden
From inventing the first multiplane cameras in the 1930s to unveiling the “real” Star Wars lightsaber earlier this year, The Walt Disney Company has been a pioneer in technological innovation.
It continues to play an essential role in creating Disney magic.
The family-friendly Frozen Ever After attraction features Audio-Animatronics figures so advanced that they are designed to “come to life”, as if singing to a guest.
“[Our guests can] just walk into this restaurant and wander around and be charmed by this quaint little space [World of Frozen],” den Dulk says. “But the reality is that there is a tonne of engineering behind it … We are a hi-tech company creating hi-tech experiences, but that’s the beauty of it – the technologies are all in support of a concept, a story, an idea.”
Michael Moriarty, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland, supports the claim. “Walt’s impact can be felt throughout our organisation,” he says. “His spirit of innovation and ability to think outside the box inspire and encourage me and our leadership team every day.
“We’re always coming up with new ways to surprise and delight guests, making each visit more memorable than the last.”
5. Immersive storytelling drives everything
The ultimate magic of Disney is undoubtedly its skill at storytelling.
“We spent a lot of time and energy creating the background story [of World of Frozen],” Chiu says. “Everything we do at Disney starts with a story. I feel that is something our guests may not notice.”
The new themed land imagines an extended story that complements the films, which sees the people of Arendelle come together to celebrate the love between the two sisters on Summer Snow Day.
“When you come here, you will see all the posters and bunting to show the festivity in the land,” Chiu.
World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has also taken this storytelling skill to a new level because – for the first time – the cast in the land form part of the immersive theatrical experience.
“Our cast members have now become citizens of Arendelle living here … They’ll greet you on a happy summer day and tell you stories about their family businesses,” Chiu says.
She and den Dulk both recommend that guests stay at World of Frozen for as long as possible and also revisit at night.
“There are some things that will be very different from the daytime,” Chiu says. “One of those will happen at the Friendship Fountain. It’s a special piece of magic that you can only see after the sun sets.”
For a sneak peek into World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, check out this video.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51ku6LAyK%2BcaKSZm7K0wNilnGisn6W2pL%2BOnaCsppWuerXB0aeqZmlgZXyivtOimqWdX2h%2FdX6YbW5obV2ptaq6xqxkppmXnrBurcuirZ5lmKS7qHnKqKWgZZSewK%2Bx2KWYp5w%3D