Having entertained families for generations, Disney is a master at designing for children. Kath Hudson asks the architects and designers at Walt Disney Imagineering to share their secrets….

Architecture contributes a lot, but is part of the bigger story: it reinforces the stories we are telling,” says Coulter Winn, longtime architecture executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the design and project delivery arm for all Disney’s theme parks, attractions, resorts and cruise ships worldwide.

“Walt Disney started out with the vision of making the films into 3D worlds that people could visit and we are still doing that now,” Winn says. “With our architecture we aim to create enduring and appealing spaces, but they also need to create the invisible backdrop for the whole experience. The architecture has to be invisible, seamless and transformative.”

Disney architecture is subversive and many of the usual rules don’t apply. Most buildings don’t need to be designed so that the parapets can rise up and down, but Disney architects need to factor in these types of features and it often gets complicated.

The entertainment giant’s success comes down to the strength of its immersive environments and Winn believes this is rooted in the subtle details which help create the backstory. The architecture has to allow for these details, such as the huge amount of electrical work that has to be buried and the fact that parks need to be designed for optimum flow, with spaces for parades and character greeting experiences.

Each project requires collaboration, as there are more than 140 disciplines involved in the design process.

Imagineering architect Eli Erlandson says: “The architectural realm works closely with the audio engineers, the lighting designers, the art glass designers, the specifications department and many others. It’s a very creative environment and we seek commentary, we analyse it and we take it seriously.”

THE CRUISE SHIPS
The Disney Cruise Line is a relatively new business for the company, and broke the mould, since before Disney entered the market, cruise ships were only ever aimed at young adults or empty nesters.

Joe Lanzisero, Imagineering creative executive in charge of design of Disney Cruise Line, says ships are designed so everyone in the family can have a good time both individually and collectively. A number of lessons were learned from Disney’s parks.

“We build immersive environments and tell stories using our great characters to create an emotional connection with the guest,” Lanzisero says. “If they would have heard a song from a movie and a key colour was used in the background, we might try to use that colour to trigger emotions when they are in those spaces. That’s what we brought from the theme parks.”

As the ships were prototypes and offered a finite amount of space, there were immense challenges to creating the right mix of facilities. External play consultants were used to create suitable areas for different age groups: toddlers, five to seven-year-olds, eight to 12-year-olds and pre-teens.

Whimsical touches are most appealing to young kids: the five to seven-year-olds area, Disney’s Oceaneer Club, is very fanciful. The Pixie Hollow room incorporates elements from the film, such as giant leaves, huge mushrooms and landscape murals.

Lanzisero says they are noticing more crossover between younger and older kids. “The younger ones are growing up faster and want to try activities aimed at older children, but the older ones still enjoy the physical play aimed at the younger age group.”

A challenge of the cruise ships was making sure there was a balance of adult areas and immersive environments. As guests stay for up to a week, some respite is offered to stave off over-stimulation. Adult spaces have less overt character references and are designed to be elegant.

ONBOARD FEATURES
Each ship has three restaurants: high end, casual and the Animator’s Palate, which serves up a pure Disney experience. People are made to feel like they’re part of an animator’s palette, by virtue of the giant paintbrushes and crayons that are part of the decor. Video screens look like storyboards. On one of the ships the restaurant feels like a black and white cartoon, but with the use of lighting it switches to colour as the night goes on.

One of the most popular features at Animator’s Palate aboard some of the ships is Animation Magic, where people draw a character on their place-mat. This picture is then scanned to become part of a film hosted by Mickey Mouse. People get to see the character that they drew on screen dancing with Disney characters.

Disney touches have also been used successfully to boost some of the less popular areas of the ship. The underdeck rooms, without portholes, were always less desirable, so Disney created virtual portholes. A video screen made to look like a porthole streams a live feed from cameras positioned on the deck, which is supplemented with the occasional visit from, for example, Buzz and Woody, or Dumbo. It’s proved so popular that there is now a waiting list for the rooms.

When asked what he thinks is the most important point to bear in mind when designing for children, Lanzisero says: “Never talk down to a child. Walt never created films for kids, he created films which were entertaining and spoke to the human condition. So I always try to stay true to that. Stay respectful to children: they are incredible, their minds are open, they have great imagination and you want to stimulate that and create aspirational moments for them.”

The unending stock of characters means there’s never a lack of inspiration for refurbishment and Lanzisero says that one of the qualities of the company is that it’s always willing to listen to guests and reinvest to keep experiences fresh.

Interior designer Amy Young, who worked with Disney on Bistrot Chez Rémy, sums it up: “Imagineers have a real commitment to family and fun, but they also have great films and characters to bounce off, so it’s easy to get excited.”