Disney ImagiNations Competition Prepares Tomorrow’s Engineers
Finalists in the ImagiNation Competition with Mickey
For Walt Disney, the imagination remains a powerful thing. Not simply in allowing individuals to create animation, films, or games that stimulate young minds, but imagination is also a key part of Disney’s vision for the creation of new parks and the interactive ways they will exist in the future.
The ImagiNations Design Competition sent out a creative shout-out to college students around the world to send in their best ideas and presentations for Disney attractions. In 2008 during the 17th year of ImagiNations, 67 teams sent in project proposals in various formats including artwork, videos, computer graphics, and models to highlight their ideas. The competition was narrowed down to a total of six teams representing various nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.
Howard University ImagiNation Competition Finalists
The original call for projects came in January and by June the selected finalists were headed to Disney’s Imagineering headquarters in California for a 10-day tour of theme parks, facilities, and rubbing elbows with Disney legends. Most importantly to those seeking to win the “Best Show,” competition that has placed previous winners in Imagineering internships – some of whom are now Disney Imagineers themselves, there was crunch time work with mentors to put the final touches on their proposals.
After all of the proposals were in, the team left standing was Syracuse University’s duo of Lauren Baldesarra and Jason Yeadon. They gained the top prize for their concept of a project that would utilize cameras placed throughout Disney parks and use hologram technology to selectively track visitors and provide 3-dimensional video highlights of favorite moments for families. They called their proposal Disney’s Memory Maker and DHD Player. The two students were awarded first place in the ImagiNations competition.
Stanford University ImagiNation Finalists
It would allow vacationers to capture their experiences at Disney through the use of hologram technology, producing 3-dimensional videos. The concept is not only a product, but also a service provided to guests at the theme-parks to “relive the magic,” Baldesarra explained.
Another finalist for last year’s competition, Manuel Arrendondo was accepted as a Disney Imagineer and offered a full-time role on the WDI Blue Sky team.
Visit the Disney ImagiNations site to keep track of this year’s finalists and winners at http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/imaginations