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Walt Disney ImagineeringWED Enterprises (WED), was formed as a separate company from Walt Disney Studios by Walt Disney in the late 1940s/early 1950s. It is currently known as Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), Disney Imagineering, or simply Imagineering. The Name The term "Imagineering" is a portmanteau word that combines "imagination" and "engineering." The term was coined by Richard F. Sailer in an inhouse article written for the National Carbon Company Management Magazine, and reprinted by the Union Carbide Company. The article "BRAINSTORMING IS IMAGINation enginEERING" was published and copyrighted in 1957, and gravitated to Disney by unknown means. WED Enterprises applied for a trademark for the term in 1967, claiming first use in 1962. WED stands for Walter Elias Disney. On February 20, 1986, WED Enterprises was renamed to Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI).http://compt-nvweb.occompt.com/wb_or1/details.asp?doc_id=3065454&file_num=19862493527&doc_status=V The Old Game The company was formed separately from Walt Disney's main company to keep the affairs separate. Although when WED was required to design and build sets for Walt Disney's live-action television shows, WED and WDS got closer together. In 1952 when WED were asked to design and build Disneyland, Walt and his brother Roy Disney formed Disneyland, Inc to build, design, and manage Disneyland. WED Enterprises was absorbed into Disneyland, Inc and Disneyland, Inc became a division of Walt Disney Studios which was renamed to Disney Enterprises, Inc. Employees of WED, or now WDI, are known as Imagineers. To this day Walt Disney Imagineering employees about 1,000 Imagineers around the globe at their resorts in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. They mainly design new attractions for Disney Parks and Resorts, but at the moment WDI is building Hong Kong Disneyland. The New Game Not such a prominent part of The Walt Disney Company as it once was - but better recognised - WDI is still the main research and development arm of the Company. Walt Disney Imagineering HQ is located in Glendale, California and has field offices at all Walt Disney resorts - Florida, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong - except the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California due to it's close proximity to headquarters. Current works At the moment WDI are designing and building Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, in which plans include a Magic Kingdom-style park, two hotels and a major shopping complex. WDI are also playing a major part in this year's Happiest Homecoming on Earth party celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Disneyland - which would not of been built without the Imagineers. The celebration involves various resorts trading attractions, and a major party kicking the celebration off. Sleeping Beauty Castle, the symbol of Disneyland, is being decorated by the Imagineers (as is Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom). Funding In the mid-1990s, major cuts were made in the Imagineers workforce, reducing it by half, from 3000 to about 1500 Imagineers - 75% working in Burbank. Many Imagineers left due to lack of funding, which has slowly been reduced ever since the death of Roy O. Disney in 1971 - the last of the two founders. A prime example is the Tokyo Disney Sea Park in the Tokyo Disney Resort, which is not owned by the Walt Disney Company - although Disney collect profits from licenses, and allocate their Imagineers to build and design Tokyo Disney parks. When Tokyo Disney Resort's owners, the Oriental Land Company, asked Disney to design a new park, Disney told the Imagineers to design whatever they wanted - as Disney were not paying the costs. The final result was a dramatic, stylised, exciting, modern but very Disney theme park which is the third most visited on Earth. At the very centre is the Prometheus Volcano, which inside contains a state-of-the-art ride based on Jules Verne's 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' novel. Then, look at the two latest American parks - both fully owned by Disney. Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Disney's California Adventure in Disneyland both opened to poor reviews, due to hasty designs from the Imagineers who were working on a very tight budget. To be fair, both the parks have excellent rides which have been added to improve it, but at Disneyland Square, the gateway to either Disneyland Park or Disney's California Adventure - constantly a crowd are entering Disneyland while trickles of people go through California's gates. For a more detailed argument, see the 'Re-building Tomorrowland' link below. Imagineers An Imagineer (officially known as a Walt Disney Imagineer), is an employee of the Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) division of The Walt Disney Company. WDI's head office is located in Burbank, California. Imagineers create what people know as the magic of Disney in all the Disney theme parks and resorts. Imagineers come in all forms: artists, writers, architects, engineers, model builders, construction managers, and more. Past Imagineers include Alan Kay, Bran Ferren, and Danny Hillis. External links
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