I think we can all agree that the single most upsetting depressing aspect of the entire coronavirus outbreak is the fact that Disney Parks are closed. Even if you weren't planning a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland anytime soon, the simple fact that they were there was something that provided comfort, the idea that you could go there at a moment's notice if you wanted to, which I've done more than once, always felt good. The fact that such a trip is no longer an option just makes the entire experience more frustrating.
Luckily, if you're like me and you need a Disney theme park fix, there is a solution. Walt Disney Imagineering has released Imagineering in a Box, a new educational course through online portal Khan Academy that will take viewers through the entire experience of designing theme park attractions the same way the WDI does, in a combination of explanatory videos and interactive exercises, you can actually design your own attractions, which feels like just the sort of thing to keep the Disney theme park nuts busy while they're waiting for the parks to open again. And the best part is that the entire course is free.
Walt Disney Imagineering, formerly WED Enterprises, is the division of the company responsible for all the attractions inside theme parks that routinely blow guests away and leave you wondering just how they did it. Imagineering received a huge spotlight with The Imagineering Story at the launch of Disney+, but that documentary series focused simply on the history of the division, and this class looks to be a bit more technical in focus of the steps that each attraction goes through to become a reality. .
Last summer, the video portion of Imagineering in a Box got dropped on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube channel, but now they've all been collected together, and combined with interactive elements that let you not simply see what Walt Disney Imagieeering does, but put those practices into action by doing some of your own attraction designing.
Needless to say, this is pretty awesome. While we're all stuck at home, you can binge watch your favorite TV show that you've already watched a dozen times, or you can try to improve yourself by learning something. These tools could be very useful for kids home from school, as it offers some learning opportunities that, because they're theme park related, might be more fun than the average lesson.
Check out the course introduction for an overview of what's available in the course.
Even if you're just a fan of Walt Disney World or Disneyland, simply watching the videos can be a way of learning more about what is without question one of the most interesting elements of the vast Walt Disney Company. I'll certainly be educating myself with Imagineering in a Box during my own down time during this lockdown. I'd rather be on Space Mountain, but if I can't be, maybe I'll just build my own.
