The launch of Disney+ is less than a month away and since most of Disney's biggest fans have already ordered the service, you can bet a lot of people are already looking forward to the first things they'll watch. Star Wars fans will be all over The Mandalorian. Classic Disney fans may be planning to check out the Lady and the Tramp remake first. But if your particular Disney fandom lies with the theme parks above all else, the only place to start is with The Imagineering Story.
Among a host of other original content, and the massive library of material, that will be available on the service when it launches November 12, is a new documentary series that will take you behind-the-scenes of WDI, or Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of the Walt Disney Company responsible for all the innovative and immersive experiences found at places like Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The first trailer for the new series has been released and you can check it out below.
There's a lot of cool stuff in the trailer alone that's going to press all the buttons of Disney theme park fans. First and foremost, we see some of the inside of Rise of the Resistance, the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction which will be opening at Walt Disney World less than a month after the first episode of The Imagineering Story is released.
If you've ever been to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any of the international parks, there have likely been moments that simply blew you away. Whether it was a particular attraction or animatronic, or maybe just the park's incredible attention to detail when it came to creating a setting or a theme. An entire series about how that is all done sounds amazing, and it promises looks at things that have never been shown to the public before.
There's also a couple of Imagineering greats seen at different points in this trailer that the serious nerds (read: me) will recognize. We see Joe Rohde, recognizable for his trademark earrings, who is responsible for key parts of Disney's Animal Kingdom, like Expedition Everest and Pandora - The World of Avatar. The trailer also includes Disney Legend Bob Gurr, who is responsible for designing much of the original and early Disneyland, including the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which he will apparently take us inside.
WDI has existed since 1952 so there's a massive history for this new series to pull from. We could see some early design concepts for attractions. We could see ideas for attractions that never happened. This could also be the place that Disney uses to reveal new attraction concepts for the very first time.
We could also see some of Disney Imagineering's darker hours. Sometimes ideas don't work out quite as intended. Joe Rohde helped design the massive Yeti animatronic for the Expedition Everest attraction. Due to unforeseen structural issues, the Yeti hasn't worked as designed for years. It's the sort of story that would be a great addition to a show like this, assuming Disney is willing to look at the low points as well as the successes.
As excited as I am for pretty much everything coming to Disney+, there's something about this show that I find more compelling than anything else. If the series were going to be available to binge watch, I might do that first. Perhaps that's why Disney+ is only releasing shows weekly. That way, I'll actually have time to watch everything else.
