Last week, we talked about ideas, and “blue sky” sessions. But how is it that these wonderful, creative ideas finally make it off the drawing board and into reality? Well, it requires quite a bit of research and development.

Research and Development is the design stage whereby the Imagineers take a good hard look at their ideas, and begin trying to research how they can pull them off. An attraction may require that entirely new technologies or ride systems be created in order to achieve the desired response or reaction in the attraction.

Take the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Here was a fantastic idea for a wild adventure ride through a temple with Indiana Jones! But how could it be created in such a way that the ride would really feel out-of-control and reckless just like Indiana Jones’ adventures tended to be? None of the ride systems already in use in the Disney parks really created that sort of experience. What they really needed was the action and motion that is created in simulator rides like Star Tours, but instead of being a simulator, this vehicle needed to move through real space.

The resulting vehicle became known as the EMV or Enhanced Motion Vehicle. The EMV was developed specifically for Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure, but is also now in use at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in their Dinosaur attraction. The EMV takes the concept of a simulator, where the movement is entirely programmable, but places it on wheels, so that it can roll through the show scenes. This allows the motion to be magnified and enhanced, creating a more exciting ride experience.

Another example of Research and Development at its best would be the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. To the casual observer, this would appear to be just a drop ride that is themed out. But first-time riders are usually in for a surprise halfway through the attraction when the elevator suddenly moves forward out of the elevator shaft and into the Twilight Zone. The elevator continues to move forward through the 5th Dimension until it reaches another elevator shaft and the drop portion of the ride begins.

To achieve this effect, the Imagineers developed another new ride vehicle. The elevator cars in the Tower of Terror are independent ride vehicles that move under their own power. They are capable of moving forward and backward, and turning left or right. These elevator cars drive themselves into the first lift, which ascends to the boarding level of the attraction where the unsuspecting passengers begin their journey. The loaded elevator cars then continue up the lift stopping at a show scene along the way. When these cars reach the top of this lift, they actually drive themselves forward, out of the lift, and into the Twilight Zone scene. At the end of the Twilight Zone scene, the elevator cars drive themselves onto a second lift system. This is the high-powered system that creates the faster-than-gravity drops and gut wrenching ascension back to the top of the shaft. Once the ride is over and the lift has safely returned the elevator car to the lowest level, the car then backs itself out of the shaft, and rotates 90 degrees to an unload door where the passengers then disembark. Once clear of passengers, the elevator car then rotates back 90 degrees, and backs itself into the first lift once again to repeat the cycle.

But designing new ride vehicles and systems aren’t the only thing that is involved in Research and Development. R&D also designs new technologies and special effects that can be used in an attraction. One of the biggest contributions to the theme park industry would be the creation of Audio-Animatronics figures in the 1960’s. They started small with the birds of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, and have now advanced to figures that can walk up stairs in The American Adventure at Epcot, to Lucky the Dinosaur, a completely independent figure that is not attached to anything and can roam freely around one of the parks.

Or how about the binaural sound technology that was created first of the Extra TERRORestrial Alien Encounter in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom? This sound technology allows the show designers to place an action psychologically very close to the head of the guests. It was this sound technology that led visitors to Alien to believe that there really was a menacing alien creature directly behind them, when, in fact, there was none. This same technology is also used in the most recent version of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at Disneyland. Visitors now don a pair of binaural headphones before entering the theater, and are treated to a show with some very unique sound effects that make the audience feel as though they are right in the middle of the action.

R&D is also responsible for the controversial Fastpass system. This system revolutionized how people wait in lines not only at Disney theme parks, but in others all around the world. After Disney perfected the process, other theme park operators were eager to develop their own systems similar to Disney’s. Fastpass is an example of a technology being created to meet a specific guest demand – that of reducing the amount of time spent waiting in lines. Now, it must be said that Fastpass does not, in any way, reduce the amount of time you wait for an attraction, it simply reduces the amount of time you have to spend physically standing in the queue.

Fastpass is has been called a virtual queue or a ride reservation system. Think of a restaurant where you can call ahead and make a reservation for a certain time. Or, now many restaurants have call-ahead seating where you can call and have your name placed on the waiting list before you arrive at the restaurant. The thought was, why can’t this same process be applied to attractions at the Disney theme parks? R&D then went to work developing complicated software to support the system, and while it has gone through many revisions, the system does work, although it still remains controversial in many circles.

As you can see, there is a lot that can go on in the Research and Development department at WDI. Once the technologies exist to support a new ride system or special effect that is called for in a new attraction, the attraction can move into the production stage. This is when the real work begins…

Next week, we’ll bring out the heavy machinery and earth movers as we begin to build our attraction in the real world. Until then, I’ll see ya real soon!