Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes

Imagineers share the unusual work of adding sound to Disney attractions in this new video.

Director Michael Coleman recently contacted us about a video he recently produced about WDI sound teams. He takes us behind-the-scenes of Walt Disney Imagineering Studios to see how ride tracks, voice recordings, sound effects, etc. are produced.

See home-made contraptions designed by legendary sound designer, Jimmy MacDonald (first photo above). 

See how speakers are disguised with the use of painted scrims.

Jimmy MacDonald is seen here crafting the sounds of a forest fire for Bambi using bamboo.

Even President Obama takes part in the Imagineering process.

Side note: When recording his speech for The Hall of Presidents he said, "are these like wax figures or holograms?"... "Oh robots, that's kind of cool". This is not featured in this video but can be seen here.

 

A big thanks to Michael for sharing this new film. All images are courteous of Michael Coleman, SoundWorks Collection, and Walt Disney Imagineering.

Up next: Walt Disney Studios Post Production Behind-the-Scenes.

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THEN AND NOW: Epcot World Showcase [Part 1]

World Showcase, Epcot

France

Morocco

Italy

Germany

I hope these comparisons are a breath of fresh air for you as they are for us. By “fresh” I mean “little change over the years”. It's unusual for a space this large to see such little change throughout a 28+ year period. To us, this is a great thing. Great because the World Showcase was done well in the beginning. As they say, "if it's not broken, don't fix it", right? Fightin' words indeed. (So El Rio del Tiempo and Oh Canada must have been "broken"...?) That said, fanboys everywhere pine for a few additions- rides to be specific. Are we greedy? No. After all, Disney did announce such things AND they showed us concept art all those years ago.

Still no Rhine River Cruise in Germany. Still no Meet the World nor bullet train attraction in Japan. Definitely no Matterhorn-type coaster mountain. Let’s not mention the many once-announced countries that never saw the light of day. But for now we still have half a park with little relatively little change, far far different than the fate of it’s neighbor to the north, Future World. 

As a youngster, World Showcase was wonderful for it’s two boat rides, it’s two CircleVision attractions, and it’s American Adventure animatronic marvel. But Future World hosted what seemed to be an endless array of things to do, all phenomenal. The tides have surely turned. Although World Showcase is not the endless wonder that Future World once was, it has so much to offer. My relatives argue that it is “not Disney-like” but on the contrary, it is extremely “Disney-like” in my mind. A couple additional rides wouldn’t hurt but the unprecedented and immersive environments are more “Disney” to me than those environments that go out of their way to scream “I’m Disney” (Toon Town, Tiki Room Under New Management, the introduction of Tarzan to Adventureland, etc.).  

On that note, isn’t it ironic that for decades Disneyland was largely free of permanent character references in all of its lands minus Fantasyland? I don’t refer to the occasional character walking through a land but I’m talking about how Adventureland was very “Disney-like” without Tarzan or Indiana Jones. Tomorrowland was very “Disney” without Buzz Lightyear or Nemo. Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland was extremely “Disney” without Stitch, Buzz, or Monsters Inc. I find it ironic. Or short-sighted. Disney is not nor should it be synonymous with ONLY its animated films. Before you burn me at the stake for this statement, here’s my point: I love and have always loved Disney animation. It’s been a huge part of my existence. Animated characters have their place. But Disney is also synonymous with live-action films and the themed environments of it’s parks. Fantasyland is a PERFECT environment to retell those beloved stories. Tomorrowland and Future World, in this blogger’s opinion, are not. Sure, “people come to see their favorite characters”. Yes, and they should be able to. But we can still have clear standards for what each land stands for and what does and does not reside in those lands. 

Alright. The point is, World Showcase, though it could offer more, is pretty darn great. It’s great because they haven’t messed with it the same amount they’ve messed with everything else. 

Sooooo.... 

Dear Disney decision makers, Please consider this when you decide to add some D-list comedian or The Jonas Brothers or even Lumiere and Cogsworth to a new France film. If you think this will draw the young crowd to this part of property, it won’t. (Remember how Timon, Pumba, fart jokes, etc. can’t draw any more of a crowd to that part of The Land despite what you once thought?) It will, however, offend everyone else who cares about the W.S. And after the two weeks of press coverage and people’s curiosity wares off, your attendance numbers will be no better off than they were for 28+ years. 

.....Oh wait. Disney decision makers don’t read this blog.

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Recreating the Pirates Jail Scene in Miniature

"Pop Sculpture" artists, Ruben Procopio, Tim Bruckner, and Kat Sapene create this miniature scene and share the process. Ruben designed the piece, Tim sculpted it and Kat painted it.

By far my favorite show scene of any Disney ride as a child was Marc Davis' masterpiece jail scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. What a perfect gag. The dog has the keys. The jailed pirates have a bone, rope, and the sound of their own whistles but the dog is perpetually unresponsive, at least in the 30+ years I've been watching.

So when I ran across this, I had to post it. I'm one of the last people on earth to buy any old Disney merchandise, trust me. But every once in a while something that is not a book or a map catches my eye. Though I don't own this piece, I am loving the process through which it was made and the final product and the documentation these three artists have shown on their blog.

"The original figures themselves are like life-sized puppets with limited expression and movements," Tim said. "The genius of the ride is the full-on experience of lighting, sound and motion that creates, for the viewer, a sensory impression that goes well beyond its component parts. My job was to try and sculpt figures that felt like the ride, not portraits of the audio-animatronics."

"This was one of the most technically challenging pieces I've ever done," Tim said. "Given the size of the piece and the production material (porcelain), I had to make adjustments to allow the figures to be manufactured without comprising their look. Early on, Ruben and I understood that simple things, like the way the pirates held onto the bars, would have to be modified to work with the various materials used and to anticipate the slight variables that arise from combining porcelain with other materials.”

And thought I'm a purist when it comes to old Disney attractions, I have to say the creative licensing taken here when adding the rats is a nice touch. I can attest to you that little more than lights and cement can be found behind the jail walls in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Pirates rides but these little guys are fun.

The processes of sketching, sculpting, mold-making, painting, and mass production, etc. can be found on the Pop Sculpture site.

I'll tell you this. The creation of run-of-the-mill Disney merchandise doesn't always have this sort of attention paid to it. In my brief experience working in the creation process of lesser pieces, initial sculpting work was done in China by people who were not in the least familiar with Disney. As many as ten drawings were sent but it's nice to see that occasionally pieces are made by those who can and do study their subjects first hand (Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily for example). 

Quick story: Years back while digging through some stuff at Magic Kingdom, I ran across a set of molds used to make the keys and key ring in the dog's mouth. My plan was to spend some of my free time making replicas to hang around my art table and give to co-workers. Sadly I never did. What was I thinking?? Years later they started selling similar sets in gift shops, but I still kick myself for not using those molds!

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