17 Dec 2018
Disney competition in Shanghai gives students chance to showcase talents
BY Luke Cloherty
The first Disney Imaginations Shanghai Design Competition has come to its conclusion, with students across the Chinese city given the chance to learn more about designing theme parks and the opportunity to showcase their talents to the company.
Six finalist teams, each from a university in Shanghai, were selected to submit their design concepts, which would explore the natural and ancient wonders of the world.
Disney does not intend to build any of them but each concept served as a creative exercise for the students. The submissions were judged on conceptual design, technological innovation, creativity, teamwork and storytelling.
The team from East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) beat the five other finalists to win the contest with a project called Pa-Ro-Dye, which was themed on the Paricutin volcano in Mexico.
The students designed a structure that would replicate the experience of a volcanic eruption and allow guests to taste the country's cuisine in a Mexican-themed dining room located within. This replica volcano would also house an open-air traditional Mexican music.
"This project is a great chance for us to view Disney's magical resort from the perspective of its engineers and to learn about stuff done by its engineers," said Tao Maiqiu, team leader of the Pa-Ro-Dye project.
"We needed to see the resort as a dreamland for people of all ages, both children and adults. This was a key rule we bore in mind while designing the project for the competition."
The ECUST team will now enjoy a sponsored trip to Walt Disney Imagineering’s headquarters in Glendale, California, going behind the scenes to learn from creatives and then embark on an internship at the Shanghai Disney Resort upon arrival back in China.
Howard Brown, general manager and regional executive of Walt Disney Imaginations Asia said: "The competition is all about imagination and how talented people come up with ideas. If you can dream it, you will be able to do it."
Murray King, Shanghai Disney Resort public affairs vice-president added: "China now has one of the largest theme park markets in the world and we are excited to see that China also has a wide range of talented young students to support the industry's rapid growth, in areas such as creative visual arts, engineering, technical design and animation."
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