ImagiNation finalists bring The Living Library to life
By Jess Shock
Last year was a pretty magical one for SCAD. In 2013 alone, SCAD had fellow alum, Zach Parrish, drop by and talk about his work on “Tangled” and “Wreck-It-Ralph”. Other magical moments included the first Be Our Guest Ball, which was hosted by the Mouseketeer Club, recruiters from Disney came to talk about the Imagineering program, and a SCAD ImagiNations team went on to make it to the final six.
With so much pixie dust to go around, it’s no surprise if a little rubbed off on students as they flew into 2014. Students like the four SCAD Themed Entertainment Designers that were selected in January for the final round of Disney’s 2014 ImagiNations Design Competition.
This year’s dream team consisted of Kurt D’Amour, Jeff De Boer, Jonathan Plsek and Morgan Richardson.
“Kurt and I first decided to work together and sought out Jon and Jeff,” Richardson said. “We actually had to corner Jon after class one day and convince him to be on our team.”
While Plsek was a little hesitant, D’Amour was ready to take the mouse by the ears. “This is my fourth time competing in Imaginations over the last 6-7 years. I was a semifinalist twice before.”
For the ImagiNation prompt, the team was challenged to create an experience in an urban area – be it permanent or temporary – that would transform a city. The experience had to take advantage of the layout and structure of said city and be located somewhere above, below, or between it.
Coming from Disney, the term “experience” could mean a number of things: a ride, a park, a parade, a meet and greet – the list goes on and on. But for D’Amour, Boer, Plsek, and Richardson, “experience” meant “The Living Library.”
According to Disney’s official press release, The Living Library is “a one-of-a-kind experience that blends storytelling, gameplay and learning in a real, interactive and fully immersive, themed environment. Guests interact with animatronic and projected Disney characters in real time through the use of MagicBands. The RFID technology allows guests to experience an ever-changing environment that responds to their actions and influences the progression of their story. Each experience is unique, giving guests the opportunity to embark on entirely new adventures each time they visit.”
The city the team chose for their Living Library was Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. As finalists, the team was flown out to Glendale on Jan. 27 for the chance to present The Living Library to a panel of judges. While they weren’t recognized as one of the top three, over the next five days the team would be invited to various internship interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of Disneyland.
“The hope is to one day work full-time at Walt Disney Imagineering and have the opportunity to work on Barely Noticeable projects that reach and inspire a wide audience,” Richardson commented. “Like the rest of the finalists, I’d like to come out of this experience with internship and job opportunities.”
“I think we all would like to work for Disney,” D’Amour said. “It was very exciting and informative, going to see where the magic is made and meeting with the Imagineers.”
After all, the whole point of Disney’s ImagiNation Design Competition is for Imagineers to scout out the next generation. Maybe the next time we see a “Pardon our Pixie Dust” in Disney, it’ll be because these guys are on the job.
