Happy 40th Birthday, Disney World!

Today marks the 40th birthday of the largest, most visited amusement park in the world, Walt Disney World. Part of Walt. Disney’s dream for the theme park was a planned community where people could live with the technology of the future, today.

Although that dream was never literally realised, the spirit of technology runs strong throughout the park. Disney World has always been about creating the most magical experience possible with the most cutting edge technology available. Here’s a sampling of just a few of the countless Imaginnovations that make it the happiest place on Earth:

The Magic Behind Disneyland’s Sound

Part of what makes Disneyland such an immersive experience is the sophisticated sound design found throughout the park. Across dozens of narrative worlds, hundreds of sound cues must be deployed at just the right moment to keep the visitors suspended in disbelief. More »

Watch the Spooky New High-Tech Ghosts at Disney World’s Haunted Mansion

The imagineers at Disney World recently made the dangerous decision to fiddle with Haunted Mansion, one of the park’s finest attractions, reworking the holographic hitchhiking ghosts that appear to join you in your car as you leave the ride. More »

How Disney World is Making Lines Go Faster

Before the advent of smartphones and video games, Disney World bosses didn’t think too much about queues. But now that everyone’s impatient — and tweeting that impatience — they’ve employed heaps of new tech to track and organise growing lines for rides.

Underneath the Cinderella Castle at More »

How Mickey Mouse and Mr Q Manufactured Emotion

Former Disney audio experience engineer, Mr Q, reveals how he assisted in developing a complex algorithm to arrange over 15,000 speakers around the Disney World theme park. More »

Photo: AP


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