OK, so the limitation of modern projection and tracking technology means that the holograms themselves have been replaced by…a bowler hat. But c’mon. You tell me at least one nerd in the Magic Kingdom hasn’t tried to boot up Dixon Hill or Janeway Lambda-One on that thing.
While none of us can go to a Disney Park right now thanks to the novel coronavirus, Disney has been trying to keep a bit of the magic alive—when not asking you to acquire said magic through Disney+ to keep Mickey’s lights on—through its Parks YouTube channels. The company has shared behind-the-scenes looks at the work that goes into designing, maintaining, and yes, Imagineering these vast, intricate theme parks.
In a current ongoing series giving a tour of the Imagineering department, Disney introduced viewers to “The Dish”—a vast room lined with projectors that lets park employees (after donning the Hat) to virtually tour parks locations or even test ride experiences, looking around the room as if they were actually there thanks to virtual reality.
Sure, you could evoke the feeling of a Disneyland staycation by queueing up any number of Disney-based ride POV videos on YouTube right now. But these folks just get to be like “Oh, I can skip a line, put on my bowler hat camera, and fly over goddamn Disneyland”? I can’t help but be a little jealous.