Disney Conquers a New Peak of Storytelling Disney Imagineers have ventured to the top of the world -- into the mysterious and foreboding Himalayas -- for exciting new theme park thrills. The debut of Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World Resort completes an exploration so thorough that theme park guests will become immersed in the culture and spirit of the Himalayas -- complete down to the details of Nepalese architecture and vegetation ... and up to the peaks of excitement aboard a train that races backward and forward through icy canyons and caverns. While one of Florida's highest mountains was rising to a summit nearly 200 feet above Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, the Imagineering team wrapped up more than six years of research with an extraordinary expedition to the mountains of the Himalayas to explore the legendary "realm of the yeti." Conservation International and Discovery Networks joined Disney on Expedition Everest: Mission Himalayas in the search for new species and ancient legends. "This extraordinary expedition is another example of the lengths to which Walt Disney Imagineering will go to research subject matter in developing our story lines," said Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo. "Our passion for bringing great stories to life has taken Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to amazing places over the past 50 years. Over the next 50 years, we will continue to scale new heights in our ongoing quest to create great experiences for our guests." Indeed, Expedition Everest is a bridge between the first 50 years of Disney theme parks ... and the next. The opening represents a major addition to Walt Disney World Resort as part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth," an 18-month jubilee commemorating a half-century of Disney parks around the world. And in creating a new adventure for the Florida resort, the Imagineers trekked halfway around the world for just the right story to tell on six acres of land in the Asia region of Disney's Animal Kingdom. "Our Imagineers journeyed to Nepal a number of times, immersing ourselves in the legends, lore and heart of the place," said Joe Rohde, creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. "Our goal was to create an authentically detailed environment that reflects the culture and traditions of these Himalayan countries we explored during our research." Disney designers, architects and creative storytellers visited areas of Asia near Mount Everest to study local cultures, traditions and architecture. Thousands of photographs and hours of video were collected of Bhutanese and Nepalese culture, villages, homes, public spaces, architecture, trees and plants. Team members visited Buddhist temples and shrines, trekked through the foothills on donkeys, and spent hours talking with locals to learn about their beliefs and traditions. The result is evident in Serka Zong, the mythical village created at Disney's Animal Kingdom as part of what Imagineering calls "placemaking." The village consists of several buildings, including a hotel, Internet café and trekking supply store, all reflective of today's Nepalese architecture. The team studied Nepalese building materials and a technique called "rammed earth," where slightly moistened dirt is hammered with mallets until it acquires the consistency of adobe. The buildings created in Disney's Serka Zong appear to have been transplanted from the Himalayan region, complete with the wear and tear expected from the elements in a harsh environment. Of course, the look of "age" is the result of Disney wizardry. Artists used hammers, chainsaws and blowtorches to "age" wood and buildings in the village, giving them the appearance of being longstanding parts of the landscape. The natural landscape of Expedition Everest was created specifically to evoke the lowlands surrounding Mount Everest. More than 900 bamboo plants, 10 species of trees and 110 species of shrubs are being nurtured and planted to create an authentic environment around the village and mountain. The natural environment of Disney's Animal Kingdom reflects the supremacy of nature: Trees often overwhelm buildings, and plants are often left in their wild and native condition with minimal trimming. Landscape architects spent years searching for gnarled, crooked and unusual trees that would thrive in the Florida climate while calling to mind the look and feel of Asia. And then there's the mountain -- a marvel of artistry and engineering; the apex of Disney's decades-long penchant for making mountains out of stories. The process began with sketches, then small paper models that quickly evolved into sculpted clay and finally, foam models. As the concept evolved, the models became more detailed and larger in size. When the final design for Expedition Everest was complete, the 6-foot-tall model was scanned into a computer using laser technology. The resulting digital computer files were then used to create and bend some 25,000 pieces of steel needed to create the massive structure nearly 200 feet tall. The mountain contains about 1,800 tons of steel -- roughly six times the amount in a traditional office building of the same size. Trekkers and climbing enthusiasts know that Everest is the "far" peak in the mountain range, and often difficult to glimpse. So in order to achieve a realistic portrayal of Mount Everest, Imagineers applied a trusted technique known as forced perspective. The mountain's closer features along the bottom are detailed and massive, becoming smaller near the peak, giving guests an unexpected sense of height and mass. Artists provided the final touch of realism when they created depth, crevices and shadows by essentially painting a mural across the mountains. Interestingly, some of their brush strokes resulted not from their journeys to the Himalayas, but from treks to the Wasatch Mountain range in Utah, where they painted and studied the rock formations which are very similar to the Himalayan ranges. But ultimately, the fun of Expedition Everest is the story. The legend. And so came the final research adventure to the Himalayas, culminating all the years of study. While scientists from global conservation leader Conservation International and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park searched for undiscovered species likely to live in remote regions known as biodiversity hot spots, Imagineers investigated the powerful legend of the yeti. "We have researched cultural and spiritual legends through local people who have reported sightings of the yeti, and governments who preserve pristine lands in the name of the creature known as 'protector of the mountains'," Imagineering's Rohde said. In a region featuring some of earth's biologically richest and most threatened places, the team of internationally renowned biologists, botanists and technical experts accompanying the Imagineers conducted a scientific inventory of plant and animal species. Discovery Networks, renowned for compelling, real-world storytelling, tracked the expedition and plans to share the unique adventure story with audiences throughout the globe this spring in conjunction with the premiere of the theme park attraction. And the story will continue to unfold for guests at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a park that embodies a respect for nature and all living creatures, both real and possible, in an authentic, carefully nurtured environment. The attraction Expedition Everest is a high-speed adventure that combines coaster-like thrills with the legend of the yeti. Guests board an old mountain railway destined for the foot of Mount Everest. The train rolls through thick bamboo forests, past thundering waterfalls, along shimmering glacier fields and climbs higher and higher through the snow-capped peaks. But suddenly the track ends in a gnarled mass of twisted metal and the thrills intensify as the train races both forward and backward through mountain caverns and icy canyons and guests head for an inevitable face-to-muzzle showdown with the mysterious yeti. The attraction features Disney's FASTPASS, offered at no charge to park guests and designed to reduce wait times at popular attractions in all four Walt Disney World theme parks. Expedition Everest has a height restriction of 44 inches. LAKE BUENA VISTA
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