VIDEO: Disney Chairman Josh D’Amaro Celebrates Walt’s Legacy of Innovation at SXSW Event
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog, you may have seen our coverage of Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products who recently gave at talk at SXSW in Austin, Texas. D’Amaro recently took to LinkedIn to share footage captured during the event that we are happy to pass on to you!
As you can see in the video below, the purpose of D’Amaro’s speaking event was to showcase how Disney Parks, Experiences and Products creates happiness through storytelling and making connections. With his team of Imagineers, D’Amaro demonstrated some of the innovative way that Disney brings these character stories to life. Let’s take a look:
D’Amaro talks about the Disney “dreamers” who blend imagination with innovation, aka the Imagineers. As an example of their work D’Amaro gave guests a closer look at one of the company’s newest creations, a new realistic lightsaber. This is not the first time Disney fans were given a sneak peek of this enviable item. D’Amaro previously showed it of at media events in the lead in to the opening of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
Imagineer Leslie Evans joined D’Amaro on stage to show the evolution of the lightsaber from bulky prototype to the sleek version unveiled at SXSW.
Next, Josh talked about character innovations and more specifically how Imagineers are using the latest technology to make your favorite Disney characters to life in magical new ways. An example of this was a life-size version of Tinker Bell. Thanks to some technological innovations, this tiny Tink can actually interact with guests from inside her golden lantern!
From there the discussion moved to the ways that achievements in the field of robotics will enable Disney to create more life-like characters used in rides and attractions. D’Amaro was joined on stage by Imagineer Tony Dohi and Research Scientist Morgan Pope. They introduce us to a new robotic friend who definitely stole the show.
Check out the robotic version of Judy Hopps the loveable police officer form Zootopia! We think you’ll agree that one of the highlights of Josh’s video was Judy doing a somersault on stage!
Hulk just dropped by! Did you know that Disney Imagineers borrowed design features from the anatomy of an ostrich for inspiration for creating the legs of this unique exoskeleton? #SXSW pic.twitter.com/kzz0hL5nqy
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) March 10, 2023
Though D’Amaro shared an abbreviated version of the SXSW talk on his LinkedIn page, there were other highlights not mentioned above including the unveiling of a new HULK meet and greet character. This impressive innovation is the result of a new exoskeleton system allowing Hulk to appear in the parks life-sized!
We can’t wait to see some of the incredible innovations showcased at SXSW come to life at the theme parks. D’Amaro closed out his talk by saying, “Disney operates on a wild intersection between art, science and storytelling” one that will continue to evolve as part of Walt’s original commitment of “inventing the future again…together. ”
We suggest that you follow along with D’Amaro on LinkedIn. He regularly posts and its a great way to feel connected to the company. You’ll find him here. Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Walt Disney World news and updates. We’ll be coming to you live from the theme parks each and every week.
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