I recently had the pleasure of spending the day at WED, now referred to as Walt Disney Imagineering, to see a couple old friends and to get a tour of one of their latest attractions, "The Little Mermaid" ride. The people there are old school friendly but definitely high tech with innovations when creating these wonders for the Disney parks.
Bob Weis set up an in depth session for me with the lead imagineer on the project, Larry Nikolai. I was met at the door by Tori, a young lady whose smile was contagious, and she led me through the maze to my destination while answering my many questions.
I was shown models, audio animatronics, paintings, and even got to see some of the scenes up and running with animation. The ride will be narrated by Scuttle while the guests ride on a Disney omnimover which is what is used in the Haunted Mansion. The effect of going down into the water is fantastic! You will love it. Many classic scenes from the Disney film have been recreated for this adventure with a delightful embellishment added for the ending that I was happy to see. Jody Benson, who was our voice of Ariel reprised her role so with all the care the imagineers have taken here it really has the feeling and soul of the film in this wonderful new attraction.
Disney Fine Art presents new works from Disney Art Director Mike Peraza
Disney Fine Art presents new works from Disney Art Director Mike Peraza
