51. Lou Prosperi on The Imagineering Process

The cover of Lou Prosperi's The Imagineering Process book, released via Theme Park Press

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It is easy to look at Walt Disney Imagineering as a magical place where artists imagine new worlds. That is part of the equation, but the reality is hardly that simple. WDI is a still an arm of the Walt Disney Company and follows processes you see at other businesses. Many of us have worked at corporations and used complicated plans. It’s not a stretch to recognize that Imagineers also follow specific processes when designing attractions.

This type of structure may not stifle creativity, however. We can see the results every time we visit Walt Disney World and other resorts. Lou Prosperi is my guest on the latest episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast, and he has a passion for Imagineering. Lou has written two books on how Imagineers work., and he incorporates considerable research to describe the process that Imagineers follow each day.

Lou Prosperi is the author of The Imagineering Process and The Imagineering Pyramid.

Lou’s latest book is The Imagineering Process: Using the Disney Theme Park Design Process to Bring Your Creative Ideas to Life. Each chapter delves into a different part of the process, and Lou cites strong examples from the parks. In addition, Lou connects the work of Imagineering to other creative fields like game design. He shows how the Apollo program used similar methods to those employed by Imagineering.

On this podcast, Lou and I discuss what spawned his interest and continued passion for Imagineering. We dive into the constraints facing Imagineers like the recent situation with Frozen Ever After at World Showcase. There is so much to investigate as theme park attractions grow more complicated every year.