Walt Disney Imagineering

Not to be confused with Imagineering (company).

Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.
Walt Disney Imagineering
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEngineering, architecture design
FoundedDecember 16, 1952; 71 years ago (1952-12-16)
HeadquartersGrand Central Creative Campus,
Glendale, California
,
United States
Key people
  • Bruce Vaughn (CCO)
Products
  • Theme parks
  • Hotel resorts
  • Attractions
  • Cruise ships
  • Real estate developments
  • Entertainment venues
Services
  • Design
  • Property management
ParentDisney Experiences
Divisions
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.,[1] commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also operates Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio and manages Disney's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd.[2] in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc., then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name.[3] Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.

The term "Imagineering", a portmanteau, was introduced in the 1940s by Alcoa to describe its blending of imagination and engineering, and used by Union Carbide in an in-house magazine in 1957, with an article by Richard F. Sailer called "BRAINSTORMING IS IMAGination engINEERING". Disney filed for a trademark for the term in 1989, claiming first use of the term in 1962. Imagineering is a registered trademark of Disney Enterprises, Inc.[4]

  1. ^ "Statement of Information: Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc". Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference lat0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Wright, Alex; Imagineers (2005). The Imagineering Field Guide to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 0786855533.
  4. ^ "Imagineering – Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Retrieved August 21, 2016.