Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Image Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm

Walt Disney Imagineering Presents Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

AIALA Committee: Interior Architecture

This is a virtual event. Zoom log-in information will be emailed to registrants 24 hours in advance from events@aialosangeles.org. If you do not receive a confirmation 24 hours prior to the event, please email events@aialosangeles.org.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a first-of-its-kind experience, where guests get to live out a Star Wars story over two days and nights aboard a starcruiser in a galaxy far, far away. Part immersive theater, part live-action game, and part overnight hospitality, Walt Disney Imagineering is creating a living story ecosystem where guests get to step into and play a role in the Star Wars universe. Some of the Imagineers behind this experience share their process and thoughts on bringing a starcruiser to life.

Presenters:

Ann Morrow Johnson, Executive Producer & Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering
Ann Morrow Johnson is an executive producer and creative director, where she helps to shape creative ideas into physical places that allow guests to celebrate and walk into the worlds of their favorite stories. Currently, she is working on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-night, immersive adventure coming to Walt Disney World Resort in 2022. With a background in architecture, interior design, and business management, Ann Morrow has helped build spaces that immerse guests at Disney parks in imaginative environments. She began working at Walt Disney Imagineering in 2013 as a project management intern supporting Disney Springs.

Greg Ashton, Executive Architect, Walt Disney Imagineering
Greg Ashton is an Executive Architect in the Design + Planning Studio at Walt Disney Imagineering.  His role bridges storytelling and set design with the technical and functional requirements of operations, engineering and construction in order to bring the most immersive Disney attractions and environments to life. His most recent projects include Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge where he led the teams responsible for the layout and visual character of both the Halcyon starcruiser and Black Spire Outpost. Other notable projects include Soaring: Fantastic Flight at Tokyo DisneySea; Pandora – The World of Avatar, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Journey of the Little Mermaid, all at Walt Disney World Resort. Greg started at Imagineering building models in 1996. He has held positions in Dimensional Design, Show Set and Creative Development. He is licensed as an architect in the state of California and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona and Master of Architecture from Harvard University.

Tami Empero, Principal Interior Designer, Walt Disney Imagineering
As a principal interior designer, Tami is involved in all aspects of design, from concept to installation of the interior spaces within the berm of Disney’s theme parks, including spaces such as shops, restaurants, theaters and pre-shows that create seamless immersive environments and support the story of our attractions. Tami’s most recent project for Imagineering is the interior design for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, including the look of the Terminal area, where guests arrive and launch into space to start their journey. She started working for Imagineering in 1987 and worked on the retail space at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, as well as the Muppet Theater, Indiana Jones Outpost and the original Tower of Terror – all at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. After a twenty year break to raise her sons, she returned to Imagineering in 2016 to work on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Tami attended USC and received her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design at Woodbury University in Los Angeles. She loves to paint and is interested in finding solutions to help end the homelessness crisis in America today.

Learning Objectives:
+ Based on the presentation explain several ways how functional hospitality spaces can be designed as immersive environments.
+ Describe two specific examples of incorporating lighting and effects into spaces that are both practical and theatrical.
+ Based on the presenters’ information, offer the ways in which they bridge their roles in a collaborative, agile team framework.
+ Describe your understanding of the importance of storytelling in designing spaces after seeing how it’s applied in the project presented.

Image Credits:
Ann Morrow Johnson headshot: copyright: Disney
Greg Ashton headshot: copyright: Disney
Tami Empero headshot: copyright: Disney
Copyright: Disney