When you are one of the top entertainment franchises in the world you have to keep up with the latest technologies in entertainment.  Walt Disney World is the most visited vacation spot in the world with around 52 million guests a year.  It is called the happiest place on earth due to the joy it brings through nostalgia, rides, and entertainment.  Over the last decade, the Disney Imagineers have spent a lot of time finding ways to better the shows they present daily.

The term Imagineers is a term Disney came up with that is a combination of the great imagination and engineering feats that goes into every tiny detail of a Disney experience.  From the hidden placements of Mickey Mouse shapes throughout the parks to the technologically advanced Audio-Animatronics that are featured on many of their rides, the Disney Imagineers can seemingly do it all.  It was only a logically progression that Disney chose to embrace one of the biggest technology advancement in their latest show.

The Disney Imagineers joined forces with Intel to create a holiday extravaganza.  Intel has been taking the world by storm with the amazing drone shows they orchestrate.  In 2018, they broke the world record for drones being flown in coordination during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea.  When Disney looks for outside contractors for a project, they go with the best of the best.   For the olympic performance Intel lit up the sky with 1,218 of their Shooting Star drones.  For the Disney project they had to drastically scale that number back to 300 drones, still an impressive amount.

The Shooting Star drones don’t look like much more than a toy drone.  They are quadrocopters that are about one foot square, weighing just over a half a pound.  The body of the drone is made of light weight plastic and foam, with each of it’s four rotors encased in a plastic cage.  They were designed with safety in mind.  The drone’s underside has LED lights that are wireless controlled.  Each drone also has a chip in it that will preform a preplanned flight pattern.

The show put on by Disney and Intel was dubbed the Starbright Holiday Extravaganza.  It took 5 months for the team to choreograph and program the show.  One of the main concerns while coming up with the show was where to hold in while still remaining within FAA regulations.  According to the FAA, drones cannot be flown over crowds of people.  To accommodate for this the 300 drones were flown over a large man made lake at Disney Springs. 

Intel’s New Technology Group’s general manager, Josh Walden, said, “Our drones, together with Disney’s expertise in animation as well as storytelling, and the music score, together make what we think is going to be groundbreaking for of entertainment.”  For years, Disney has been known for their after dark fireworks displays.  Though these shows are awe inspiring, they can cost upwards of $55,000 per show.  Putting on a show using drones can be just as satisfying to watch, at a fraction of the price.

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