More details of the new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows have been revealed through the Disney Vacation Club Elements of Magic Sweepstakes.
Disney Vacation Club Elements of Magic Sweepstakes
The Disney Vacation Club Elements of Magic Sweepstakes offers the chance to win a 6-night, 7-day vacation at the Island Tower, plus 7-day Walt Disney World Resort theme park tickets, and round-trip transportation for you and up to four guests. You earn one entry by registering and can earn up to 60 additional entries by watching “Elements of Magic: Stories Behind Island Tower,” a docuseries about the creation of the new DVC tower, which will open on December 17.
Island Tower: The Elements of Art & Heritage
In “The Elements of Art & Heritage” episode, artisans and Imagineers discuss some of the artwork incorporated into the Island Tower. Disney worked with world-renowned artists to fill the tower with art that tells Disney stories, sustainability stories, and Polynesian stories.
Sculptor Nick Petronzio worked on several art pieces in the Island Tower. Petronzio has been working with Disney for almost 20 years, and his Island Tower work includes the island-shaped panels on the lobby ceiling. The panels lead from the lobby entrance to the restaurant.
Petronzio welded the panels from a steel tube, and then applied an epoxy sculpting compound. The team used sculpting tools and brushes to create wood grain textures. The artwork was then printed on fabric and laminated on the panels.
In the restaurant, Wailulu Bar & Grill, another piece by Petronzio is a stylized interpretation of a Polynesian stick chart, a navigational tool used to understand the ocean. The almost 30-foot-long statement piece is curved with ocean-inspired panels.
The video also highlighted the manta ray sculpture that will be above the dining table in each 1-bedroom unit. The sculpture represents family and was the first piece created for the Island Tower.
Maria Apelo Cruz is the artist behind the 3-story art wall in the tower’s lobby. Cruz collaborated with Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios to craft the piece, which is based on a sacred design from the Maori culture called koru, meaning coil. It represents birth, life, growth, strength, and peace.
The art wall was created using organic materials found on Polynesian islands including seashells, shark teeth, coconut shells, and driftwood.
Cruz and the team incorporated “Moana” characters, including Maui in hawk form, Tamatoa, and Te Fiti.
Te Fiti is comprised of flower designs.
The Elements of Hospitality
In the episode about hospitality, culinary director Brian Piasecki said, “My passion is delivering the highest level of culinary excellence we possibly can at every single restaurant we open.” Piasecki says Wailulu Bar & Grill at Island Tower will “celebrate the food of the Polynesian isles, the culture, and the diversity of the area.”
“Wailulu” means “calm waters,” and guests will dine along the calm waters of Seven Seas Lagoon with a view of Magic Kingdom.
Ervin “EB” Bracey, a bell services Cast Member who has worked at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for a little over 50 years, said, “Magic is a big word, but it’s a bigger feeling. That’s the magic that we have here at the Polynesian Village Resort.”
The Island Tower will also have a Moana splash pad, pool, and terrace gardens. A preview center is open at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
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