Walt Disney Imagineering builds rides, themed lands, impressive stages, cruise ships, and more. But building residential communities is something different. Megan duBois with Forbes spoke to Caroline Boone, Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, about how Imagineers adapt their theme park skills to the creation of their new Storyliving by Disney communities.

How Imagineering Creates Storyliving by Disney Communities

“What I think is so fascinating about Storyliving by Disney communities is that we are taking all of those details that are synonymous with Disney quality, going back to this idea of storytelling, and then how that influences placemaking, and then how that influences your emotions and what you do in this space,” said Boone. “We’re applying that to a residential community.”

Now open in Rancho Mirage, California is the first Storyliving by Disney community, Cotino. Imagineers are also working on Asteria, their second community in Chatham Park, North Carolina.

Boone and her fellow Imagineers focus on subtle details for the Storyliving communities, keeping in mind that these are places where people will live every day rather than visit every once in a while. The biggest Disney touches are located at the member clubs: Artisan Club at Cotino and Second Star Club at Asteria.

“We’ve had a lot of debate and conversation and done a lot of research to understand what is the right level of Disney storytelling for an amenity where you are spending your everyday life,” explained Boone. “We still want that to be magical, but really calibrating based on guest and resident feedback to understand what’s the best way for that to manifest in this space.”

Forbes referenced Architects Fork, a restaurant and bar at Cotino, where residents and guests will see construction documents for famous Disney attractions like “it’s a small world” and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Larger examples include the Parr House, a life-size replica of the super family’s home from Incredibles 2. Asteria, on the other hand, will have a Peter Pan-inspired club including the Lost Key Cottage.

“Much of our storytelling in these communities is rooted in the location and the history and the culture and the traditions of each of the locations,” Boone said. “We’re using that also for educational and programming opportunities to really use these locations as jumping off points to inspire people to learn more and get curious and interested about the places they live.”

Those programming opportunities manifest as art classes and visits to the Palm Springs Air Museum for Cotino residents, while Asteria will offer workshops about woodworking and quilting.

“One of my greatest learnings is that whether it is a park, whether it is a resort, whether it’s a ship, whether it’s a community, we’re really drawn to spaces that make us feel something,” Boon said. “We deserve to feel excited to be in whatever space that is, whether we’re on vacation or whether we’re having our morning coffee.”

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