This video made me so happy! The Disney Institute is SO important to me and nobody seems to know it ever even existed. I took the adult level traditional animation courses at Disney Institute back in 1998 when I was 13 and I LOVED it. My poor parents - who can't draw a straight line with a ruler - took the classes with me so I could do the adult level classes (without parental supervision you had to be 16 to take the adult level classes and the kids' classes would have bored me to death) although they still had tons of fun doing it regardless. The whole thing was amazing, and we still have the VHS of our bouncing ball animations that we made in one of the classes. I wanted to be an animator at the Florida studio back then, and the instructor (who was an actual Disney animator which I thought was SO AMAZING back then!) gave me an information packet for what Disney looked for in prospective animators. One of the pages was a list of Disney recommended art schools, and that's how I found out about Ringling in Sarasota. Unfortunately the Florida studio closed my freshman year in 2003/2004 when Disney became enamored with computer animation and ditched traditional, but I stuck with the illustration program anyway because I wanted to be an artist regardless. I graduated from Ringling's illustration department in 2007 and now work as an illustrator and colorist for a living, and it's all because of the Disney Institute. It holds a very special place in my heart!
I took a computer animation class when I was younger there. I still dabble in CGI today and have that class to thank for getting me started. We animated a bee character using the same type of program as PIXAR at the time. Was pretty cool.
I attended with my wife (then girlfriend) It was very expensive but had an amazing time. We did 3D animation, stop motion animation, canoeing through the Disney canals, cooking, we made topiaries, and TV production. The classes where pretty empty for the size the campus. We had stayed in the neighboring hotel which was connected to lake Buena vista and had a golf cart that week for transportation. I wish they could add more learning experiences.
@Picolas Cage not everyone wants to go to the parks. this is why they have disney springs and golf courses. also there's lots of conventions hosted at disney each year
My parents would occasionally plan trips during the school year and pull us out of class for the week. When this happened, the district required that they justify the absence in some way, and usually they would do that by signing us up for one of those all-day behind-the-scenes classes in the parks. I remember the first one I took, I got to go out to Discovery Island (this was after it was closed to the general public).
I can see the appeal of something like the Disney Institute, but I'm very much of the mindset that if I'm near the parks, I want to be in the parks. I think that the only purely educational thing that I'd be willing to spend that kind of money on at Disney World would be one of the backstage tours. If I wanted to learn to cook or animate or do a radio show, I definitely would save that for somewhere that doesn't have everything else that Disney has to offer.
When you are at the parks for an extended time, a quieter slower-paced venue such as the Disney Institute is wonderful. I have taken both the short classes and the longer professional development classes. All were excellent. Too bad they are gone!
I think the concept is cool, but I think if courses were relevant to Disney, there would be more success. A one day animation course? Awesome! A course on ride mechanics, animatronics, or even the history of a certain attraction, and then being able to spend time in the park knowing how it all came to be? Amazing! A voice acting class, a dance class where you learned one of the parade dances or show dances. I think that would be pretty cool.
This brings back memories! We were fortunate enough to have an uncle who loved giving us gifts of various, unique, experiences on property - Disney Institute was one of them. My sister and I both took the animation class (we still have the Mickey animation cels and Winnie the Pooh rough drawings), I took the Magic Kingdom behind the scenes tour by myself (I saw the puppets from the Lion King show at the time, as well as where they created the parade floats, we also saw the Haunted Mansion ballroom scene) and my sister took a theatrical behind the scenes tour (her group performed on one of the Disney stages, they met the Beauty and the Beast stage show cast, and saw all the costumes, wigs, etc., including learning the tricks of the trade). I had so much fun and am actually sad they got rid of it. The year after we took our classes, they canceled it. I am so glad someone else remembers this. Very well done video. Thank you for sharing!
I did one of those preview days -took rock climbing, animation, and cooking. I wonder if a similar concept would work but with a DVC-style resort somewhere else in the US, sort of a Disney family camp.
00:43 "Where guest ... would attend a series of courses and classes instead of visting the theme parks." Why only do one? I went to Disney Institute and I LOVED IT! I was a teenager and one of my close friends went with me as well. We'd go to classes in the morning, then in the afternoon we'd jet off to the parks and stay until closing. It was an awesome vacation, and one of the most exhausting I've ever been on.
As someone who majored in Animation I wish I had the chance to take one of these learning courses so I could have been more prepared for what was expected. Coming from an isolated region in the US, it was a lot to take in with how much was required I always felt behind.
Well, they sort of did. Calarts, a fine arts school, was started with the help of the Disney family and other creative backers in the early 1960's. Many of Disney's Nine Old Men spent much of their retirement teaching at the school, and many of their alumni went on to work for Disney animation or PIXAR. Although, it would be cool to see a short course art academy school run by Disney.
I took animation classes at Disney Institute when I was 13 back in 1998 because I wanted to be a Disney animator at the Florida studio in MGM, and the instructor gave me an information packet for what Disney looked for in prospective animators. The packet included a list of Disney recommended art schools, which is how I found Ringling in Sarasota Florida. I graduated from their illustration department in 2007. In the industry Ringling is known as the "East Coast CalArts" and CalArts is known as the "West Coast Ringling". Disney Design Group, Disney Feature Animation, and Pixar (among many other companies) came to campus every year to interview and recruit graduating seniors, as they do at all the respected major art schools in the country. I ended up going into illustration instead of animation because Disney shut down the Florida studio in '03/'04, but a friend of mine a couple years below me now works at Pixar as a character animator and has worked on every one of their films since UP. So while Disney doesn't have their own art school, they definitely have relationships with the best art schools in the country which is the next best thing. :)
Pretty much nailed it. Disney Institute pretty much mimics the downfall of EPCOT. People don't want to go on vacation to learn. I will however state that I've been going to EPCOT since 1989 AND attended two animation classes at the Disney Institute in 1996. So I saw both places in their hey day, and they were glorious. My over protective parents let me, a 13yo girl, board a bus for this place, and I did not see them again till I came back to my hotel room that night. Managed to take a bus to the Disney Village Marketplace and back in between classes for lunch and shopping, and arrived safely back to Dixie Landings all by myself. It was a perfect time for such a place as there was no Fourth Gate. So that extra day could be spent doing this instead. The Disney Channel also had this cool show called Inside Out where they showed you the "insides and out" of WDW, and heavily covered the DI. It was one of the 25 new things to experience during the 25th anniversary of WDW, and was also featured during the parks Christmas special as well.
Fox what do you mean “to please idiots like me?” I mentioned that I went in the 80s and 90s, seeing both places in their heyday and that it was “glorious.” That doesn’t sound like someone who prefers what they’re like now. I mentioned that “people don’t want to learn on vacation” not because I was one of those people, but because clearly, if this weren’t true, The Disney Institute would’ve been successful, and they wouldn’t have tried to cater to the masses by removing everything that made us like EPCOT.
Remember taking an Animation course once at the Disney Institute. Shame Disney doesn't offer something similar today... would love to learn how computer animation is done and have my hands at it. :)
Depending where you live, I'm sure a local college will offer a course in CGI, some might offer a formal qualification, some might just be for 'fun'. :)
The Disney Institute sounds like in it's intial offering, a good idea on paper but flawed execution. I honestly think Adventures by Disney is probably another good example of a continuation and evolution of the Disney Institute that actually works. As it found a way to take what the intention of what the institute (experiential learning) into a format that is suited well for such a thing (guided travel groups)
I remember attending a lecture at The Disney Institute by ocean explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle. It was fascinating. The theatre where she spoke was full. I liked having that kind of experience at WDW.
Once again, a great video. I had heard trivial things here and there about the DI, but I am really glad you explained it outright. Thanks for all your cool info!
Thanks for watching and I'm glad you liked it! It was a fun topic to research because I remember looking at all the pamphlets when I was younger and never following up on what happened to it all.
I had no idea! I visit the Chautauqua Institute at least once a summer because my grandparents spend a week there every year. Sometimes I'll go up to hear a speaker or a concert or something as some really interesting people come through and their theater company is impressive. I also highly recommend the ice cream!
I was an assistant instructor for the animation courses in the late 90s. It was really a lot of fun and the guests seemed to enjoy it. I taught 2d, 3d, and stop-motion animation there. The campus was absolutely beautiful. We even hosted a launch party for Mulan with several animators from feature animation there.
This was a bucket list item for me and I did their 5 day course at wdw before the pandemic. Loved it, and have definitely used what I learned in my work.
I loved the disney institute. I went twice during the last couple of years. Their cooking classes were exceptional as they had a full cooking station for every two people. I also really liked the classes that took you around WDW to showcase how Disney used Architecture, and theming, and the photography classes that took you out for a day of photography at Epcot or discovery Island and then returned to review everyone's best pictures as projected slides. I think we paid a lot less per person because we all shared the multi-room units that they had in part of the resort.
I took a class there during the 90's as a little kids enjoyed my experience. I was sad when I heard it was gone but I can see why. It was a expensive yet great, enriching, and overall fun quality offerings but in the end the park visitors (many whom might go to WDW only once it their life and have limited time to spend) going to WDW was mentally ready for what the parks was known for for many years and prepared (or lack researching and preparing) as such.
I went to DI in May the year it opened with my wife. We loved it. When it first opened it was all the classes you could take in the time you were there. Now, we also had FL Resident annual passes (we live near Tampa). So it was a unique visit to Disney for us since we went several times a year. The classes taught were ones that used the skills and crafts Disney used.We took classes in gardening, culinary arts, wine tasting, TV production and Imagineering. The Imagineering class was phenomenal. It was two days, and we got to design a Disney ride the way the animators start out, using common objects to get their concept across. The 2nd day was a 6 hour Magic Kingdom backstage tour. This was before Backstage Magic. Even then, Backstage Magic is all the parks and this was just 6 hours of the Magic Kingdom. We saw everything in the Utildoors except “The Zoo”.I think the instructor was named Charles Kurts. Whoever it was, was the lead imaginer on Splash Mountain (I think Paris) and he did the Br’er Rabbit Sculpture in the Hub in DW. He also did a popup book on Star Trek.The whole weekend was a blast. And on the way home I said to my wife “I give it maybe 4 or 5 years”. She asked me why and I said “Because you don’t get to see Mickey.” Epcot didn’t have any traditional characters initially and people complained about not seeing Mickey. I said that most people come to Disney to do Disney, not to learn. We were different, we’re Florida residents who live 90 minutes away and come here all the time.I really think if they had sold DI as part of a package that included park tickets it would have done much better.
Regarding the consulting/training for businesses that Disney still does, my university hired them for some “culture change” training. I was excited at first because I love Disney, but the trainings were.... weird. 😅 I’ll stick to visiting the parks!!
I remember my first trip to Walt Disney World I stayed at this resort but I did not participate in any Disney Institute courses. I was too busy wanting to visit the parks. This was in 1997. And unfortunately the castle was a cake at this time.
I got to do something as a kid (maybe ~9 years olds) through the Disney Institute. I have a really hazy memory of being taken on a backstage "field trip" of EPCOT with a bunch of other kids for a day. I wish I could remember the experience better. All I can recall is being in the atrium outside Imageworks.
It would be pretty cool if Disney would open this institute again in the parks for those interested in working for Disney as their career, but i know they opened CalArts but its really hard to get into. I would honestly love to take classes with something like this since I really want to be a storyboard artist for Disney and/or Pixar.
Absolutely, I wouldn't leave school to go to Disney for more... school. However, it's not all bad. Animation academy, the 15-minute drawing class in California adventure is great! (Though now it's just filled with people waiting for their fast pass for guardians of the galaxy) it's my second favorite place in C.A.! First being paradise pier... no pixar pier. Either way, I would go to a drawing class in Disney, but not a math class. I guess it depends what they're teaching.
I remember taking radio classes there in 1998. I made a few friends that I still keep in touch with now. I really enjoyed the programs they offered. Too bad it couldn’t gain traction.
It was honestly really really great when I did it. I did an educational tour for kids. Got to go backstage to the parks. It was around the time when Test Track was just in testing phases and got to hear about the cars kept falling off the track lol
I wanted to try the animation classes when I went for my first time to WDW, but didn't want to sacrifice a day in a park or have my parents pay the extra money.
I used to dream of going to the Disney Institute classes and was frustrated that hadn't been a practical possibility when they closed the bits that interested me - but a lot of those lessons are now on the internet for free. One day I realized that RUclips had a lot of those very same subjects. That made me happy. :)
They could also run a private school like this for the people at the multi-million Golden Oaks houses and they could run their own school,for when the possible kids living there grow to school age and have to go to school,that is one thing they could do.
I remember this. When I was a kid I use to ask my parents what the place was and they thought it was something for Cast Members. Finally know what it is after all these years.
Unfortunately the five years this was open were the five years we were just starting our family, so we didn't travel then (babies make ya broke!)...I would have LOVED this (so would my now grown kids)
I remember when we were planning for our first Orlando trip and the Institute got a fair push on our travel-VHS guide in 1997-98. Personally I would of adored doing the animation course, was it only just the bouncing ball tutorial?
The class offerings of the primordial Institute sound bizarrely similar to those sold by The Great Courses, a "lifelong learning" company from which I frequently order learn-at-home lecture series. They, too, list such classes as fine art, photography, cooking, botany, and plenty of other activities of that type. I usually stick to the literature, philosophy, and history courses, but I appreciate how much variety there is to what they can give "students." Perhaps Disney could still succeed in this field if they invested in something similar?
Interesting video Rob. I wonder if it was the idea or the place that doomed the original institute to fail? Would it have worked in a non theme park setting or would it always have failed because people don't associate Disney with that type of vacation
I personally think it was the latter. I suspect if it was opened elsewhere under a different branded name it might have stood a chance, but since they were trying to essentially win over people who would otherwise go to Disney, they lost out.
It's an interesting video, Rob. It's the backstage you can't never get to know. The current Disney Institute works as an advisory company, just like you mentioned in the video. I got the opportunity to know about it from first hand and its approach can be really interesting. There's a reason why Disney is Disney, isn't it?
Hey Rob when are you gonna make a video giving us your opinion on Pandora? What do you think about the rides and do you think they could have done better? I certainly do 😅
Hey Camille! Probably early Feb. I actually haven't had a chance to go down there and check out Pandora for myself yet, but I have a trip planned for late Jan.
Rob Plays Nice! I forget you live in NY and not in Orlando lol I check your channel everyday just to see your input on Pandora😅 I really want to know if you agree with me haha
My mom use to work there and loved it. I’m currently looking for a video she was in. Also I have all her old Disney Institute items and selling them on Poshmark. If interested look at my closet @teacup_dragon for them.
If Disney created a place like this in a more easily-accessible part of the country, it might work. I think part of the problem is just how long it takes to get to WDW from most of the country, the cost of hotels and then the courses on top of that. It just adds up to too much for a non-accredited course. Perhaps one day Disney will make an EPCOT-based learning park in the middle of the country. A learning park. It can still have that Magic, but it would be about learning and being excited for the possibilities of the future.
I suspect that they would have been more successful with this had they primarily focused on single-day courses at more affordable prices that guests could add on to extend their vacations. Sort of like they do with the water park/golf tickets. They could still have offered more intensive, multi-day courses to the smaller groups of guests that would be interested in that sort of thing.
Not difficult to figure out you don't put a school in WDW. That's for getting away from school. Even the concept of Future World in Epcot attractions being educational has been abandoned for the most part. They should have built it in another location where there are no other options.
It's simple people go to WDW to have fun not to learn they go there to go on rides and see live shows and meet their favourite Disney characters that's why they go there they don't go there to learn
Missing the facecam again. ;) I've heard of this place before but always thought it was like a college where you could learn stuff useful for Cast Members which you could use for for the same types of jobs outside of WDW. Man was I misinformed! I can see this working like it is now, for employees. But for individuals? Not really... Man was it an idea that didn't work! As a Disney fan I still just don't see why I would pay way more for something I can do nearby for way way cheaper, just cause it's from Disney? No thank you.
I attended two animation courses as a 13yo in 1996. While this form of animation is long dead, I got a job right out of college "rotoscoping" other production companies' shows. Mostly editing video to make it more appropriate for broadcasting, replacing kanji with English, and even credits. With computers, I "painted" and even animated a few things frame by frame. www.imdb.com/name/nm2971051/
They are still remembering this as the best vacation they ever took. I live in Florida, so easy for me and my husband to get there, but the Institute was the best ever vacation we ever took. We learned so much! We went as often as we could, running our own business at the time, and must have had at least 10 one-week vacations at the Institute from 1996 until it closed. The very best vacations ever, even though we were technically in different classes all day. I don't think it failed for lack of interest, no one even knew it existed. And those of us who did wanted, selfishly, to keep it to ourselves. I often had trouble booking the classes I wanted to take because they were full, they were full of incredibly curious people who chose to learn new skills instead of riding rides. So we would go back, again and again. I think of this time as a new beginning.. learning so much and many skills we applied to our new business and just fun things to learn. Magic! Never imagined myself in a Magic class yet I loved it!
Maybe they just didn't market the Disney Institute to businesses or to the people. I'd bet that very few guests to Disney World even knew about the Disney Institute.
It was heavily marketed in 1996, as one of the 25 new things for the 25th anniversary. This was back when Disney advertised heavily during their televised Christmas and Easter parade, various 25th anniversary specials, and even the Disney Channel series Inside Out, where they showed viewers the inside out of WDW. I got to participate in two different animation classes as a 13yo, as part of some sort of promotion. The family of 4 was given two classes, and my parents decided to let me have both, rather than escort me. After the 25th however, you never heard of the Disney Institute ever again.
"It was an idea born from CEO at the time Michael Eisner..." I audibly groaned. Told me everything I need to know about why the Disney Institute didn't work.
This video made me so happy! The Disney Institute is SO important to me and nobody seems to know it ever even existed. I took the adult level traditional animation courses at Disney Institute back in 1998 when I was 13 and I LOVED it. My poor parents - who can't draw a straight line with a ruler - took the classes with me so I could do the adult level classes (without parental supervision you had to be 16 to take the adult level classes and the kids' classes would have bored me to death) although they still had tons of fun doing it regardless. The whole thing was amazing, and we still have the VHS of our bouncing ball animations that we made in one of the classes.
I wanted to be an animator at the Florida studio back then, and the instructor (who was an actual Disney animator which I thought was SO AMAZING back then!) gave me an information packet for what Disney looked for in prospective animators. One of the pages was a list of Disney recommended art schools, and that's how I found out about Ringling in Sarasota. Unfortunately the Florida studio closed my freshman year in 2003/2004 when Disney became enamored with computer animation and ditched traditional, but I stuck with the illustration program anyway because I wanted to be an artist regardless. I graduated from Ringling's illustration department in 2007 and now work as an illustrator and colorist for a living, and it's all because of the Disney Institute. It holds a very special place in my heart!
Ty for sharing
I took a computer animation class when I was younger there. I still dabble in CGI today and have that class to thank for getting me started. We animated a bee character using the same type of program as PIXAR at the time. Was pretty cool.
I attended with my wife (then girlfriend) It was very expensive but had an amazing time. We did 3D animation, stop motion animation, canoeing through the Disney canals, cooking, we made topiaries, and TV production. The classes where pretty empty for the size the campus. We had stayed in the neighboring hotel which was connected to lake Buena vista and had a golf cart that week for transportation. I wish they could add more learning experiences.
@Picolas Cage not everyone wants to go to the parks. this is why they have disney springs and golf courses. also there's lots of conventions hosted at disney each year
My parents would occasionally plan trips during the school year and pull us out of class for the week. When this happened, the district required that they justify the absence in some way, and usually they would do that by signing us up for one of those all-day behind-the-scenes classes in the parks. I remember the first one I took, I got to go out to Discovery Island (this was after it was closed to the general public).
That sounds like a pretty cool experience!
I think that was the photography course.
I can see the appeal of something like the Disney Institute, but I'm very much of the mindset that if I'm near the parks, I want to be in the parks. I think that the only purely educational thing that I'd be willing to spend that kind of money on at Disney World would be one of the backstage tours. If I wanted to learn to cook or animate or do a radio show, I definitely would save that for somewhere that doesn't have everything else that Disney has to offer.
Alix T. I use my college tuition money from FAFSA to go to a good school for that type of stuff to major in
When you are at the parks for an extended time, a quieter slower-paced venue such as the Disney Institute is wonderful. I have taken both the short classes and the longer professional development classes. All were excellent. Too bad they are gone!
One of the best WDW vacations I’ve ever had involved a stay at the Disney Institute!
I think the concept is cool, but I think if courses were relevant to Disney, there would be more success. A one day animation course? Awesome! A course on ride mechanics, animatronics, or even the history of a certain attraction, and then being able to spend time in the park knowing how it all came to be? Amazing! A voice acting class, a dance class where you learned one of the parade dances or show dances. I think that would be pretty cool.
This brings back memories! We were fortunate enough to have an uncle who loved giving us gifts of various, unique, experiences on property - Disney Institute was one of them. My sister and I both took the animation class (we still have the Mickey animation cels and Winnie the Pooh rough drawings), I took the Magic Kingdom behind the scenes tour by myself (I saw the puppets from the Lion King show at the time, as well as where they created the parade floats, we also saw the Haunted Mansion ballroom scene) and my sister took a theatrical behind the scenes tour (her group performed on one of the Disney stages, they met the Beauty and the Beast stage show cast, and saw all the costumes, wigs, etc., including learning the tricks of the trade). I had so much fun and am actually sad they got rid of it. The year after we took our classes, they canceled it. I am so glad someone else remembers this. Very well done video. Thank you for sharing!
I had never heard of this! Interesting!
I did one of those preview days -took rock climbing, animation, and cooking. I wonder if a similar concept would work but with a DVC-style resort somewhere else in the US, sort of a Disney family camp.
00:43 "Where guest ... would attend a series of courses and classes instead of visting the theme parks." Why only do one? I went to Disney Institute and I LOVED IT! I was a teenager and one of my close friends went with me as well. We'd go to classes in the morning, then in the afternoon we'd jet off to the parks and stay until closing. It was an awesome vacation, and one of the most exhausting I've ever been on.
I remember my parents asking if I wanted to do any of these when I was a teenager. I don't remember why I never said yes or never did them.
As someone who majored in Animation I wish I had the chance to take one of these learning courses so I could have been more prepared for what was expected. Coming from an isolated region in the US, it was a lot to take in with how much was required I always felt behind.
Disney should open it's own Art Academy as an actual school for real art students.
Well, they sort of did. Calarts, a fine arts school, was started with the help of the Disney family and other creative backers in the early 1960's. Many of Disney's Nine Old Men spent much of their retirement teaching at the school, and many of their alumni went on to work for Disney animation or PIXAR.
Although, it would be cool to see a short course art academy school run by Disney.
I took animation classes at Disney Institute when I was 13 back in 1998 because I wanted to be a Disney animator at the Florida studio in MGM, and the instructor gave me an information packet for what Disney looked for in prospective animators. The packet included a list of Disney recommended art schools, which is how I found Ringling in Sarasota Florida. I graduated from their illustration department in 2007. In the industry Ringling is known as the "East Coast CalArts" and CalArts is known as the "West Coast Ringling".
Disney Design Group, Disney Feature Animation, and Pixar (among many other companies) came to campus every year to interview and recruit graduating seniors, as they do at all the respected major art schools in the country. I ended up going into illustration instead of animation because Disney shut down the Florida studio in '03/'04, but a friend of mine a couple years below me now works at Pixar as a character animator and has worked on every one of their films since UP.
So while Disney doesn't have their own art school, they definitely have relationships with the best art schools in the country which is the next best thing. :)
Joshlama kinda sucks that Calarts is trash now. Or at least the modern day graduates are kinda trash.
There's CalArts but its somewhat hard to get into it :/
@@kriscynical Thats pretty cool honestly, could you maybe send in some more info about the packet and the experience you had?
Pretty much nailed it. Disney Institute pretty much mimics the downfall of EPCOT. People don't want to go on vacation to learn.
I will however state that I've been going to EPCOT since 1989 AND attended two animation classes at the Disney Institute in 1996. So I saw both places in their hey day, and they were glorious. My over protective parents let me, a 13yo girl, board a bus for this place, and I did not see them again till I came back to my hotel room that night. Managed to take a bus to the Disney Village Marketplace and back in between classes for lunch and shopping, and arrived safely back to Dixie Landings all by myself.
It was a perfect time for such a place as there was no Fourth Gate. So that extra day could be spent doing this instead. The Disney Channel also had this cool show called Inside Out where they showed you the "insides and out" of WDW, and heavily covered the DI. It was one of the 25 new things to experience during the 25th anniversary of WDW, and was also featured during the parks Christmas special as well.
Fox what do you mean “to please idiots like me?” I mentioned that I went in the 80s and 90s, seeing both places in their heyday and that it was “glorious.” That doesn’t sound like someone who prefers what they’re like now. I mentioned that “people don’t want to learn on vacation” not because I was one of those people, but because clearly, if this weren’t true, The Disney Institute would’ve been successful, and they wouldn’t have tried to cater to the masses by removing everything that made us like EPCOT.
I did these Disney classes while on vacation. I really enjoyed it.
Remember taking an Animation course once at the Disney Institute. Shame Disney doesn't offer something similar today... would love to learn how computer animation is done and have my hands at it. :)
Depending where you live, I'm sure a local college will offer a course in CGI, some might offer a formal qualification, some might just be for 'fun'. :)
"Hey Kids We Are Going To Disney World! To Learn!"... What???????
Tony The Gambler lol!!! My thoughts.
lol...would have loved to have gone on the backstage tour
“Take the backstage tour where you can hang out with all of your favorite Disney characters”
Yeaaaaaaaaaahhhhh
The Disney Institute sounds like in it's intial offering, a good idea on paper but flawed execution. I honestly think Adventures by Disney is probably another good example of a continuation and evolution of the Disney Institute that actually works. As it found a way to take what the intention of what the institute (experiential learning) into a format that is suited well for such a thing (guided travel groups)
good job on this one rob!
I remember attending a lecture at The Disney Institute by ocean explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle. It was fascinating. The theatre where she spoke was full. I liked having that kind of experience at WDW.
Once again, a great video. I had heard trivial things here and there about the DI, but I am really glad you explained it outright. Thanks for all your cool info!
Thanks for watching and I'm glad you liked it! It was a fun topic to research because I remember looking at all the pamphlets when I was younger and never following up on what happened to it all.
Love your vids man! Disney just makes me feel happy
Thanks!
I had no idea! I visit the Chautauqua Institute at least once a summer because my grandparents spend a week there every year. Sometimes I'll go up to hear a speaker or a concert or something as some really interesting people come through and their theater company is impressive. I also highly recommend the ice cream!
I was an assistant instructor for the animation courses in the late 90s. It was really a lot of fun and the guests seemed to enjoy it. I taught 2d, 3d, and stop-motion animation there. The campus was absolutely beautiful. We even hosted a launch party for Mulan with several animators from feature animation there.
I've got a copy of one of their books, "Be Our Guest". Best guide to customer service I've ever seen.
This was a bucket list item for me and I did their 5 day course at wdw before the pandemic. Loved it, and have definitely used what I learned in my work.
I loved the disney institute. I went twice during the last couple of years. Their cooking classes were exceptional as they had a full cooking station for every two people. I also really liked the classes that took you around WDW to showcase how Disney used Architecture, and theming, and the photography classes that took you out for a day of photography at Epcot or discovery Island and then returned to review everyone's best pictures as projected slides. I think we paid a lot less per person because we all shared the multi-room units that they had in part of the resort.
I heard they even had a voice acting class at the Disney Institute, which would have been really cool to experience.
As usual, awesome job on your video Rob! We regularly refer our viewers back to your videos for in depth information on things we bring up or say.
I took a class there during the 90's as a little kids enjoyed my experience. I was sad when I heard it was gone but I can see why. It was a expensive yet great, enriching, and overall fun quality offerings but in the end the park visitors (many whom might go to WDW only once it their life and have limited time to spend) going to WDW was mentally ready for what the parks was known for for many years and prepared (or lack researching and preparing) as such.
I went to DI in May the year it opened with my wife. We loved it. When it first opened it was all the classes you could take in the time
you were there. Now, we also had FL Resident annual passes (we live near Tampa). So it was a unique visit to Disney for us since we went several times a year. The classes taught were ones that used the skills and crafts Disney used.We took classes in gardening, culinary arts, wine tasting, TV production and Imagineering. The Imagineering class was phenomenal. It was two days, and we got to design a Disney ride the way the animators start out, using common objects to get their concept across. The 2nd day was a 6 hour Magic Kingdom backstage tour. This was before Backstage Magic. Even then, Backstage Magic is all the parks and this was just 6 hours of the Magic Kingdom. We saw everything in the Utildoors except “The Zoo”.I think the instructor was named Charles Kurts. Whoever it was, was the lead imaginer on Splash Mountain (I think Paris) and he did the Br’er Rabbit Sculpture in the Hub in DW. He also did a popup book on Star Trek.The whole weekend was a blast. And on the way home I said to my wife “I give it maybe 4 or 5 years”. She asked me why and I said “Because you don’t get to see Mickey.” Epcot didn’t have any traditional characters initially and people complained about not seeing Mickey. I said that most people come to Disney to do Disney, not to learn. We were different,
we’re Florida residents who live 90 minutes away and come here all the time.I really think if they had sold DI as part of a package that included park tickets it would have done much better.
Regarding the consulting/training for businesses that Disney still does, my university hired them for some “culture change” training. I was excited at first because I love Disney, but the trainings were.... weird. 😅 I’ll stick to visiting the parks!!
I remember my first trip to Walt Disney World I stayed at this resort but I did not participate in any Disney Institute courses. I was too busy wanting to visit the parks. This was in 1997. And unfortunately the castle was a cake at this time.
I got to do something as a kid (maybe ~9 years olds) through the Disney Institute. I have a really hazy memory of being taken on a backstage "field trip" of EPCOT with a bunch of other kids for a day. I wish I could remember the experience better. All I can recall is being in the atrium outside Imageworks.
It would be pretty cool if Disney would open this institute again in the parks for those interested in working for Disney as their career, but i know they opened CalArts but its really hard to get into. I would honestly love to take classes with something like this since I really want to be a storyboard artist for Disney and/or Pixar.
Absolutely, I wouldn't leave school to go to Disney for more... school. However, it's not all bad. Animation academy, the 15-minute drawing class in California adventure is great! (Though now it's just filled with people waiting for their fast pass for guardians of the galaxy) it's my second favorite place in C.A.! First being paradise pier... no pixar pier. Either way, I would go to a drawing class in Disney, but not a math class. I guess it depends what they're teaching.
Great video, Rob! I had no idea that was how the Institute started!
I remember taking radio classes there in 1998. I made a few friends that I still keep in touch with now. I really enjoyed the programs they offered. Too bad it couldn’t gain traction.
It was honestly really really great when I did it. I did an educational tour for kids. Got to go backstage to the parks. It was around the time when Test Track was just in testing phases and got to hear about the cars kept falling off the track lol
I wanted to try the animation classes when I went for my first time to WDW, but didn't want to sacrifice a day in a park or have my parents pay the extra money.
Michael Eisner really missed the mark here. Band camp and vacation are 2 very different things and dont need to be mixed.
nice video dude!
I used to dream of going to the Disney Institute classes and was frustrated that hadn't been a practical possibility when they closed the bits that interested me - but a lot of those lessons are now on the internet for free. One day I realized that RUclips had a lot of those very same subjects. That made me happy. :)
This is super interesting 😁
They could also run a private school like this for the people at the multi-million Golden Oaks houses and they could run their own school,for when the possible kids living there grow to school age and have to go to school,that is one thing they could do.
I remember this. When I was a kid I use to ask my parents what the place was and they thought it was something for Cast Members. Finally know what it is after all these years.
Unfortunately the five years this was open were the five years we were just starting our family, so we didn't travel then (babies make ya broke!)...I would have LOVED this (so would my now grown kids)
I remember when we were planning for our first Orlando trip and the Institute got a fair push on our travel-VHS guide in 1997-98.
Personally I would of adored doing the animation course, was it only just the bouncing ball tutorial?
Whoa I have never heard about this before
There's a Disney Institute building behind Magic Kingdom, near Central Shops. Is that where seminars are held, or is that an admin building?
Yikes. The top end of those courses is the same price of a full year course at my Canadian University.
Oh great another video,love your videos
Thanks!
Great content man
Thanks!
...is it weird that I want to go to the Customer Experience Summit...I've always said they're the best at customer service.
I would have loved to have taken animation type classes from Disney like that but it’s too expensive, especially for one day. :/
Im kinda happy the disney institute building closed because my favorite resort is Saratoga Springs
The class offerings of the primordial Institute sound bizarrely similar to those sold by The Great Courses, a "lifelong learning" company from which I frequently order learn-at-home lecture series. They, too, list such classes as fine art, photography, cooking, botany, and plenty of other activities of that type. I usually stick to the literature, philosophy, and history courses, but I appreciate how much variety there is to what they can give "students." Perhaps Disney could still succeed in this field if they invested in something similar?
It would be horribly ironic if the business seminars failed.
Interesting video Rob. I wonder if it was the idea or the place that doomed the original institute to fail? Would it have worked in a non theme park setting or would it always have failed because people don't associate Disney with that type of vacation
I personally think it was the latter. I suspect if it was opened elsewhere under a different branded name it might have stood a chance, but since they were trying to essentially win over people who would otherwise go to Disney, they lost out.
First because I love your videos! :)
It's an interesting video, Rob. It's the backstage you can't never get to know. The current Disney Institute works as an advisory company, just like you mentioned in the video. I got the opportunity to know about it from first hand and its approach can be really interesting. There's a reason why Disney is Disney, isn't it?
Hey Rob when are you gonna make a video giving us your opinion on Pandora? What do you think about the rides and do you think they could have done better? I certainly do 😅
Hey Camille! Probably early Feb. I actually haven't had a chance to go down there and check out Pandora for myself yet, but I have a trip planned for late Jan.
Rob Plays Nice! I forget you live in NY and not in Orlando lol I check your channel everyday just to see your input on Pandora😅 I really want to know if you agree with me haha
Have you done a video on Pleasure Island yet?
Cool I'm #1000 on the like button pushing hehe. Great Videos!
My mom use to work there and loved it. I’m currently looking for a video she was in. Also I have all her old Disney Institute items and selling them on Poshmark. If interested look at my closet @teacup_dragon for them.
I would've tried out the animation class if the institute still exists today.
what's the music you used in the background while you were talking?
I had the pleasure of attending the Disney Institute for a special Mulan event. It was an amazing experience to which I treasure to this day.
Wow. I had no idea Disney did this. I know a lot about Disney, but this one blew my mind!
I miss the old institute...I had so much fun there
where do you get the OG background music?
If Disney created a place like this in a more easily-accessible part of the country, it might work. I think part of the problem is just how long it takes to get to WDW from most of the country, the cost of hotels and then the courses on top of that. It just adds up to too much for a non-accredited course.
Perhaps one day Disney will make an EPCOT-based learning park in the middle of the country. A learning park. It can still have that Magic, but it would be about learning and being excited for the possibilities of the future.
I wonder what kind of stuff they played on WALT...
Can u make a video on the Disney College Program?
Don't forget about the DCP they got a little slice of the pie after the institute closed
I suspect that they would have been more successful with this had they primarily focused on single-day courses at more affordable prices that guests could add on to extend their vacations. Sort of like they do with the water park/golf tickets. They could still have offered more intensive, multi-day courses to the smaller groups of guests that would be interested in that sort of thing.
Not difficult to figure out you don't put a school in WDW. That's for getting away from school. Even the concept of Future World in Epcot attractions being educational has been abandoned for the most part. They should have built it in another location where there are no other options.
Yeah I wouldn’t wanna go on vacation to learn stuff
I've attended the Disney Institute leadership program. Good stuff.
I would take the course in animation art in traditional art
We went there for our honeymoon in '97, we really enjoyed it.
This sounds amazing
Those are some high prices
It's simple people go to WDW to have fun not to learn they go there to go on rides and see live shows and meet their favourite Disney characters that's why they go there they don't go there to learn
I would actually love this
Missing the facecam again. ;)
I've heard of this place before but always thought it was like a college where you could learn stuff useful for Cast Members which you could use for for the same types of jobs outside of WDW. Man was I misinformed!
I can see this working like it is now, for employees. But for individuals? Not really... Man was it an idea that didn't work!
As a Disney fan I still just don't see why I would pay way more for something I can do nearby for way way cheaper, just cause it's from Disney? No thank you.
I wonder where these students are today.
I attended two animation courses as a 13yo in 1996. While this form of animation is long dead, I got a job right out of college "rotoscoping" other production companies' shows. Mostly editing video to make it more appropriate for broadcasting, replacing kanji with English, and even credits. With computers, I "painted" and even animated a few things frame by frame.
www.imdb.com/name/nm2971051/
They are still remembering this as the best vacation they ever took. I live in Florida, so easy for me and my husband to get there, but the Institute was the best ever vacation we ever took. We learned so much! We went as often as we could, running our own business at the time, and must have had at least 10 one-week vacations at the Institute from 1996 until it closed. The very best vacations ever, even though we were technically in different classes all day. I don't think it failed for lack of interest, no one even knew it existed. And those of us who did wanted, selfishly, to keep it to ourselves. I often had trouble booking the classes I wanted to take because they were full, they were full of incredibly curious people who chose to learn new skills instead of riding rides. So we would go back, again and again. I think of this time as a new beginning.. learning so much and many skills we applied to our new business and just fun things to learn. Magic! Never imagined myself in a Magic class yet I loved it!
Wow thats crazy...I didn't know Chautauqua institute was that big....my uncle has a condo there and I live like 30 min away.
This looks so cool I wish I could have gone
ahaaa i did this back in '97 for the animation part 😸 the food sucked tho lol
despite it all - still seems like some pretty good intentions though - good research and video!
School on holiday. Yeah?
Let's face it, people go to Disney for the rides, not to spend a week doing lessons. We wanna get away from school, not go to it!
Alfie Davies Yeah that's kinda why everyone goes to Disney World.
Alfie Davies not everyone
Maybe they just didn't market the Disney Institute to businesses or to the people. I'd bet that very few guests to Disney World even knew about the Disney Institute.
It was heavily marketed in 1996, as one of the 25 new things for the 25th anniversary. This was back when Disney advertised heavily during their televised Christmas and Easter parade, various 25th anniversary specials, and even the Disney Channel series Inside Out, where they showed viewers the inside out of WDW. I got to participate in two different animation classes as a 13yo, as part of some sort of promotion. The family of 4 was given two classes, and my parents decided to let me have both, rather than escort me. After the 25th however, you never heard of the Disney Institute ever again.
no ones paying to go to disney land and sit in a class.
🙂
It also didn't help that Disney shut down all it's tradition animation studios.
"It was an idea born from CEO at the time Michael Eisner..." I audibly groaned. Told me everything I need to know about why the Disney Institute didn't work.
Dude has some great ideas but always execute them poorly.
As a wise man once said "Nobody goes to a Disney park to learn sh*t"
Maybe Disney should team up with Walmart to make the Disney Neighborhood Market.