Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World
Honored with International 2006 THEA Award for Outstanding Attraction
The Themed Entertainment Association named Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain of Disney’s Animal Kingdom winner of the 2006 THEA Award for Outstanding Attraction. The prestigious award goes to Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative design organization that created and developed the attraction. TEA (http://www.teaconnect.org) is a non-profit, international association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences.
Established in 1991, the THEA Awards recognize achievement, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry. Now recognized internationally as a symbol of excellence, the THEAs are awarded in ten separate categories and bestowed annually at the THEA Awards Gala, considered the industry’s premiere event. The 2006 honorees will receive their awards at the Gala on March 3, 2007.
Expedition Everest, a thrilling high-speed adventure, takes guests on a perilous journey from the remote Himalayan village of Serka Zong into the very recesses of the chilling Himalayas in search of the mysterious creature known as the Yeti. The attraction opened on April 7, 2006 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
"We are extremely proud that TEA is awarding the Outstanding Attraction of 2006 to Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This marks the pinnacle of an amazing achievement involving more than six years of research to the far corners of the earth, extensive design and planning, as well as massive engineering, construction and landscaping operations to achieve this immersive environment and one of Walt Disney World's most thrilling attractions,” said Joe Rohde, Executive Designer of Expedition Everest and Creative Vice President for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Each of the hundreds of team members at Walt Disney Imagineering who contributed to this project should feel proud about what we have achieved together."
Features of Expedition Everest contributing to its status as Outstanding Attraction of 2006 include the following:
At just under 200 feet, the mountain peak for the attraction is the tallest of the 18 mountains in the Disney “mountain range,” peaks created by Disney Imagineers at Disney parks worldwide.
More than 1,800 tons of steel were used in the mountain structure, about six times the amount of steel used in a traditional office building of this size.
The mountain is crafted with more than 3,000 pre-fabricated “chips” created from 25,000 individual computer-molded pieces of steel.
More than 900 bamboo plants, 10 species of trees and 110 species of shrubs were planted to re-create the lowlands surrounding Mount Everest.
The mammoth-sized Audio-Animatronics® Yeti has a potential thrust, in all of its hydraulic cylinders combined, of slightly over 259,000 pounds force – potentially more instantaneous power than a 747-400 jet airliner.
To create the sense of an enormous mountain range, a “mural” of shadows was painted across the face of the mountains. The range, with its glaciers and valleys, is a canvas of rockwork, carvings and painting, creating a forced perspective where closer-in objects have a massive look while appliqués trick the eye into perceiving far-off objects.
