(L-R): Jonathan Becker (Research and Development Imagineer), Josh D’Amaro (Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products), Richard-Alexandre Peloquin (Research Engineer Imagineer).
Christian Thompson
Disney’s Imagineers are always looking to create bigger and better attractions for its theme parks — and there are few things larger than life than the Incredible Hulk.
With Project Exo, which has been in development for about two years, the company’s research and development team is trying to bring Disney’s biggest characters to life at its theme parks. The project has been under wraps since its inception, but the company recently pulled the curtain back to showcase its progress.
And it’s big.
In a Glendale, California, warehouse in April, an Imagineer fiddled with a giant articulated green hand, using a mechanism attached to a metal gauntlet to pinch two massive fingers and a thumb around a tiny plastic taco. The interaction is a play on the Hulk handing Ant-Man two tacos during “Avengers: Endgame.”
Close up of a prototype anatomical hand from Disney Imagineering’s Project Exo.
Walt Disney Imagineering
Another member of the team walked around on stilts encased with thick black padding to give the impression of a Hulk-sized calf and thigh. The green feet were veiny, speckled with texture and, even upon close inspection, looked like they were covered in thick green skin.
The R&D team is creating a full-body exoskeleton system piece by piece in the hope that one day these characters could walk around Disney’s theme parks and interact with guests.
And Bruce Banner’s alter ego isn’t the only concept Project Exo is prototyping. The group has designed a set of furry Wampa feet, based on the iconic ice creature from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.”
The goal isn’t to create one character, but a platform to design numerous characters, said Leslie Evans, Disney’s chief Imagineer.
“One of the things that is so exciting about a project like this is that characters are a big way that we bring our lands to life, and having these gigantic characters that guests are going to be able to see from a far way away … I think that is a really exciting prospect,” she said.
Disney hasn’t shared which characters could ultimately go to the parks, but the company has no shortage of towering characters, from the Mad Titan Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Baymax from the animated film “Big Hero Six.”
The company has no date for when these oversized characters will appear in the parks, Evan said. The project is still in early stages, as its engineers deal with how to meld a number of new technologies into a seamless character that not only appears real to parkgoers, but is comfortable and easy to use for Disney performers.
Disney’s Imagineering 3D printed muscle for its exoskeleton prototype.
Walt Disney Imagineering
The group is testing 3D printing methods to create…
Read More: Disney’s new exoskeleton could bring the Hulk to its theme parks