Walt Disney World attracts millions of visitors every year, but few people get to see the behind-the-scenes logistics that go into running one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations. For a group of 17 UT Martin faculty and students, they got the chance to do just that on a travel-study trip from Oct. 9 to 13 to Orlando, Florida.
Led by Dr. Kristi Gatto, assistant professor of media design in the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication, the group spent three days across three Walt Disney World theme parks learning about immersive storytelling, theme park design and spatial semiotics.
The travel-study is part of Gatto’s Immersive Storytelling class, which explores the process of turning a story into a physical, immersive experience, such as a theme park land or attraction.
For Gatto, allowing students to experience immersive environments firsthand gives them a deeper understanding of what is possible.
“Classroom instruction and videos are valuable learning tools, but with immersive storytelling, there’s something especially powerful about stepping into the world you’ve been studying,” said Gatto. “That kind of experiential learning is incredibly difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom, and it allowed the students to analyze immersive storytelling in a completely different way.”
The group participated in two workshops led by experts from Disney Imagination Campus.
In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, students explored different lands of the park while learning about how designers use immersive storytelling to bring spaces to life.
In Magic Kingdom, students learned about the process of designing a theme park and were able to create their own mock theme park using concepts from both the workshops and Gatto’s class. The workshops also allowed the group to view backstage areas of the parks normally off-limits to guests.
In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, students were given the chance to participate in one of the most time-honored traditions among Disney Parks fans: pin trading. Each participant received a pin board with five pins and was tasked with completing specific trades with different criteria throughout the day. Through the exercise, students learned how physical objects (such as pins) are used in worldbuilding and social interaction.
Students also participated in hands-on fieldwork, analyzing design and storytelling elements throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Students were able to see design concepts in action by observing details such as prop placement, typography and sightlines.
Sophia Phillips, a media design and digital content production major from Jackson, appreciated how the trip allowed her to apply concepts from class to what she was seeing directly in front of her.
“Being able to walk into the parks and start to pay attention to details that I hadn’t noticed before made me look at the parks differently,” said Phillips. “Paying attention to the music changing when walking from land to land or seeing how they strategically placed each building so you’re fully immersed … it brought to life what we’ve been learning in class.”
Between the workshops and field assignments, the group also had plenty of time for fun. For Phillips, who is a lifelong Walt Disney World fan, being able to spend time with her classmates in the parks was one of the highlights of the travel-study.
“Getting to travel with some of my classmates that I’ve known since my freshman year and being in one of my favorite places with them is something I’ll never take for granted,” said Phillips. “It was so fun to see the people that had never been to Disney before learn why so many people are captivated by it.”
Gatto said that while the trip was memorable for what the students were able to learn, she also appreciated being able to learn more about the students themselves.
“My favorite part of the trip was getting to know my students better,” said Gatto. “Since we spent so much time together, I got to see different sides of their personalities, and I was surprised to discover that some of my quieter students weren’t so quiet after all.
“Those moments were a lot of fun and helped us connect outside the classroom setting.”
Learn more about the UT Martin Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication at www.utm.edu.
PHOTO: Shown in the photo at Walt Disney World are Kelsea Koonce Aslin of Jackson; Avery Arnold of Martin; Komori Brooks of Memphis; Chloe Cleveland of Hendersonville; Jayda Disney of Troy; Terrion Evans of Jackson; Sara Igo of North East, Maryland; Sophia Phelps of Jackson; Brianna Raspberry of Martin; Darby Self of Oakland; Stasi Solbrig of Carbondale, Illinois; Bryant Steele of Bartlett; Reese Ulen of Union City; Ryleigh Ulen of Union City; and Mage Wilke of Lebanon.
Appreciation to Ryleigh Ulen, editor-in-chief of The Pacer, for covering this story from her perspective as a participant. The Pacer student newspaper covers the University of Tennessee at Martin and provides news, sports, arts and opinion content online daily. Printed copies are available free on campus.
