Behind the Magic
HP technology helps Disney dreams come true
By Joan Tharp
It's T-minus 30 days and counting until the big launch event for Mission: SPACE, the HPsponsored thrill ride at Walt Disney World. And while there will be a lot of hoopla around the
October 9 event, Mission: SPACE is just the latest expression of how the magic of the Walt
Disney Company relies on the technology of HP.
The mouse has been in the garage from the early days, when Disney was one of HP's first
customers and used the company's 200B resistance-capacity audio oscillators to create the
soundtrack to the 1940 classic animated
movie, "Fantasia." Today, Disney and HP are in a broad corporate alliance, which Compaq
brought to the table when HP acquired it in 2002. But HP has long been a technology provider
behind the magic of Disney. As Disney's official
technology partner, HP provides the company with products and services used across the globe
in its internal operations, resorts and parks. It's a $50 to $60 million (US) a year business for HP,
and it's a meshing of creative minds from two of the world's most well-known and well-respected
consumer brands.
HP everywhere
Disney uses about 70,000 HP personal computers, 14,000 HP printers, and more than 10,000 HP
workstations and servers. Disney employees around the world count on HP — the girl at the gate
checking guests in to Disneyland uses an HP PC, designers in the feature animation group use
HP's Linux-based workstations and IA-32-based servers to create the next generation of digital
animation, and the corporate IT department works with HP Services to figure out how to put voice
over data networks.
In addition, the Walt Disney Internet Group, which manages Disney's Web presence, uses HP
ProLiant servers and HP Services to handle traffic to Disney's Web properties, such as
Disney.com, ESPN.com, ABC.com and ABCNews.com.
From fireworks to Mars
HP also sponsors attractions and rides at Disney's two major U.S. resorts:
Disneyland in Anaheim, California; and Disney World in Orlando, Florida. At Disneyland, HP PCs
were used to help design and develop the "Believe — There's Magic in the Stars" fireworks show,
and they run the controls for the equipment that launches the fireworks and coordinates the
music. You'll also find HP printers and the new Media Center PC in the "Innoventions" technology
pavilion at Disneyland.
Mission: SPACE launch
Although Mission: SPACE opened to the public in August, Disney and HP will hold a major launch
event on October 9 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The CEOs of both companies will be
there, along with VIP customers. hpNOW will post coverage of the event, including a detailed
summary and photos.
But it's at the mammoth Disney World where HP will soon show it's got the right stuff as the
sponsor of Mission: SPACE at the resort's Epcot theme park. The ride is Disney's most
technologically advanced attraction. HP and Disney worked together to come up with the story
behind the ride, which simulates a rocket flight
to Mars. Because HP technology is crucial to real NASA space flights HP's perspective on the
role of technology in space flights helped Disney make this space trip rich and authentic. Disney
"Imagineers" (the engineers who create its attractions) and a key member of HP's Disney alliance
team even attended a one-day astronaut training boot camp at NASA for a day, to help them
really feel what was necessary to make the ride realistic.
The trip continues
After Mission: SPACE riders return to Earth and depart their spacecraft (some of
them on shaky legs, if trials of the ride are any indication), they'll walk into the
"Advanced Training Lab," which is the HP-sponsored and equipped post show.
Phil Wood, who heads up the Disney global alliance team, says the post show is
intentionally designed to continue the fun and tell more of Hip’s brand story, rather than be a
place to pitch products, as is the case with most post shows.
"Most post-show sponsors do a heavy product spin," Wood explained. "But if I'm
on vacation, I don't want to be sold to; I want to have a fun experience. So what
we're trying to do is to convey the HP brand story in a fun and relevant way that
delivers on the 'Enjoy More' premise. We want to build a relationship with Disney guests, so that
at the end of their visit to Mission: SPACE, they perceive HP as a cool and exciting company."
Among the fun things to do in the post show is a "Space Race," where two teams use a network
of HP workstations to compete at completing a successful mission to Mars by solving puzzles that
help their spacecraft go faster.
You also can use HP equipment to create and e-mail postcards (that include a video clip of
yourself as an astronaut, if you like), and play a video game in which you conduct a search-andrescue mission for fellow space-goers lost on Mars.
Better together
While Mission: SPACE shows what HP and Disney think could happen in the very distant future,
the two companies are collaborating on a much closer future: the merging of entertainment and
technology products. Consumers increasingly use their computers to watch movies, listen to
music and play games. As the "entertainment PC" evolves, companies like Disney want to make
sure that a good chunk of what people watch, hear and do on it has digital mouse ears. HP, of
course, is interested in partnering with content creators and providers like Disney to build this
market. The technology ties between the companies are getting stronger. Staffs from both
companies’ R&D organizations — HP Labs and Disney Imagineering — have swapped visits. HP
Labs' Director Dick Lampman has presented to Disney business executives at their New
Technology Forum and an HP representative sits on the Disney World Chief Information Officer
technology architecture council.
In addition, the companies are exploring projects in the areas of rich media, storage, security
services, Utility Data Center and application development (the latter using a middleware product
from Extreme Logic, which HP acquired last month).
A headset for the world
HP and Disney have already produced a product together: a headset that gives
non-English speaking guests at the entertainment giant's resorts translations
of the stories that are part of the various rides and attractions. For example, when a guest from
Korea walks into the "Country Band Jamboree" attraction at Disney World, the headset starts
playing the songs in Korean, in sync with the characters' movements on stage.
The headset grew out of an idea Disney had for a handheld device that would provide information
about attractions in the parks. Disney began developing the idea with Compaq, its technology
partner at the time. Eventually, handhelds were deemed too fragile and awkward for guests and
Disney decided to focus on an MP3-based headset. Although HP exited the MP3 business after
the merger, the Compaq team on the Disney account kept the project alive, knowing it would
show Disney the kind of commitment they could expect from the new HP.
HP shepherded the project through to completion and arranged for the headsets to be built by
one of the company's contract manufacturers. Disney World now offers the headsets, which will
eventually be offered at other Disney parks as well.
The headset is just one example of how Disney can help HP learn about making consumer
products that are simple and fun to use. HP, in turn, can help Disney use technology to create
more and better magic — particularly for today's generation of computer-savvy kids who
sometimes think technology is cooler than magic.
Clearly, both companies expect to gain plenty from this corporate alliance as the borders between
the technology and entertainment industries disappear. As Disney President Robert Iger told
Forbes magazine recently, "When we look at how Disney will grow, it's through a few key
partnerships. (HP is) more than a partner — we have a lot of common interests."
Employees welcome
Want priority seating on a rocket to Mars? Starting in mid-October, employees and retirees who
come to Disney World can visit a special employee lounge set up at the Mission: SPACE
attraction to sip a drink and get VIP seats. All you have to do is show your HP ID badge when you
enter the ride and proceed to the Welcome Center — open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern time)
on weekdays.
Discount tickets
Want cheap seats to Mars? Employees and retirees can purchase discounted tickets to Disney
World in Orlando, Florida. All orders must be placed at least four weeks in advance of your visit
and paid for by credit card. There's a limit of 20 tickets per calendar year. After October 13,
employees can place an order by:
Visiting the HP Employee Programs website and completing an order form
Calling (407) 560-8000 to receive an order form by fax or through the mail.
Tickets available to employees at HP discounted prices of 12 percent include (all prices include
tax):
One Day, One Park — Admission for one day to one of the four parks in Disney World:
either Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios or Animal Kingdom. $48.78 (US) per adult.
$39.27 per child.
Four-Day Park Hopper — Admission for four days to any of the four Disney World parks.
$194.94 per adult. $156.52 per child.
Five-Day Park Hopper: Admission for five days to any of the four Disney World parks.
$224.00 per adult. $179.95 per child
Six-Day Park Hopper: Admission for six days to any of the four parks, plus three visits to
your choice of either:
Downtown Disney Pleasure Island, River Country Water Park, Blizzard Beach Water
Park, Typhoon Lagoon Water Park or the Wide World of Sport Complex. $280.24 per adult.
$224.93 per child. (Admission to sporting events at the sport complex is not included in the sixday pass and must be purchased separately.)