“Guests have become more sophisticated and our product needs to follow suit.”

Disney Theme Parks have always been at the top when it comes to large scale, interactive entertainment attractions. Doris Hardoon is a legendary Imagineer, and we don’t use that term lightly. Her creative vision has graced every Disney Castle Park on the planet, from EPCOT to Disneyland and Disneyland Paris to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Cruise Line, and beyond.

Doris took a break from Disney to run her own design firm working on museums and other interactive design, but she returned to Disney as the executive creative director and producer for Shanghai Disney Resort. Her career at Disney theme parks and entertainment design has spanned over four decades. She joins us on REPOD to share her design philosophy and some life advice for aspiring designers. She’s had a very interesting path in her career, starting with working as a model and becoming a well-known folk singer in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 70s.

I especially enjoyed hearing her talk about working on the global theme parks and how “It’s important to culturally understand who you’re creating the happiest places on earth for.” She talks about how to design spaces that appeal to the local audience while still maintaining an authentic Disney experience.

She’s now turned much of her time to mentoring the next generation of entertainment designers. In this episode, Doris shares some reflections and advice on how to build the right team to support your creative vision. She also talks about how to manage corporate politics, especially when it comes to large creative companies like Walt Disney Imagineering. Doris Hardoon is a true legend, and I hope you find this episode as inspiring as I did.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 03:08 Doris’ Early Career in Hong Kong
• 07:45 Transition to the United States
• 10:12 Joining Disney Imagineering
• 26:17 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 28:09 Designing for Global Audiences
• 38:09 Freelance Career and Return to Disney
• 44:03 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 45:38 Returning to Disney: Changes and Challenges
• 49:46 Balancing Creativity and Business
• 52:33 The Importance of Knowing Your Strengths and Weaknesses
• 53:15 Learning Design and the Role of Emotional Intelligence
• 57:15 Navigating Failure and Respect in Team Dynamics
• 59:31 The Impact of IP on Theme Parks
• 01:01:20 Advice for Current Park Designers
• 01:02:55 Mentoring the Next Generation
• 01:06:32 Sponsor Break: Cogs By Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
• 01:07:16 Receiving the Disney Legend Award
• 01:09:58 What Comes Next
• 01:13:49 Credits

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Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Doris Hardoon LinkedIn
• Walt Disney Legend Award
• Doris Hardoon Folk singing album from 70s

About Doris Hardoon

Doris Hardoon began her illustrative career as a graphic designer at Marine World Africa USA, a privately owned family theme park in Northern California. This invaluable experience introduced her to the world of entertainment design.

In 1979 Hardoon was hired by Disney Legends Marty Sklar, John Hench and Rolly Crump as a junior designer at WED Enterprises (current Walt Disney Imagineering), quickly evolving into lead designer, creative director and producer on projects, not exclusive to the Land Pavilion and seven World Showcase cultural galleries at EPCOT Center, Disneyland Anaheim, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Cruise Line, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Disney urban entertainment centers, nationwide.

Hardoon went on to become a senior executive creative director, producer, and creative portfolio lead for several theme parks and resorts, such as the designed-but-never-built WESTCOT Center in Anaheim and Long Beach DisneySeas projects. Hardoon is one of the few creative executives to have contributed her design and leadership skills to all six Disney Magic Kingdom theme parks in the world. During her career at Walt Disney Imagineering, Hardoon was also one of a few creative executives responsible for the design and implementation of large-scale, non-Disney installations such as Autry Museum of the American West and Port Discovery, the Baltimore Children’s Museum.

Upon successfully leading her team to completing the original Hong Kong Disneyland concept and actively participating in the signing agreement with the Hong Kong Government, Hardoon left Imagineering for nine years to spend time with her family while continuing her design career in the entertainment industry as the co-founder and owner of Taft Design + Associates. In 2009, she was invited to rejoin Imagineering as one of the executive creative leaders on the Shanghai Disney Resort project.

In her role as executive creative director and producer for Shanghai Disney Resort, Hardoon provided overall design, creative direction and team guidance which included designers, artists, writers, architects, operators, and consulting partners in developing the overarching concepts for specific areas within the theme park and overall resort. Her leadership directive included Bob Iger’s design philosophy “Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese” throughout the resort. Once the concepts have been defined, she then followed through with internal talent and valued global consulting teams in bringing the ideas into reality, while always maintaining the vision of the original concepts throughout the process.

Upon recent retirement from Walt Disney Imagineering after four+ decades, Hardoon launched her D•Design Consultancy Studio so she may continue to influence her creative acumen with emphasis on innovative artistry and design for present and future generations in the entertainment industry. Additionally, Hardoon continued to expand upon her initiative, the Global Connections Collective by building upon relationships and connections with various professionals and academic institutions for the benefit of the emerging next generation of talent.

Hardoon is of Eurasian descendant, born and raised in Hong Kong with family roots in Shanghai, China. She graduated from California College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design with Distinction. Hardoon is the first Eurasian woman recipient of the 2022 TEA Buzz Price THEA Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements Award and was honored by The Walt Disney Company as the first Walt Disney Imagineering Eurasian Creative Executive with the 2022 Disney Legends Award.

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