~Disney Based Curriculum~
Millikin University has strong connections to Disney! Over the years faculty across campus have taught classes specific to their discipline that included trips to the Disney parks, meetings with experts, and alumni working in Disney entertainment and corporate environments. Most of these experiences are offered during January or summer immersions.
Since 2015, the School of Theatre and Dance has offered a Disney travel class. The most common class offered is Designing Disney.
TH 355: Designing Disney
A travel course that engages students with the traditions and innovations of design as seen in the shows, environments, and experiences of Walt Disney World. Students will meet with designers and others critical to the production of entertainment at WDW parks.
Other Theatre based Disney travel opportunities have been in the New Musicals Workshop class and Disney’s American Past and Future - “The Prologue & The Promise” class.
~Testimonials~
“The Designing Disney course gave me my first glimpse into the field of immersive themed entertainment. Now I work to create immersive experiences for guests from around the world. Having this kind of background knowledge and networking when jumping into the field has been a significant advantage along my journey.” ~ Emilio Canals
“I have always been someone who pays attention to detail, but rediscussing topics such as balance, contrast, line, shape, texture, and others made me really take time in the parks. One specific example of this is when we went to Animal Kingdom in the night time and took a walk around the world of Pandora. During our walk through we made the time to touch as much as we could and look at everything we could. At the park, we noticed things such a thrones on the trees, glowing the dark splatters on the pavement, and different types of lights that were used. Without taking this class I do not think I would have even considered everything that went in to creating the park. Paying attention to the design aspects of the park expanded my world view as it made me think about how much planning it takes to create a park and how imagineers have to consider the impact of what they are creating.” ~ Julia Mlynowski
“While learning about the different processes, we also had amazing interactions with professional designers and Imagineers that will stick with me forever as once in a lifetime experiences. Watching the way these people talked about their work as something they look forward to and still keeping the magic alive…was inspiring to me. As a performer and storyteller, talking with them really gave me insight into how I want to present myself and my ideas.” ~ Antonio Cruz