Dine with an Imagineer/Animator

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Jun Sun 08, 2008 4:53 pm

Has anyone ever done this at DHS? I just found out about it on Dis...

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jun Sun 08, 2008 5:31 pm

I think this would be a good way for me to get stabbed with a fork during dinner. I wonder if the Imagineer has ever walked out...

SimonTemplar · Post by **SimonTemplar** » Jun Sun 08, 2008 11:43 pm

I've read several stories about it, and even a few that describe someone's actual experience. I think it's pretty pricey, but it would be interesting if you had the time to do it. From my recollection, it's a several hour time frame commitment.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 7:04 am

I did!

We did Dinner with an Imagineer in January 2004 (for my birthday). It was just me, my husband and an older couple who, from what I remember, had been given the dinner as a gift from their children. However, the dinner they were supposed to have was with an animator ... aaaand this was right after they canned all the animators in Florida. So they were a tad confused as to what the Imagineer did.

It was an awesome experience. The food at the Brown Derby was to die for, and you're in this little side 'bamboo room'. They made customized menus for all of us (to take home), and we each got a commemorative plate that our Imagineer, Eric (I think? I'd need to look it up), signed and wrote a message on at the end.

I remember it being about ... 2 hours? long. I think. It was really obvious why or how he got picked to do these dinners, too. He was just ... ultimate personable Disney. Really nice, happy to answer any questions about what he did and his history with the company, etc etc. He was actually fairly new to Florida, coming from Glendale. He'd only been there a year or so, and his most recent project was Mission:Space (actually one of the 'post-ride' games.. the one where you hop around in the little suit and try to get your guy to safety or whatever).

It was kind of hilarious after a while because he was so new to Florida, he didn't know some of the answers to questions about WDW that the older couple was asking and, not being able to help myself, I started answering them. Which, thankfully, he was totally cool with.

Once he and the Brown Derby manager had worked out how many times I'd been to WDW, they started suggesting other attractions in the area that we might do, too, which I thought was really nice of them. (I think the end recommendation was Gatorland).

With regard to any fork stabbing - to be honest, we weren't asking any questions like "Why do things suck now?" and I suspect if we had been he would have tactfully Disney-answered us away from that topic. (I mean, he's being paid to do this, he's not on his own time; he couldn't even have the wine pairings for the courses). That said, he did make some comments that suggested to me that things were a little weird in Glendale as far as job security and how the place is run. When I mentioned that I'd wanted to be an Imagineer way back when, but that I was a meteorologist now and didn't see how it'd work out, he was talking about how all kinds of bizarre professions end up under the blanket of WDI (I think the specific example he gave was someone studying pest management, like they do at Epcot). That, and a few other things, sort of gave a vague image of a typical bloated corporate entity, rather than a hive of super-creative people.

It was fascinating, anyway. I'm not sure I would do it again because a) it's expensive and b) it was really a perfect evening as it was and I'm not sure, 4 years down the road, if we'd get someone so bright-eyed. That and I'd be more likely to get fork-stabbed nowadays.

Anyway ... I could ramble about this for some time (read: tl;dr). If anyone has any specific questions, fire away.

wdwannabe · Post by **wdwannabe** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 1:06 pm

Oh WOW...this sounds like an once in a lifetime experience! I am so happy that you got to do this!

Do they keep the dinner small? Would more than 4 people be able to do this?

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 2:18 pm

Hmm good question. When we did it, I specifically remember when the manager came to get us he commented that it was a "nice small group" that night. I believe they said the dinners accommodated up to 12 people, but that may have changed in the past 4 years.

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 2:31 pm

Thanks DisBeamer for the info, it sounds like it was fun, but not the type of thing I'd like to try. I'd like to meet and imagineer one on one someday, but this doesn't seem like the way I'd like to do it... especially while eating with other people with all sorts of different opinions about Disney. I know I would probably let an untouchable question slip evetually (Horizons??). I don't think it's my cup of tea. It sounds like you had an awesome time though.

An animator on the other hand may be a different story, because I probably wouldn't try to critisize their work and simply ask questions about what it was like.

HakuOni · Post by **HakuOni** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 5:51 pm

WOW! thats very interesting i hope one day i could have dinner with an imagineer and maybe ask them about the area at epcot and wether or not they will bring the original figment ride back!

Imagination, imagination, one spark.......

metsofny · Post by **metsofny** » Jun Mon 09, 2008 11:56 pm

Yes, I have heard of it. my brother tells me he and he's family are trying it this summer. I have tried many of the WDW tours and think they're great. They can sometimes be expensive, but some are a low $50 I would consider lunch with an Imagineer to fall under these types of tours.

metsofny · Post by **metsofny** » Jun Tue 10, 2008 12:02 am

HakuOni wrote:WOW! thats very interesting i hope one day i could have dinner with an imagineer and maybe ask them about the area at epcot and wether or not they will bring the original figment ride back!

Imagination, imagination, one spark.......

I absolutely agree, bring the original figment ride back! I can't understand how that new ride even came to be. The old one is my favorite ride. bust out the old blueprints and rebuild it, whatever the cost.

"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation"

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Jun Tue 10, 2008 11:09 pm

Cheshire Cat wrote:Thanks DisBeamer for the info, it sounds like it was fun, but not the type of thing I'd like to try. I'd like to meet and imagineer one on one someday, but this doesn't seem like the way I'd like to do it... especially while eating with other people with all sorts of different opinions about Disney. I know I would probably let an untouchable question slip evetually (Horizons??). I don't think it's my cup of tea. It sounds like you had an awesome time though.

An animator on the other hand may be a different story, because I probably wouldn't try to critisize their work and simply ask questions about what it was like.

No problem.

And I agree; when you have strong feelings about the direction of WDI and whatnot, it could make for a really uncomfortable dinner. Especially if you're with people who worship or won't question anything Disney does, and who'd take criticism or 'controversial' questions as personally offensive. I figure the older couple we were dining with were the exception, in that they didn't have the first clue who they were eating with (though to be fair, they were supposed to be doing the animator meal). I suspect most people who shell out the money for that dinner have a real interest in WDI. If there was some way you could have dinner with just your party and the imagineer, that'd be one thing, but I think it'd be difficult when you don't know what kind of group you'd end up with.

I would have loved to try the animator one too. S'a shame they don't have any there anymore.

Joe90 · Post by **Joe90** » Jun Sat 14, 2008 12:40 pm

Captain Schnemo wrote:I think this would be a good way for me to get stabbed with a fork during dinner. I wonder if the Imagineer has ever walked out...

He/she is an Imagineer!!!!!

I would hope to be stabbed by a self sharpening, coil gun propelled, laser spoon at the very least. Then they can float out of there hover boots leaving me amazed.

And if they aren't thinking along these lines when I meet them then they aren't the Imagineers I expect them to be

I would really like to try this experience just to see what it is like. (The dinner not the stabbing)

Figment of Imagination · Post by **Figment of Imagination** » Jun Sat 28, 2008 12:22 pm

My brother tells me he and he's family are going to it this summer. Their gonna tell me how it went. I ask his family what questions they had planed to ask the Imagineer, and they said they didn't even though. I thought WOW I would have a ton of questions waiting for the chance to ask them. I hope its as good as some of the other side tours.