ima is continuing work with Gensler on Motiongate dubbed the “Hollywood in the desert”, a movie based theme park in Dubai, scheduled to open in October 2016 and anticipated to attract over three million visitors a year. ima’s role was to bring the creative vision and story into reality. This reality will come to life in the guest experience, the moment a guest walks through the front gates. The guests walk through the entry plaza and New York Street into the main hub connecting the lands of the park including Sony Pictures Studio, Smurfs Village, Dreamworks and Lionsgate.
ima’s area development created an experience that seamlessly immerses the guests into a world where meatballs fall from the sky and smurfs live in mushroom homes with the articulate design of paving, rails, walls and landscape to communicate the stories and uphold their intellectual properties. ima also envisioned utilizing mature trees and shrubs from the beginning to support the story and provide guest comfort in the Middle Eastern climate. This idea culminated in the procurement of 200 year old olive trees and matured vegetation from around the world that would enhance the guest experience and set a new standard for expectations in Dubai.
While working with Dubai Parks and Resorts, Gensler, Dynamic Engineering Consultants and other design consultants, ima was the connecting link for each group; creating a balance between the story, the guest experience and the budget with each group. With our reputation as an experienced theme park guest experience designer, we developed and executed with Dubai Parks and Resorts a strategy to successfully implement the project as a fast track development. We are looking forward continuing our relationship with Dubai Parks and Resorts in Phase 2.