Collegiate Times

Even as a child, when Adam Ressa wished upon a star, his wish was to work for Disney. “Ever since I was little I think my parents have always said I was perfect to be an Imagineer,” said Ressa, 2010 Virginia Tech industrial engineering and theater arts graduate and part of one of the local teams of finalists in the Walt Disney ImagiNations  Design Competition.

A quick Google search lead him to the competitions page, Ressa quickly assembled a team consisting of fellow Tech 2010 graduate Jessica Long and James Madison University alumni Ryan Holman and James Loizou.

Ressa said he asked Long to join the team because “she’s a MacGyver with Craft making.” Loizou has been his best friend since kindergarten.

Long studied computer art while Holm and Loizou both graduated from the JMU’s School of Media and Design in 2009.

Together, they spent countless hours drawing up plans for The Millennial Museum, an interactive attraction based on the 2008 film WALL-E.

The multifaceted attraction gives visitors the unique opportunity to jump 1000 years into the future and look back at 21st century culture through eyes of WALL-E and the crew of the Axiom, who comically misinterpret everything they find.

“They find a fork and think it’s a hair brush,” Ressa said. “It’s a fun way for us to look at our own society today.”

The museum includes collections of plant species, the largest in the year 3000, as well a chance to excavate the ruins of the 21st century via The Big Dig. After digging up a hefty appetite, guests can head to the nutrition station to get a taste of some exotic food of the millennium.

Guests also have the chance to visit the junkyard WALL-E calls home and meet some of the film’s famous robots.

“We worked really hard,” said Long of the obviously tedious and well-planned presentation. “When we got the call (from Disney), we really buckled down.”

The team spent what Ressa referred to as “an invaluable amount of hours” working on not only the logistics of the attraction, but also the minute details that Disney is famous for. The members also wanted to replicate Disney’s “very strong truth in design.”

The preparation wasn’t all pen and paper designs. The team took weekend trips to museums for research and watched the film countless times.

“I think we’ve watched it four times just in the three days before we left,” Ressa said.

The teams presented their planned attractions to 25 Imagineering executives from all of aspects of Disney, including businessmen, artists and architects.

The day before presenting to the board, all six finalist teams had the opportunity to present to each other. Both Long and Ressa expressed their genuine appreciation for the other teams’ concepts and planning.

“I loved everyone’s ideas,” said Ressa.

While they didn’t place first for best in show, the team views the real prize as the experience itself. “Winning is really going there and meeting people,” Ressa said. “I’ve never learned while interviewing for a job before meeting these people.”

Ressa will be interning with Disney for products and set dressing, which means he makes sure the experience of the ride or attraction is always same. “If you ride it twice and don’t notice anything, I’m doing my job.”

While he can’t pick just one, WALL-E is among his favorite Disney films.

Long has multiple upcoming job interviews and a bright future ahead of her — and her favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast.

Of the experience and his future with Disney, Ressa reflects on his Disney experience with pride.

“I’m going to steal a quote from Walt Disney, “This isn’t just a dream come true, this is a reality.”

A version of this article appeared in the Jun 24 issue of the Collegiate Times.