Project Overview:
Pixar Place Hotel
I began my assignment as the Creative Director on the Pixar Place Hotel project in November of 2020. My role was to lead a diverse team of designers, technicians and contractors through the reimagining of the bygone Paradise Pier Hotel into a highly anticipated family destination. Together, the team created a compelling addition to the Disneyland Resort portfolio that met Pixar Animation Studio’s high standards of brand representation. The project is now seen as a benchmark to celebrate the successful collaboration between Pixar and Walt Disney Imagineering.
The transformation includes all guest-facing assets such as architecture, graphics, interiors, lighting, landscape, music, entertainment and costuming. In order to complete the project on an accelerated timeline, I gave purposeful, attainable direction to empower the team to make smart, thoughtful decisions. The hotel remained open and operational throughout construction to prevent revenue loss, meaning all creative direction needed to be solid to ensure that the construction impacts to the guest experience were minimal.
Multiple lines of business at the Disneyland Resort were integrated into the project across all stages of development. As the keeper of the overall vision, I customized creative assets according to each discipline's needs to ensure quality and consistency in every detail. The hotel has captured the imagination of Pixar fans from across the globe, especially Millennials and young families with a strong nostalgic connection to Pixar's iconic collection of stories.
Concept Development
FINAL PRODUCT - LOBBY AND PUBLIC SPACES
FINAL PRODUCT - EXTERIOR - RECREATION
INTERIOR - GUEST ROOMS
CHARACTER ENTERTAINMENT
My team worked closely with Disneyland’s Live Entertainment team and Pixar Animation Studios to design two new characters that are exclusive to the Pixar Place Hotel. Joe Gardner from Soul plays the piano live for guests in the lobby. The adorably huggable Bing Bong greets guests in the atrium as well as the Pool Deck.
CAST COSTUMING
The design process with the Disneyland Costuming team was a true collaborative dream. We worked closely together on textiles, patterns, fabrics and design motifs that are shared between the cast costumes and the hotel decor. Interweaving our designs helped build a strong visual identity throughout the hotel that can be felt in every detail.
MUSIC
We created a brand new signature soundtrack for the hotel that takes classic Pixar themes and gives them a “chill hop” twist. The new tracks help amplify the relaxing, optimistic and contemporary atmosphere of the hotel. The soundtrack is available now wherever you stream music (titled: Pixar Place Hotel).
