Location History
The Tomorrowland Speedway at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom lets guests take the wheel of a gas-powered race car and cruise along a scenic track. This classic attraction, inspired by the excitement of auto racing, features a winding course with gentle curves and small hills which drivers of all ages can experience. I re-imagined this classic attraction with a new theming inspired by Disney's film, "Wreck it Ralph" and the Sugar Rush Racers video game, and designed these Operational cast member costumes with both style and functionality in mind.
Design Inspiration
As a fan of the Wreck it Ralph film and the Tomorrowland Speedway attraction, I combined theming and stylistic choices from both sources to inspire my operational costume design. I started with the bold colors of dark teal and hot pink, and paired them with a graphic black and white checker print. My fictitious imagining of this attraction is themed around the character Vanellope Von Schweetz who's character design features striped leggings - an element that I referenced in the striped design of the shorts and pants. Vanellope's character has a special ability: her Glitch! I referenced her glitching power and digital "code" elements into the textile design of the checker print which fades out into a pixelated glitch print halfway down the shirt and bottoms. To finish the look I added pink piping, shoulder epaulette tabs, and a custom embroidered patch.
Cast & Production Considerations
As a former Attractions Cast Member, I am intimately familiar with how it feels to wear an issued costume at my work location, and how it feels to work long hours in hard Florida weather conditions. With these factors in mind, I put the comfort, safety, accessibility, and fashion of the Cast Members as my top priority.
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Because this is an outdoor attraction that is mostly uncovered with shade, I opted to give the cast options for short sleeves and shorts for the Florida summer heat, or a long pant option and convertible long sleeve shirt. The Cast at this location are required to wear steel-toed boots for their safety, so I incorporated that footwear style into the overall style of this costume. This costume is also a gender-neutral look with no specific garments associated to one gender, instead the cast may choose to wear whichever style of garment makes them most comfortable. There would be a short sleeve and a long sleeve top, offered in a unisex fit pattern, and a shorts and trousers/pants options in a straight and curvy fit patterns. This can cut down on production cost, make the attraction look more uniform and streamlined, and puts the cast's comfort at the forefront.
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