Rio Oro
Rio Oro is an immersive nature theme park concept created for the 2018 Walt Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition.
Paula was responsible for story development, concept art, attraction design & illustrations.
See all of Paula’s Writing HERE
During the age of gold mining, the town of Eldoradoville was packed with miners, eager to take all the treasure they could away from the earth. As the town grew and became riddled with saloons and patrons, the river that ran coyly by the town suddenly became enraged. A vicious flood fell flowing down on the town, erasing all traces of Eldoradoville from the surface of the San Gabriel mountains. Legend says that all that remained was a man and his donkey, who escaped the flood unharmed and retreated into the surrounding forest, never to be seen again.
Rio Oro offers a variety of family and eco-friendly experiences, like the solar-powered Mind Carts, which will take guests into the subterranean caves of Eldoradoville and introduce them to an ecosystem born from the submerged remains of the mining town. Families wishing to extend their stay at Rio Oro and experience the thrills of nature can do so at our greenhouse camping experience. The temperature-regulated camping structure is fueled by locally-produced biomass energy year-round, and gives patrons insight into a fully self-sustained living experience. All overnight guests will be given seeds to contribute to Rio Oro’s dynamic ecosystem as they depart. By using sustainable methods and almost exclusively renewable resources, Rio Oro promises to set a new standard for eco- entertainment.
This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are exclusive to Walt Disney Imagineering
The competition is a way for students and recent graduates to showcase their talents and for Walt Disney Imagineering to identify new talent
Guest Experience
Rio Oro envisions a new kind of Eldoradoville, wherein traces of the past intertwine with sustainable ideals to create a family experience in the wild that is unlike any other. Come along and discover what happened after the flood. Explore subterranean caves filled with strange glistening creatures. Take a donkey ride and learn about the history of the town and why the earth became so angry with its inhabitants. Dine in a paddle- powered restaurant overlooking a national forest. Here, conscious technology joins specialized design to bring your family a thrilling adventure in a new kind of national park.
