D23 has released the latest episode of their D23 Inside Disney podcast, and featured within is an interview with Imagineer Michael Hundgen all about the newly announced Storyliving by Disney, the magical, new Disney-branded communities planned for Palm Springs.
Prior to the interview, our hosts Jeffrey R. Epstein, Sheri Henry and Tony Morrison cover some of the latest news from around the world of Disney, including:
Following the latest news, the hosts are joined by Walt Disney Imagineering executive producer Michael Hundgen. He speaks at length about Disney’s new Storyliving initiative. Of course, as with any project, everything announced so far is just proposed, so things could change time and time again. At the core of the project is people coming together to work and live in a community.
The community will be known as Cotino and is being built in Rancho Mirage, California — a Coachella Valley city where Walt himself once owned a home. WDI is focused on defining what is the story of the site itself, harkening back to the days of Walt himself. Walt Disney actually had a home in Palm Springs, named Smoke Tree Ranch. The name Cotino is a shortened name of cotinus, the genus species name for the smoke tree, which ties the name right back to Walt.
Included at the heart of the project will be a Town Center that will be open to the public, with a beautiful lagoon in the middle of Cotino. A hotel is planned for a future phase of the development. Cotino is one square mile and is one of the few areas of that part of the valley that has not been developed.
When people hear Disney and communities, they’ll probably think of the town of Celebration or Golden Oak at Walt Disney World. Hundgen says they’re lucky because Disney has worked in this area before, but on a different scale. What makes Storyliving different from previous efforts, is how it will tie into the area that it is located. They’re not bringing Fantasyland to the Valley Mirage, they’re bringing more of what makes the Valley great back into the community. Cotino’s architecture will be based on different time periods of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley’s history. It will celebrate all of those time periods while also adapting to the future.
Now don’t expect Cotino to be a completely Disney experience like Aulani, but something more subtle. The “Disney difference” will show up through cast members, placemaking and programming/activation. Much like Disneyland’s original philosophy, it’s a living breathing thing that will be ever changing. Many elements of Cotino will be operated by Disney cast members, but there will also be a mix of third party retailers.
Disney at Cotino is placemaking. The clubhouse is the best creative studio, which will take inspiration from different artistic disciplines. Hundgen teases many different ideas, including perhaps a bar inspired by a writer’s room. Disney things likely to show up at Cotino could be something like a Food and Wine Festival, or a holiday season similar to the parks.
The beautiful Crystal Lagoon right in the middle of Cotino will feature areas for residents and guests to swim and may also include other water activities for residents and the public. Residents that buy into the development will be able to tailor their home style to something that fits Disney’s story but also fits their interests. The Imagineers are currently playing with what Disney signature elements they could bring to the homes, teasing the possibility of specially designed rooms.
There will be neighborhoods dedicated to seniors 55+, but the storytelling won’t be any different. A small amenity is being developed just for seniors. All neighborhoods will have a unique color scheme to them, with street names also inspired by the color wheel.
There’s currently no target date for the completion of Phase 1, however site work will begin in the next few months. More info will be revealed over the course of the year, with more announcements expected at the D23 Expo in September. Hundgen hopes that they’ll be able to develop more Storyliving locations following Cotino, and he notes that many locations throughout the US could perfectly infuse local storytelling with Disney.
Click here to listen to Episode 127 of the D23 Inside Disney podcast.