Disney Parks Lead the 2021 Thea Awards
Disney Parks won three Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association this year, including a lifetime achievement honor for the President of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Disney also won awards for its Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway attractions. Other theme park attraction winners included Universal Orlando's The Bourne Stuntacular and PortAventura's Sesame Street: Street Mission. And this year's Thea Classic Award goes to England's Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
The Themed Entertainment Association's Thea Awards honor outstanding achievements in the industry and are selected by a committee of design professionals, led this year by Dave Cobb. Here is the complete list of this year's winners, along with links to our coverage of some of these productions.
The Buzz Price Thea Award – Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements: Bob Weis, Walt Disney Imagineering. [Read our new interview today with Bob.]
TEA Peter Chernack Distinguished Service Award (recognizing exceptional volunteer service to the association): Dale Sprague, Canyon Creative
Thea Classic: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement:
- The Bourne Stuntacular, Universal Studios Florida (Live Attraction Spectacular) [Here's How Universal Brought its Bourne Stunt Show to Life]
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Attraction) [The Making of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway]
- Sesame Street: Street Mission, PortAventura World (Attraction) [These Artists Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street]
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland (Attraction) [Disney's New Rise of the Resistance Tops All Theme Park Rides]
- The Twilight Saga: Midnight Ride, Lionsgate Entertainment World (Attraction)
- Snorri Touren, Europa Park (Attraction Limited Budget)
- Qu Yuan, Jingzhou Oriental Heritage Park (Live Show Spectacular)
- Les Quais de Lutèce Hotel, Parc Astérix (Themed Hotel)
- Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore (Airport Destination Experience)
- The Nest, Los Angeles (Connected/Immersive Storytelling)
- D.R.E.A.M. Centre, Chailey Heritage Foundation, Lewes, UK (Immersive Design for Special Needs Guests)
- St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station (Entrance Experience Limited Budget)
- “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall,” National Geographic Museum, Washington DC (Museum Exhibit Design, Limited Budget)
- Amazing Pollinators (Touring Exhibition, Limited Budget)
- ARGUS LED Dome System (Technical Innovation)
- Tait Navigator Automation and Show Control Platform (Technological Innovation of Industry Significance)
The Thea Awards typically are presented during a black-tie dinner at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim each spring, however, both this year's and next year's award ceremonies have been canceled due to the pandemic. This year's winners will be honored during a series of Digital Case Studies, starting next summer.
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