A permanent gated education attraction, The Arabia Experience brought together the sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes of the exotic Middle East in an authentically recreated living history and storytelling experience that combined education and entertainment to engage guests.
Craftspeople, storytellers, multimedia attractions, unique film and dining experiences, craft shops and more brought the world of Arabian culture to realistic life for visitors.
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games asked us to review and consult on the design of Olympic Park for the 2012 Games, where we focused on enhancing the entire guest experience, including recommendations for guest flow and masterplanning, live entertainment, retail, food and beverage, nomenclature and wayfinding, spectator engagement, venues, sponsorship experiences, and much, much more.
This extensive report became an operational “bible” for the London Games, used through opening day as a planning and implementation guide. We have since become the “go-to” resource for the International Olympic Committee as “Spectator Experience Experts”; Thinkwell co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Craig Hanna has spoken in Lucerne, Switzerland at IOC workshops with all future Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games.
Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum of Natural History wanted to inspire urban kids to explore their own backyard, one of the nation’s most diverse urban forests.
In contrast to typical didactic exhibits, NatureQuest’s content is instead embedded everywhere, engaging the senses using sound, touch, and sight to immerse visitors in an 8,000-square-foot, nature-inspired environment that comes to life around them using a combination of high technology and tried-and-true play environments and theatrical techniques—with everything designed to be species-accurate to the regional ecosystems of the Southeast.
Designed to be fun and exploratory, the Naturequest exhibition takes children from their own backyard to the forest, the beach, the mountains, and even underwater!
Thinkwell was challenged to develop an Entertainment Master Plan providing engaging entertainment solutions for Dubai’s bid for the 2020 World Expo.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” is at the core of the Entertainment Master Plan: a diverse program that encourages multicultural connectivity in a variety of exciting and surprising new ways—with dynamic content that entertains, educates, and ultimately inspires all who attend.
From dramatic spectaculars and thought-provoking theatrical presentations to whimsical street performances and playful digital interactive experiences, the Entertainment Master Plan invites guests to connect with other cultures, immerse themselves in the spirit of innovation and creativity, and join in the imagination of amazing worldwide visions for the future.
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition sweeps guests into a dynamic exploration of the world of Panem and the historical, scientific, and cultural contexts of the blockbuster films.
Iconic costumes and props from The Hunger Games are exhibited in detailed set recreations, highlighting the technological wizardry and amazing artistry that brought these scenes to life. High-tech and hands-on interactives let guests dive into exciting behind-the-scenes content, create their own contributions to the world of the films, and discover a whole new side of the stories that took the world by storm through this immersive experience.
This flexibly designed touring exhibit does more than just reveal the remarkable work that went into building the world of the films; it frames the artifacts of the movies within their contexts as touchstones—to inspire with their artistry, to ignite curiosity, and to kindle conversation and maybe even action that will last long after guests leave the exhibit hall.
Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone is Georgia Aquarium’s newest interactive gallery that invites guests of all ages to embark on an educational journey.
Aquanaut Adventure is a unique experience that allows parents and children to learn about aquatic life during their expedition through a variety of immersive environments. The gallery offers guests the chance to compete in a series of entertaining STEM-related challenges that provide the opportunity to become a certified Georgia Aquarium Aquanaut.
Designed to be fun and exploratory, the exhibition takes children from their own backyard to the forest, the beach, the mountains, and even underwater!
In collaboration with Warner Bros., Thinkwell opened Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter in 2012. Dozens of original sets and hundreds of authentic costumes and props are showcased in a 150,000 square foot (14,000 sqm) soundstage. Over 100 minutes of original media featuring the cast and crew immerses guests in the exceptional creativity and craftsmanship that brought the films to life, and goes far beyond behind the scenes with an award-winning handheld Digital Guide narrated by cast member Tom Felton.
Since opening in 2012, Thinkwell has continued to collaborate with Warner Bros. on various expansions and upgrades to the tour, including the addition of the the original Hogwarts Express steam engine and a recreation of Platform 9 3⁄4, as well as a recreation of the Forbidden Forest. These expansions are part of the remarkable, one-of-a-kind attraction that explores the cinematic history of Harry Potter at the very studio where the entire series was filmed for over a decade.
The award-winning attraction has welcomed more than 10 million guests since opening and continues to be one of the highest grossing attractions in the world.
The finale to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Stage 48: Script to Screen is an interactive soundstage that explores the phases of the film and television production process.
Housed in a 25,000-square-foot facility, Stage 48 is an immersive attraction that provides visitors with a hands-on introduction to the world of filmmaking and includes interactive features and exhibits that highlight the phases of the production process, from screenwriting and set design to visual effects and post-production. Visitors will not only be able to see authentic costumes, sets, and models from films and TV shows like The Dark Knight, Corpse Bride, Friends, and Two and a Half Men, they’ll also be able to interact with various elements that explore and explain the production process from start to finish.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is a unique, fun and interactive arts center that showcases the art of puppetry, provides context for the artifact collection, and gives guests of all ages an opportunity to explore puppetry in new ways.
Thinkwell designed and produced the new Worlds of Puppetry Museum inside the Center for Puppetry Arts. The museum is divided into two sections, the Jim Henson Collection gallery, which contains the largest collection of Jim Henson artifacts, and the Global Collection gallery, which contains puppets and artifacts from around the world.