The Society of Explorers and Adventurers: How the Disney Community came together to Unearth Disney's In-Park Secret Universe
The Scavenger Hunt Begins
Under the noses of park guests, Disney Imagineering has hidden a story connecting multiple attractions and dining locations across the parks around the world. This idea began as a reference to the now defunct Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney (renamed Disney Springs in recent years).
The story begins when Tokyo DisneySea opened in 2001, and it weaved a story about a club of explorers throughout the park. The entrance of the park is an Italian city, home of the society's headquarters Fortress Explorations. At the fortress, guests can eat at one of three restaurants or participate in a quest set out for them by the ghost of Leonardo da Vinci to study the volcano of the "Mysterious Island" in another area of the park.
The Society of Explorers and Adventurers (also known as the SEA) was created to build a theme for this new park, but it become so much more as was soon discovered. Previous attractions were adapted into the story and old ideas were repurposed.
Discovery Bay
When asked to design a new land for Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Tony Baxter, legendary Disney Imagineer, came up with an idea that would tie his previous attraction, Big Thunder Mountain Railway, to a Jules Verne inspired world. The story centered on a character named Jason Chandler in a land known as Discovery Bay. Discovery Bay was to have several attractions devoted to the works of Jules Verne such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Island at the Top of the World.
Many ideas of this land have been repurposed into other parks around the world. Jason Chandler plays an important role in the story of Big Thunder Mountain Railway and has since become a member of the SEA. Along with the Adventures Club, many of those trying to piece together the story of the SEA see Discovery Bay as on of the beginning pillars of this universe.
Members Around the World
The world of the SEA has begun to incorporate different staples of the Disney parks, from haunted mansions to singing tiki birds to the kids clubs on the cruise lines. With every new restaurant, attraction, or park update, fans have begun looking for familiar character names or references. It is common for a character to be tied to more than one place. A prime example of this is Mary Oceaneer.
It was easy to see that this captain had obvious ties to the cruise line with their kids' clubs the Oceaneer's Club and the Oceaneer's Lab. What is less obvious is her tie to the traditional pirate night during each cruise. According to the story, Oceaneer was a fan of pirates and enjoyed having a night when she and her crew would dress as them during voyages. Along with this is her connection to Typhoon Lagoon. With the addition of "Miss Adventures Falls" to the water park, it became clear the Oceaneer was the one to discover the island the park is designed to be.
Another notable member is Jock Lindsey from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. When creating the story for the renamed Disney Springs, it was decided that Disney would use the newly acquired Lucas Film property as part of it. The story states that Lindsey discovered the spring and budding town while he was searching for the Fountain of Youth with Indiana Jones and decided to open an airplane hanger there where he invited his friends from the SEA to come to. This hanger has become "Jock Lindsey's Hanger Bar."
How the Internet Came Into Play
The fact that Disney was up to something only became clear about 10 years ago. As it is near impossible to go to every park around the world to look for the references to tie the story together, teamwork became a necessity.
Hong Kong guests were treated to a haunting tale of a disgraced member on the "Jungle Cruise" during the Halloween season of 2015 with the "Jungle Cruise: Curse of the Emerald Trinity" story. As this adventure was not available in English, the story had to be shared by those who experienced it and were able to understand it. In this story, we were treated to the knowledge that Indiana Jones is also a member of the society.
Many fans of this universe are already preparing themselves to find plenty of references and secrets in the upcoming film Jungle Cruise, as the trailer has already referenced the SEA member related to the ride, Dr. Albert Falls.
Why has this story come this far?
The current challenge we find ourselves facing is why this story has continued to be told. When Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, more was added to the story tying Expedition Everest and the 2001 film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The story originated as a replacement to the Twilight Zone, due to it not being as recognizable in Japan. Nonetheless, the story has obviously continued to grow.
In order to not offend the culture of the Chinese citizens, Disney chose to bring the SEA back when designing a haunted mansion-esque attraction for Hong Kong Disneyland. Looking at these two instances of the society, it can only be assumed that the story was only used when something needed to be replaced at first. But this is Disney, meaning they saw an opportunity in front of them.
In a similar manner to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, it became clear that this could become just as popular. As a result, the story was added to older attractions tying them into the narrative. This could become a great marketing tool in the future in advertising new attractions or foreign parks.
Additional Sources
YouTube. (2018, December 26). The Secret Society that connects Disney Attractions! Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW05DHMItv4
Ian. (2017, March 18). The story behind S.E.A., Disney's Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Retrieved from https://attractionsmagazine.com/story-behind-sea-disneys-society-of-explorers-and-adventurers/
YouTube. (2018, July 7). Disney's SECRET Society. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq0ByeRNKc8
