Today we’d like to introduce you to Weilin Liu.
Hi Weilin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was first introduced to themed entertainment design during my undergraduate studies, when I participated in the Disney Imaginations Competition Shanghai 2020 and won second place. That experience ignited my passion for spatial storytelling and themed design, and I fell in love with how set design could shape narrative spaces.
After graduation, I gradually developed my own design logic. I start from the concept phase, using world-building to create the foundational visual environment, then move into design by crafting a specific guest experience through story development, and finally bring it to life with theories of narrative environments.
Pursuing this industry career path, I worked as a Creative Designer at Jegoplay and Holovis Shanghai, where I was responsible for conceptual world-building, scene storytelling, and set design. I contributed to the concept design of the Dinosaur Park Rapids ride at China Dinosaur Park, which is ready to open in 2025. In these projects, I was able to fully express my ideas in the blue sky phase, world-building, and scene design, while also learning about operations design and construction. My role was to generate creative concepts and shape the spatial experience through story and narrative, while engineers, illustrators, and video artists collaborated with me to realize the full design package. Although I was unable to see projects through to completion due to lengthy development cycles, my involvement in the concept phase provided me with clarity about my direction in theme park design.
Afterward, I spent two years reflecting and building experience, and in 2023, I entered the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to pursue an MFA in Themed Entertainment Design. During this time, I completed my graduate project, In-Land Park, in which I tried to break the boundaries of traditional theme park design by integrating interdisciplinary perspectives. This project is a self-exploration theme park based on psychological archetypes, where I used world-building methods to transform abstract psychological theories into visual design, creating an immersive experience that combines entertainment with personal insight. Through this, I envisioned a future for the themed entertainment industry that moves beyond reliance on commercial intellectual properties, exploring original concepts that are meaningful, innovative, and sustainable for long-term theme park design.
Now, having graduated from SCAD, I am entering the next stage of my career. I continue to focus on themed entertainment design, combining spatial storytelling with world-building to create novel and imaginative works.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a completely smooth road. One of the biggest challenges I faced was choosing between continuing my career and pursuing graduate studies abroad.
I had always planned to study overseas, but after working for two years, I was still searching for what I truly loved. During that time, I confirmed my passion for the themed entertainment industry. By 2023, I was already on an upward track in my career, even leading a creative sub-team. Leaving at that point meant that if I returned later, I might have to start again at an entry-level position.
But I felt strongly that I needed deeper learning and art exploration. Studying abroad offered me a wider platform, richer design resources, and an international perspective. In the end, I chose graduate studies abroad not because one path was right and the other wrong, but because I wanted to stay true to my passion and keep pursuing my dream. I believe every path can lead to its own destination, as long as you stay committed to your vision.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the core of my design approach is the integration of world-building, storytelling, and narrative environments. My design idea is to combine story and space to create immersive experiences for guests.
World-building establishes a believable and expandable world for the “themed entertainment.” It includes elements such as geography, species, culture, and mythology, which are translated into visual symbols that create the foundation for subsequent storytelling and themed design.
Storytelling, built upon the “world,” provides a clear dramatic arc and chapter structure: exposition, rising action, falling action, and resolution, shaping the narrative journey of an attraction or guest experience.
Narrative environments then transform the “world + story” into walkable, tangible physical spaces. Through spatial language and multisensory design, these environments turn narrative into an immersive experience.
I apply this idea to what I am most proud of, which is my team’s achievement in the Disney Imaginations Competition Shanghai 2020, where we won second place. Our concept was to design a dark ride, and I was responsible for the world-building.
I created the setting of Planet H-37, a cosmic wonder covered with glaciers and seas. The world is always half in daylight and half in night, with unique ecosystems shaped by strong ocean currents. Creatures evolved with large glowing fins to survive, and plants served as food, energy, and building materials.
This world-building foundation then connected with the storyline of the ride, transforming concepts into a narrative guest experience. Create an immersive dark ride project that earned our team the second-place honor.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
One of the books that has influenced me the most is The Hero Within by Carol Pearson. It explores six psychological archetypes: the Orphan, the Wanderer, the Warrior, the Innocent, the Magician, and how they shape people’s growth and transformation.
This book has been very meaningful to me, both personally and in my studies. It gave me a deeper understanding of self-discovery, and it also became the theoretical foundation for my graduate thesis project, In-Land Park. In that project, I translated these psychological archetypes into immersive themed environments, creating a park that allows guests to experience a journey of inner growth.
This book gave me a framework to understand my own journey. Whenever I faced setbacks, whether in studies, career, or personal life, the book reminded me that each stage of struggle is part of a heroic path. That perspective helped me reframe challenges not as failures, but as steps of growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://liuwaylyn.wixsite.com/design
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waylyn/
