The experience of being a theme park designer

Taylor Jeffs is living his ultimate passion.

Raised in Orange County, California, surrounded by Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, he frequently visited some of the world’s most iconic theme parks.

“Back then, being into theme parks wasn’t exactly considered cool, but I couldn’t get enough,” recalls Jeffs, 39, in his conversation with Dinogo.

“I recognized their magic and importance from an early age, and I’d daydream about one day being part of the industry.”

Fast forward several decades, and Taylor Jeffs has led the creation of some of the most captivating rides and theme parks as the co-owner, president, and chief creative officer of Legacy Entertainment, a renowned entertainment design firm headquartered in California.

Beyond theme parks, Jeffs has expanded his creative reach, producing successful Broadway and off-Broadway productions, choreographing mesmerizing drone shows, and serving as a creative director consultant for Cirque du Soleil.

From his early days working at Disneyland to designing and bringing theme parks to life across the globe, Jeffs reveals what it takes to craft immersive environments that unite families.

A Journey Begins

A lifelong Disneyland enthusiast, Jeffs was determined to land a job there as soon as he could.

Back then, the minimum age to work was 17, but Jeffs found a clever way around it.

“Thanks to California’s ROP (Regional Occupational Program), I could earn high school credits instead of money. So at 15, I managed to land a job as a sub-burger flipper – essentially one step below a burger flipper – at a restaurant in Frontierland,” he remembers.

Eventually, he moved on to work as a Disney tour guide and later assisted the marketing team by conducting park surveys.

“Each day, I’d hear guests rave about the park’s scale, vibrant colors, landscapes, and music,” Jeffs recalls. “Hearing that kind of feedback every day, and realizing how much people appreciated the experience, laid the groundwork for my career.”

His breakthrough moment

After five years at Disneyland, Jeffs made his move to the Goddard Group (now known as Legacy Entertainment) in 2002 as an intern.

At that time, the company had recently faced massive layoffs due to a sharp decline in tourism following the September 11 attacks in 2001.

This challenging period created an all-hands-on-deck environment, giving Jeffs the opportunity to contribute to major projects, from Hershey’s Chocolate World to the Georgia Aquarium.

At the age of 24 in 2008, Jeffs designed and produced his debut attraction: ‘Glow in the Park,’ a vibrant, family-friendly night parade at Six Flags Mexico.

Featuring glowing floats, an original soundtrack, dancers, drummers, and beloved cartoon characters, the parade was such a hit that Six Flags commissioned five more to be rolled out at other parks in the chain.

Growth in Asia

Following the Great Recession of 2008, the company shifted its focus to the Asian market.

Since then, they have built a remarkable portfolio, including projects like Studio City Macau, Chimelong Marine Science Park in China, Lotte Worlds in South Korea, Trans Studio parks in Indonesia, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, and the Sea Shell Aquarium in Vietnam, among others.

When it comes to designing theme parks, Jeffs explains that the process starts with a feasibility study, followed by a ‘blue sky’ brainstorming session where the team proposes their boldest, most imaginative ideas.

“We let our imaginations run wild – coming up with attraction ideas, bold restaurant concepts, social media moments, landscape possibilities, you name it,” Jeffs shares. “I also gather about 200 reference images, creating a visual book of inspiration to help identify what works and what doesn’t.”

After gathering feedback from the client, the team begins sketching and mapping out the park’s layout and key features.

Through several design iterations, the park concept becomes more refined – right down to the placement of light posts and turnstiles – until it’s time to break ground.

“Often, the design process continues even as construction is underway,” Jeffs adds. “Ideally, we have producers, managers, technical directors, and art directors on-site until opening day.”

Innovative ideas

Every now and then, one of those wild ideas gets the green light.

Jeffs points to the immersive ‘Pacific Rim: Shatterdome Strike’ ride at Trans Studio Cibubur, part of Indonesia’s largest theme park chain, as a perfect example.

In a typical dark ride, a vehicle travels through a themed world with music, black lights, and special effects.

But Jeffs and his team proposed a twist. What if the ride malfunctioned, forcing passengers to grab flashlights and continue on foot while a monster attacks, before reboarding to fight the creature and make their escape?

“We didn’t think they’d approve it, but they did! Even some of our own team said, ‘That’s insane. It won’t work.’ But we figured it out – and now it’s one of the most successful dark rides in recent history,” Jeffs says.

In another instance, they redefined the typical 'pre-show' experience – usually just a video that plays before the ride begins.

“The ride was all about escape, so we thought: instead of a video, what if we lock you in a jail cell, and you have to solve a puzzle to break free before the adventure begins?”

And then came the Golden Reel.

In Macau, Jeffs played a key role in designing Studio City Macau, a Hollywood-themed hotel, and the Golden Reel – the world’s first figure-eight Ferris wheel, located right in the heart of the hotel’s facade.

“We came up with the idea to place a Ferris wheel between the towers. But it was Lawrence Ho, the founder of Studio City, who insisted on a figure-eight shape, because in Chinese culture, the number eight is a symbol of wealth,” Jeffs explains.

“Lawrence said he didn’t care if the ride was empty – it was all about creating the wow factor.”

Where art meets engineering

However, in most cases, outlandish ideas won’t get off the ground unless they also meet commercial requirements.

“It’s both an art and a science – these two elements must come together,” says Jeffs. “Capacity is key, so we must ensure there’s enough to do and that people aren’t spending their entire visit standing in line.”

Additionally, every member of the family should have a memorable experience.

“Our job is to provide variety – attractions without height restrictions for parents with babies, thrill rides for teens, and parades and shows that cater to everyone,” he explains.

This was his approach when designing Lotte World Adventure in Busan, South Korea, which opened in 2022.

From family-friendly trains and flume rides to heart-pounding roller coasters, parades, stage shows, and immersive dining experiences, there's something for everyone, regardless of age.

To create a timeless atmosphere, the team drew inspiration from European gardens, blending lush green spaces, plazas, and water features that, as Jeffs puts it, “will only grow more beautiful with time.”

“When I was a kid, theme park design was often seen as a lower-tier artistic field, mostly because it wasn’t done well,” Jeffs recalls.

“I’m proud to say that is no longer the case. Over the past 15 years, we've witnessed what this medium can achieve when it’s truly executed at its highest potential.”

Entertainment for the entire family

As anticipated, a demanding travel schedule is part of the job.

Before the pandemic, Jeffs spent a week each month in Asia, meeting with clients and government officials.

“I’ve flown over 3 million miles, spent more than four years in hotels, collected around 2,000 hotel room keys, and visited six of the seven continents – all as part of my work,” he says.

When travel ground to a halt in 2020, he took his family on a road trip across America.

“During that first summer, we drove 10,000 miles and visited nearly every theme park that had managed to reopen,” he recalls.

The family had so much fun that the following summer they spent two months on the road, including a month-long stay at Walt Disney World in Florida.

And despite having ridden over 600 roller coasters and visited parks all over the world, Disneyland in California remains his favorite park of all time.

“From a design perspective, it’s flawless. It’s the only park that Walt Disney personally contributed to,” Jeffs enthuses.

“And because film production designers were involved, you get the unique forced perspective on Main Street, the human scale of the buildings, the color choices, the castle, and the intimacy of the lands – it’s something you won’t find in any other Disney park quite the same way.”

These days, rediscovering the magic of theme parks through his two daughters – aged 5 and 1.5 – has deepened his appreciation for them.

“When I visit parks with my family, we’ve noticed that babies and toddlers often can’t enjoy many of the attractions. This has shaped how I approach designing programs for our parks,” says Jeffs.

“While we can’t eliminate height restrictions altogether, I now find myself creating more universally accessible experiences that the entire family can enjoy together.”