Disney’s success in the entertainment, theme park and travel industries is in the details, and the corporate giant’s new $800 million Aulani resort and spa at Ko Olina is no exception.

While designers of the luxury property took pains to faithfully re-create a country store, a shave ice stand and other island "sets," the most "Hawaiian" details can be found in the extensive artworks, large and small, that were carefully placed in common areas, guest rooms and on the grounds.

This is obvious the moment visitors step into the soaring, open-air lobby, decorated with a wraparound, 200-foot-long mural by Kaneohe resident Martin Charlot (son of artist Jean Charlot) which pays tribute to Hawaiian history and culture. Kapa-inspired patterns by Makaha resident Dalani Tanahy appear on the arched ceiling above the mural. Similar geometric patterns and colors are repeated in staff uniforms and fabrics used throughout the hotel.

Flanking the main walkway through the lobby are three statues by master carver Rocky Jensen, the one on the left representing the female spirit, the one on the right the male spirit and the smallest one topped with a Hawaiian hawk, symbolizing the spirit of Hawaiian ancestors.

"Every piece of art is part of a larger Hawaiian story, as told by Hawaiian artists," said Joe Rohde, senior vice president and creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering. "The resort is meant to speak in multiple visual languages."

Aulani, which opened Aug. 29, claims to have one of the largest collections of contemporary Hawaiian art, including oils, acrylics and watercolors, batik on silk, sculptures, wood carvings and bas-relief. More than 200 pieces of original art were commissioned by Disney for the resort, more than 35 of them by Native Hawaiian artists, according to Jeanette Lomboy, senior show producer for Disney Imagineering. Resort officials declined to say how much was spent on the collection.

The company’s goal was not to commission "art for art’s sake," but to have art become part of the living story at Aulani, said Lomboy.

"It’s not art for decorative purposes, but art embedded with serious cultural content meant to tell a story," she said.

There’s also a nod to the genealogy of the area in numerous pieces. Visible from the front of the resort are two 15-story bas-relief panels by artist Carl Pao that incorporate the names Kamokila (for Alice Kamokila Campbell, daughter of landowner James Campbell) and Kakuhihewa (a noted Oahu chief) into their geometric patterns.

Inside, look down the corridor toward the Ewa Tower and you’ll see a painting of sisters Pele and Hiiaka voyaging in a canoe with their brother, Kamohoalii, in shark form. Down the corridor toward the Waianae Tower is a painting of Kanaloa and Kane, legendary island finders, digging with oo sticks to find fresh water.

The paintings are by artist and musician Doug Tolentino, a member of Aulani’s cultural advisory team.

There are also community art pieces, such as the "Rainbow Wall" collage behind the reception desk, made up of photographs from nature representing all the colors of the rainbow. The 138 photos were taken by schoolchildren throughout Hawaii.

Another project, a map of activities on Oahu, was created by artist Meleanna Meyer and students at Nanaikapono Elementary School.

Here’s a closer look at three Native Hawaiian artists whose unique works of art are prominently featured at the new resort.

Harinani Orme

Aiea artist Harinani Orme’s sketches depicting the moon goddess Hina, the demigod Maui and outrigger canoes loom large at Aulani.

Her images were scanned into a computer-aided design system that directed a machine to cut the designs in bas-relief on high-density foam panels. The foam was wrapped in mesh and coated with a cement plaster. The panels were then mounted on the hotel’s two towers to create four artworks, each measuring 75 to 80 feet in height and 14 feet in width.

Originally, the images came from pen-and-ink sketches the size of a small sketchpad. Orme, who also has smaller artwork on the resort’s walls inside, has never had a piece blown up to such large proportions.

"The first time I saw it, I teared up," she said.

Hina has her kapa-making tools laid out before her, along with symbols of the moon. Maui has his magical fishhook, lasso and kite, all symbols of his past exploits. At the base of each drawing is a "drumbeat element" representing Hawaii’s chants, songs and mele, Orme said.

These beats are the heartbeat of Hawaii, she explained.

Orme’s body of work focuses on the myths and traditions of old Hawaii. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute in New York. She has also illustrated books and dabbled in mixed media.

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On the Net

www.harinani.org

Solomon Enos

A large mural depicting harvest time and celebration in Makua Valley by artist Solomon Enos stretches along an entire wall at the restaurant named Makahiki­ — the Bounty of the Islands.

Makahiki is the New Year’s festival honoring the god Lono.

"It’s a celebration of all the things that make up an ahupuaa, including the people," said Enos. "It’s a celebration of abundance."

Born and raised in Makaha Valley, it made sense for Enos to paint a scene of a thriving Makua Valley, where he has taken part in makahiki ceremonies.

His family has roots in West Oahu. His father, Eric Enos, is founder of the Ka‘ala Cultural Learning Center, and his mother, Shelly Enos, works at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. The artist, who grew up working in a taro patch, received his first commission as a sixth-grader, illustrating the curriculum for Makaha Elementary School.

The colorful Aulani mural, in hues of orange, green and blue, depicts a valley that is thriving and full of life. Besides an offering of gifts, Hawaiians in the mural are harvesting kalo (taro).

A smaller painting in the restaurant, also by Enos, depicts Hawaiians engaged in sports and games, including konane, a Hawaiian game similar to checkers.

In the evening the lighting changes, and different colors from the mural pop out.

Enos says he was given a few guidelines by Disney, including color schemes, but otherwise had the freedom to pursue his own artistic vision.

"This is who I am," said Enos. "This is my connection to Hawaii."

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On the Net

www.solomonenos.com

Dalani Tanahy

While it’s flattering to have her designs appear on the ceiling of Aulani’s lobby, Dalani Tanahy of Makaha says it’s the actual art of kapa (Polynesian bark cloth) pounding that she wants people to appreciate.

"It takes me a year to grow the tree and hours to pound it," she said. "The moment you lay the printing on it, people forget all the work that goes into beating and pounding it."

Tanahy wants to keep the practice alive so it doesn’t become a lost art.

"We’ve been able to bring it back, revive it and create the kind of interest in it where a major resort expresses that much interest," she said.

Six of her kapa creations were photographed, reproduced and enlarged onto weatherproof sheets installed on the vaulted ceiling above the lobby mural. Three layers of bands on the left depict Hina, the feminine spirit, and three on the right depict Ku, the masculine spirit in three realms: sea, land and sky. The patterns incorporate symbols such as a school of fish, mudhen prints, the moon and sun.

Tanahy’s print designs also became part of Aulani’s duvet covers, draperies and employee uniforms (and are even in bas-relief on elevator doors). She also ended up making kapa for some of the performers in Aulani’s grand-opening celebration.

On Mondays, Tanahy is at the resort, stripping trees and pounding bark to demonstrate the art of kapa-making to guests as part of its cultural offerings.

"Most art in hotels is pretty generic," she said. "Making real connections shows Disney’s commitment to connecting the resort to the place."

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On the Net:

» www.kapahawaii.com