Imagineer Podcast

This summer, we had the opportunity to bring our 7-month-old daughter to Walt Disney World for the first time. Traveling by plane and spending a week at Disney, we learned a lot about how to navigate the parks with an infant, toddler, or young child. From planning to packing, choosing a stroller, arranging transportation, feedings and more, we discuss how to best plan a trip to Disney with a baby. This two-part episode includes tip...

Soarin' Over California opened at Disney California Adventure in 2001 and was added to EPCOT a few years later in 2005. The attraction was later refurbished to Soarin' Around the World and added to Shanghai Disneyland as Soaring Over The Horizon. In 2019 the attraction was then added to Tokyo DisneySea as Soaring Fantastic Flight. The attraction has a rich history as the modern benchmark for a theater-based simulator at the...

It's Tough To Be A Bug opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998 and Disney California Adventure in 2001 (closed in 2018), both on the parks' respective opening dates. This 4D show pays homage to the Disney-Pixar film A Bug's Life while sharing the importance of insects and bugs throughout the world. Located inside The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom, this attraction features some frightening moments for...

Disney Parks are filled with thousands of hours of music. From area music loops to attraction soundtracks, Disney's Imagineers infuse a tremendous amount of work creating and selecting music and sounds that best fit every corner of the resort. Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) is no exception. Disney's Imagineers worked tireless to select the best music for each distinct area of the park as they a...

Disney Parks are filled with thousands of hours of music. From area music loops to attraction soundtracks, Disney's Imagineers infuse a tremendous amount of work creating and selecting music and sounds that best fit every corner of the resort. Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) is no exception. Disney's Imagineers worked tireless to select the best music for each distinct area of the park as they a...

Journey Into Imagination opened at EPCOT in 1983 and has been a part of Walt Disney World ever since. As part of the Imagination Pavilion conceived by Walt Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter, Journey Into Imagination took guests aboard a whimsical flight into the imagination, with Dreamfinder and Figment reminding guests that "One Little Spark" (a song written by Richard and Robert Sherman) can lead to an unlimited number of idea...

Frequent Walt Disney World guests will often ask me if Disneyland is worth a visit. Not surprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes! Disneyland is an especially magical place for Disney fans, and even for those who infrequently visit Disney, there's a good reason Disneyland is called the "happiest place on earth". With two incredible theme parks (Disneyland and Disney California Adventure), Downtown Disney, and three D...

Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, the Disney Wish sets sail this summer (2022), and I had the opportunity to chat with former Walt Disney Imagineer and Portfolio Creative Executive of Disney Cruise Line, Theron Skees about the design of this newest ship. In this episode, I chat with Theron about the Imagineers' approach to designing a cruise ship, attractions and amenities we can look forward to aboard the Disney Wish (incl...

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened at EPCOT in Walt Disney World on May 27, 2022. Replacing the Universe of Energy pavilion (Ellen's Energy Adventure), this attraction became the first roller coaster at EPCOT, the first backwards launching coaster for the Disney Parks, the first E-ticket Marvel attraction at Walt Disney World, and one of the longest indoor roller coasters in the world. Featuring six unique soundtrack...

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is an immersive 2-night adventure that opened at Walt Disney World in March 2022. Disney calls Galactic Starcruiser the most immersive Star Wars story ever created, and it's an accurate statement. This overnight experience combines elements of a cruise, a theme park, and an interactive stage show. Guests who board the Halcyon will truly feel as if they've stepped into a Star Wars story and wi...

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is an immersive 2-night adventure that opened at Walt Disney World in March 2022. Disney calls Galactic Starcruiser the most immersive Star Wars story ever created, and it's an accurate statement. This overnight experience combines elements of a cruise, a theme park, and an interactive stage show. Guests who board the Halcyon will truly feel as if they've stepped into a Star Wars story and wi...

The Seas with Nemo and Friends opened at Epcot in 1986 as The Living Seas Pavilion. The original version of this Walt Disney World attraction took guests to the depths of the ocean via hydrolators to an underwater research facility known as SeaBase Alpha. Up until 2005, the pavilion featured the world's largest saltwater tank, home to 3,000 oceanic creatures representing 200 species. Between 2003 and 2007, the pavilion began to...

In hosting Imagineer Podcast, I receive many questions about how to best plan for and make the most of a Disney vacation, whether it's a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any other Disney destination. To further complicate planning, Disney has created many new systems, procedures, and options in recent years. Despite these changes and additions, a trip to Disney can still be just as magical, if not even more. It just re...

"How do I become an Imagineer?" Not surprisingly, it's one of the most common questions I'm asked on Imagineer Podcast. As I've continued to interview Walt Disney Imagineers, I've found there's no easy answer to this question, but there are a few pieces of wisdom that can help get you started, whether you want to work with this legendary Disney team as an engineer, artist, architect, programmer, project ...

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar opened at Disney Springs in September 2015 just prior to the formal renaming of this part of Walt Disney World from Downtown Disney. This Indiana Jones themed bar is the only one of its kind in the world, and it's loaded with Easter eggs from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and even Indiana Jones Adventure. The backstory of this restaurant focuses around Indy's friend...

Brian Crosby is the current Creative Director of Marvel Themed Entertainment for Disney, and it's a role he was practically destined to hold. Growing up near Disneyland in Southern California, Brian developed both a Disney and Marvel fandom from an early age. After winning the Imaginations competition from Walt Disney Imagineering, Brian began as an Imagineering intern before making the jump to a full-time role, where he spent ...

Joe Lanzisero began working at Disney as a Feature Animator just a few days after graduating from CalArts in 1979, working on movies like the Fox & and the Hound and The Great Mouse Detective. Less than a decade later, Joe made the jump to Walt Disney Imagineering, where he eventually rose to the rank of a Creative Senior Vice President. Perhaps what’s most amazing about Joe is that his projects literally span the globe. He dev...

Mornings at Disney are often my favorite time of day, and it's typically the time of day that I'm also enjoying a delicious cup of coffee. At Walt Disney World in particular, there are so many coffee options that even certain restaurants feature their own proprietary blend. Whether it's a large cup to jump start my day at a Disney Resort, an afternoon boost at the Disney Parks, or even an evening indulgence at a Disney ...

Avatar Flight of Passage might be the most thrilling and immersive attraction Disney's Imagineers have ever created. It also happens to be one of the highest rated Disney attractions in the world. Opening in 2017 at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Flight of Passage is the signature E-ticket attraction in Pandora—World of Avatar. The Imagineering details, story, and technology for this ride are so impressive that I knew I had to de...