Imagineer Podcast

Tony Baxter's career as a Disney Imagineer defined the second generation of Disney Park experiences. Tony's legacy includes Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, Journey Into Imagination, and Disneyland Paris. As a lifelong Disney fan who grew up down the street from Disneyland, Tony always dreamed of becoming an Imagineer. He started with the company at the earliest age possible, scooping ice ...

I grew up with a Disney family. We were lucky enough to travel to Walt Disney World just about every year, and we visited Disneyland a few times during my childhood. My family not only instilled in me a love for Disney but also encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a Cast Member. They also continue to support Imagineer Podcast. Growing up in the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's going to Disney, my family and I have so ...

On Disney vacations, we often find ourselves running from one item on our itinerary to the next. From attractions to restaurants and even shows, we pack as much value into our trips as possible, which often means we miss the simple moments in between. I often find my favorite moments at the Disney Parks and Resorts are the times when I slow down, focus on the present, and appreciate the simple things that happen between the items o...

On Disney vacations, we often find ourselves running from one item on our itinerary to the next. From attractions to restaurants and even shows, we pack as much value into our trips as possible, which often means we miss the simple moments in between. I often find my favorite moments at the Disney Parks and Resorts are the times when I slow down, focus on the present, and appreciate the simple things that happen between the items o...

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opened at Disneyland in 1963, followed by Walt Disney World in 1971 (although it was named Tropical Serenade for over 25 years). Created by Walt Disney and a team of Imagineers (Rolly Crump, Harriet Burns, and John Hench to name a few), the Tiki Room was the first attraction at Disney to feature audio animatronics. While the show has seen some changes over the years, most dramatically at Tokyo ...

Walt Disney World and Disneyland get an extra dose of magic during the holiday season. Whether you're visiting Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, a Disney Resort hotel, or any other Disney destination around the world, experiencing Disney at Christmas is worth the trip, and that's why I'm here to help you think about the holiday sea...

Disney Parks and Resorts are so effective at evoking positive emotions that we often find ourselves experiencing tears of joy and even chills on our Disney vacations. In many cases, we get tears and chills for the same reasons every time we go. Whether we're visiting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or even the international parks, it's these moments of joy that can make our trips so memorable.

In this ep...

Disney Parks and Resorts are so effective at evoking positive emotions that we often find ourselves experiencing tears of joy and even chills on our Disney vacations. In many cases, we get tears and chills for the same reasons every time we go. Whether we're visiting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or even the international parks, it's these moments of joy that can make our trips so memorable.

In this ep...

The Great Movie Ride opened with Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) at Walt Disney World on May 1, 1989. Considered to be the signature attraction of the park, The Great Movie Ride was originally considered for a standalone Future World Pavilion at Epcot. Michael Eisner and the team soon realized that the idea was evolving beyond a simple pavilion, so they got to work on a new movie studio theme park, part...

Theron Skees spent 23 years at Walt Disney Imagineering as an Art Director and Creative Portfolio Executive. His work includes projects at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Theron also led the redesign of Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World to Disney Springs, and he led the Imagineering team at Disney Cruise Line. Theron’s portfolio in themed entertainment is one that serves as an inspiration ...

Theron Skees spent 23 years at Walt Disney Imagineering as an Art Director and Creative Portfolio Executive. His work includes projects at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Theron also led the redesign of Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World to Disney Springs, and he led the Imagineering team at Disney Cruise Line. Theron’s portfolio in themed entertainment is one that serves as an inspiration ...

Imagineer Podcast listeners like you will often send me questions about Disney's past, present, and future. Whether it's a question about Walt Disney World, Disneyland, the international Disney Parks, or even upcoming films for Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, or Pixar, I try to answer as many as I can. Once in a while, that means opening up my Instagram Live to answer questions in an open forum. In late February 2021, I opened u...

Scott Wolf’s official Disney work includes everything from the production team of Disney' original “DuckTales” and “TaleSpin” animated TV series to writing 700+ online articles about Disney history for the Disney Archives’ D23 website. His Disney photography has appeared in numerous books, newspapers and other publications, including two of his own Disney-authorized photo books, featuring his favorite subject, the small det...

Scott Wolf’s official Disney work includes everything from the production team of Disney' original “DuckTales” and “TaleSpin” animated TV series to writing 700+ online articles about Disney history for the Disney Archives’ D23 website. His Disney photography has appeared in numerous books, newspapers and other publications, including two of his own Disney-authorized photo books, featuring his favorite subject, the small det...

Kevin Rafferty just retired from Walt Disney Imagineering on April 1 after more than 40 years at Disney. Kevin's work includes some of your favorite attractions: Cars Land, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Tower of Terror, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Test Track, Mickey's Philharmagic, Toy Story Mania, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (which was Kevin's final project at Disney). After ...

Tom K. Morris, former Creative Development Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, led an impressive 35-year career with WED. Working at Walt Disney Imagineering from 1980 until 2016, Tom helped to develop attractions like Journey Into Imagination, Star Tours, Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris, and Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park. Tom also served as an executive producer for Hong Kong Disneyland, and he helped...

Kilimanjaro Safaris opened at Walt Disney World on Earth Day 1998 (after a soft opening that spring). As the signature attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safaris is Walt Disney's dream come to life. As a lover of animals and nature, Walt originally intended for Disneyland's Jungle Cruise to feature live animals, but it just wasn't possible at the time. Kilimanjaro Safaris might have been Walt's f...

The smells at the Disney Parks and Resorts make for some of the most emotional memories on a Disney Vacation. Whether we're visiting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or any other Disney destination, what we smell is not only memorable but also completely intentional. Whether it's the savory smell of popcorn walking down Main Street USA, the soothing smell of lavender in a Disney Resort lobby, the musty sme...

Splash Mountain, which first opened at Disneyland Park in 1989, then at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in 1992, has been an iconic part of the Magic Kingdom mountain range for decades. Conceived by Disney Legend Tony Baxter, Splash Mountain takes guests into the colorful animated world of Song of the South, featuring characters like Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, and Brer Fox, and including songs like "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" a...