Inside the minds of two of Imagineering’s most prolific creative executives
The allure of Disney parks is fueled by both new and nostalgic attractions designed to build memories for the millions of guests who visit each year. Once inside the park gates, the sights and sounds created by generations of Imagineers come into view. If you look closely, you can spot tributes to the people who helped bring the parks to life. On Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris, the names of Disney luminaries are creatively embellished across the windows on the various buildings. “Open Since ‘55—Disneyland Casting Agency—‘It Takes People to Make the Dream a Reality’—Walter Elias Disney, Founder & Director Emeritus” and “Center Street—Painting & Sculpture—Collin Campbell, Herbert Ryman, Blaine Gibson, Mary Blair, Dorothea Redmond” are just two of the fictional business facades that pay tribute to various Imagineers for all posterity.
You don’t have to take a glide on the Haunted Mansion’s Doom Buggies (where you can witness the disembodied head of former Imagineer Leota Toombs—a.k.a. Madame Leota) to get up close and personal with an Imagineer. IEEE Potentials sat down with two current Imagineers, Joe Rohde and Tom Fitzgerald, to pick their brains about topics including creating new parks and attractions, adapting to various cultures, and the importance of soft skills in the workplace.
[…]
Parent contents
- Parent entry
- 1 - The world of Walt Disney Imagineering (Craig Causer)
- 2 - Disney tech: - Immersive storytelling through innovation (Craig Causer)
- 3 - Big ideas - The sky’s the limit (Craig Causer)
- 4 - Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics Timeline
- 5 - Inside the minds of two of Imagineering’s most prolific creative executives
- 6 - The wonder of Imaginations (Craig Causer)
- 7 - Earning your ears - The value of internships (Sophia Acevedo)
- 8 - Around the world - International parks are distinctly Disney (Craig Causer)
Persons
Tom Fitzgerald (interviewee)Joe Rohde (interviewee)
Tony Baxter (reference)
Michael Eisner (reference)
George Lucas (reference)
Keywords
Adventure Thru Inner SpaceAnimal Kingdom
Audio-Animatronics
Avatar Flight of Passage
Bistrot Chez Rémy
Christmas
Creative Development
Design
Disneyland
Disneyland Paris
Engineering
EPCOT
Expedition Everest
Haunted Mansion
Main Street, U.S.A.
New York World's Fair 1964/65
Pirates of the Caribbean
Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy
Star Tours
Star Wars
Star Wars Land
The Carousel of Progress
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney World