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Author Archives: John G. (NDI#194)

John Gray

John Gray is a curious person who is drawn to other curious people. He is a dreamer and a doer and believes that everyone and everywhere has a story waiting to be told—the trick is in how you tell it.

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Contributed by John Gray

You Have to Develop It

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Monday, October 17, 2011

Photo Credit: JustDisney.com

After the overwhelming success of Disneyland, Walt Disney reflected on WED, the company he created to make his theme park dreams a reality:

Click to hear Walt Disney talk about WED Well, WED is, you might call it my backyard laboratory, you know, my workshop away from work. It served a purpose in that some of the things I was planning, like Disneyland for example, is pretty hard for the banking mind to go with it. I had to go ahead on my own and develop it to a point where they could begin to comprehend what I had in mind. So—it’s been true with alot of things in our history here—we’ve been doing something that’s a little bit out of the run of things, and it’s pretty hard to sell people on what you have in your mind, so you have to go ahead and develop it. And that’s what I’ve been doing with WED.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged getting started, Imagineering, motivation, Walt Disney, WED
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When the hat comes down

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Sorcerer's Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Photo Credit: Eddison Moreno, Wikimedia Commons

The hat is coming down. Soon. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat, enjoyed by some and hated by others, will be removed, or more likely moved to take up residence elsewhere. Walt Disney Imagineering installed the massive structure for the 100 Years of Magic celebration in late 2001 but it was never meant to be permanent. Because of a few financial quirks it stayed in its location for longer than was intended, however the time has come and the hat will soon be gone. I wonder, will Hollywood Studios lose some of its magic without its magical icon? What happens when the hat does come down?

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Disney's Hollywood Studios, Fantasia, Imagineering, Sorcerer's Hat, WDI
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Imagineering Storytelling: A little wind in your sail

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, October 2, 2011

Photo Credit: Kjersti Holmang

The artists and designers at Walt Disney Imagineering are, first and foremost, storytellers. While they have many methods at their disposal, Imagineers primarily tell their stories visually, owing to the fact that most began their careers in film—a visual medium—and only later became theme park developers. Filmmakers control everything the audience sees and Imagineers try to do the same within their parks. Over time both filmmakers and Imagineers have learned an interesting truth: often the most important piece of visual storytelling is not what the audience sees but rather what the audience does not see. This concept is put to great use through something as simple as a sail in the classic attraction Peter Pan’s Flight.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Imagineering, Peter Pan, Peter Pan's Flight, storytelling, Walt Disney World, WDI
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A very special Imagineer

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, September 18, 2011

It’s amazing the things you find once you stop looking. I ran into an Imagineer not too long ago. His name was Hunter and he was 4 years old.

I had just come off the hockey rink for a little rest when a little guy came tottering over, his mother chasing behind. He announced his name—I’M HUNTER!—and his age—I’M 4!—and, before his mom could get ahold of him, he stole the hockey gloves right off my hands. Hunter was quick.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged imagination, Imagineering, optimism, youth
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Nothin’ but blue skies

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Tuesday, September 13, 2011

At Walt Disney Imagineering, the sky’s the limit. There are never any problems, never disagreements, only happy Imagineers singing It’s A Small World all day long. Disney CEO Bob Iger runs by WDI every day to throw bags of money into the windows, gleefully shouting, “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Happy imagining, one and all!” When the workday comes to an end, everyone grudgingly leaves their desks and sings Heigh Ho the whole way home. There are no sad faces. There are no rainclouds, only blue skies. Actually wait, no…I’m sorry, that’s not quite right (lesson for today—Disney cruise line activity directors are a little too chipper to make good sources).

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged blue sky, doer, dreamer, Imagineering, Walt Disney Imagineering, WDI
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Imagineers gotta eat too

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, September 4, 2011

In a few days I’ll be headed to Walt Disney World (for the first time in waaay too long) and on this trip I’ll get to Dine with an Imagineer, a special little add-on to the Disney dining package. For those unfamiliar with the option, you can share a meal with an Imagineer at either the Boardwalk’s Flying Fish Café or the Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios (we chose the Brown Derby). This is a chance to spend a little time with a member of the team responsible for creating so much of the Disney park experience. It is a group meal rather than a one-on-one, but it will be a small group so it should remain intimate. I’m sure the food will be wonderful but hopefully—with your help—the conversation will be far more satisfying.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Dine with an Imagineer, Imagineering, John Hench, Walt Disney World
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Imagineering…this time, with feeling

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Monday, August 29, 2011

“If you want to know the real secret of Walt’s success, it’s that he never tried to make money. He was always trying to make something that he could have fun with or be proud of.” Neal Gabler, author of Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination, quotes animator-turned-Imagineer Ward Kimball on what drove Walt Disney to work the way he did. Walt spent his whole life believing what set him apart from the competition was quality, unyielding quality, and that everything he did should be done for the right reason, not just the right price.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Disney California Adventure, Disney Sea, John Hench, Neal Gabler, Walt Disney, WEDway Radio
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John Hench, Salvador Dali and a Re-imagined Reality

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, August 21, 2011

I have many Imagineering books, but for a long time there was one that I avoided, Designing Disney by John Hench. It kept popping up on Amazon as something I might like, but I always clicked around the silly little orange book. I wanted books about parks, attractions, process and thought, not the memoirs of some random Imagineer. As it turns out, I’m an idiot.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Destino, Imagineering, John Hench, optimism, Salvador Dalí, Walt Disney, WED
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Imagineering problem solving: Making a big splash

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Monday, August 15, 2011

Tony Baxter, the undisputed King of the Splash. Graphic Credit: John Gray

Disneyland had a problem. No one was going to Bear Country, the seldom visited home of the Country Bear Jamboree. No one was sitting through America Sings, the barely attended musical revue celebrating America and its past. No one knew what to do with the 114 soon to be homeless audio animatronics in the America Sings attraction designed by legendary Imagineer Marc Davis. And finally, no one was enjoying Disneyland’s refreshing log flume ride, because it didn’t exist.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Disneyland, Imagineering, problem solving, Splash Mountain, Tony Baxter, Walt Disney
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The path to becoming a Disney Imagineer

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, August 7, 2011

“I want to work for Walt Disney Imagineering. How does a person get to be an Imagineer? Where should I go to school and what types of courses should I take? What do I need to do?” These kinds of questions bounce around online all the time. Maybe you are one of those whose dream job is making other people’s Disney dreams come true but you just don’t know where to begin…

Green students, frustrated designers, neurotic Disney people, anyone with aspirations to join the ranks at Walt Disney Imagineering take to the internet and post their questions with the hopes that the magical path to the dream factory will be opened. For those few who have managed to get a response from someone within the organization, the answers are never quite what they were looking for. There are frequent doses of reality: WDI is not just a funhouse of fantasy but a business, contracts in the industry are very short (about 18 months) and you shouldn’t limit yourself by putting Disney up on a pedestal.

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Herb Ryman, Imagineer, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Imagineering, WDI
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Imagineer

by John G. (NDI#194) | Published: Sunday, July 31, 2011

Graphic Credit: John Gray

What do people see when they come into your home? What do they hear, smell and touch. What do they feel? Maybe there’s a pointed blue hat in the corner, the smell of fresh popcorn or cotton candy, or a family photo in the unmistakable silhouette of a particular mouse. Do people worry when you talk about skybuckets and wedway people movers? Are people confused by your sudden interest in visiting Shanghai in, oh say, 2016 or so? Why would someone put Disney in a place of such importance as to bring it into their homes and their lives? The Disney theme parks are wonderful places to be, but why not go and visit the parks and leave it at that? Is it truly a love of Disney that leads us to such extremes or is it something else—something deeper?

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Posted in Disney Reviews, Imagineering | Tagged Imagineering, WDI
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