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.
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