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WDW Radio Show #27 – Interview with Disney Legend and Imagineer George McGinnis

WDW news and rumors, Disney Imagineer George McGinnis, Hidden Treasure, your emails and more!

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show, your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #27 for the week of August 12, 2007.

To our new listeners, welcome to the show. If this is your first time listening, let me just tell you briefly a little bit about the show. This is a completely family-friendly podcast that focuses on WDW, from our coverage of news and rumors, to trivia, history, vacation planning, reviews, interviews, contests, and a wide variety of other segments presented to you with the help of a number of special guests each week. There’s something for everyone, and each show offers something different, so I invite you to visit the web site at WDWradio.com or iTunes, and download some of our older episodes. And since this show is FOR you, I want it to be interactive and want you to be involved as much as you would like. You can send me suggestions, comments, questions or even a segment idea, and who knows, maybe you can join me on the air if you like!

OK, on to this week’s show – Let’s start off as always with News and Views from Walt Disney World, including of course the big change coming to the Studios. Our visit to the Walt Disney World Rumor Mill will include some possible extra extra magic hours and an old favorite in Epcot possibly reopening later this year.

A retrospective and look back at Horizons in EPCOT Center

I am also going to introduce the first in a recurring series entitled, Legends of Disney Imagineering. My first guest certainly qualifies to bear that title and introduction. He is George McGinnis, who played a large part in the creation of the Mark VI monorail, Space Mountain, Horizons, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and countless other attractions and vehicles in Walt Disney World. In this exclusive, one-on-one interview, Mr. McGinnis shares stories of being personally hired by Walt Disney, the triumphs and challenges in creating such attractions as the WEDWay PeopleMover, Space Mountain, Communicore and countless others. He reminisces about working with not only Walt Disney, but a who’s who of Disney legends, including Dick Nunis, Marty Sklar, John Hench, Bob Gurr, Roger Broggie, Claude Coates, and so many others. It is truly something special that I think you’re going to enjoy and was a personal privilege for me to do. And listen very carefully, as he also shares a secret about a change that is likely coming soon to one of his Walt Disney World attractions

Jana Smith from the Let’s Talk About Disney Podcast joins me for another, unique take on the Hidden Treasures of Walt Disney World

I will answer a few more of your emails and play some of your voicemails, so sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy this week’s episode of The WDW Radio Show.


Join Lou Mongello, author of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books for a book signing and discussion IN Walt Disney World!

Virgin Megastore Downtown DisneyI am pleased to announce that my next book signing will be at the Virgin Megastore in Downtown Disney’s West Side on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

If you are going to be in the area, please join me in the heart of Walt Disney World’s exciting Downtown Disney Shopping and Entertainment District at the largest music and entertainment store in the southeast. Its three floors include more than 300 listening stations and over 20 DVD viewing stations, a 10,000 sq. foot book department, multimedia preview center, café, and so much more!

No theme park or Pleasure Island admission is required

The store is located in Walt Disney World’s DOWNTOWN DISNEY – West Side, across from the Wolfgang Puck Cafe© and Bongos Cuban Cafe©, and right next to Disney Quest, on 1494 Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. You can call the store directly at (407) 828-0222.

I am VERY excited about this event and hope you can come by and say hi!!


Listen to our detailed look at Horizons as part of our EPCOT Retrospective series in Show 12- April 29, 2007

Walt Disney World Acronyms

Walt Disney World’s annual International Food & Wine Festival “Eat to the Beat” concerts tentative schedule for 2007:

Sept. 28 29: Al Stewart

Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Otis Day and the Knights

Oct. 2-3: The Beach Boys

Oct. 4-6: The Original Family Stone

Oct. 7-9: Sheena Easton

Oct. 10-13: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas

Oct. 14-16: David Cassidy

Oct. 17-18: Little Richard

Oct. 19-21: Juice Newton

Oct. 22-25: The Four Tops

Oct. 26-27: The Village People

Oct. 28-30: The Outlaws

Oct. 31-Nov. 3: Jon Secada

Nov. 4-6: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

Nov. 7-8: The Contours featuring Sylvester Potts

Nov. 9-11: David Sanborn

Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian

Structure Composition:

16 feet high

17 feet wide

1,000 board feet of trim

60 sheets of plywood

40 window panes

80 square feet of retail space

100 square feet of display

10,000 pieces of gingerbread used

Gingerbread Ingredients:

1,050 lbs. honey

600 lbs. powdered sugar

35 lbs. spices

800 lbs. flour

140 pints egg whites

180 lbs. apricot glaze


Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon Challenge Contest

This is the next of our 13-part WDW ½ Marathon Challenge, where you get to play a new challenge every two weeks for chance to win all kinds of great prizes, as well as get to name the respective mile marker during the WDW ½ marathon in January. Winners will also get a custom certificate suitable for framing to congratulate you for your efforts. Also as part of the contest, Eric, owner of GeoMouse.com is generously donating $100 per mile to the DisneyWorldTrivia.com Dream Team project to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. At the end of the contest, we will have a drawing for a yet-to-be announced grand prize!

Stay tuned for the launch of Eric Hollister’s new GeoMouse.com web site coming soon!

Listen to LAST week’s show for the clues! Good luck


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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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