Our special guest was Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman of the Sherman Brothers, who composed music for Disney films and attractions such as Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Enchanted Tiki Room, it’s a small world, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, Journey Into Imagination and countess others. He shared his stories and music with us, and joined us to Nassau and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

Look for more videos, including daily recaps coming soon! Be sure and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Thanks for watching!

Were you on the cruise with us? If so, what was YOUR most memorable moment?  Leave your reply in the Comments below

If you missed it, you can join us next year for the WDW Radio Cruise on the Disney Fantasy, Nov. 2-9, 2013!

The post Video: Recap of the WDW Radio Disney Dream Cruise with Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

“Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow…”

When I found out that during October the blog would be focusing on memories of Epcot in honor of its thirtieth anniversary, immediately one thing came into mind: The original Journey into Imagination. With today being the actual anniversary, what better way to celebrate memories of Epcot than by sharing some of my own? Journey into Imagination was my absolute favorite thing in all of Epcot as a child. While the original version closed when I was only ten years old, I still have crystal clear mental pictures from the attraction itself and ImageWorks. So in honor of the original state of the ride, I decided it was only right to share my own memories and thoughts with all of you.

First off, one of the things that I immediately fell in love with from this attraction was the song “One Little Spark” written by the Sherman brothers. To this day, I still find myself randomly humming it and smiling when I realize just what I am doing. In addition to the song, I loved the characters. Dreamfinder and Figment felt like my friends as they took me on this whimsical journey demonstrating how imagination is powered and delivered to the dreamport. I collected multiple Figment plushes many of which still reside in my room today. I also collected small toy figurines of Figment dressed in various outfits from the attraction as well as different outfits representing the different countries of the World Showcase.

Since I loved the characters so much, I of course loved the attraction and can still perfectly picture the two friends in certain scenes from the original version. I remember being scared in the literature room where Dreamfinder played an ominous tune with words spewing out of his organ. Most of all I remember loving the art room. Dreamfinder had a paintbrush that had fiber optics which changed color as he painted. I wanted that paintbrush more than anything.

Not only do I miss the attraction itself, but I miss the original ImageWorks which existed on the second floor of the pavilion. I was also entranced by the glass pyramid ceiling streaming in sunlight above and would love to be able to have the chance to even just walk around on the second floor now. Two particular activities from ImageWorks stand out in my memory. The first was Figment’s Coloring Book which I remember being a black and white page which you could color in with these paintbrushes that kind of looked like the one Dreamfinder used in the attraction (see why I probably remember this?). I also clearly remember the Rainbow Corridor, a tube like walkway which you could travel through. Each person that entered was given a color as they entered and that color progressed with them through the lights in the entire tunnel. I always remember stepping in and wondering what color I would be that time.

While the attraction is radically different today, I am glad that there at least remain some tributes to the original version. Figment is more prominent in the latest revision of the attraction, Journey into Imagination with Figment. There is even a door located inside the building labeled “Dean Finder” a clever tribute to the attraction’s previous star. So while the attraction is not the original version that I fell in love with, it’s always nice to stop by and still get to visit some old friends.

“A dream can be a dream come, true with just that spark in me and you.”

Did you love Journey into Imagination? What do you remember from the original version and ImageWorks? Share any memories you have of Epcot below in the comments in celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, I would love to hear from you!

Caitlin Corsello was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 2012. Her love for Disney started as an infant and has continued to grow with family vacations to Disney parks almost every year since. She holds a particular interest in WDW’s parks and attractions, never passing up an opportunity to visit. She looks forward to continuing to explore and learn about all things Disney and to share that passion with readers.

The post Disney from a Twenty-Something: Memories of EPCOT appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

What do you suggest as a must see for kids ages 6-14?

Great question! I have many “must sees” for kids that age, so I will just share my top five. Most of them are in the Magic Kingdom, which is my top park for kids that age. But, there is much fun to be had in the other parks too.

#5
Journey Into Imagination!!
Take a journey into the Imagination Institute for an open house with Dr. Nigel Channing. Take a tour in the sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste labs. Dr. Channing just discovered the Figment Of Imagination or Figment for short. When you leave, Figment might just want to come along!

You will find this ride in Epcot’s Future World. The reason I like this ride is because of the music, interaction, and of course imagination. The song at the end of the ride, “One Little Spark” by the Sherman Brothers, gets stuck in your head. You exit the ride into a fun imagination “playground” and of course a shop. In the “playground,” you can create your own Figment, make music with Figment, and for the little ones, there is a small glowing floor with musical instruments on it.

# 4
Monsters INC. Laugh Floor
This experience is based after the movie, Monsters Inc, when Mike and Sully turn the Scream Factory into the Laugh Factory. Instead of going into our world, the monsters decided to bringing us into their world. Thus, the Laugh Floor. You and your family will have a wonderful time as the monsters entertain you with their hilarious jokes and actions.

I love this attraction because of the comedy and memories you will make as a family. We always make sure to go at least once when were are there. It can be found in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.

# 3
Jungle Cruise
Take a journey into deep jungles with your hilarious skipper. Make sure you say bye to the dock! You will love the interaction your family can have on this amazing adventure through the “wildlife” as you laugh at your skipper’s jokes. If you don’t laugh, he will also be your swimming instructor.

I love this ride because it is so funny and there are amazing animatronics. The animals look so real! You will find this ride in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland.

# 2
“it’s a small world”

This ride is for children of all ages. Have fun on this journey around the world… in a boat!!! On your way, you will be greeted by “children” from many different countries. They will be laughing, singing, dancing and of course smiling!! All the different dances the animatronics do are from their country. My favorite is Hawaii because of the hula.

I love this ride because of the amazing detail in the animatronics, music and the just plain fun. A fun thing to do as you ride around is try to guess what country you’re in. You can also try to do the dances that the “children” are doing. My mom and I always do the hula in our seat. You will find this ride in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.

# 1
Haunted Mansion

If you’re looking for a fun scare, then this is definitely the place to be. Go on your tour of the Haunted Mansion with your “ghost host.” You will go through the mansion and meet a few happy haunts on the way while riding in a black doombuggy. The first thing you will find is the stretching room. Here’s a tip, if you have young children, do not stand in the center of the room or look up when it gets dark.

The reason I like this ride is because of the music, gloomy cheerfulness, and “The Bride”. I thought I would be scared of this ride and refused to go with my parents until a couple of years ago. Now, it’s my favorite. Watch out for hitchhiking ghosts.

Those are my top five rides at Walt Disney World. What’s your favorite ride?

Thanks to Kbrady for asking this question. If you want to “Ask Maggie” a question, put it in the comments below.

Maggie is ten years old and was born into a “Disney family.” She has been to Walt Disney World and/or Disney Cruise Line every year of her life.  She hopes one day to be an actress.

The post Ask Maggie! – Best Walt Disney World Rides for Kids 6-14 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Epcot is a unique park where you can hang-glide over California, dive deep into the ocean, go back in time, journey into imagination, and travel the world all in one day! That might sound exhausting, but Epcot is an exciting place where the future and past seamlessly come together as told through technology and culture. Broken down into two main sections, Epcot features Future World in the front of the park and the World Showcase in the rear. Future World focuses on telling the story of how various technologies have helped us reach the point we exist at today. You can learn about communication, energy, agriculture and more. World Showcase takes you on a journey around the globe with eleven countries each represented with their own pavilions. Each pavilion is intricately detailed and themed and can be considered an attraction unto itself.

I have broken down the attractions in Epcot into three categories: thrills, classics, and must see. While I mention many attractions here, I am deliberately leaving out the countries of the World Showcase. As I mentioned, I consider them to be attractions themselves, and I will be writing about each pavilion individually in the future to do them justice.

So without further ado, let’s talk about the attractions at Epcot! The thrill attractions in Epcot tend to focus on two things: speed and flying (even in space!). First up is the unique experience of Soarin’. Located in Future World West in the Land Pavilion, Soarin’ was originally was built in Disney’s California Adventure and called Soarin’ Over California. Because of its popularity, it was brought to Epcot and shortened to Soarin’. This attraction takes guests on a hang-gliding adventure over the gorgeous sceneries of California. From the Golden Gate Bridge to Napa Valley, you truly feel as though you are gliding high above these beautiful places. Be sure to keep a nose out for the smells of fresh pine and oranges throughout the ride, and definitely look for a visit to Disneyland with Tinkerbell at the end!

Moving over to Future World East, the next thrill attraction Epcot has to offer is Mission: SPACE. This attraction offers an intense experience of a journey to Mars in a simulated space shuttle. Separated into teams of four, this attraction assigns each person on your team a role in your mission to land on Mars successfully. The launch sequence experienced is comparable to the actual force you would be feeling if you were launching into space on a shuttle for NASA. If this sounds too intense for you, don’t worry you can still experience the attraction: the ride now offers two different intensities to choose from. When approaching the ride, choose the Green Team for a milder experience or the Orange Team for the full force experience.

Once you’ve successfully made it to Mars and back, walk next door to Test Track. Currently closed for refurbishments and scheduled to open again this fall, Test Track is an attraction based upon the experience of vehicles enduring tests in all sorts of conditions before being deemed safe for the road. The original version took riders through tests including brakes and suspension before a barrier crash test and cruising loop around the outside of the building at speeds of 65mph. Upon reopening, Test Track is set to now include the opportunity to design your own ride vehicle before being able to experience it first hand in the testing facility. I can only imagine that the attraction is going to be even more thrilling and exciting when it finally re-opens!

In terms of classic attractions at Epcot, the most well known is Spaceship Earth. Housed in what many people still refer to as “the giant golf ball,” Spaceship Earth is a slow-moving ride that takes riders back in time to explore the development of communication in our civilization. Traveling all the way from cave men to modern day technologies, Spaceship Earth tells a historical story in an interesting and exciting way. Guests are now even able to utilize touch screens in their ride vehicles to answer several questions and create a short animation about their own personal future world. Throughout the ride, be sure to smell the beloved scent of “Rome burning” and keep an eye out for a few Hidden Mickeys along the way!

Another attraction that I consider to be a classic is Living with the Land in the Land Pavilion. This is a slow moving boat tour that takes guests through various agricultural settings and ultimately greenhouses to portray various technologies that are being utilized and developed every day. While this may sound boring to some, it is actually a fascinating attraction as you are able to see gorgeous greenhouses growing all types of interesting vegetation. If you have plans to eat in The Garden Grill (also located in the Land Pavilion), keep in mind that it’s likely something on your plate was grown right there in the greenhouses! Even if this does not sound very interesting or exciting to you, I recommend still giving the attraction a try. You never know, you may end up loving it and calling it a classic just like I do!

Epcot also offers a few other attractions that I consider to be must sees and two of them reside together in The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion. The first attraction bears the same name as the pavilion and follows Nemo and other characters from the beloved movie Finding Nemo as they explore the “big blue world” of the ocean. As you ride along in your clam vehicles attempting to find Nemo with his father Marlon and friend Dory, you will experience breathtaking views of the actual aquariums featured in the pavilion. Perhaps the most enchanting part of the ride is how Nemo and his friends are actually animated and projected onto the glass of the aquarium tanks so that it appears as though they are swimming amongst the live sea creatures behind them. Definitely a must see!

A few steps away from The Seas with Nemo & Friends is Turtle Talk with Crush. A live animated and interactive show, guests can have direct conversations with the ever-lovable and totally cool Crush while learning about sea turtles and their habitat. Try and sit up front to be selected to engage with Crush, and don’t forget that every show is different, so feel free to visit over and over again!

The final must see attraction in Epcot is Journey Into Imagination With Figment. Though the attraction has changed over the years, it basically sums up Epcot for me as a child. Figment is a loveable purple dragon who has an imagination overflowing with ideas to share with guests. The attraction takes guests through the Imagination Institute on a tour through the senses; however the tour is quickly taken over by Figment who unleashes the power of imagination on your every sense. A colorful and playful attraction, I consider it a must see and you will find yourself humming the theme song long after departing.

That about wraps up my list for the thrill, classic, and must see attractions of Epcot! As I mentioned, I did not include any of the countries in the World Showcase as I’m looking forward to dedicating entire posts on them in the future and exploring them in further detail.

What is your favorite attraction in Epcot? Think I left something off the list? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

The post Disney From a Twenty-Something: EPCOT Attractions appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #289 for the week of August 26, 2012.

This week, I’m excited to share an interview with one of Disney’s legendary Imagineers, Tony Baxter. Currently the Senior Vice President of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering. We had a chance to meet and chat recently, as we talk about his career at Disney, his mentors and inspirations, attractions he helped create such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Splash Mountain and many others. Tony shares wonderful stories about his personal experiences going from Disney fan to Disney Imagineer. We also discuss the current state of the Disney Parks and what the future may hold.

Answer the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for your chance to win a Disney prize package and be sure to stay for other announcements, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: If you could ask Tony Baxter to “re-Imagineer” one Walt Disney World attraction, which would it be? Leave your answer in the comments section below

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
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• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Mini-Guide to the 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival - Use code WDWRADIO to save $3.00!

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The post Show # 289 – August 26, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #261 for the week of February 12, 2012.

With the Academy Awards coming up soon, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Walt Disney and the Oscars. Recorded live at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, Jim Korkis and I look at discuss the history of the Awards ceremony, Walt’s unparalleled achievements, the Oscars that can be found at the Studios and elsewhere, stories about Walt at the Academy Awards, and much, much more.

I’ll share the three announcements we made during this past weekend’s live 5 Year Anniversary event in Walt Disney World before playing more of your voicemails at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show:

Question for YOU: What is your favorite Disney film? What Disney movie should have won an Oscar, but didn’t?

The Vault of Walt is also the latest selection in our WDW Radio Disney Book Club

Purchase The Vault of Walt by Jim Korkis on Amazon.com

Join us and Richard M. Sherman on the WDW Radio Cruise on the Disney Dream!!

• Private Tours of Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello
• Disney Fan Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations at DisneyMeets.com
• WDWNewsCast – Watch & chat during our LIVE NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET – Be part of the broadcast & discuss live in the chat room at http://WDWNewsCast.com
• WDW Radio on YouTube – Watch past episodes, subscribe to the show and comment on the WDWRadio YouTube Channel

The post Show # 261 – February 12, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello and this is show #80 for the week of August 17, 2008.

This week’s show is very special, as I will be devoting an entire episode to a single segment, and more importantly, a single man. He is Richard M. Sherman. You know him as one of the Sherman Brothers, the most successful songwriting team in history, and the name that defines the music and mood of so many Disney feature films and theme park attractions.

Mr. Sherman joins me in this one-to-one interview about his career beginnings, time at the Disney Studios, working for and with Walt Disney, and the stories behind the stories of working on timeless classics like Mary Poppins and legendary songs such as “it’s a small world” and hundreds of others.

I’ll end the show not with announcements or voicemails, but instead, with my small tribute to the work of the Sherman Brothers in thanks for Mr. Sherman joining me on the show, and for a lifetime of memories he helped create.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy a very special episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Richard M. Sherman and The Sherman Brothers

Robert (left) and Richard Sherman 

 

 

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Walt’s Time – Click Here to Order from Amazon.com

 

 

The post Show #80 – August 17, 2008 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Steve Kirk: Hi, Lou. How are you doing?

LM: Very well. Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me today. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to talk to you.

SK: Well, my pleasure.

LM: Mr. Kirk, you’ve had such a long, remarkable career at WDI. But before we get to talk about some of those accomplishments and specific projects, can you tell us a little bit about how you got started at Imagineering?

SK: Well, let’s see . . . I went to Cal State Long Beach and got a degree in Illustration, a B.F.A. And while I was there an associate of mine, a friend of mine actually, named Rolly Crump, who was the designer back with Walt who did the Tower of the Four Winds and was one of the producers, or the producer, I guess, on Small World. And he knew my brother, and he kind of recruited us to do a couple of jobs with him for Busch Gardens way back in ’75. Then in ’76, the Imagineering – it was WED then – was starting to recruit designers, and Rolly just started back there again after being gone in Florida for a while. And so I went to work there. I got an interview with some of the resident designers there, one was Tony Baxter, and Tim Delaney was another one that took a look at my portfolio. I was hired and Tony and I started working together on Discovery Bay, which was really, really exciting. I worked on a little show called Professor Marvel’s Gallery of Illusion for Discovery Bay and created a little character, a little sculpture of Professor Marvel holding his little pet dragon. And he actually popped up about a year later in an Epcot pavilion.

LM: Yeah, and again you’re leading me exactly where I wanted to go because in looking at your body of work, I want to talk some more about some of the things that you’ve done, there so much that I can and would love to talk to you about, but, specifically, one of your creations is something that I want to focus on because what we’ve been doing – especially with Epcot’s 25th coming up – as part of this Epcot retrospective series that we’re doing, is highlighting and exploring some of these pavilions and their attractions. And you really had a large hand in creating one of the most beloved characters, not only in Epcot or in the Imagination Pavilion, but one of Disney’s greatest characters in recent history; and, of course, we’re talking about Figment.

SK: Well, it’s kind of an anomaly because, again, my theme park days before Disney, during Disney, and now after Disney . . . you know, the conventional wisdom is that you really can’t introduce a character to the public in a theme park. It almost has to be via some of the media, either animation or live action or something. With a few exceptions, like Pirates of the Caribbean – which were all new characters at the time—, Small World – again, a new introduction of styling and characters — , and the Imagination Pavilion with Figment and Dreamfinder . . . they are about the only examples I can think of offhand of product, intellectual product, that came along before or, actually, exclusive of any media. So, I think it’s basically luck in a lot of ways, but it’s also, I think, the character being in the right place at the right time.

LM: Well, I think it’s the character itself, too. And we’ve talked a lot about Figment specifically because there’s something Figment has . . . this quality, whether it’s his childlike innocence or his curiosity or whatever it is that appeals to people on so many different levels. And I think that’s why he, even more so than characters that are nameless from some of the attractions like Small World and Pirates, has not only got such a following but really has become almost a cult icon to Disney fans.

SK: Well, it’s interesting, and, again, I don’t quite know how to explain it. I can say one thing that, as you already know, WED and Imagineering were definitely big group efforts. While I got the ball rolling, unintentionally, with Figment and Dreamfinder in the initial design and concept working with Tony, really there were several iterations of him afterwards, an illustrator named Andy Gaskill, sculptors, and a number of other interpreters of those two characters helped both characters evolve over time. So the product that you actually see as a walk around in the park or in the ride – what it used be – really were the end evolution of quite a team effort.

LM: Yeah, and the genesis of Figment is something I think is very, very interesting: the legendary story of Tony Baxter watching an episode of Magnum PI, coming up with the idea of quantifying something about a figment of the imagination. But, really, it was you, and Andy Gaskill, and X Atencio that kind of gave him form and substance whereas Tony really came up with the name and the idea?

SK: Yeah, in fact Tony – and, again, it’s really interesting the genesis of some of this stuff, but going back to Discovery Bay, Dreamfinder – it wasn’t called Dreamfinder then, it was Professor Marvel as per that Wizard of Oz thing – that Tony really wanted to have kind of this travelling wizard and magician type, almost a Circus of Doctor Lao type of venue, show, presentation type thing. And that character stuck in Tony’s mind, I think, and I think he confirmed this, when he got into the Imagination Pavilion as being a host and kind of an embodiment of the imagining process. Using Figment as the foil to Dreamfinder, it was a great way to explore the subject matter that we wanted to explore for the Imagination Pavilion.

LM: And if you can, Mr. Kirk, for those people who may not be all that familiar with the Discovery Bay concept for Disneyland that never really took place, kind of synopsize for us what that was and how Professor Marvel ended up becoming the Dreamfinder.

SZ: I don’t want to repeat what Tony’s probably already told you, but the anecdote as I remember it was I was in my office, we’d all been taken off of every other project except Epcot, so everyone had been reassigned from Disneyland, from Disney World, you know – Magic Kingdom and so forth – on to Epcot, and everybody was part of a pavilion. Tony was in with the Kodak folks as being potential sponsors for some kind of pavilion, and I don’t think he quite knew yet what their tie-in would be. And he ran into my office in the middle of this meeting and said “Can I borrow little Figment and Dreamfinder” – or Figment and . . . yeah, Dreamfinder at the time. And he grabbed it and took it in to them to show it to them, and he said this is the kind of character development we can do as being a host for a pavilion; maybe on Imagination. And they said “that’s great, do we get the dragon, too?” And Tony said, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” he kind of threw the dragon in as a . . . this is how I remember him telling me the story . . . The only issue was that, at the time, the dragon was painted green; Figment was green. And Kodak thought that represented a little too much of a Fuji connection, so he turned purple as a result of that.

LM: You know, it’s so funny because you hear so many of these stories and we talk about some of these stories, and you never know if they’re true or if they’re just an urban legend. So it’s great to have them confirmed from somebody that was actually there. I’ve actually seen a photograph of some of the early sculpture work of a very different looking Dreamfinder, with his monocle and white moustache and beard holding this green, very skinny looking dragon.

SK: Yeah, that kind of represents my little more acid approach to character design – a little more edgy, kind of a sarcastic approach. And he got the edges – actually Andy Gaskill put some really nice edges on him, X Atencio took his angle on it, and then, finally, when he was sculpted dimensionally he evolved into what he is today. He got a lot cuter as he grew older, I think.

LM: There’s a quote that saying that X Atencio made him loveable in a way that kids could actually relate to.

SK: Yeah, and at the time I wasn’t quite sure, but in retrospect it really was a good call because I think that all the curves and all that business in the design really did help make him a very appealing character.

LM: The Dreamfinder character – tell us how he came to be, where you came up with the concept of him going around the universe collecting all these magical things and coming up with the Dream Port and the Dream Vehicle.

SK: That’s a good question. I’m trying to remember . . . Tony and I were – and, again , other writers and illustrators and designers – had concept, loose cry sessions, and I think Tony had the idea that new ideas are the product of collecting old ideas and then synthesizing them into a third new product. I think that was a new idea. That was kind of the basic premise of the storyline. So the idea of some kind of a metaphor for gathering creative ideas or even natural things or other concepts that had been existing before, recombining them, was the angle. And so we knew we had to start the show out with some way of showing the Dreamfinder and Figment collecting stuff. You know: scientific stuff, artistic stuff, natural stuff, whatever. For him to have a device that collected and then stored and took them back to his workshop seemed to be a pretty straight forward . . . again, it’s our model for the way the human mind works in one scenario.

I had done a lot of assemblage-type, whimsical Victorian flying machines in my portfolio and my history before that, and so Tony and I thought why not build a machine that the character can actually pilot with a vacuum bag at the back that was sucking up all those great ideas for use later on. And so I just sat down at my workbench there and, in an inch scale model, built this from just junk. Stuff I’d found; stuff I’d stolen from the model shop or the tool crib or whatever. And then, drawings were drawn of that machine, and they mass produced 6 of these things in full scale, and they were quite large: they were like 25 feet in total length or something. I remember going over to MAPO and seeing 6 of these things in full scale laid out on the construction floor, and it was just amazing, it was like something from World War II where you see fighter planes being assembled en masse. Really impressive. I was amazed that I got that far with that thing.

LM: Yeah, the concept for it and how it was all put together and the, like you said, had that kind of Jules Verne-isc quality to it, is something that was wonderful. Unfortunately, the only place we can still see it today is the one that’s up in Mouse Gear, up near the ceiling.

SK: Oh, is that where it is?

LM: That’s the only one I’ve seen outside the attraction once it was taken down.

Beyond the characters themselves and some of those initial things, how much of the actual story of the original Journey Into Imagination did you have a hand in?

SK: I just worked with the big concept group; Tony led it, and I think there must have been a couple of writers, me, I think my brother Tim was involved in some of the brainstorming sessions . . . as I said, these things were very large collaborative efforts, and, while Tony, again, was the overall torchbearer for the overall concept, it really did pass through a lot of other hands, you know, with his guidance.

LM: I think one thing that still remains fascinating about the original attraction to me – and I keep referring to the original because I think maybe some of the newer generation doesn’t remember the original, which is very different than what we have today – is how you were able to quantify things like the Arts and Literature and Science and make them into real, tangible things that we could see and smell and really relate to our own human mind.

SK: Well, if you think about everything at Epcot and most of the things at theme parks, it’s the most metaphorical model for the creative process, and it really, really was tough in a lot of ways in that a good model for the creative process is a really, really abstract thing, obviously, and has all kinds of different interpretations. We did a lot of research, a lot of reading, and, in the end, at the end of the day we just kind of sat down and thought, well, we’re creative people ourselves . . . what is the process? How do you start? What are the midpoints in the thing; what are the final products?

So, in a lot of ways, after doing lots of research we just kind of looked into ourselves and said “Well, this is not a bad model for how we work anywhere.”

LM: We talked about the attraction how there were these four basic show scenes of Arts, Literature, Performing Arts, and Science. When you started in the Arts section, one of the memorable parts about it for me was this giant, sort-of, white artist’s palette, and it was, I guess, a metaphor for us starting a journey, our mind a blank canvas. But the use of color and light and sound really gave that scene so much life, and, again, that’s something I still remember to this day.

SK: Yeah, in fact we wanted to give each one of those key scenes an attitude: audio, lighting, the sculptural forms, the animation, the vignettes that represented Figment as the story thread through all of this and how he was working in these different environments, in each different genre.

So I think they really were very distinct, but I can remember them clearly even today as far as them not being blurred or indistinct.

LM: Especially transitioning from Arts to Literature, which was very dark and very scary, and the music, being the same song, was still so very foreboding – it really had a very different feel than what came before. And then, obviously, the very fun Performing Arts Broadway-style theatre scene that came after.

SK: Yeah, I think it’s like that, like a symphony or anything else – to hit all the notes and to have the different contrast, to have the different attitudes then with the big finale at the end. I really think it was, for what it attempted to do, relatively successful.

LM: I think it was very, very successful, and, unfortunately, the attraction closed for a variety of reasons in 1998. It re-opened a year later as Journey Into Your Imagination, unfortunately without Dreamfinder and Figment. How did you feel when that change took place?

SK: Well, I was a little disappointed. I thought, “well, nothing lasts forever, except Mickey Mouse.” (Lou laughs.) And I was grateful that it had as long a life-span as it had. And then, I guess eventually I’ve been told, the guests really wanted to see the two characters come back, and that was responsible for the renaissance, I guess, and them returning.

LM: And that’s amazing . . . people have talked about the fan outcry when Mr. Toad was going to close, but it was nothing like Figment, because it wasn’t just hard core fans or people online. There were guests going to Guest Relations complaining that Dreamfinder and Figment weren’t there, and that’s a testament to how powerful the characters – especially a Figment – really were to the everyday guest.

SK: You know, it’s funny, and I’m not a very good anecdote teller, but . . . I think one of the most significant things that happened to me in my professional life was: I was in a market somewhere, and I was checking out, and the gal at the cash register had a little purple Figment glued to the top of her cash register. I said, “Oh, you’ve been to Epcot.” And she goes, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I really love Epcot, and my kids love Epcot.” I went, “I actually had a part in designing that little character,” and she was very, very excited and she says “Oh, that’s fabulous.” And she got kind of misty, a little bit, and said, “You know, it meant a huge amount to my daughter who was there on some children’s program for who’s dying of cancer. And she said that the Figment and Dreamfinder figures were hosting them, and that was one of her daughter’s fondest and happiest and last, as it turns out, memories. And I just didn’t know what to say; I kind of choked up. And I actually, finally believed that those characters did have some impact on people.

LM: And clearly they still do to this day. Fortunately, Figment came back in a slightly different form when Journey Into Your Imagination With Figment reopened. Is that anything that you had a hand in, or did they just bring the character back and put him back into the attraction?

SK: No, I was really busy on Japanese projects at the time, so I really didn’t have any input or anything to do with that, actually.

LM: How do you feel about the attraction now with Figment versus your original concepts and the original attraction when it opened?

SK: Well I have to be honest, I really haven’t seen it. I really don’t know.

LM: I can tell you that it’s really nothing like the original attraction, and, while it’s great to have him back, there’s something missing. There’s a certain quality that’s missing that was there in the first attraction. And there’ve been rumors for some time now that it’s going to close and be refurbished and, you know, creative forces like John Lasseter and Tony Baxter still want to redo it and sort of bring it back to its original glory, and – who knows? – maybe even see Dreamfinder again.

SK: That’d be great, that would be wonderful.

LM: Yeah, I think a lot of fans, especially from my generation, would love to see them come back.

You know, we just really scratched the surface on some of the things that you’ve done while you were at Imagineering. I guess we could talk for a couple of minutes about some of the other things that you did to really help turn Epcot into a reality. It’s appropriate, with the 25th anniversary coming up, to talk about some of the things that you did with Epcot.

SK: OK. The other two venues that I was seriously involved in. One was the Wonders of Life pavilion, and, again, I helped Barry Braverman generally with the overall concept, we worked together, and, specifically, the Cranium Command Show. Again, that was a message in search of a metaphor. It really, the idea of being inside someone’s head and taking a mechanistic metaphor or model for the human mind/body relationship is an old idea; it goes way back into some of Walt’s early animation with emotion and reason – Ward Kimball worked on that – and also Woody Allen did a thing for that with one of his movies, and there’ve been a half dozen other mechanical metaphors explaining different aspects of the human body.

So, we were trying to think of a way to talk about the whole mind/body relationship as far as stress-related scenarios go, and we thought why not be up inside of somebody’s head and do a cockpit type of approach to the conscious mind. And then that idea grew into more of a Star Trek-type bridge of a ship. In Creative Command right now – or was – there was one character with a supporting cast on film for different parts of the body. Originally there was a Captain, a “Mr. Spock” type, several Ensigns at each of the senses, there was an Officer for reason, there was an Officer for emotion . . . so there was a little cast of these little characters about, maybe, 2 feet tall in this pretty big theatre that was a pretty involved bridge of a ship, which was, again, inside the human head. After “value engineering,” we got it down to one character and a robot. Which is ok.

It turned out to be, I think, a relatively successful way to explain some pretty complicated message units. The neat thing about that show – and it was never done – was that it could have been reprogrammed with new software and new animation to tell a whole bunch of different stories. Because the vehicle of being inside of somebody’s head really could talk about all kinds of health habits, auto-immune diseases, how digestion works, how musculature and the nervous system works . . . but it never was. It only had one show, and that was kind of the end of it.

That was, I think, a pretty good way to explain a little more concrete information than, certainly, Imagination was.

LM: You talk about how tough it was to quantify imagination, trying to quantify what you were doing there was great. And, again, I think this was one of Walt Disney World’s Lost Treasures because it was a great show, it had a wonderful celebrity cast to make it fun, to make it something that every generation can enjoy.

But I know where you’re going with the next one, which is your work on The Land. The challenges of trying to quantify things like that versus trying to make something like nutrition exciting must have been a challenge in and of itself.

SK: Yeah, that was a challenge. And, also, to take a pretty middle of the road as far as nutrition versus health habits . . . how do you say this? . . . Kraft Foods was the sponsor, and we tried to find something that would make them happy and also not be too controversial from a sponsor-influenced message unit. And I think we hit a pretty happy middle ground: Moderation was the bottom line in Kitchen Kabaret. We always said “Everything in moderation, in balance.” “Try to hit the four food groups,” all that business. As good as the scientific information was then, we tried to reflect in that show and then put it in as wacky a context as we could, which was you were in a kitchen and all of this stuff is singing and dancing and doing all this stuff. All those food stuffs, and so forth.

So, I think those three shows, in their own way, each tried to tell a pretty serious message, but with a fun Disney-slant on them.

LM: And that’s exactly the word that I was going to use to describe them all, because while they were clearly brilliantly inspired and wonderfully executed, all of them were very, very fun. And, again, you’re talking about things like nutrition and imagination: things that are very tough to describe. And, obviously, they still have a lasting impression to this day, the characters themselves and the attractions themselves. I know a lot of people, from my generation especially, still enjoyed and miss shows like Kitchen Kabaret.

SK: I like to think that those shows represented a part of the Epcot spectrum which, again, in the best Disney tradition – you make ‘em laugh, you make ‘em cry, you make ‘em think, and all that kind of stuff – that we handled – me and my immediate associates I worked with, who I think are wonderful people – all were on the laughing, fun side in general. I think that Epcot, at one point, had a pretty good balance between the real scientific messages, the edutainment stuff, and the whole World Showcase thing.

Anybody can criticize projects because they fell short of their goals, but everyone has to admit that Epcot set some hugely ambitious goals. I’m just amazed that it was as successful as it was, frankly.

LM: Yeah, and you led me to the question, which was how much balance – you know, Epcot early on was criticized for being too much education as part of the edutainment. People considered it to be not fun, it was a learning park. How much did they rein you in, I should say, balancing fun versus education

SK: It was kind of a pendulum; it’d sweep back and forth between who you were talking to and what time in the evolutionary process you were looking at. It’s funny, because the character presence at Epcot – we were determined, everybody that I ever talked to on the project was determined not to have the traditional Disney characters there. We also had the same resolution in Studio Tour, the MGM Studios Tour with Bob Weiss and that group. In both cases, the public just demanded and were disappointed that the traditional characters weren’t there. And so they eventually migrated.

I think that, in some ways, the fun quotient is going to find its own level in these things. I don’t think we could ever be criticized for being too much fun. I do think that we can be criticized for being too didactic.

LM: Now, how do you feel – and I don’t know if you’ve seen the attractions, but, clearly, there’s a move towards bringing characters from outside the park as opposed to creating new characters inside the park. In, whether it be the Three Caballeros – classic characters – or bringing Nemo in to a pavilion like The Seas. How do you feel about bringing those characters in and changing the whole make-up of the attraction and pavilion?

SK: In my more purist, little more fanatical days, I would have been very much against it. But after being through Disney and then also being on the outside as a consultant for 6 years, I really think intellectual properties have to be exploited and used appropriately to the best leverage you can. If it’s a good product, like Nemo and the Pixar stuff and Disney characters, and it’s appropriate – you don’t want to put Snow White talking about atomic energy or something . . . If the character is a good spokesperson for that message, then I’m all for it. Completely. I think the public wants it.

LM: I agree, and I think, for example, in Nemo and The Seas, the integrity of the pavilion is kept intact, the integrity of the character is kept intact because it is such a good fit. Even though I am an Epcot purist, I have no problem with it and I think it works well. You need to do things like that for this next generation of fans that’s coming in.

SK: And I think as long as – and Florida is the particular example – as long as the boundaries between the parks, and the unique identity of the four parks, is maintained and people don’t get confused with too much cross-fertilization of material, it’ll be okay. We made the same speech to the Oregon Land Company about Tokyo Disneyland versus Tokyo Disney Sea, that you can’t present the same stuff in the same parks the same way, or people really won’t see the differentiation, won’t see the distinction. And the problem in Florida is even worse, because you’ve got four parks and two water parks, and the temptation to start sprinkling everything with a great product once it comes out – like, all the sudden we see Ratatouille in all four parks or something – that is a real danger. That has to be a self-policing thing inside the Disney Company, to avoid that kind of confusion.

LM: Two of the other products you worked on specifically for Florida are very different from some of the things that you did for Epcot, and those are The Great Movie Ride and the Tower of Terror.

SK: And, again, I was in very much a supporting role and not a lead role at all on Great Movie Ride and Tower of Terror. My brother Tim was much more instrumental on both of those in the concept teams.

But, I did enjoy my work with Bob Weiss on the Studio Tour very, very, very much, and the idea of behind-the-scenes movie making, the studio tour format was a really, really neat change from anything I’ve ever done before or, in fact, since. The vehicle of using the making of movies to tell these stories was a really fascinating challenge, and I think it, in its own way, succeeded pretty well.

LM: And, obviously, one of the things you are most proud of and, maybe, the crown jewel on your resume is the work that you did on what I understand (and I, unfortunately, haven’t seen yet personally) is one of the most breathtaking and exciting and beautiful of all the Disney Parks worldwide, and that’s Tokyo Disney Sea.

SK: Well, thank you very much. I really am the luckiest Theme Designer, probably, on the whole planet. To have been at the right place – and I’m serious – a lot of it is simply being at the right place at the right time. With the availability of a very decent, respectable budget to build it properly, and with, I think, the cream of the Imagineering talent pool, all coming together in one place. Some of it’s an accident of history and some of it is, I think, really, really . . . well, I think that a lot of people put their best efforts in their careers into that park. And I think it shows, frankly.

LM: Again, from the pictures I’ve seen and the videos I’ve seen, it’s absolutely breathtaking. And I look forward to being able to go and experience it for myself, because everyone that I’ve talked to that’s come back from it is speechless and says it’s far and away the most amazing of the Theme Parks, even people who really are Walt Disney World Fans or Disneyland Fans can’t say enough good things about Tokyo Disney Sea.

SK: Well, I think it has its place in the collection of Kingdoms and Theme Parks in Disney’s portfolio. It was a challenge in a lot of ways because it couldn’t borrow anything from Florida, it couldn’t borrow from California, it couldn’t borrow from Europe; it really had to be a new portfolio of attractions. And that was the opportunity – a huge opportunity – and, also, I think, the challenge.

LM: I hope, maybe, that you’d be willing to come on the show again and talk to us specifically about Tokyo Disney Sea, some of the other attractions and unique things that you were able to put in that park and your work overseas in Tokyo.

SK: I would love that very much, thank you.

LM: Let me just ask you quickly before you go: you’re no longer with Imagineering, you were there for about 25 years, are you still consulting now? Or what are you doing now?

SK: We’re consulting. My wife, Kathy, who was the Director of the Creative Division at Imagineering for a while, doing staffing; now she is working with me and my brother for Kirk Design Incorporated. And what we’re doing is some theme park work, some international theme park work. We’re also doing some museum work; we’ve done a museum on Science Fiction that’s been built. We’re actually applying our theme park experience and design sensibilities to other industries: to banking, believe it or not; to healthcare; to other places that want to get into more of a service-oriented and a consumer-oriented, friendly Disney approach to providing what they do. And that is fascinating, because we are taking a whole consumer approach to what would make you happy going to this place and making use of these services, again, from a Disney perspective. It’s really, really fascinating.

LM: Again, your creativity and your brilliance in some of the things that you have created in the Disney Parks is something that I can say is really appreciated to this day by generations of fans, whether it be Figment, whether it be some of the attractions that maybe are gone but still resonate in our minds as a testament to the quality and creativity of your work. I personally really appreciate everything that you have done in and on the parks.

SK: Well, thank you very much. It was a real pleasure talking to you, and I’ve had the pleasure also of working with some of the most wonderful people in the whole business in the history of the planet.

LM: Former Imagineer Steve Kirk, thank you very much for coming on the show.

SK: Thank you very much, Lou. Appreciate it.

The post Interview with former Disney Imagineer Steve Kirk appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Welcome to the WDW Radio Show, your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is Show #29 for the week of August 26, 2007.

Because I was away for the past few days, I don’t have any new or rumors for you this week, but promise to cover all that’s new and notable next week. Instead, I have a number of segments I think you’ll enjoy.

We’ll start off first with an interview with Tim Foster, author of a number of wonderful Walt Disney World books, including his all new Guide to the Magic.

With Epcot’s 25th anniversary coming up on October 1, I wanted to tell you about Celebration 25, a fan-created event in the park honoring the occasion, and one that I’ll be attending and sponsoring. And to discuss it further, I’ve brought on the event’s co-founder, Adam Roth. There’s still time to register and join us, so be sure to listen to not only some of the great things Adam has planned, but how Disney has gotten behind the event.

And speaking of Epcot’s 25th, it’s time for another segment in our Epcot Retrospective series. This time, Jeff and I explore one of Epcot’s most unique pavilions in concept and design, as well as some of the most beloved characters ever created by Disney. Of course, this is our own “Journey Into Imagination” with Dreamfinder and Figment. We’ll talk about the attractions history, revisit it scene-by-scene, discuss the changes over the years and more.

I’ll get back to more of your emails and voicemails next week, so sit back, relax enjoy this week’s episode of The WDW Radio Show.

Journey Into Imagination

Visit some of these fan-created sites:

http://www.figmentsimagination.com

http://www.friendsoffigment.org

Tim Foster’s Guide to the Magic – This full color book is a guide book, activity book, sticker book, journal and autograph book all rolled up into one! You’ll also find scavenger hunts, Hidden Mickeys, little known facts, and lots and lots of full color photos of every attraction in every park at Walt Disney World! Click here to find out more, see sample pages, and to order!

Visit the official Celebration 25 Event page

Celebration 25 Updates

Celebration 25 Merchandise

Orlando Sentinel article

Also join us for the NFFC Show & Sale and Convention Sept. 27-30, 2007

See the entire Florida Convention 2007 Schedule of Events

The post Show #29 – Aug. 26, 2007 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.