By Keith Mahne

For those of us lucky enough to remember the early days of the Disney Channel, getting an inside look at coming attractions made a subscription worth every penny. One of our favorite segments to air on the Disney Channel in the late 80s was this inside look at Walt Disney Imagineering back in 1987. We will take a tour through the legendary Imagineering offices to see the creation of things like Pleasure Island, Disney-MGM Studios, Splash Mountain, Typhoon Lagoon and more. Join us as we travel back to Walt Disney Imagineering circa 1987...

By Keith Mahne

The late, great Marty Sklar stood as a dedicated torchbearer of Walt Disney’s philosophy since first joining the Company a month before Disneyland opened in 1955. Anyone remotely interested in the history and developments of Disney's Imagineering will thoroughly enjoy this 2004 interview Marty gave on his personal reflections on a number of interesting topics, such as Walt, Tomorrowland, and Epcot. Additionally, the interview includes a number of wonderful archive film clips of Walt, the 1964 New York World's Fair, Imagineers in action, and the Disney parks. This one you won't want to miss...

By Keith Mahne

The vision and showmanship of Walt Disney has touched more corners of the world and hearts through his many films and theme parks. Since opening Disneyland on July 17, 1955, Walt and his team of dream makers, better known as Imagineers, have created magical destinations around the world. Today we'll have a chance to peak behind the curtain and see how the incredibly talented Imagineers create the sounds and music of the Disney Parks...

By Keith Mahne

Literally hundreds of Disney artisans, designers, craftsmen, and technicians collaborated on Walt Disney World's Hall of Presidents attraction to get it up and running by opening day. Painstaking research, exacting execution, and technical innovations were required in order to achieve the degree of perfection once demanded by Walt Disney. It's one thing to talk about the hard work that went into the creation of this classic attraction and another to actually see it for ourselves. That's just what we'll do in today's new article with some rarely seen footage inside WED Enterprises at the making of Hall of Presidents shot in February 1971; only a few short months away from Walt Disney World's opening day...

By Ted Linhart

When an eponymous corporation loses its founder, especially if he/she is still in charge at the time, that company is challenged with finding a new leadership team while still maintaining that person’s vision and continuing business as usual for the sake of its employees. The Walt Disney Company went through such an ordeal when Walt died on December 15, 1966. This article looks at a remarkable “Six-Month Report For WED Enterprises” that covers a unique time frame -  the three months before and after Walt's death when multiple, iconic Disney Park creations were coming to life. The copy of this report that you are about to see was sent to Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, and creates an extraordinary look at the DNA of Disney theme parks. Join us as we take a peak inside WED Enterprises during one of its most challenging and yet inspirational eras of its history...

By Keith Mahne

The talking skull in Pirates of the Caribbean has warned guests that "Dead Men tell no tales" millions of times over the years. The poor mayor has been dunked countless times (and still hasn't drowned). The auctioneer has been trying to unload the same plump young wench on the same six pirates hundreds of times a day, 365 days a year with no takers. And those same six pirates have been wanting the "red 'ed" without success for almost 50 years. Day after day, year after year, the pirates have been singing and pillaging and plundering and kidnapping and extorting and marauding, much to the delight of the thousands of Disneyland guests who line up daily to see the less-than-daring exploits of these fun-loving scalawags. In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean has emerged as perhaps the most successful attraction ever built at a Disney Theme Park and it's all thanks to the Imagineers. In today's new article, we'll hear from some of those very same Imagineers who have shared their memories over the years on creating one of the best Disney attractions that has been exciting guests with almost 50 years of plundering fun...

By Keith Mahne

1955: Minimum wage shot up to $1.00, the electric stove made its first appearance in kitchens across the country and, of course, Disneyland opened to America and the world. The creation of Disneyland stands out as a shining moment in the history of popular culture. Walt Disney made good on his promise of a place where "parents and children could have fun together." Although six decades have blurred by since the "Happiest Place on Earth" first staked its place in the hearts of Americans, the park's history is kept alive in the memories of its creators. Those creators being Walt's original Imagineers whose collective talent helped transform an anonymous orange grove in Southern California into a true Magic Kingdom. Join us today as we hear from past Imagineers as they share their memories creating Walt's dream of Disneyland...

By Keith Mahne

Just as Disney promised when they broke ground on October 1, 1979, the doors of EPCOT Center officially opened on October 1, 1982, and the dawn of a new Disney era began. EPCOT Center stood as a towering achievement of American ingenuity, productivity and technology, a monumental example of what can be done in a free enterprise system and when you allow imagination to run free. The vintage EPCOT footage you are about to see is a tribute to the talents, determination and dedication of thousands of members of the Disney organization at a time when the company was bursting at the seams with creativity...

By Keith Mahne

Walt Disney Imagineers truly are the dreamers, the doers, and the masterminds of magic. These are the folks responsible for some of the most awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping creations of all time. Today I'd like to share with you 80 amazing photos taken over the years that feature the Imagineers at work. Think of this as a tribute to the men and women who make dreams come true every day...

By Keith Mahne

Picture a place with maze-like hallways. You walk through those hallways, passing cubicles filled with art supplies and artwork. Photographs and doodles fill in the blanks to reveal the style and personality of the occupant. Sometimes the cubicles are the size of a broom closet, and sometimes as large as a walk-in. If you continue, you might come across a wood shop, or a sculpture studio, or a room filled with computers. Pass the library, and at certain times of the day you might hear a string trio playing bluegrass music. You're probably thinking you are observing Imagineers in action while on a tour of 1401 Flower Street (Imagineering Headquarters in Glendale, California) however, it happens all day, every day in Valencia, at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a school made possible by Walt Disney. Join me today as we have a look at Walt's magic school where Imagineers are born...

By Keith Mahne

He is the symbol of magic, imagination and creativity. It seems that with a simple wave of his wind, pixie dust appears and marvelous creations come to life. He is Sorcerer Mickey, the symbol that represents the creative genius of Walt Disney Imagineering. But this little guy didn't always grace the name tags, letterhead and business cards of WDI. Join me today and let's take a look at why WED Enterprises became Walt Disney Imagineering...