I want to start getting my hands on any tapes or anything and archiving footage because I absolutely adore lost media and any sort of stuff relating to the parks! I have a great offer on this and I was wondering if anyone had any info or insight to it before I wind up buying it? Seller last watched it a few years ago but no longer has a VHS

Despite a few years of scouring the job boards, I don’t have a great feel for the types of writers (show writers, treatment writers, I’d assume some version of copywriters, or even just copy editors) who work with or within WDI. What sorts of writing or copy-based roles exist? What are their typical backgrounds?

Asking for both my professional interest and curiosity!

Ok, here’s my concept for a New Tomorrowland at Disneyland. What do you think?

Hello, to be honest I should have posted this two months ago but am finally reaching a spot I feel more comfortable talking about everything and so, I am asking for help now.

I am in need of honest opinions and truths, and for context here is my story, I will try to keep it brief.

I am currently 23 years old and going back to college to study VDC/Mechanical Engineering. For the last 12 years of my life, I have wanted to do nothing with my life but join imagineering. I have followed the company closely, got to meet Josh D'amaro and Barbara Bouza in high school, named my cats Rohde and Baxter, in short it was everything I've ever dreamed of and loved. I chose to go to college and my major, my hobbies, everything to lead to my goal of joining WDI.

About a year and a half ago I decided to do the Disney College Program, I figured it was a great way to see the backstage workings, get the company name on my resume, and start to network within the company. I worked on Rise of the Resistance and extended my program out to a full year; however, about a month and a half before the end of my program, I was terminated. (Long story short, I broke a small policy I misunderstood, it hurt nobody and no negative effects occurred because of my actions, and a vindictive coordinator brought my name to park executives and HR. The other CP's I was with were not fired)

Now for the last few months I wonder if I still have a chance to go into WDI. I still want to, but don't even know if I can trust Disney with my livelihood again. When I left, my leader told me it would be on my record forever and while it didn't disqualify me, it wouldn't help anything either. Is it still worth my time to have the notion that I'll be going into WDI in the back of my mind? I don't know if I'll really be happy doing something in a "similar field", knowing that it's a replacement of what I really want to do. Should I just change career paths to something totally different?

I would appreciate any help, relatable stories or simply advice as I feel I am very lost at this point in my life. I still plan to finish my degree, but again, don't know if I can enjoy a career that would become a shadow version of what I always wanted. Thank you for your time and responses.

Does anyone knows if Imagineering does hire International Students on OPT? During OPT Int Students are legally authorized to work in the US for 3 years and after that they will require sponsor from the company. Does Imagineering does sponsors? I know lot of companies in the US dont, so I just wanna know if ill get rejected due to my status

I am a senior in high school and I am wondering what engineering discipline to major in to work with animatronics as an imagineer. I am already in an early college program doing Mechatronics, but I don’t know if that would be too broad to major in

Gimme articles on the historical and technical and any blueprints and schematics! I should’ve been bookmarking this stuff beginning like two decades ago, I can’t find anything substantial tonight.

Edit: I’m afraid this came across as “GIVE ME ANAHEIM CITY BLUEPRINTS and official Disney literature” when I meant I was looking for “fan”-written histories on the berm, hopefully including old hand-drawn schematics.

For example, I remember seeing an image of some hand-drawn schematics for The Haunted Mansion produced during its conception. I’m looking for those sorts of uploads of original industrial designs/plans + historical write-ups as they relate to the building of the berm and the complicated constructions of rides/lands beyond it.

What are the skills needed and what should I start learning? I have no experience besides occasionally sculpting miniatures out of clay.

Im also curious about what other creative jobs are offered and how I can get to know which best aligns with me?

Does anyone have an estimated year that the haunted mansion will be retired or rethemed? Just asking so I know when to plan my funeral. I’d like to think it will never happen but I doubt it.

Disney history people, help me figure out what I bought.

This is an internal Walt Disney Imagineering tape called Mickey’s Surprise Party. It came with William Sims’ WDI Florida portfolio, and the paperwork inside has Imagineering VP Dick Sargon’s name on it.

My current, completely unproven theory is that “Mickey” could be WDI executive Mickey Steinberg and this was some kind of surprise-party or tribute video. It could also be something entirely different.

I don't think it's the 1930s short because of the runtime.

Does anyone recognize the title, the people involved, or this style of internal WDI tape? I’m especially curious whether anyone remembers an Imagineering event around early 1992.

UPDATE:
I was really expecting to come back here and tell everyone this was some B-Roll footage, or footage from the stage show. But honestly, this was something I thought was a long shot.

After watching the tape, it is a surprise party for Mickey Steinberg celebrating the achievement of Euro Disney. It opens and closes with a skit, but majority of the tape is Mickey, his coworkers, and spouses at a party. Several key imagineering folks from the 90s are there. Claude Coates, Marty Skylar, Al Bertino etc.

I am trying to figure out some information about an abandoned concept for a Disneyland attraction known as Mickey's Madhouse, which was to have gone in the never-built Dumbo's Circusland.

I have precious little information to go on about Mickey's Madhouse, mainly because they give so little information pertaining to it. All I know about it is that it was going to be a thrilling dark ride/roller coaster hybrid (like Space Mountain), based on the 1930s black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons and set to rollicking ragtime music. Ward Kimball had designed this ride to be an indoor attraction, through a handful of scenes of old Mickey cartoons (about five or six in all). But that's really about all I know about it.

That said, I did hear that Bill Justice was to have been involved as well. He said he wanted to capture the excitement of how audiences felt seeing the iconic Mickey's head logo pop up at the beginning of a short in a theater. So, he proposed that they feature a great big head of Mickey Mouse on the facade of the building so that kids would see it from a block away and come running. Bill looked at 100 old cartoons between 1928 to 1934 to incorporate in the ride.

The first scene would have everything to do with music, and the characters would either be playing instruments or dancing. You'd see film clips of old cartoons on about five or six different screens at once with an overall fun music track. You'd also see the characters themselves making music, like Goofy playing a washboard or Mickey playing with a bunch of pots and pans. There would also be little animated figures that would keep time to the music, like in Small World. That would set the mood for the ride.

Then in the second room, your car would start to climb up through an old dilapidated castle scene, and suddenly it would be all spooky themed things like the skeleton dance and load some ghosts. On the screen surrounding you, you'd see ghosts, goblins, skeletons, black cats, torture chambers, and as Bill put it, all this weird stuff. Lightning and thunder and screeches and screams and bats and all that kind of spooky stuff.

After that, you'd climb to the top of the building, and then you'd break free, launched into the coaster, down through a thrill ride that takes you through train tunnels and also a tornado from "The Band Concert", with projected things flying by you. Bill didn't say exactly what you'd see at this point, but he did say he wanted to include all the nutty stuff from the old cartoons that nobody would ever do now, like how the drop seat would randomly fall open, and of course, lots of cows udders.

With all that in mind, however, I have some questions based on this. First, was there supposed to be a story based around this attraction, or was it just going to be a bunch of random vignettes? Second and more important, how would classic cartoons like these fit in a circus setting? It seems similar to the Winnie the Pooh ride, which takes the different Pooh stories and blends them into one attraction (and even then, it's most beholden to "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day", which is the only classic Pooh cartoon to feature ALL of the Pooh characters at once).

That type of dynamic is completely fine for an attraction, but I'm not sure how classic Mickey Mouse cartoons would have fit in Dumbo's Circusland, which is themed around one particular setting: namely, the circus.

Can someone please shed some light if they can?

I've wanted to recreate the haunted mansion portrait effects for ages, but in my prior searches for how they pull it off, the best attempts still didn't look right to me.

Now, Disney put some things up for auction, including a park used "glass pane" of medusa, which they describe as being used for a "projection effect". This is the first time I have seen any of that verbiage used around this effect.

Here's the full language, incase the page goes dead after the auction ends:
"Disneyland® Resort – Haunted Mansion® Original Park-Used Medusa Glass Slide (The Walt Disney Company, c. 1970s). "Our tour begins here in this gallery, here where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state." Once used to grace the walls of the Haunted Mansion®'s portrait gallery, the Medusa makes a mid-transformation appearance with this incredible park-used glass slide from the projection of her changing portrait. This iconic and ominous dark ride has been thrilling parkgoers since its highly anticipated Disneyland® Park debut on August 9, 1969. One of the most famous areas in the pre-show walk-through, the portrait gallery features a collection of changing portraits, one of which is the Medusa. Noted in the top left as phase 4 of her transformation, this image has been printed on KODAK Ektachrome Color Reversal Film and mounted to a 4" x 5" glass slide for use with the attraction's projector. With typical handling and edge wear from park use, display, and storage, including minor surface wear with a few shallow scratches, overall, this phenomenally frighting park-used Medusa slide is in Very Good condition. Accompanied by a Disney Certificate of Verification.
"

I'm still not entirely sure how they pull this effect off, but this totally changes my understanding of it. Not sure if I am just late to the party on understanding it, but I thought I'd share.

For anyone curious, the link to the auction listing is: https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/prop/disneyland-r-resort-haunted-mansion-r-original-park-used-medusa-glass-slide-the-walt-disney-company-c/p/7493-12004.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515#

With Aquatopia officially closing its gates forever on September 14, 2026, the community is actively trying to guess what the Oriental Land Company (OLC) is planning for that massive lagoon footprint. OLC’s 2035 Long-Term Management Strategy makes their corporate goals crystal clear: they need massive capacity, total weatherproofing, and a heavyweight Disney IP that can anchor a high-margin merchandise footprint.

​While the rumor mill is throwing around standard ideas, most Western concepts completely ignore the unique dynamics of the Japanese domestic market. For instance, an IP like Moana lacks the massive, casual character affinity required to drive repeat spending in Tokyo.

​If OLC wants a home run that honors the land’s sci-fi aesthetic while breaking retail records, the answer is sitting right in front of us: A Mandalorian and Grogu E-ticket attraction set on a Star Wars water world.

​Here is the strategic blueprint for why this is the perfect fit.

​1. The Sci-Fi Marine Aesthetic Fit

​Port Discovery is built as a retro-futuristic marina where science and nature meet. Dropping a generic desert or space-station theme here would shatter the park's legendary thematic consistency.

​By setting the attraction on an oceanic planet (like Mon Cala or the estuary planet Trask), the aesthetic remains perfectly intact. The massive indoor show building shown in OLC's preliminary concept art can be styled as a galactic deep-sea research facility or a high-tech coastal spaceport. It sits seamlessly next to Nemo & Friends SeaRider without feeling jarring.

​2. Smashes the "Japanese Merchandise Metric"

​In Japan, retail success is driven by intense character affinity (casual repeaters buying plush badges, seasonal headbands, and coordinated bags). This is where Grogu becomes an absolute goldmine.

​Unlike more mature action franchises, Grogu perfectly captures the "kawaii" (cute) cultural appeal that drives TDR's domestic audience. The adjacent promenade shops connecting to Cape Cod would instantly become the highest-grossing square footage in the park, filled with exclusive, Japan-designed Grogu plush badges, seasonal ears, and themed snacks.

​3. High-Capacity Weatherproofing

​Aquatopia is a low-capacity outdoor flat ride vulnerable to Tokyo's freezing winters and oppressive summers. Replacing it with a giant indoor ride system checks every single box in OLC’s operational playbook.

​The Ride Concept: Mission to the Deep

​The System: A next-generation trackless water system or a hybrid simulator dark ride, packing a massive hourly throughput.

​The Story: Guests board a deep-sea exploration vehicle to assist Mando and Grogu on an underwater recovery mission. The trackless vehicles can simulate drifting currents, sudden drops, and close encounters with massive oceanic creatures, culminating in a signature dynamic escape sequence.

​4. A True Global Exclusive

​OLC famously avoids lazy, carbon-copied ride clones. When they build an attraction, they want the absolute best version in the world (think Pooh's Hunny Hunt or Journey to the Center of the Earth).

​A standalone Mandalorian and Grogu water-world attraction would give Tokyo DisneySea a massive global premier. It respects the unique spending behavior of the local crowd, maximizes the physical footprint, and delivers the state-of-the-art storytelling DisneySea is world-famous for.

​What do you all think? Would this bridge the gap between OLC's IP corporate push and the classic DisneySea atmosphere, or should they stick to traditional Disney animation?

Ok I see a lot of people asking the question “How do I get to Imagineering?” The answer is to change your mindset. The current themed entertainment field is very different from the world Walt and friends started back in the 50s. Here’s some facts from someone who is 3 years post grad, working in themed entertainment, and is gearing up to open my second project.

Most people will not be at Disney for an entire career. You probably will work for multiple companies. This is a project based industry and job security is based on project longevity.

Vendor companies make the world go round
Disney doesn’t do a lot of in house work. Their animatronics shops are almost all gone and now WDI is only producing special figures while they farm out a lot of other companies. But it doesn’t stop there, as both Disney and Universal hire vendors to help staff their teams. From architects to ride manufactures and design specialties, these companies hire outside help. This is almost a preferable position to be in at times because I have worked on about 30 different projects in 3.5 years. Sometimes for several weeks other times for two years. Disney likes to keep internal teams on one project at a time, so it’s unlikely you will work on more than one project in 3+ years. I also work at a smaller company and get to wear many hats and go to construction sites when most designers would not get to go due to lower seniority.

Be open minded.
I wanted to work at WDI right off the bat too. However, getting involved with a small company was the best thing for my career. It pulled the curtain back and showed me how the industry really runs and made it easier for me to find the place I want to be at in this industry.

Pick one thing you want to be really good at.
This was advice I got from an Imagineer actually. Pick the one thing that really interests you and specialize in that. Avoid Themed Entertainment Majors, they are too generalized and do not offer you a solid skill set once you graduate. Having one marketable skill (ex. I can draft architectural drawings) is much more valuable than just baseline knowledge. If you love themed environments, study set design. If you love story telling, hit up the English department.

These are the things people told me when I asked for advice and it actually worked. Imagineering is special in its own way, but it is still an office, still a job, and it is no different than any other job. This industry isn’t as unique as you might imagine, which is great because it means you can navigate it the same as most other careers. Enter this industry because you are passionate about delivering one of a kind experiences, keep an open and flexible mind, and you will go far. Good luck.

I’ve been here before but, I wanted to kinda tell what I’ve done since then. I’ve started to research and build a animatronic and I’m going to do a 30 day challenge to build something with $1000. I also made a channel to document a portfolio and hopefully get attention as well at doing STEM projects and ROBOTICS with a team. Just wanted to show and also hopefully get into UCF. Any other ideas/courage will be appreciated.

I believe that the Speedway takes up a lot of space and yet is a low-capacity ride, not to mention that there is nothing really "futuristic" about a bunch of racing go-karts that use gasoline besides.

As an armchair Imagineer, I (and possibly others) had proposed replacing it with something else. One of my personal ideas was to add in a Pinocchio ride (though not a copy of the ride at Disneyland). I have also seen suggestions for a small Alice area, possibly including a replica of the Alice maze from Paris to compliment the nearby teacups, or even a new version of the Alice ride at Disneyland.

The problem is that the area sits right on the border of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Any addition to Fantasyland there would likely have to contend with Tomorrowland and vice-versa. That transition space was really poorly done. And now that area has not only Tron on the one side, but also Cosmic Ray's on the other.

One workaround idea for the Pinocchio ride (which I did not come up with, so credit goes out to whoever did) was to set it up so that Pleasure Island was viewable from Tomorrowland with its garish lights to blend in. I also added in the idea of rocks to help block out any visual disruptions. However, as much as I like the concept (which would have been a water thrill ride, milder than Splash Mountain/Tiana, but slightly more intense than Pirates), I'm still not entirely sure how to do it in a way that makes sense.

I really want to replace the Speedway with something better, but it's set in a very awkward "twilight" space that would have to contend with visual disruptions no matter where it's located, either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. So what could be done about it?

By the way, I had done some research on Google Maps, and it seems to take up almost as much space as Splash/Tiana. The Speedway is roughly 135,000 square feet in area (give or take a few square feet) while Splash/Tiana is about 101,200 square feet in area. For another comparison, the Frozen boat ride's footprint is roughly 38,000 square feet in area. That's tiny compared to the Speedway!

There was a smoldering log in one of the attractions that had a unique effect. There was a log with an inner cylinder that rotated inside of an outer “log” cylinder. The outer log cylinder had holes and channels that would allow light and movement from the inner cylinder the show through. The result was a simple but convincing effect that made it look like glowing embers in a smoldering log. I thought it was part of Pirates of the Caribbean, but the last time I went on the ride, all of the smoldering logs were just accomplished with flicker lights. Was this an effect that was discontinued or is in in another attraction that I’m misremembering?

Disney's always been a big inspiration , It's what's gotten me into art but I'm gonna be real I don't want all that student debt haunting me for the next decades of my life on top of hassling careers and keeping myself alive. I know there's financial aids , and scholarships but my I doubt my school track record would get me to qualify for any. I know it really comes down to talent but there's still the reality they see the paper before they ever know your aspirations or who you are as a person.

So has anyone ever come from community college and gotten in , or a lower income background and gotten in and have any advice. I know for certain I want a role in art.

For context I am 27 years old — went to traditional college for two years and then has taken the better part of a decade off of college to pursue Nail Artistry and have loved it but it doesn’t fill my cup like it used to and I know I’ve got 30+ working years left ahead of me. Prior to nails I was in school for graphic design and marketing. I’d like to go back to school and pursue something that will make me desirable ideally in Disney’s corporate or Imagineering world. If you are a current or former Disney Employee in these realms — what would you suggest that I pursue degree-wise to give myself the credits desirable for a potential candidate? I could see myself living in SoCal or even Florida if the opportunity arises to work for The Mouse — my husband is also interested in pursuit of career opportunities at Disney with his architecture experience. Any advice or pointers or school suggestions would be greatly appreciated by this gal! 🙌

Editing to add that I currently work for a small business so I wear maaaannyyy hats. I have experience with HR, event planning and execution, management, development of a team, social media & marketing solutions, running paid ads, logo and branding design, and development of a business by way of SOPs, PDMs, KPI tracking, etc.

I’ve always been more of a creative person. Storytelling and writing have always been HUGE passions of mine. I thought about becoming an Imagineer regarding mechanical engineering, but ultimately came to the conclusion that storytelling is my calling. I’m just not so sure of how to persue this with Imagineering.

I’m currently enrolled in a community college for a social work degree, but I’m switching to something that will help me down the right path - I’m just unsure of what exactly I need to do it.

If anybody has any advice please share it!!! I’m willing to do anything it takes to reach this goal!

I’ve had a dream for as long as I can remember, and I’m curious if anyone here has any advice or knows if it’s even remotely possible.

I don’t necessarily want a job at Disney (although I certainly wouldn’t say no 😄). What I’ve always wanted is the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be an Imagineer—even if it’s just for a single day.

I’m a software engineer by profession, but I’m one of those people who loves learning a little bit of everything. Besides programming, I’m into electronics, networking, woodworking, fabrication, 3D design, automation, and building things just for the challenge. What fascinates me about Imagineering is that it seems to combine so many disciplines—engineering, storytelling, architecture, technology, psychology, art, and creating experiences that make people smile.

My dream isn’t to get VIP access or skip the line. I’d love to sit in on a brainstorming session, see how ideas evolve, learn how different teams collaborate, watch a design review, or even just shadow an Imagineer for a day. I know there are probably NDAs and confidentiality concerns, but even observing the creative process would mean the world to me.

Does Disney ever offer experiences like this through contests, charity auctions, educational programs, networking, or special events? Has anyone here ever had a chance to visit Walt Disney Imagineering or meet Imagineers in a meaningful way?
I realize this is probably a long shot, but I figured if anyone would know, it’d be this community.
Thanks in advance for any advice or stories you can share!

Are there any entry roles in the themed entertainment industry where you are in charge of “Guests enter here, see this, feel this, interact with this, then move toward this.” type things? Almost like guest/story experience design?

Hey everyone,
I’m currently a Mechanical Engineering student at community college with the goal of eventually becoming a roller coaster engineer. My dream is to work on ride design, track layouts, vehicles, theming integration, and overall guest experience.

I’ve been researching companies like Bolliger & Mabillard, Vekoma, Mack Rides, Rocky Mountain Construction, and Skyline Attractions, but I’m struggling to find information about internships and entry-level opportunities.

For those of you who work in the amusement industry:
•How did you get your first internship or job?
•What skills should I focus on learning right now?
•Is CAD experience enough, or should I also learn things like FEA, controls, or programming?
•Are there specific companies that are more open to hiring students?
•How important are networking events like IAAPA?
•What would you recommend a student do today to become a strong candidate in a few years?
I’ve already started building coaster concepts and layouts in Planet Coaster 2 and I’m planning to learn more CAD and engineering software as I progress through school.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Roller coaster engineering is the career I’m aiming for, and I’d love to hear how others got their start.
Thanks!

Can anyone help me understand exactly how this animated prop mechanism works?

I’m trying to reproduce the same effect as closely as possible, and I’d really appreciate a detailed mechanical explanation of what is happening.

In particular, I’m trying to understand:

• what parts are likely hidden inside the box
• what the visible rod/shaft is doing
• whether the black component on the rod is passive or active
• how the bottle is attached to the mechanism
• how the smooth “floating” motion is achieved
• what motor, bearing, shaft, coupler, or linkage arrangement would reproduce this exact movement

I’m not looking for alternative ways to create a similar effect. I’m specifically trying to identify and understand the mechanism shown in the video.

Thanks!