What imagineer encounters have you had over the years?

[mbroschak]

I met Joe Rohde on an elevator at AKL, Al Weiss (although not an imagineer) right before being on the first train (at least for the public) of the first day of soft openings for Expedition Everest and a sighting of Tony Baxter with what looked like family or friends at Great moments with Mr. Lincoln!

 

[Figments Friend]

I can think of two that immediately come to mind....in order of meeting.

Marty Sklar at EPCOT, outside of The Land, during EPCOT's 25th Anniversary celebration I helped to make a reality.
October 1st, 2007.
Quite a day.

Marty had just finished his last public talk of the day, a day-of special offering 'A Conversation with Marty Sklar' that was held in The Land's theater.
After exiting the entertaining presentation, myself and some fellow 25th Event friends noticed Marty walking out as well right in front of us.
I was introduced to him under the trees outside of the Pavilion and we shook hands.
When he learned from those with me that I was the one responsible for starting the ball rolling on getting the Park a 25th Anniversary event to happen, a memorable moment took place.
While still holding my hand, he leaned in close and said -
"...Thank you for kicking them ( Disney ) in the a** to get going on this..!!"

Gatta love ol' Marty's keen wit.
Not every day you hear that from one of the key people who was responsible for creating EPCOT Center....and who was at that point in time the official 'WDI Ambassador'!



The next was Tony Baxter, who's work I have greatly respected and admired for a good part of my life.
Love that man, and what he stands for.
The creator of two of my all time favorite Attractions.
A great personal inspiration.


For years I had been hoping for a opportunity to thank him for what he had done not only for me on a personal level, but for what he has accomplished as a whole.
I have had some truly amazing experiences over the last couple of years related to Tony, and one of the most memorable to date is our meeting at the D23 Expo this past Summer.

I surprised him with a special elaborate handmade card that I had put together for him in honor of his 50th Anniversary of being with the Disney organization.
It was a massive photo collage fashioned into a neat, sparkling gold card design.
His anniversary had been a few days prior to our meeting, so the timing worked out nicely.
After a very memorable interaction ( I think he really liked the card! ), we parted after he asked me for my autograph.
Mind blown.




I have met a few others...Tom Morris probably the other well known name fans here would know.
Met Tom when I met Tony, and the three of us had a fabulous little chat about my favorite Attraction.
I actually felt bad afterwards that I didn't interact with Tom more, as my attention was focused on Tony....me being such a huge fan.
Poor Tom.....



Danny Handke is someone I have known for many years.
We lost contact for a while, and next thing I know, years later I find out he is working at WDI designing things for Tokyo Disneyland!
Fans here probably know his name from the recent book about Attraction Posters.
He also recently completed work on the 'Star Wars' themed areas aboard one of the Disney Cruise Line ships.
Look him up, sometime.

I've had a few other fun encounters with famous 'Disney folks' , but since they are not technically Imagineers as the thread topic requests I shall not list them.

-

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I can think of two that immediately come to mind....in order of meeting.

Marty Sklar at EPCOT, outside of The Land, during EPCOT's 25th Anniversary celebration I helped to make a reality.
October 1st, 2007.
Quite a day.

Marty had just finished his last public talk of the day, a day-of special offering 'A Conversation with Marty Sklar' that was held in The Land's theater.
After exiting the entertaining presentation, myself and some fellow 25th Event friends noticed Marty walking out as well right in front of us.
I was introduced to him under the trees outside of the Pavilion and we shook hands.
When he learned from those with me that I was the one responsible for starting the ball rolling on getting the Park a 25th Anniversary event to happen, a memorable moment took place.
While still holding my hand, he leaned in close and said -
"...Thank you for kicking them ( Disney ) in the a** to get going on this..!!"

Gatta love ol' Marty's keen wit.
Not every day you hear that from one of the key people who was responsible for creating EPCOT Center....and who was at that point in time the official 'WDI Ambassador'!



The next was Tony Baxter, who's work I have greatly respected and admired for a good part of my life.
Love that man, and what he stands for.
The creator of two of my all time favorite Attractions.
A great personal inspiration.


For years I had been hoping for a opportunity to thank him for what he had done not only for me on a personal level, but for what he has accomplished as a whole.
I have had some truly amazing experiences over the last couple of years related to Tony, and one of the most memorable to date is our meeting at the D23 Expo this past Summer.

I surprised him with a special elaborate handmade card that I had put together for him in honor of his 50th Anniversary of being with the Disney organization.
It was a massive photo collage fashioned into a neat, sparkling gold card design.
His anniversary had been a few days prior to our meeting, so the timing worked out nicely.
After a very memorable interaction ( I think he really liked the card! ), we parted after he asked me for my autograph.
Mind blown.




I have met a few others...Tom Morris probably the other well known name fans here would know.
Met Tom when I met Tony, and the three of us had a fabulous little chat about my favorite Attraction.
I actually felt bad afterwards that I didn't interact with Tom more, as my attention was focused on Tony....me being such a huge fan.
Poor Tom.....



Danny Handke is someone I have known for many years.
We lost contact for a while, and next thing I know, years later I find out he is working at WDI designing things for Tokyo Disneyland!
Fans here probably know his name from the recent book about Attraction Posters.
He also recently completed work on the 'Star Wars' themed areas aboard one of the Disney Cruise Line ships.
Look him up, sometime.

I've had a few other fun encounters with famous 'Disney folks' , but since they are not technically Imagineers as the thread topic requests I shall not list them.

-

Just our of curiosity, which two of your favourite rides did Tony Baxter design? Imagination, I presume, is one. I don't know why, sometimes I can just sense these things.
But which is the other?

Whenever Tony and I sit down for a few beers I notice that I disagree mostly with his theory and general sense of direction for the parks. But on the scale of a single ride his work is impeccable, all fantastic and satisfying ride experiences. (Which makes him prety much the exact opposite of Rohde then)

Which means that either my theory is off, or that Baxter has an inate feel for how a design converts into an actual rider experience. Naturally I presume the latter. It is a compliment, an elusive quality, not unlike Walt's astonishing understanding of how his plans would convert into actual guest experiences, even before there was much in the way of prior existing similar parks that could serve as example.



Ok, ok, so I lied about me and Tony hanging out and having a few beers. Just me trying to sound interesting.

Reality is we drink wine together.

 

[Figments Friend]

Just our of curiosity, which two of your favourite rides did Tony Baxter design? Imagination, I presume, is one. I don't know why, sometimes I can just sense these things.
But which is the other?

Whenever Tony and I sit down for a few beers I notice that I disagree mostly with his theory and general sense of direction for the parks. But on the scale of a single ride his work is impeccable, all fantastic and satisfying ride experiences. (Which makes him prety much the exact opposite of Rohde then)

Which means that either my theory is off, or that Baxter has an inate feel for how a design converts into an actual rider experience. Naturally I presume the latter. It is a compliment, an elusive quality, not unlike Walt's astonishing understanding of how his plans would convert into actual guest experiences, even before there was much in the way of prior existing similar parks that could serve as example.



Ok, ok, so I lied about me and Tony hanging out and having a few beers. Just me trying to sound interesting.

Reality is we drink wine together.

I was going to say......never saw Tony as a 'beer drinker'.
Wine, yes.
Beer?
Uh...



Your spider senses serve you well....and yes, the Original 'Journey Into Imagination' Attraction is my all time favorite.
Made a huge impact on me when I experienced it in 1983, a few weeks after it opened.
I was twelve...it blew me away and still impresses me all these years later.
Absolute tragedy it was gutted...but I recently heard Tony talk a little about what he would have done to improve what was already there.
Like a true artist, even back then when it first opened there were several things he was not entirely satisfied with and already hoping to improve on.
I do so enjoy listening to him just talk...about any given subject.
Always insightful and entertaining.

The other 'Baxterattraction' I have a great attachment to is Disneyland's version of 'Big Thunder Mountain Railroad'.
It is more then just a 'roller coaster train through the west' for me as it represents a meaningful stepping stone in his career.
Call me a over emotional 'uber-fan', but when I look at that mountain I see a lot more then just a Theme Park Attraction.
I see a young talented man who took a chance, spoke his mind, and was given a opportunity to prove himself that ended up making a huge difference.
Much happened after that 'mountain' rose....and the world of Theme Park entertainment has seriously benefitted.
So I'm a big fan of BTMR in all its forms, but the DL version has special meaning.
Plus it's just a brilliantly designed romp full of pure fun....and it never gets old.
A true 'classic' for all generations.



Now getting to your comments about disagreeing on his theory and general sense of direction for the Parks....
I find your observation interesting.
Care to share more of your thoughts on what aspects you disagree with?
I am genuinely interested...not trying to start a nasty debate.

I find he has had some excellent ideas and suggestions, but they are sometimes misinterpreted by others.
Even the most amazing ideas can become shadows of themselves when inter-Company politics, budget cutting Execs, and pressures from the Marketing department unfortunately come into play.
We all know about the legendary 'battles' to get quality at the forefront, when certain others within the Company are trying to shoot those suggestions down.
Tony knows that battle well, I am sure.



I do agree regarding Tony's impeccable talent in inherently knowing what it takes to make Attraction experiences as a whole truly engaging, memorable, and long lasting in appeal.
I've heard him talk about this a few times, and he truly understands the psychological effects and 'needs' Attractions require to be truly great.
No question at all......he absolutely does indeed have a very keen insight into that.

There is a famous quote of his that sums it up beautifully -
"It's not the first ride, but the twentieth ride that is the most important..".
So true, in many respects, and on so many different levels.


-

 

[surfsupdon]

Met, talked with, and grabbed a photo with Joe Rhode in the Everest queue, while the Yeti was still in perfect form. I thought that was really very neat. I recognized him from the early vacation planning videos, where he obsessed over his Wild Animal Kingdom park. That dangly earring gave him away.

 

[Raineman]

I was the one who convinced Joe Rohde to get that earring

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I met some of the imagineers who worked on Mine Train during a cast member event when I was on my college program. It wasn't anyone as notable as Tony Baxter or Joe Rhode though, sadly. But, it was still an interesting experience.

 

[Bairstow]

I spotted Bob Gurr at the Disneyland Tomorrowland monorail station filming a bit for the 60th Anniversary.
We stuck around for a few minutes until they packed up, and with a bit of tactical stalking were able to get a handshake and a quick photo.