The Tomorrow Society Podcast

To put it mildly, it’s been a very different kind of year. Cases of COVID-19 remain high as we enter the last quarter of 2020. Even so, Walt Disney World was able to reopen in July and is starting to draw more guests.… Read more... The post 117. Carlye Wisel on Very Amusing and Experiencing Walt Disney World in 2020 appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

Possibly the greatest achievement at Walt Disney World during the Michael Eisner era was Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a beautiful blend of a theme park and zoo that expands on both concepts. We can joke about the “NAHTAZU” ad campaign, but it’s also true!… Read more... The post 116. Zofia Kostyrko-Edwards on the Creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s interesting to note how many theme park designers start with different ideas for their careers. They often work on movies, animation, or theater before taking an indirect route to the industry. A perfect example is Dave Cobb, who started on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.… Read more... The post 115. Dave Cobb on Men in Black: Alien Attack and Warner Bros. World appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

There are so many great stories about people working behind the scenes on theme parks. That’s been the focus of many episodes of this podcast. I also love the chance to talk about topics facing the industry. It’s the idea behind the Imagineering roundtable shows.… Read more... The post 114. Imagineering Roundtable with Andy Sinclair-Harris and Don Carson appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s definitely a new era for many things in our current world, including theme parks. I did not expect a scenario where I wouldn’t feel comfortable visiting Walt Disney World. It’s open with light attendance, which is enticing to a fan used to dealing with crowds.… Read more... The post 113. Valerie Marino on Walt Disney World During a Pandemic appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

Rare theme park attractions aren’t locked into a particular era. Even the most popular attractions eventually will fade. Two exceptions are The American Adventure and Soarin’ Over California. Both examples generate a strong emotional response from guests. Former Disney Imagineer Rick Rothschild created those and a lot more during his 41 years working at Disney.… Read more... The post 112. Former Disney Imagineer Rick Rothschild on The American Adventure and Soarin’ Over California appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s easy for Disney fans to think of massive changes to our favorite theme parks. For example, replacing entire pavilions at EPCOT could reshape the park into something very different. It’s trickier when I think about smaller updates that could slightly alter attractions.… Read more... The post 111. Improving EPCOT (Part 2) appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

Disney fans have strong opinions when it comes to the parks, and EPCOT is a prime example. Many of us connected with the original version in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s changed so much during the past 38 years, and some updates have made it better.… Read more... The post 110. Improving EPCOT (Part 1) appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

One of my favorite books about Walt Disney World is Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot. David Green and Steve Alcorn co-wrote the book, which gives us an insiders’ look at the atmosphere during EPCOT Center’s construction.… Read more... The post 109. David Green on Building a Better Mouse and Engineering for EPCOT Center appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

Garner Holt doesn’t work at Walt Disney Imagineering, but his company has played a key role in creating many of Disney’s most popular attractions. Garner Holt Productions is the leader in building animatronics and other figures at theme parks, including Disneyland.… Read more... The post 108. Garner Holt on Creating Animatronics for Fantasmic!, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and Knotts Berry Farm appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

There is so much history to uncover about Disney’s theme parks, especially the more distant past. We’ve heard many of the stories about the work of the Imagineers at WED on the 1964 World’s Fair, Walt Disney World, and beyond. But what about the time before those big moments?… Read more... The post 107. Former Imagineer Tom K. Morris on the Early Days of WED Enterprises appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

Many of us visited Walt Disney World as a kid in the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond. My first trip that I remember clearly was in 1984, just two years after the opening of EPCOT Center. It’s easy to look back at those times and wish certain attractions or other aspects of those vacations was still in place.… Read more... The post 106. Todd McCartney on Horizons Revisited and the Retro Disney World Podcast appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s such a challenging time in every field, and that includes businesses connected to Walt Disney World. The shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has essentially stopped the flow of news from the parks. That changed last week when Disney announced their reopening plans for next month.… Read more... The post 105. Shannon Albert on WDW Prep School and the Reopening of Walt Disney World appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

We have come full circle this week on The Tomorrow Society Podcast with the return of my first interview guest from Episode 2. Ryan Ritchey appeared on that early show, originally released on August 28, 2015. We talked about his film After the Fair, which covered the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.… Read more... The post 104. Ryan Ritchey on the Future of Immersive Entertainment appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

When you look beyond official histories of Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney Company in general, so many other interesting stories are out there. I enjoy reading about all the weird promotions and odd attractions that Disney has created over the years.… Read more... The post 103. Michael Crawford on Progress City U.S.A., Horizons, and EPCOT the City appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s difficult to explain the allure of theme parks. Regular guests enjoy them but don’t have the obsessive need for details from behind the scenes. I love discovering the backgrounds of Imagineers that created Disneyland and parks around the world. Their stories are what makes The Imagineering Story such an incredible series.… Read more... The post 102. Lesley Iwerks, Executive Producer and Director of The Imagineering Story appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

One of my favorite aspects of this podcast is learning about how attractions really work. The technical hurdles to make them function properly every time are massive, especially for new technologies. That makes it so interesting to talk with the brilliant thinkers working to make dreams a reality.… Read more... The post 101. Bran Ferren, Former President of R&D at the Walt Disney Company appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

It’s been an incredible five years since I started The Tomorrow Society back in June 2015. I started the site as a blog focused largely on EPCOT, but the scope quickly expanded to a lot more. When I recorded the first interview for The Tomorrow Society Podcast in August of that year, I was hooked.… Read more... The post 100. My Theme Park Story and Listener Questions appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

When I started The Tomorrow Society Podcast back in 2015, I had few expectations about getting the chance to speak to guests that worked at Walt Disney Imagineering. I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I’m talking with such talented theme park designers.… Read more... The post 99. Imagineering Roundtable with Don Carson and Joe Lanzisero appeared first on Tomorrow Society.

I love hearing stories about what it’s actually like to work at theme parks. We all can assume that each day is glorious, but the reality is a lot more complicated. Even so, I’ve learned from people that work there about plenty of highlights from the experience.… Read more... The post 98. Skipper Ben Rebstock on the Disney/MGM Studios, The Jungle Cruise, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures appeared first on Tomorrow Society.