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The Seas With Tony And Friends

In the frantic rush to open Walt Disney World in October 1971, a variety of “t”s and “i”s were left uncrossed and undotted. These ranged from a nearly empty Tomorrowland to unfinished resort hotels, not to mention a roster of incomplete attractions which were rolled out over subsequent months and years.

This second wave of […]

Riding The Rails

Engine 275, a Baldwin 4-6-0, en route from the Yucatan to Tampa, where it was refit and restored to become the Walt Disney World Railroad’s “Roger E. Broggie”

When Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was being designed, Imagineers had to seek out steam locomotives to power the park’s new Railroad. In early 1969, […]

The Mountains Of Future Past

Sometimes you can see a picture a dozen times and miss a very crucial detail. I recently watched the 1987 Disney Channel special, Backstage Disney: The American Adventure; I’ve seen this show several times since its debut oh so long ago, but somehow every time I did, I seemed to miss a very important detail.

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Full Steam Ahead, Mr. Baxter

Tony Baxter with models of Discovery Bay and Dumbo’s Circus, 1976

As you’re no doubt aware by now, veteran Imagineer Tony Baxter resigned from Walt Disney Imagineering last Friday, his birthday, after a remarkable 47 years with the company. Tony will be staying on as a consultant to the company, providing his insight […]

A History Of Animatronics

Way back when… so far back that the Disney Channel showed actual Disney-related content… the network often filled time between its programs with informative interstitials about Disney history. A series of these featurettes were produced about Walt Disney Imagineering, hosted by then-frequent Disney Channel host Eric Boardman. One of these, shown below, provides a glimpse […]