Imagination Skyway

Walt Disney Imagineers create lands and attractions that often represent real places. From the bustling streets of Harambe to the colorful gardens of the France Pavilion, Walt Disney World offers guests the chance to experience and learn about other parts of the globe. While our discussion isn’t collectively exhaustive, we discuss some of our favorite examples of the ways in which the Imagineers t...

Magic Kingdom includes some of the most iconic Disney songs of all time. From "it's a small world" to Grim Grinning Ghosts, Yo, Ho! (A Pirate's Life for Me), The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room and beyond, Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World includes music that spans generation of Disney fans. Meanwhile, newer musical scores and area music loops, including the soundtracks to TRON Lightcycle Run and Country B...

Magic Kingdom includes some of the most iconic Disney songs of all time. From "it's a small world" to Grim Grinning Ghosts, Yo, Ho! (A Pirate's Life for Me), The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room and beyond, Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World includes music that spans generation of Disney fans. Meanwhile, newer musical scores and area music loops, including the soundtracks to TRON Lightcycle Run and Country B...

Disney Imagineer Tom Mulally supported the media and video production team as a Principal Media Designer between 1991 and 2016. Installing media at Tower of Terror, Spaceship Earth, Star Tours, Conservation Station, Rafiki's Planet Watch, Enchanted Books of Mystery, and various projects at Disneyland, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Shanghai Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney World, Tom helped...

Disney's BoardWalk (Inn and Villas) opened in the EPCOT Resort area in 1996 and remains one of the most highly-coveted deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World. With its convenient access via Friendship boat, walkway, and Disney Skyliner to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios (buses are offered to Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs), Disney's BoardWalk is perfect for EPCOT fest...

The Disney Wish set sail with Disney Cruise Line in 2022 and became the largest ship in the fleet (the same size as its 2024 sister ship the Disney Treasure and soon the 2025 Disney Destiny). With spaces dedicated to the fantastic worlds of Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, this ship offers Disney's signature service experience, luxurious amenities, spacious staterooms, and delectable dining....

Island Tower opened at Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows on December 17, 2024. As a modern addition to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and the newest Disney Vacation Club property at Walt Disney World, Island Tower brings the adventurous spirit of Polynesia to life with some of the best views available of Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom.   In this episode, we discuss everything you n...

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort opened at Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971, making it only one of two opening day hotels on property (the other is Disney's Contemporary Resort; Fort Wilderness Campground opened at a month later). Inspired by the South Pacific, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort feels like its own tropical oasis on Seven Seas Lagoon (a short monorail or boat ride away from M...

Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and Emmy award winning director whom many Disney fans will recognize as Bear from the Playhouse Disney series, Bear in the Big Blue House (now on Disney Plus). In addition, Neal has performed on such series as Sesame Street, Eureeka’s Castle, Little Shop of Horrors, Between the Lions, Blue’s Clues, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Book of Pooh, and more. In this...

Disney Imagineer Daniel Joseph has been developing Disney Parks illusions and special effects for Walt Disney Imagineering since 2006. As a part of the Illusioneering Lab, Daniel has created effects used in The Haunted Mansion (including the Hatbox Ghost installations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World), Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Trader Sam's, Space 220, and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and...

Disney Lorcana by Ravensburger is a trading card game that gives players the ability to build decks around their favorite Disney franchises. Teaming up with your favorite Disney characters, heroes and villains, players will strategically compete to collect lore, challenge other players, and complete quests. Whether wielding legendary items, singing iconic songs, or visiting familiar locations, thi...

Joanna and I have been traveling to Walt Disney World together since 2011 when we were still under a year into our relationship. Over the course of our courtship, engagement, and marriage, we've amassed a growing list of Disney travel memories. From a pair of young Disney adults to a family with kids, we discuss some of our favorite personal stories over the last 15 years (and counting) of Disney...

Joanna and I have been traveling to Walt Disney World together since 2011 when we were still under a year into our relationship. Over the course of our courtship, engagement, and marriage, we've amassed a growing list of Disney travel memories. From a pair of young Disney adults to a family with kids, we discuss some of our favorite personal stories over the last 15 years (and counting) of Disney...

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, "The Wildest Ride In The Wilderness", has been delighting Disney fans at Disneyland since 1979, with other versions created for Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Imagineer Tony Baxter, carrying forward an idea from Imagineer Marc Davis called Thunder Mesa and Western River Expedition, led a team to create this pivot storytell...

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.   Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway .   To plan a trip, be sure to work with KMV Travel .   Tag me and join the conversation below. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginationskyway Instagram: www.instagram.com/imaginationskyway Facebook Group (ImagiNation):  https://www.facebook.com/groups/imaginations...

In this listener question/answer episode, we discuss Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and beyond, including our thoughts about the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass options, hotel options at the Disneyland Resort (on property and off property), tips for a first trip to Disneyland, must-do activities at Walt Disney World for the holiday season, Disney Vacation Club, Disney...

Disney's Pop Century Resort offers Walt Disney World guests a charming tribute to the popular fads of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s: the catchphrases, toys, recreation, movies, and music that defined each decade. As a value resort with Disney Skyliner access, Pop Century provides guests with three pools, shopping, dining, and Skyliner access to EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and 10...

Aarin Richard served as a Walt Disney Imagineer starting in the 1990s working in the music group. His projects included the first synchronized on-board audio track for Space Mountain at Disneyland and Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris, as well as the music for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Adventure, and beyond. In this episode, I chat with Aarin about his early career, his wor...

Bob Weis spent his career at Walt Disney Imagineering across four decades before retiring from Disney in 2023. Beginning at WED Enterprises in 1980 right out of college, Bob worked on Tokyo Disneyland before taking a lead role on Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios). Later in his career, Bob's design work extended to Tokyo DisneySea and the revitalization of Disney Californ...

The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival blooms at Walt Disney World every spring, and this year's festival includes many fresh new offerings. With over 20 outdoor kitchens featuring hundreds of food and drink options, dozens of character topiaries and gardens, two scavenger hunts, limited-time merchandise, and the Garden Rocks Concert Series, there's a lot to discover at this annual fes...

Martha Blanding is the first Black Disney Parks employee inducted as a Disney Legend (2024). Starting with the company in 1971, Martha became the first ever full-time Black Tour Guide at Disneyland, the first Black female in management at Disneyland, and the co-founder of PULSE, a resource group for Black cast members. She’s also an official pioneering producer of the Official Disneyana Convention...

Bob Weis spent his career at Walt Disney Imagineering across four decades before retiring from Disney in 2023. Beginning at WED Enterprises in 1980 right out of college, Bob worked on Tokyo Disneyland before taking a lead role on Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios). Later in his career, Bob's design work extended to Tokyo DisneySea and the revitalization of Disney Californ...

World Showcase at EPCOT currently features eleven pavilions, representing eleven countries around the world: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Disney fans often speculate what could be a twelfth World Showcase pavilion at Walt Disney World. In this episode, we brainstorm new ideas for countries that could be added to EPCO...

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2024 raised the bar for D23 Expo in Anaheim. This year's list of announcements for the Disney Parks and Experiences (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line, and beyond) and Disney Entertainment (Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios) included some noteworthy updates. Noteworthy parks updates...

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2024 raised the bar for D23 Expo in Anaheim. This year's list of announcements for the Disney Parks and Experiences (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line, and beyond) and Disney Entertainment (Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios) included some noteworthy updates. Noteworthy parks updates...