235. Imagineer Joe Garlington on Creating Interactive Disney Attractions

Imagineer Joe Garlington joins the Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about his work on many Disney attractions.

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During the late ’90s and early 2000s, we saw a wave of interactive attractions that went beyond just shooting games. Along with separate destinations like DisneyQuest, a new take on interactivity arrived with Turtle Talk with Crush; Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor; and more. At the center of these attractions was Imagineer Joe Garlington, who worked on many innovative rides and shows during his career at Disney.

Joe is my guest on this episode of the Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about his background and career in themed entertainment. He first joined Disney in the early ’80s and worked on projects for the original EPCOT Center including the unbuilt TRON Arcade. The next step was starting his own company Art & Technology, Inc. before returning to Walt Disney Imagineering in 1990.

During this episode, Joe and I talk about his background and interactive attractions like DisneyQuest and Turtle Talk. He explains how the latter helped to save the Seas Pavilion and drew massive crowds from the start. Joe also describes his work on updating Innoventions and bringing interactivity to Test Track 2.0. I really enjoyed talking with Joe and learning a lot more about his career and such cool attractions.