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A love for trains played such a key role in Walt Disney’s life and the creation of Disneyland in 1955. It’s no surprise that a similar passion continues to inspire designers that have worked for Walt Disney Imagineering. A perfect example is Ray Spencer, who brought that interest for railroads to his work at Disney. He worked as a consultant on entertainment and theme park projects before joining WDI in 1997. Those early projects included large-format films, the Mystery Lodge show at Knotts Berry Farm, and jobs for Universal and Disney.
Ray joins me on this episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about his career at WDI and beyond. We discuss his roles on Soarin’ Over California and Turtle Talk with Crush before diving into his key project as Creative Director of Buena Vista Street. Ray describes the goal of creating a comforting entrance with a real sense of place for Disney California Adventure. He also explains the concepts for the Storytellers statue and Red Car Trolley, which both help to enhance this attractive space. Another cool project for Ray was the change from Condor Flats to Grizzly Peak Airfield. We talk about how those updates help the different parts of DCA flow together into a coherent whole.
This episode also focuses on the updates to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland. Ray explains the significant changes that go well beyond the new finale effects. They ultimately rebuilt the Rainbow Ridge setting while keeping it aligned to past versions in the park. Ray’s passion for railroads made this a special project for him. He also provides some advice at the end to designers hoping to become Imagineers and work on theme parks. I really enjoyed the chance to talk with Ray and hope to have him back in the future and dig further into his great career.
Show Notes: Ray Spencer
Listen to the recent episode of the Thunder Mesa Limited Podcast with Ray Spencer.
Watch Ray Spencer talk about the inspiration for the Red Car Trolley with the Orange County Register.
Support The Tomorrow Society Podcast by becoming an official member of The Tomorrow Society through Patreon.
Note: Photos in this post were used with the permission of Ray Spencer.
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