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224. Susan Bonds on the Indiana Jones Adventure, Alien Encounter, and Mission: Space

03.04.2024 by Dan Heaton // Leave a Comment

The outside queue of the Indiana Jones Adventure includes this stunning temple entrance.


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It’s amazing to look back at how much growth happened at Disney’s theme parks under Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. During the “Disney Decade”, they added new attractions that have become classics. Imagineer Susan Bonds worked in the middle of this exciting and busy time period. Susan is my guest on this episode of the Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about her background and career at Disney.

We start by talking about Susan’s experience working on EPCOT Center in 1980. She talks about what it was like to join Disney and be involved in such an exciting and ambitious project. After leaving Disney and working in the aerospace industry, Susan returned in 1990 during such a cool era. Her first project was the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, and we talk about that experience. Susan describes the evolution of such an interesting attraction and why it didn’t fit so well within the Magic Kingdom.

Susan next worked on the Indiana Jones Adventure, and we cover the creation of that popular Disneyland attraction. She describes collaborating with Tony Baxter, the incredible queue, and the complicated new ride system. Our final stop at Disney is Mission: Space, and Susan describes the research involved with developing that EPCOT pavilion. We cover the challenge with finding the right thrill level for simulating travel into space. Susan also describes her more recent work at Infinite Rabbit Holes and the potential for other immersive forms of themed entertainment.

Imagineer Susan Bonds worked closely on Mission: Space at EPCOT.
Photo by Dan Heaton

Show Notes: Susan Bonds

Learn more about Infinite Rabbit Holes and the Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City at infiniterabbitholes.com.

Listen to Susan on the Dizney Coast to Coast podcast and watch her appearance at a panel at the Midsummer Scream 2016 event.

Support the Tomorrow Society with a one-time donation and buy me a Dole Whip!

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Categories // Tomorrow Society Podcast Tags // Disneyland, EPCOT, Interviews, Podcasts, Tomorrowland, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney World

About Dan Heaton

Dan’s first theme-park memory was a vacation at the Polynesian Resort in 1980 as a four-year-old. He’s a lifelong fan who has written and podcasted regularly about the industry. Dan loves both massive Disney and Universal theme parks plus regional attractions near his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. His favorite all-time attraction is Horizons at EPCOT Center.

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