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Possibly the greatest achievement at Walt Disney World during the Michael Eisner era was Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a beautiful blend of a theme park and zoo that expands on both concepts. We can joke about the “NAHTAZU” ad campaign, but it’s also true! Well before the park was announced, Joe Rohde put together a small team of Imagineers to develop concepts for the project. His first team member was Zofia Kostyrko-Edwards, an artist who worked with him on projects like Pleasure Island.
Zofia is my guest on this episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about her work on creating Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We also talk about her background growing up in Poland under communist rule. Zofia arrived in the United States and did not expect to stay. She started working on films and television and created hand props for Pee Wee’s Playhouse. A chance interview led her to join Imagineering in 1987. She connected with Rohde and joined the Animal Kingdom project two years later.
I loved hearing Zofia’s stories about what it was like during the early days developing the park’s concepts. She was the overall concept and show designer for Conservation Station (now Rafiki’s Planet Watch). Zofia talks about her interest in conservation, which has inspired more recent projects beyond Disney. She has so many cool stories from her time at Disney, including the first research trip to Africa. We conclude the show by talking about some of Zofia’s more recent work. She’s an accomplished artist and has an incredible career beyond her role at Disney.
Show Notes: Zofia Kostyrko-Edwards
Explore Zofia’s artwork on her official website at zofiah.com.
Check out Zofia’s work on the Elephants of the Earth at the Los Angeles Zoo in 2011.
Watch the trailer for her Oceanauts portraits at the Aquarium of the Pacific in 2013.
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