The Disney Interviews: Volume I

Description

The Disney Interviews is a collection of one-on-one conversations with Imagineers, artists, actors, musicians, magic-makers, and Mousketeers who worked for and with Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company in the creation of the Disney parks, movies, television series, and legacy, or were instrumental in helping to preserve his legacy and history, including:- Julie Andrews - Star of Mary Poppins, personally hired by Walt Disney- Marty Sklar - Former creative leader of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), and Walt Disney’s “right hand man” as writer of personal materials for Walt Disney for use in publications, television and special films, including the film showcasing Walt’s vision for Walt Disney World and Epcot- George McGinniss - Last Imagineer personally hired by Walt Disney, and show designer for attractions including Space Mountain in Disneyland and Walt Disney World- Lonnie Burr - Member of the Original Mickey Mouse Club- Alice Davis - Designer and creator of costumes for animated figures for attractions including it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. - Dave Smith - Founder of the Disney Archives- Al Konetzni - Artist, marketing executive, and character merchandising “idea man”- Bill “Sully” Sullivan - Went from ticket-taker to Operations Supervisor at Disneyland, as well as director of Epcot Center - operations, and VP of Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World- Richard M. Sherman - Academy Award-winning composer and songwriter of more than 200 songs for 27 films and two dozen television productions, including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Winnie the Pooh, and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, as well as a series of top ten hits and theme park attractions including Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room, and the iconic song “it's a small world”- And more!This book is a compilation of just some of the interviews conducted by Lou Mongello since he started podcasting in early 2005 for his WDW Radio show (WDWRadio.com). Lou carefully selected these interviews to be included in this book, not only because they were some of his personal favorites, or true Disney Legends, but also because each of them personally knew and worked for or with Walt Disney. They all share individual stories of how Walt influenced their lives, through his trust, guidance, and friendship. The hope is that you can imagine those conversations taking place in your mind’s eye, just as Lou did as they were recounting them to him. In typical Disney fashion, every one of the individuals in this book completely over delivered, and far exceeded expectations, as their emotion, joy, and the passion truly comes through in these conversations. About the Author:Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion for Disney. He is the author of multiple books and audio tours about the Disney Parks, and is the host of WDWRadio.com, an award-winning podcast, live video and community about the Disney Parks, Marvel, and Star Wars. He is a speaker who also provides mentoring and consulting to individuals and organizations looking to build their businesses and brands by sharing the magic of Disney, as well as social media, podcasting, live video, and communi