tjkraz
11-15-2005, 04:38 AM
On Friday, November 11th my wife and I had the good fortune to attend a seminar at the Henry Ford Museum entitled “Behind the Magic: The Influence and Impact of Walt Disney and Disneyland.”
The morning began with comments and introductions from Steven Hamp, President of The Henry Ford. He mentioned that there were over 300 in attendance and took care of some housekeeping items. Then he introduced Marty Sklar, the first speaker.
Marty Sklar’s official title is Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive at WDI. He was hired right out of college by Walt himself nearly 50 years ago, and is now the definitive head of WDI.
Marty’s presentation began with a pre-recorded video. In fact, there were a number of videos scattered throughout. The first clip was a look inside Imagineering lead by Marty himself. It was about 7-8 minutes long and featured him walking through the offices, talking about the different job responsibilities that fall under Imagineering—writing, architecture, engineering, sound design, landscaping…the list is endless.
The bulk of the presentation consisted of Marty introducing the art of many famous Imagineers. Even though it was clear Marty’s presentation was not created specifically for this event, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his own sense of awe and admiration as each piece of artwork was displayed on the screen. You’d have thought he hadn’t seen some of the images for a dozen years.
Throughout the presentation, Marty told a number of wonderful stories. I will try to do justice to one of them:
In the early 70s, Card Walker sent Marty and another Imagineer to give a presentation to RCA. A contract was already in place entitling Disney to $10 mil annually for an attraction sponsorship if they could get RCA to sign-off on the concept. They flew to New York for the presentation and it was a bust. The attraction concept was a walk-through showing the inside of a computer. The presentation was given in an enormous board room with the CEO sitting at the head of the table (“he always sits at the head of the table” they were told), which left him unable to see the materials that WDI had brought along. Midway through the presentation the CEO scribbled a noted and passed it to the VP sitting next to him. The note made its way around the room and eventually fell into Marty’s hands. He opened it and it read “who are these people?”
Marty returned to California and Card Walker insisted they try again with $10 mil at stake. He made two important decisions:
1. He insisted that Card Walker come with them since he knew RCA’s CEO.
2. He decided that rather that present an attraction they thought RCA would like, he wanted to present something that Imagineering liked, and convince RCA to buy into the concept.
When they arrived for the second meeting, they were again told that the CEO “always sits at the head of the table.” This time, Marty’s response was to point to a seat in the middle of the table and say “whoever is sitting THERE is the person I will be talking to.” Someone stopped the CEO on the way into the room, and pointed out that he might be able to see better from a seat at the middle of the table. He took the seat without question and Marty’s presentation convinced RCA to sponsor this new ride. That ride was Space Mountain.
Marty also mentioned that prior to Walt Disney World, there were 17 daily flights in and out of Orlando. Today there are over 900 daily flights.
Needless to say, it was a wonderful presentation and unquestionably the highlight of the day.
The next speaker was Donna Braden, co-curator of the exhibit. Her presentation was entitled “What Inspired Walt?” Donna was not the most polished public speaker, but her presentation was interesting enough. One of the primary themes that she examined was whether Walt was primarily a businessman who learned to be a showman, or if he was a showman who learned to be a businessman. Interesting stuff.
I won’t even mention the name of the third speaker. The presentation was a complete disaster. She began by forewarning everyone that she couldn’t distinguish between photos of Walt Disney World and Disneyland in her own slide show. O-kaaaaaaaay. Then we got halfway through her PowerPoint presentation and she literally said to everyone that the next series of slides would have looked much better if not for a “computer glitch.” Her lack of preparation also showed in other aspects of the presentation.
The afternoon session opened with Karal Ann Marling, Professor of Art History and American Studies at the University of Minnesota. Karal Ann was also co-curator of the exhibit and co-author (with Donna Braden) of the exhibit catalog (book). Her presentation was witty, polished and very direct. Karal Ann definitely has her opinions and is not afraid to share them. :) Agree or disagree, she is a very convincing speaker.
The next block of time was reserved for attendees to visit the exhibit itself. Due to the size of the audience, about half of us were released to view the exhibit while the other half remained for a brief presentation by Scott Mallwitz who is Director, Experience Design for The Henry Ford. Scott was basically in charge of putting the exhibit together. Given that Marty, Tom and the other WDI folks in attendance had all left the room, Scott told us a few little tid-bits he wouldn’t have been able to reveal if the Disney folk had all been present. I won’t go into any details, but suffice it to say that WDI was VERY involved in the exhibit from start to finish. They had final say on every piece that was to be displayed, and everything about how the items were to be displayed right down to color palettes.
During the time allotted to tour the exhibit, Karal Ann Marling and Donna Braden were signing copies of the exhibit catalog. Additionally Marty Sklar was signing copies of a book featuring the collected works of artist Herb Ryman. I purchased both books (and met Dave Marx, author of the Passporter guidebooks while waiting in line) and queued up to get my copies signed.
Although Marty was announced as being there to sign the Herb Ryman book, he was signing other items, too. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the Ryman book and had to get one for myself. When I arrived at the table, Marty saw I had the Ryman book and said “boy, that Herbie was a great guy.”
Then, something magical happened.
Despite the fact that he had already gone beyond the scheduled time for signing books, and despite the fact that there were another 20 people waiting behind me in line, Marty Sklar looked at me and my wife and said “I have to tell you a story.” He spent a minute or two flipping through the book looking for the right photo. Then, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, he proceeded to tell us a wonderful tale about the lengths Herb went to in order to find a proper graduation present for Marty’s daughter.
I could tell you the entire story…but I’m not going to. In this one case, I’m going to be selfish and keep this story all to myself. For five minutes, Disney icon Marty Sklar wanted nothing more than to share a story with the two of us. That means more than a photograph or his name scribbled on a piece of paper. It is a memory I will cherish.
The final speaker of the day was Tom Fitzgerald, Senior VP Creative Development at WDI. He is basically in charge of all of the work on the attraction / technology development side.
Tom's presentation consisted mostly of walking us through video clips of many new WDW rides from the last 2-3 years. He started with Philharmagic, showing the “Ariel” clip and talking about the technological advances. Next was Mission Space. Tom spoke of his ride in NASA’s spaceflight simulator, and the inspiration for M:S. The video piece included part of the pre-show (perhaps the only time my wife will ever see it), and moved on to actual ride footage.
Then he discussed Turtle Talk (more recorded footage) and the future of such interactive attractions. Needless to say it is something they are very interested in continuing to develop. The DL subs were also mentioned here.
Next was Expedition Everest. This segment included a LOT of concept artwork and even some 3D models of the attraction itself. He discussed how an attraction like that goes from concept to model to computer to construction.
Finally, he made a vague reference to one of Disney’s worst kept secrets—the upgrade of Pirates of the Caribbean. The only media presented was what appeared to be promotional artwork. It featured a skeleton behind the helm of a ship with the tagline “Dead men DO tell tales.” I believe it was also dated 2006. During this segment he talked about “plussing” attractions, which is their terminology for updating cherished attractions from time-to-time so that the guest experience doesn’t remain static for years on end. Some before / after footage of WDW's It's A Small World was presented here to illustrate the significant changes made during the 2003-04 rehab.
Tom’s presentation was fun and entertaining, but I felt it was the one that really didn’t quite fit into the rest of the day. This probably sounds overly critical, and I don’t mean it to be. I’m sure there are Disneyana fans who attended who believe Tom was the highlight of the day. But, already knowing much about the recent history and accomplishments of WDI, my own interest lies primarily in the past.
Going in, I viewed this seminar as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it exceeded my expectations in almost every regard. The Disney people in attendance were open, sincere and an absolute pleasure to be around for a day. And I haven’t even talked about the exhibit itself. I would highly encourage any Walt Disney World / Disneyland fan to attend the exhibit if you find it in your backyard when it hits the road in 2006.
The morning began with comments and introductions from Steven Hamp, President of The Henry Ford. He mentioned that there were over 300 in attendance and took care of some housekeeping items. Then he introduced Marty Sklar, the first speaker.
Marty Sklar’s official title is Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive at WDI. He was hired right out of college by Walt himself nearly 50 years ago, and is now the definitive head of WDI.
Marty’s presentation began with a pre-recorded video. In fact, there were a number of videos scattered throughout. The first clip was a look inside Imagineering lead by Marty himself. It was about 7-8 minutes long and featured him walking through the offices, talking about the different job responsibilities that fall under Imagineering—writing, architecture, engineering, sound design, landscaping…the list is endless.
The bulk of the presentation consisted of Marty introducing the art of many famous Imagineers. Even though it was clear Marty’s presentation was not created specifically for this event, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his own sense of awe and admiration as each piece of artwork was displayed on the screen. You’d have thought he hadn’t seen some of the images for a dozen years.
Throughout the presentation, Marty told a number of wonderful stories. I will try to do justice to one of them:
In the early 70s, Card Walker sent Marty and another Imagineer to give a presentation to RCA. A contract was already in place entitling Disney to $10 mil annually for an attraction sponsorship if they could get RCA to sign-off on the concept. They flew to New York for the presentation and it was a bust. The attraction concept was a walk-through showing the inside of a computer. The presentation was given in an enormous board room with the CEO sitting at the head of the table (“he always sits at the head of the table” they were told), which left him unable to see the materials that WDI had brought along. Midway through the presentation the CEO scribbled a noted and passed it to the VP sitting next to him. The note made its way around the room and eventually fell into Marty’s hands. He opened it and it read “who are these people?”
Marty returned to California and Card Walker insisted they try again with $10 mil at stake. He made two important decisions:
1. He insisted that Card Walker come with them since he knew RCA’s CEO.
2. He decided that rather that present an attraction they thought RCA would like, he wanted to present something that Imagineering liked, and convince RCA to buy into the concept.
When they arrived for the second meeting, they were again told that the CEO “always sits at the head of the table.” This time, Marty’s response was to point to a seat in the middle of the table and say “whoever is sitting THERE is the person I will be talking to.” Someone stopped the CEO on the way into the room, and pointed out that he might be able to see better from a seat at the middle of the table. He took the seat without question and Marty’s presentation convinced RCA to sponsor this new ride. That ride was Space Mountain.
Marty also mentioned that prior to Walt Disney World, there were 17 daily flights in and out of Orlando. Today there are over 900 daily flights.
Needless to say, it was a wonderful presentation and unquestionably the highlight of the day.
The next speaker was Donna Braden, co-curator of the exhibit. Her presentation was entitled “What Inspired Walt?” Donna was not the most polished public speaker, but her presentation was interesting enough. One of the primary themes that she examined was whether Walt was primarily a businessman who learned to be a showman, or if he was a showman who learned to be a businessman. Interesting stuff.
I won’t even mention the name of the third speaker. The presentation was a complete disaster. She began by forewarning everyone that she couldn’t distinguish between photos of Walt Disney World and Disneyland in her own slide show. O-kaaaaaaaay. Then we got halfway through her PowerPoint presentation and she literally said to everyone that the next series of slides would have looked much better if not for a “computer glitch.” Her lack of preparation also showed in other aspects of the presentation.
The afternoon session opened with Karal Ann Marling, Professor of Art History and American Studies at the University of Minnesota. Karal Ann was also co-curator of the exhibit and co-author (with Donna Braden) of the exhibit catalog (book). Her presentation was witty, polished and very direct. Karal Ann definitely has her opinions and is not afraid to share them. :) Agree or disagree, she is a very convincing speaker.
The next block of time was reserved for attendees to visit the exhibit itself. Due to the size of the audience, about half of us were released to view the exhibit while the other half remained for a brief presentation by Scott Mallwitz who is Director, Experience Design for The Henry Ford. Scott was basically in charge of putting the exhibit together. Given that Marty, Tom and the other WDI folks in attendance had all left the room, Scott told us a few little tid-bits he wouldn’t have been able to reveal if the Disney folk had all been present. I won’t go into any details, but suffice it to say that WDI was VERY involved in the exhibit from start to finish. They had final say on every piece that was to be displayed, and everything about how the items were to be displayed right down to color palettes.
During the time allotted to tour the exhibit, Karal Ann Marling and Donna Braden were signing copies of the exhibit catalog. Additionally Marty Sklar was signing copies of a book featuring the collected works of artist Herb Ryman. I purchased both books (and met Dave Marx, author of the Passporter guidebooks while waiting in line) and queued up to get my copies signed.
Although Marty was announced as being there to sign the Herb Ryman book, he was signing other items, too. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the Ryman book and had to get one for myself. When I arrived at the table, Marty saw I had the Ryman book and said “boy, that Herbie was a great guy.”
Then, something magical happened.
Despite the fact that he had already gone beyond the scheduled time for signing books, and despite the fact that there were another 20 people waiting behind me in line, Marty Sklar looked at me and my wife and said “I have to tell you a story.” He spent a minute or two flipping through the book looking for the right photo. Then, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, he proceeded to tell us a wonderful tale about the lengths Herb went to in order to find a proper graduation present for Marty’s daughter.
I could tell you the entire story…but I’m not going to. In this one case, I’m going to be selfish and keep this story all to myself. For five minutes, Disney icon Marty Sklar wanted nothing more than to share a story with the two of us. That means more than a photograph or his name scribbled on a piece of paper. It is a memory I will cherish.
The final speaker of the day was Tom Fitzgerald, Senior VP Creative Development at WDI. He is basically in charge of all of the work on the attraction / technology development side.
Tom's presentation consisted mostly of walking us through video clips of many new WDW rides from the last 2-3 years. He started with Philharmagic, showing the “Ariel” clip and talking about the technological advances. Next was Mission Space. Tom spoke of his ride in NASA’s spaceflight simulator, and the inspiration for M:S. The video piece included part of the pre-show (perhaps the only time my wife will ever see it), and moved on to actual ride footage.
Then he discussed Turtle Talk (more recorded footage) and the future of such interactive attractions. Needless to say it is something they are very interested in continuing to develop. The DL subs were also mentioned here.
Next was Expedition Everest. This segment included a LOT of concept artwork and even some 3D models of the attraction itself. He discussed how an attraction like that goes from concept to model to computer to construction.
Finally, he made a vague reference to one of Disney’s worst kept secrets—the upgrade of Pirates of the Caribbean. The only media presented was what appeared to be promotional artwork. It featured a skeleton behind the helm of a ship with the tagline “Dead men DO tell tales.” I believe it was also dated 2006. During this segment he talked about “plussing” attractions, which is their terminology for updating cherished attractions from time-to-time so that the guest experience doesn’t remain static for years on end. Some before / after footage of WDW's It's A Small World was presented here to illustrate the significant changes made during the 2003-04 rehab.
Tom’s presentation was fun and entertaining, but I felt it was the one that really didn’t quite fit into the rest of the day. This probably sounds overly critical, and I don’t mean it to be. I’m sure there are Disneyana fans who attended who believe Tom was the highlight of the day. But, already knowing much about the recent history and accomplishments of WDI, my own interest lies primarily in the past.
Going in, I viewed this seminar as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it exceeded my expectations in almost every regard. The Disney people in attendance were open, sincere and an absolute pleasure to be around for a day. And I haven’t even talked about the exhibit itself. I would highly encourage any Walt Disney World / Disneyland fan to attend the exhibit if you find it in your backyard when it hits the road in 2006.