TODAY on WDWNT LIVE: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week Continues! “Special Effects Workshop” with Former Imagineers Jack Gillett and James Mulder at 11:00 AM, Plus ParksCenter at 9:00 PM!

Jessica Figueroa

TODAY on WDWNT LIVE: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week Continues! “Special Effects Workshop” with Former Imagineers Jack Gillett and James Mulder at 11:00 AM, Plus ParksCenter at 9:00 PM!

Welcome to another week of quarantine in the weird world of post-Disney closures! The parks may be closed off for now, but we’re trying to bring you as much entertainment as possible, with daily lineups full of fun YouTube content.

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Hooray for Hollywood! We’re celebrating the Hollywood that never was… but always will be. This year, we will premiere the full presentations from last year’s WDWNT event, Stage 89!

Today at 11:00 AM, we have a “Special Effects Workshop” with former Imagineers Jack Gillett and James Mulder: Jack Gillett, a 26-year Imagineering veteran, was a Principal Special Effects Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering.  In that role, he took the creative lead on developing, designing, and installing special effects for Walt Disney Imagineering projects spanning from the opening of EPCOT Center and continuing up to recent special projects and opportunities.  Beginning as Cinetechnician at Walt Disney Studios, Jack quickly transitioned to WED/MAPO in order to bring his one-of-a-kind technical know-how and creativity to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.  Among the highlights of Jack’s portfolio is his work as lead on projection effects for Horizons at EPCOT Center, work on projection technology for Star Tours, field installation for Euro Disney, design and installation of special effects for Space Mountain Paris, work on projection and interactive effects for Mickey’s Philharmagic 3-D show, effects work on Expedition Everest, and effects work on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.  Jack worked closely with WDI R&D and was part of the “hit squad” that was responsible for the design, implementation, and installation of special effects as part of the Disney-MGM Studios project.  As part of this team, Jack lent his expertise to the classic early Studios attractions including the Backlot Tour, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and The Great Movie Ride.  Jack and his team are three-time TEA award winners for outstanding achieve for Special Effects for Space Mountain in Paris, Expedition Everest, and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. James Mulder, a 30-year veteran of the themed entertainment industry, was a Senior Principal Designer and Principal Special Effects Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering for more than twenty years.In that role, he took the creative lead on developing, designing, and installing special effects for Walt Disney Imagineering projects beginning with the opening of EPCOT Center and continuing up to recent opening of Shanghai Disneyland.Among the highlights of James’s portfolio is his work on visual effects for Journey Into Imagination, The American Adventure, Spaceship Earth, the Living Seas, and the Norway pavilion’s Maelstrom attraction at Epcot Center; management of design, production, and installation of visual effects and theatrical systems for Mickey’s Philharmagic 3-D show at Disney parks around the world; and management of design, production, and installation of visual effects and theatrical systems for It’s Tough to Be a Bug at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.As part of the Disney-MGM Studios project, James contributed extensively to the design, fabrication and installation of visual effects for The Great Movie Ride and MuppetVision 3-D. For their efforts, James and his team won the TEA award winners for outstanding achieve for Special Effects for It’s Tough to be a Bug.James continues to work at the vanguard of visual effects technology in the themed entertainment industry for a variety of clients including work on the Shanghai Disneyland project and with Universal Studios Creative.

You can catch the full presentation below!

Then tonight at 9:00 PM, join Ben and the crew for another episode of ParksCenter!

Donate! Via Patreon or YouTube:

In addition to our written news, reviews, and editorial content on the site, we’re happy to bring you all the fun and wacky programming we can think up on YouTube. This programming is provided completely free to viewers, but if you’re enjoying what you’re seeing and would like to support us, here are two of the best ways to do it:

  • Become a Patreon member and join our exclusive WDWNT Inner Globe Society (WIGS) for special content, added perks, and even discounts on our upcoming events! Membership starts as low as $2 a month.
  • Super Chat on YouTube – While you’re watching our YouTube content, feel free to join in on the chat! (I’ll usually be there, along with some of our other mods, like Alicia!) Even better are Super Chats, which are highlighted messages with donations for your favorite creators on YouTube. Send $0.99, send $9.99… whatever comes in will go directly to helping the WDWNT crew and making sure we can keep providing you with top-notch content during the quarantine––just look for the $ symbol next to the emoji bank in the live chat box:

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You have two options for donating on YouTube: Super Stickers and Super Chats!

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Click the $ symbol in the live chat and this menu will pop up. With Super Stickers, you can send an animated image. Designs range in price from as low as $0.99 to $50.00.

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I’m particularly fond of this adorable Shiba Inu, but you can toggle between various characters and sticker sets!

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There’s also the option for a Super Chat, where you can send a message along with a donation. (I.E. “Cosmic Ray’s deserved to win March Madness 2019 – $3.00”)

wdwnt youtube super chats super stickers screenshots 1.pngOnce you’ve written out your Super Chat or chosen a Super Sticker, YouTube will prompt you to complete your purchase by entering your credit card information. If you already have a card registered with your Google account, it should already be set up.

If you missed out on yesterday’s programming, here’s a full recap:

Full Presentation from Former Disney Imagineer Brian Collins, Great Movie Ride – WDWNT Stage 89:

Ride Rehab Watches MGM Studios Opening 1989:

Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week continues with another presentation from our 30th Anniversary Stage 89 event, plus a special Great Movie Ride themed episode of WDW News Tonight at 9:00 PM!

You can tune in to WDWNT Live via all of our social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Come and join us!