VIDEO: Walt Disney Imagineering Marks 70th Anniversary

Shannen Ace

VIDEO: Walt Disney Imagineering Marks 70th Anniversary

Shannen Ace

VIDEO: Walt Disney Imagineering Marks 70th Anniversary

Disney is celebrating 70 years of Walt Disney Imagineering with a behind-the-scenes look at the creative team behind Disney Parks.

Walt Disney Imagineering behind the scenes

Walt Disney Imagineering was officially formed on December 16, 1952, 70 years ago today, as Walt Disney, Inc. A group of Disney filmmakers was chosen to design and develop Disneyland.

old wed imagineering logo

The group was later named WED Enterprises (standing for Walter Elias Disney), and then eventually Walt Disney Imagineering.

Today, Imagineers represent more than 100 different disciplines with more than 500 U.S. patents from Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development combined.

Kevin Rafferty, Jr. from the communications division of Walt Disney Imagineering wrote this on Disney Parks Blog:

the imagineering generation

I can’t help but reflect on the many memories I have at Walt Disney Imagineering because of my role in communications and my dad being an Imagineer for more than 40 years. If you’ll humor me, I want to share a fun memento that came to mind. This image is from a 1989 issue of WDEye, an in-house publication that Imagineering produced. The child second-to-left is me, with a caption that speculates that this group of Imagineers’ kids would apply for a job here in 2010. Well, I was hired by Disney in 2010 (and later joined Walt Disney Imagineering)!

In honor of the department’s 70th anniversary, Iwerks & Co., the studio that produced “The Imagineering Story” on Disney+, created this short video featuring old behind-the-scenes footage of Imagineers at work:

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