It is always great to hear from the one and only Tony Baxter!

Not only has he done legendary work for the themed entertainment industry but his insight into all the little things that make this art form breathtaking is astounding. This is one of the many reasons that the Season Pass continues to have amazing discussions with him. This medium allows extended talks to explore how the world views the experiences that people like Mr. Baxter create.

This episode includes Doug Barnes, Robert Coker, Brent Young, Ryan Harmon, and Tom Morris (Formerly of Walt Disney Imagineering.) They discuss classic Disneyland history and unseen footage, Tony Baxter’s trip to every Disney park around the world, how culture influences theme parks, technology’s effect on storytelling as well as the importance of detail and timing, and so much more.

The most interesting part of this episode, for me, is the viewpoints on how the culture of a region can drastically change a project from one country to another. A project can get challenging with there being so many expectations about how a new audience will receive something for the first time.

There is much discussion and care, taken into every decision a designer makes for the audience, in which to communicate with. Tony really has a passion for craftsmanship and planning; it’s so cool hearing the different ideas and “what could have been,” as well as the reasoning behind the creative choices of Disneyland Paris.

Today’s technology for sure has an influence on the way we experience stories, however, how a narrative is told and how much variety there is, plays a huge factor in the enjoyment factor of an attraction. Hearing the group talk honestly about how precise experience must be planned out, is amazing to me. A small tweak can make or break a ride.

This is such a rich discussion, and you should definitely listen to it.

As always the links to show are below. Enjoy!

– DoctorDreamer