Disney and moreGrand Interview of WDI Imagineer Pat Burke

[loaloa55]

D&M Grand Interview of WDI Imagineer Pat Burke



Pat Burke began his career at Walt Disney Imagineering in 1972 and worked literally on all Disney theme parks since then. If DLP Frontierland is so well themed it's thanks to the phenomenal work that Pat did to find authentic artifacts all around the American west. Pat also worked on Tokyo Disney Sea and a many other attractions. It's with great pleasure that Disney and more give to Pat Burke today a fully deserved tribute with this fantastic grand interview, the longest ever posted on Disney and more.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

A.L: Phantom Manor graveyard theming is remarkable, can you tell us the story about the four tombs of the Bear, the trapper, the squirrel and the lion?

P.B: Yes, one day someone asked me what killed the Bear, after he ate the trapper. Well, here is the story.....As I remember, in Frontierland’s story line the squirrel was a pet of the Lucky Nugget owner. When she went to feed him in the morning, she found out the stray old lion had eaten her bushy tailed friend. So in anger, she sent out her trapper friend - who was also a prospector of Gold in Thunder Mesa, (and always carried a vile of mercury for his gold separation from the quartz) - to kill the lion that same morning.

After he had come upon and killed the lion up on Thunder Mountain, the hungry old bear came out that night from the Indian burial cave, at waters edge and into the trappers camp site, and made a meal of him and the remains of the slayed lion. The Bear was not as picky as the trapper, and ingested the mercury as well. Unlike the God of Mercury, this did eventually stop the Bear after a long slow 20 years. Thunder Mountain prospectors found the remains of the prospector, and notified the Lucky Nugget owner, who put on a befitting burial with markers at the Phantom Manor Grave site. The story was always a point of unresolved interest in the Lucky Nugget for the next 20 years, until the old bear wandered into town and died at the Crossroads hub. Injested mercury poisoning, was not too well known at that time. Luckily that tuff old muley bear was put to rest and not eaten at the Cowboy Cookout.

Please read the full interview HERE:

Disney and more: D&M Grand Interview of WDI Imagineer Pat Burke

It's a fantastic interview, you will enjoy it, really!

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[Dustysage]

Wow, that was an amazing interview Alain! And the photos and concept art are great. There were over 55 pictures in that one piece!

Folks, do yourselves a favor and read this excellent interview. Then come back and discuss it here!

-Dusty

[stevo505]

Very neat. The only thing I did not like was the few spelling/grammar errors.

[Dustysage]

Originally Posted by stevo505

Very neat. The only thing I did not like was the few spelling/grammar errors.

Alain is French and does his best to write in English. I for one am just happy that he is willing to share with us in English at all and am more than willing to overlook the occasional spelling and grammar issues. And I certainly don't want him to think that we don't appreciate the tremendous amount of work that it takes to conduct a lengthy interview, type it up, find the pictures, host them, and prepare it all in English so we can read and enjoy it.

[Maleficent Fan]

That was a great read, Alain!

Merci beaucoup!

[MarkTwain]

Give this guy a few hundred million and let him get his hands on DL's Frontierland! What an amazing portfolio.

He is still at WDI, isn't he? So many of the greats aren't anymore.

[disney-fan-reborn]

OK. THAT was really a neat interview! SOOOO many things in there that I would like to have been the one doing! I also liked the Steve Jobs story.

Originally Posted by MarkTwain

Give this guy a few hundred million and let him get his hands on DL's Frontierland!

Better yet, have him work on Tomorrowland!

[WOKcreative]

GREAT interview! I didn't expect it to be so much info or so many great stories. Do some more of those!
Thanx