www.clickorlando.com/news: Imagineering was never just a man’s club at Disney World.
Some of the most indelible and iconic images guests know from the Magic Kingdom and beyond were created by women.
For many decades, theme park and resort design was largely seen as a boy’s club.
This was never the case for Disney’s Imagineering.
Some extremely gifted female Imagineers were among the first generation recruited by Walt Disney.
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9 comments:
It's so amazing to learn that some of the most iconic, and some of my favorite, rides at Disney World were created by some incredible woman. It makes me so happy that people have started recognizing women's history month, because otherwise I would've had no idea. I can't believe that the woman that made the costumes for it's a small world and Pirates of the Caribbean is the same! She clearly has such a range of skills that she pulled from. Hearing about people accidentally making a career at Disney just because they knew someone or were somewhere at the right time is crazy to me. Now, if you want to work at Disney, you have to work for it from the beginning of your career. When I visited CAL arts, they talked about having a specific course just for becoming an Imagineer. As an animation nerd, hearing that this costume designer also made the costumes for the test footage before animation was so cool, because I am so interested in that creative process.
One of my favorite parts about this article is that it could be so much longer and grow day by day. Often people go to theme parks to step out of their world and be distracted by the park’s world or worlds, but there is something to be said about stopping and thinking about how it got to be where it is today and thanking those who have paved the way for a diverse group of artists to break through into the themed entertainment industry. Haunted Mansion does an excellent job of highlighting two of the women who had an impact on it. The costumes at Pirates and Small World are so incredibly different so it is incredible that Alice Estes Davis worked on both of these. They each have so many details and meaning behind them. Each of the women featured in the article are incredible and their legacies will live on throughout time.
While I have never been to any theme park affiliated with Disney in my working memory (I may have when I was very very small, I'm not entirely sure), I did watch Cinderella religiously every single week when I was a child. It was my favorite movie ever, and still ranks very highly for me today. The photo of the mural included in the article, designed as a Renaissance retelling of Cinderella by Dorothea Redmond, was absolutely gorgeous, I thought. I am also a huge fan of production photos and production art, so this article really hit the spot for me in general. However, my favorite part of this article was, without a doubt, the photo of Alice Davis and Mary Blair together with the caption saying they were lifelong friends. In so many instances women are made to think of each other as competitors, so it was very heartwarming and cute to see these two talented women not tear each other down but build each other up.
Having grown up in Orlando, having Disney near me has always been a small source of pride, even if my family didn't have annual passes or go very often at all. Magic Kingdom is such a special place and the attractions, especially the older ones and the vintage-styled ones, give off the most wonderful sense of charm. I really wish Imagineers were more well known, because their work truly makes the experience and some of their styles are so recognizable and historically significant. I love how the title of Imagineer can cover such a diverse range of jobs and talents, and it's become this all encompassing term for artist at work at Disney. From costume designers, to animators, to engineers, it takes a village to create a theme park and I'm very glad that some of the women who created such iconic parts of Disney are getting featured in this article.
I loved reading this article. I’ve almost never been to any Disney parks or anything of the sort, but I love reading about the designing and creation process– something I’d love to experience and be a part of someday. It’s inspiring to read about women who have been crucial to a lot of what Disney has created. I think I want to learn more about the Imagineers at Disney; what they do, their work, their part of creating Disney. The project photos in the article were great to look at, recognizing classic stories I’ve heard or watched during my life (the renaissance Cinderella was absolutely beautiful). It can be easy to see the parks, rides, performances, and forget the amount of effort it took to make that a reality (especially if you aren’t involved in entertainment for sure); I look forward to learning more about it, and the women in this article.
I have honestly loved the idea of working as an imagineer and have thought that it would be a great job. I remember going to disney as a kid and being absolutely blown away by everything and the magic they have created. I think it is honestly very impressive how the imagineers not only create a magical experience for children but also for adults, something that is not seen too often in theme parks. The ability to keep the magic of something seen as childish for a variety of generations then I think you have definitely achieved something great. Something I loved about this article was the emphasis on the women who have built disney and created the foundation for the park itself. Reading about these women inspired me and gave me hope for future women in this industry, something I personally want to do when I'm older. These women poured their heart and soul into these works and its great to see them get recognition. I definitely look forward to learning more about these women and other women who have worked towards building this industry. I think its time to raise the voices for all people who have built this industry not just the white men.
Growing up in Southern California, I was really fortunate to get to go to Disneyland a lot as a kid. You really do experience the magic everytime you come to the park and I have a lot of women to thank for that. While it’s not my favorite ride, It’s a Small World will always hold a special place in my heart… or just be playing on loop in the back of my head forever. I know I would always get so excited when we got the part with the filipino doll dressed in a terno. It’s so exciting to know more about the woman who actually made a lot of those costumes as well as the art. Now as an adult, I can really appreciate all the work and artistry that has been put in, specifically by other women, to create these iconic rides and places. It’s really amazing to not only give these women the credit they deserve but also to have people to look up to.
I have always found it incredibly interesting to learn about the people behind the designs of iconic places and productions and films. Reading about these incredible women who were on the Imagineering team and behind some of the hallmark Disney rides and images is so very interesting and inspiring. The article mentions that Disney was a strongly male-composed industry, save for the Imagineering department. Learning about these incredible women who created designs for, among other things, It’s a Small World, Rainforest Café, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and other classic Disney stings was very interesting. Many of these women were hired in the 50’s or earlier, when there was more of a lack in gender equality and equity in almost every industry. It is nice to see that Disney Imagineering was more progressive and looked past the gender of their employees when equality was not as strong in the world. It is also so cool to see the lasting impact of their work – almost anyone who has visited and Disneyland park will easily be able to recognize these women’s work, whether they know who made it or not
Learning about the art behind these attractions is so fascinating to me. I was particularly drawn to the mural that was made with the Cinderella characters. There seems to be so much passion and care put behind every project in the Disney rides, and I seriously admire the artistic integrity. It is also interesting how iconic some of these creations are, like the set design of It’s a Small World, or the costuming on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and yet these women are unappreciated, and I bet this article was the first time a lot of people heard about them. I feel like that is often the nature of this type of design though- other than within the design world, it is hard to find someone that might know you based on your work. Overall, I really enjoyed the images this article supplied, and the fascinating history behind the creation of these rides.
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