Tony Baxter joined WED Enterprises in the mid-60s, a time when most of the first generation Imagineers were still around, but after Walt Disney had died. As such, he became a crucial bridge between the two eras.
Baxter started at Disneyland in 1965 as an ice cream scooper and rose to become the senior vice president of creative development at what is now Walt Disney Imagineering. In 2013 he stepped down from his leadership role at WDI and is now a creative advisor to Imagineering.
In this new video from Disney23, Baxter takes us back to the beginning and shares the portfolio he created for a ride he called “Jolly Holiday” based on Disney’s, new at the time, movie — Mary Poppins.
I love that he even put a gift shop at the end. Now we know who to blame. Thanks Tony.
Note that this is being filmed in the newly recreated offices of Walt Disney at the Burbank studios. You now have to have a special invitation or be on a D23 tour to experience the space instead of where it was available to be viewed by all who visited Disneyland or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Looking at the designs for this attraction there’s no reason it couldn’t be built today, except for low capacity. That’s actually a pretty big reason. But I still love the idea of a Mary Poppins ride complete with carousel horses and chalk paintings you jump into. What about you?
Thanks, John. Being an artist myself, I especially love these types of videos.
I’ve known for years that Tony had designed a Mary Poppins attraction. I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to see it. Thank you so very much for sharing this video.
If they don’t want to make it a ride, they could rename the Fantasyland carousel! Just repaint the horses and carousel to reflect the Mary Poppins theme. Sounds like a great idea to me … except for the history of the horses and carousel. ???
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