Canadian Disney Travel writer and radio host Yves Douville had the chance to meet retired Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter, tour his home, and have an extended interview with him. As part of that interview Baxter talked about the history of Star Tours and Douville has… Read More »Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter tells the history of Star Tours
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… Read More »See Tony Baxter’s first pitch to join Imagineering – A Mary Poppins attraction
It’s been a long time Disneyland fans, but your patience is about to pay off. A much needed, very thorough, refurbishment to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is almost over. The well-known wildest ride in the wilderness reopens March 17 with an upgraded track, restoration of the historic Rainbow Ridge Mining Town, new paint on portions of the mountain, and updates to the train vehicles. Disney has thrown in a few new surprises, too.
While you wait for March 17 to roll around, here’s a POV on-ride video to enjoy and a list of fun facts:
It was a very busy week last week as far as Disney news goes. But five new stories from the past seven days rose clearly to the top. Vintage Photos of the old Golden Horseshoe Revue and people paying their respects for deaths of Wally… Read More »Top Posts from Week of June 13
Tony Baxter, Senior VP Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering, recently chatted with the ForceCast, one of the more respected Star Wars fan podcasts, about Star Tours. They discussed the new version a bit, but Baxter was really excited to explore some of the history of the original Star Tours attraction, including tidbits I’ve never heard before.
You can listen to it here, or I’ve included some of my notes below the jump:
Read More »Tony Baxter relays the untold history of Star Tours, the original
Say what you want about Tony Baxter, he is one of the few Imagineers remaining that bridges the gap between the original designers of Disneyland and the modern day crew that’s working on the parks. He recently gave a talk on “The Importance of Being… Read More »The Importance of Being 12 – Tony Baxter