836 · Inside Imagineering: Zsolt Hormay on Sculpting Stories in Disney Parks
WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station
Lou Mongello - Disney Expert
4.8 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 16 July 2025
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
836 · Inside Imagineering: Zsolt Hormay on Sculpting Stories in Disney Parks
Do you ever walk through the Disney Parks and say, "How did they do that?" or better yet, "WHO helped bring these incredible places and spaces to life?"
I was recently invited into the hallowed halls of Walt Disney Imagineering to discover the answers to those questions, and will have a full recap of what (and who) I saw, as well as just some of Imagineering's legacy, people, and projects as I was taken behind the scenes into where Disney magic is made.
And while I was there, I has the privilege of sitting down with Zsolt Hormay, Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering and the sculptor behind some of Disney’s most breathtaking environments – from the Tree of Life to Cars Land to the floating mountains of Pandora and Galaxy's Edge.
I have known of him and admired his work for decades, so this was not only a special moment for me personally, but we had a wonderful, one-on-one conversation not just about his journey from Hungary to becoming a leading figure in theme park design, but how rockwork becomes storytelling, and the emotional and cultural depth behind the places and spaces he and his team create. From the Tree of Life to Fantasy Springs in Tokyo DisneySea, his work is quite literally etched into the parks we love.
I also posted the entire video version on the WDW Radio YouTube channel, and will share even more about what I saw, experienced, and learned during my unforgettable visit to Imagineering on an upcoming podcast episode, so stay tuned!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Attention please. Eastern Airlines Flight 19, your holiday cruise to the Emerald Beauty of a Puerto Rican rainforest. Now ready for departure. |
| 0:12.0 | Oh, hello there. So glad you could come along. |
| 0:16.0 | Wait a minute. I love that idea. How about some backstage passes? |
| 0:22.4 | How did you get here? |
| 0:24.4 | We entered a contest. |
| 0:25.8 | Yeah, we lost. |
| 0:28.6 | We're now leaving the land of fantasy and entering the world of the future. |
| 0:33.1 | W. |
| 0:35.1 | VW. Radio. Your information station. |
| 0:41.2 | Do you ever walk through the Disney parks and say, how did they do that? |
| 0:45.5 | Or better yet, who helped bring these incredible places and spaces to life? |
| 0:50.5 | Well, I was recently invited behind the scenes at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, |
| 0:54.4 | California, and sat down with Zolt Orme, the creative force behind some of Disney's most iconic environments, |
| 1:01.3 | from the Tree of Life to Carsland to the floating mountains of Pandora and Galaxy's Edge. |
| 1:06.3 | An N-R-exclusive one-on-one conversation, Zolt reveals how Stone becomes story, how culture |
| 1:12.9 | and emotion are carved into every detail, and how his team's work quite literally shapes |
| 1:17.6 | the magic we feel in the parks, including the breathtaking new Fantasy Springs in Tokyo |
| 1:22.6 | Disney Sea. |
| 1:23.6 | You'll also get more insight and personal stories about Imagineering as a whole. |
| 1:29.1 | I also posted the entire video version on my WDW Radio YouTube channel, and I'm going to share more about what I saw, experienced, and learned during my unforgettable visit to Imagineering on an upcoming podcast episode. |
| 1:40.8 | So stay tuned. |
| 1:42.0 | And hello, my friend, and wdbw radio your guide to |
... |
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