Imagineer Joe Lanzisero (Mystic Manor, Tokyo Disney, Toontown)

Imagination Skyway

Matthew Krul

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel, Kids & Family

5 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2022

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Joe Lanzisero began working at Disney as a Feature Animator just a few days after graduating from CalArts in 1979, working on movies like the Fox & and the Hound and The Great Mouse Detective. Less than a decade later, Joe made the jump to Walt Disney Imagineering, where he eventually rose to the rank of a Creative Senior Vice President. Perhaps what’s most amazing about Joe is that his projects literally span the globe. He developed attractions at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line. Some of Joe's most notable attractions include Toontown, Mystic Manor, Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea, Grizzly Gulch, Toy Story Land (Hong Kong Disneyland), and more. After nearly three decades at Imagineering, Joe retired from Disney in 2015, but his work continues today through his own company, Lanzisero Creative. In this podcast episode, I chat with Joe about his early years growing up near Disneyland, his time at Disney Animation, and his many years at Imagineering, plus his work since retiring from Disney. Be sure to also follow Joe on Instagram for some inspiring and educational content about Disney and beyond. Which of Joe's attractions is your favorite? Send me your feedback via email or through direct or public message at any of the following and [with your permission] I'll include your message in a future show: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineerPodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/ImagineerPodcast Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImagineerNews Facebook Group (ImagiNation): https://www.facebook.com/groups/imagineerpodcast/ Email: [email protected] Be sure to check out our sponsor WDW Magazine, the premier magazine focused on Walt Disney World, available in print or digital. If you want to take your love of Imagineer Podcast to the next level and help support the show, definitely consider joining us on Patreon for virtual events, bonus content and episodes, exclusive access to our private Passholder communities and more. How to Support the Show Share the podcast with your friends Rate and review on iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-imagineerpodcasts-podcast/id1244558092 Join our Patreon Group - https://www.patreon.com/imagineerpodcast Purchase merchandise - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/imagineer-podcast?ref_id=8929 Download Imagineer Tours - http://imagineertours.com Special thanks to our Deluxe Passholder Patreon members! Thomas N Devan L Katelyn F Jason K Jordan J Dani S Enjoy the show!

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm your host, Hello and welcome to The Imagineer Podcast, your unofficial guide to all things Disney.
0:40.9	I'm your host, Matthew Krull, and you're listening to Episode 126 of the Imagineer podcast.
0:48.6	In today's episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with former Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Lan Zissarro. Joe began with Disney
0:56.3	in 1979, working as a feature animator on some films that you know and love, like The Fox
1:02.2	and the Hound and the Great Mouse Detective, among others. He then transitioned into Walt Disney
1:07.3	Imagineering in 1987, where he spent the next nearly three decades of his career,
1:13.6	eventually rising to the ranks of a creative senior vice president.
1:18.0	And during those nearly three decades, Joe helped to develop countless attractions and lands
1:22.6	around the world that you know and love at Disneyland and Walt Disney World,
1:26.8	plus a significant amount of work
1:28.4	at Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort, including two attractions that we'll discuss
1:33.4	in this episode, Mystic Manor over at Hong Kong Disneyland, and the Tokyo Disney Sea version
1:39.4	of Tower of Terror. Joe also worked on Disney Cruise Line, He worked on Tune Town. He has done so much
1:47.3	throughout his career. And I am really excited to share this conversation with you as I chat
1:51.8	with Joe about his career, about a few of his projects, and ask him some other questions about
1:57.2	what it's like to be an Imagineer. And before we kick things off formally,
2:01.9	I also, of course, want to give a very special thanks to our sponsor, WDW Magazine.
2:06.7	I am both an author and a subscriber to WDW Magazine,
2:10.3	and you can learn more by clicking on the link in the show note of this episode
2:13.3	or by heading to Imagineerpodcast.com.
2:17.0	At the end of the episode, I'll come back and tell you a little bit more
2:19.6	about how you can connect with the Imagineer podcast
	...

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