Inside Walt Disney Imagineering | Dave Crawford on Disney Ride Engineering

Imagination Skyway

Matthew Krul

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

5 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 17 July 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Walt Disney Imagineering invited me on a very special and exclusive tour of their headquarters at 1401 Flower Street in Glendale, California. This tour gave me the chance to chat with Imagineers, visit multiple Imagineering departments (model shop, sculpting, sound, animation, and R&D), attend demonstrations and presentations, and experiment with some innovative Imagineering technology. I got to power on a realistic Star Wars lightsaber, play with the lovable BDX droids from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disneyland and Walt Disney World), and touch and feel silicone samples from Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure (Shanghai Disneyland), just to name a few exciting milestones. In addition, I had the opportunity to interview Imagineer Dave Crawford inside Walt Disney Imagineering. All of this will be shared in today's episode. Dave Crawford is a creative ride engineering executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he started in 1998 as a mechanical engineer. He has worked on the ride systems for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, just to name a couple of familiar examples. Dave is also listed as an inventor on over 60 patents and has been involved in every aspect of attraction design and development from early Blue Sky to attraction installation, turnover and certification. Thank you to Walt Disney Imagineering for this very special opportunity. Get bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more at patreon.com/imaginationskyway. Create your own Disney travel memories with our sponsor KMV Travel. Subscribe to WDW Magazine and receive 15% off with code SKYWAY when visiting https://www.wdw-magazine.com/shop/?ref=SKYWAY Tag me and join the conversation below. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginationskyway Instagram: www.instagram.com/imaginationskyway Facebook Group (ImagiNation): https://www.facebook.com/groups/imaginationskyway Facebook: www.facebook.com/imaginationskyway TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@imaginationskyway Threads: https://www.threads.net/@imaginationskyway Twitter: www.twitter.com/skywaypodcast Email: [email protected] 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/imaginationskyway Purchase merchandise - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/imagineer-podcast?ref_id=8929 Enjoy the show!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome aboard Imagination Skyway, your guided tour through the worlds of Disney and Imagineering.
0:13.0	I'm Matthew Krall, your host on this panoramic journey, and I'm on a mission to better understand the stories and places we love and the people who bring
0:21.3	them to life.
0:22.4	Today's episode is the culmination of eight years of podcasting, and it would not have been
0:26.8	possible without your support for this show and without a very special invitation from
0:32.4	Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Parks.
0:34.9	Last week on Friday, July 11th, I had the opportunity of a lifetime,
0:39.9	taking a very exclusive tour of the Walt Disney Imagineering campus in Glendale, California.
0:45.3	This tour gave me the chance to chat with Imagineers, visit multiple Imagineering departments,
0:51.1	attend demonstrations and presentations, and experiment with some innovative
0:55.9	imagining technology. To cap it all off, I was fortunate enough to interview Imagineer Dave
1:01.6	Crawford live from Walt Disney Imagineering. This episode was recorded using Imagineering audio
1:07.1	equipment in the same room where the team engineers the audio for every Disney destination
1:12.8	around the world. As you can tell, if you're a fan of Walt Disney Imagineering, you're even curious
1:17.7	about what it's like inside their Glendale headquarters. This episode is one you will not want to miss,
1:23.1	as I share more details about my experience and my extraordinary conversation with Dave.
1:29.8	As you fasten your seatbelt, I encourage you to take out your mobile devices and search for
1:33.5	Imagination Skyway on your favorite social media app. Better yet, if you're looking for ad-free
1:38.4	episodes, bonus content, or the ability to comment directly on the podcast, head to patreon.com slash imagination skyway,
1:47.0	where you can sign up for a free account or a premium subscription. And if this episode leaves
1:51.5	you yearning for a trip to Disney or any other destination, reach out to our partners and sponsors
1:56.3	at KMV Travel by visiting KMVTravel.com slash Skyway. As we begin our journey, please remain seated,
	...

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