Kevin Rafferty: Walt Disney Imagineer from Epcot to Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

Imagination Skyway

Matthew Krul

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

5 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2021

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kevin Rafferty just retired from Walt Disney Imagineering on April 1 after more than 40 years at Disney. Kevin's work includes some of your favorite attractions: Cars Land, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Tower of Terror, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Test Track, Mickey's Philharmagic, Toy Story Mania, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (which was Kevin's final project at Disney). After 42 years at Imagineering, Kevin has a lot to be proud of, and his legacy will certainly be remembered and enjoyed for generations. Kevin is also the author of his autobiography, "Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career", which you can purchase online or at your local bookstore. It's one of those books that should be on every Disney fan's shelf and one that contains so many incredible stories behind your favorite Disney attractions. In this episode, I have the honor of chatting with Kevin about his favorite project at Imagineering, where he would take Walt if Walt were still alive today, what he's loved most about working at Imagineering, and how he plans to spend his retirement. Which of Kevin's many projects 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. Disney news and travel tips: Be sure to visit our Disney news partner, The Kingdom Insider: Website: https://thekingdominsider.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/KingdomInsider Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekingdominsider/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tkidisneynews YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNy6LP8uPSjsktoPBr5JTQ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TKIDisneyNews/ Vacation Planning: Planning a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, or another Disney destination? Visit our trusted partner, Academy Travel: Walt Disney World: https://apps.itams.com/AcademyCRM/form/waltdisney/IP Disneyland: https://apps.itams.com/AcademyCRM/form/disneyland/IP Disney Cruise Line: https://apps.itams.com/AcademyCRM/form/disneycruise/IP Aulani: https://apps.itams.com/AcademyCRM/form/Aulani/IP Adventures by Disney: https://apps.itams.com/AcademyCRM/form/DisneyAdventure/IP 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 Hero Patreon members! Thomas N Enjoy the show!

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm a lot of Hello and welcome to the Imagineer Podcast, your unofficial guide to All Things Disney.
0:32.9	I'm your host, Matthew Krull, and you're listening to Episode 102 of the Imagineer podcast. In today's
0:41.2	episode, I have the great honor of chatting with iconic Walt Disney Imagineer Kevin Rafferty.
0:47.6	Kevin just retired from the Walt Disney Company on April 1st of this year, 2021, but he had an incredible 40-plus year career at Disney,
0:57.1	working on and leading and conceiving of some incredible attractions you know and love,
1:01.7	things like Test Track and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Carsland at Disney California Adventure Park,
1:07.9	and most recently Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which I believe is a new
1:13.0	classic attraction that will be enjoyed for generations to come. In this episode, I get the
1:18.7	chance to chat with Kevin about his 40-year career at Disney as he looks back at some of the
1:24.5	most memorable moments from working at Imagineering. We talk a little bit about his book, A Magic Journey, which of course I encourage you all to
1:32.1	check out and purchase if you get the chance.
1:34.9	And we talk about his retirement and what he's looking forward to in the years to come.
1:40.7	At the end of the episode, I'll come back and tell you a little bit more about how you can
1:44.4	connect with the Imagineer podcast on all your favorite social media channels and how you can
1:49.6	help to inspire and create the future of this show. So, grab some headphones, pull up your
1:56.1	favorite armchair, and enjoy this episode of the Imagineer podcast.
2:10.4	Kevin Rafferty is an iconic Walt Disney Imagineer who began his career at Disney over 40 years ago.
2:17.2	From Typhoon Lagoon to Mickey and
2:19.0	Minnie's runaway railway, Kevin has conceived, designed, and led the creation of some
2:24.1	classic Disney attractions, including Toy Story Mania, Muppet Vision 3D, the Twilight Zone Tower
2:31.0	of Terror, Test Track, and Carsland. Kevin is also the author of Magic Journey,
2:36.8	my fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering career, which provides an in-depth look at his career at Disney.
	...

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