Walt Disney Imagineering | Backstage Tour of Disney Magic in the Making

Imagination Skyway

Matthew Krul

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

5 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 54 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. In this episode, I share more details about my behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney Imagineering, including what I saw and what I learned from the experience. 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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome aboard Imagination Skyway, your guided tour through the worlds of Disney and Imagineering.
0:16.0	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 them to life.
0:25.1	Last week, I shared a very special podcast interview with Dave Crawford,
0:29.3	Creative Ride Engineering Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, recorded live from Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters in Glendale, California, thanks to a special
0:38.9	invitation from the team at Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Parks. Be sure to listen to this
0:44.4	episode if you haven't done so already, as Dave has some fascinating insights to share about his
0:48.7	Disney career, which began in 1998. While the beginning of that episode included a summary of my day at Imagineering,
0:55.7	I felt that there was still a lot left to be shared. So this episode includes more information
1:01.0	about what I saw, what I experienced, and what I learned at 1401 Flower Street in a little
1:06.8	more of an off-the-cuff conversational style, as if we were going out to lunch after this
1:12.7	event to share more about what I saw and how I felt on that day. As you fasten your seatbelt,
1:18.9	I encourage you to take out your mobile devices and search for Imagination Skyway on your
1:22.7	favorite social media app. Better yet, if you're looking for ad-free episodes, bonus content, or the ability to comment
1:29.2	directly on the podcast, head to patreon.com slash imagination skyway, where you can sign up for a
1:35.7	free account or a premium subscription.
1:38.3	And if this episode leaves you yearning for a trip to Disney or any other destination, reach
1:42.7	out to our partners and sponsors at KMV Travel
1:45.9	by visiting KMVTravel.com slash skyway. As we begin our journey, please remain seated,
1:52.2	keep your hands and arms inside the podcast at all times, and enjoy your journey aboard
1:56.5	Imagination Skyway.
2:13.2	As I mentioned at the top of this episode, there was a previous podcast episode I published last week all about my interview with Dave Crawford at Walt Disney Imagineering.
2:18.2	And the beginning of that episode dedicated about 10 minutes to sharing a very
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Matthew Krul, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Matthew Krul and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.