To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, we tracked down former Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering, Tom Morris. Tom knows a little something about building theme parks and attractions. So who better to dig up the archaeology of Disneyland’s eeriest e-ticket attraction. We explore the rumors, true and preposterous, of the attraction’s origins, as well as some of the unsung heroes of Disneyland’s early design and construction.

Our guest for today is Tom Morris.

Show (g)host for today is Freddy Martin

Show design & production: Barry R. Hill

Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music by the Lost Dogs.

Give us a shoutout on iTunes; we love the attention, and browse www.themedattraction.com or even more on the attractions industry. Thanks for listening!

Howdy! This episode features show designer, writer, and music director for themed attractions from sea to shining sea, Mr. Rick Bastrup. Rick made his mark in regional theme parks and family fun centers for the past 30+ years. His time in the industry allowed him opportunities to work with legends like Ira West and Technifex who pretty much built every non-Disney park in America. You can still see his work in Six Flags parks, Great America, and Knott’s Berry Farm.

Our guest this episode is Rick Bastrup.

Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music by the Lost Dogs.

Show hosts: Mel McGowan& Freddy Martin

Show design & production: Barry R. Hill

Give us a shoutout on iTunes; we love the attention, and browse www.themedattraction.comfor even more on the attractions industry. Thanks for listening!

This episode features Mike Schwalm, Creative Director at Storyland Studios. Mike was previously a Creative Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering working with James Cameron and Joe Rohde’s team to bring the immersive “Pandora – The World of Avatar” to life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. He also worked on concept development for the Indiana Jones themed bar in Disney Springs, the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular, and PortAventura’s Ferrari Land. He’s designed interactive exhibits for both Avengers and Transformers properties and so much more.

Our guest for today is Mike Schwalm.

Show hosts: Mel McGowan & Freddy Martin

Show design & production: Barry R. Hill

Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music by the Lost Dogs.

Give us a shoutout on iTunes; we love the attention, and browse www.themedattraction.com for even more on the attractions industry. Thanks for listening!

Come along as Mel and Freddy dig into conversation with Mark Eades, one of the Disney Imagineers who helped bring Epcot to life back in the 80s. He cut his teeth in Disney animation and film and was called up to Imagineering by Marty Sklar to manage the production of Epcot’s film-based attractions. His attraction credits include CircleVision – American Journeys, Star Tours, and Muppet-Vision 3D.

Mark later went on to become the Theme Park correspondent for the Orange County register covering stories from all of Southern California’s world-class attractions.

Our guest today is Mark Eades.

Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music by the Lost Dogs.

Show hosts: Mel McGowan & Freddy Martin

Show design & production: Barry R. Hill

Give us a shoutout on iTunes; we love the attention, and browse www.themedattraction.com for even more on the attractions industry. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Mel and Freddy head up to the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains where we meet the new owners of SkyPark at Santa’s Village. Santa’s Village was a small regional storybook park built in 1955 and became a go-to destination for families looking for mountain-top fun. The park closed in 1998 and would have been lost to Kitsch history if it wasn’t for the vision and passion of Bill and Michelle Johnson. Their love of outdoor and extreme sports combined with the park’s family appeal to reopen it in 2016 as Sky Park at Santa’s Village.

Show hosts: Mel McGowan & Freddy Martin

Show design & production: Barry R. Hill

Theme music composed by Rob Watson, closing music by the Lost Dogs.

Follow us on Instagram @themedattraction & Twitter @themedattractn. Give us a shoutout on iTunes; we love the attention, and browse www.themedattraction.com for even more on the attractions industry. Thanks for listening!