Stories of the Magic

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Today, we finish up my interview with Disney Legend, Imagineer, and more, Rolly Crump. As before, I got to ask a number of questions I’ve never been able to ask, this time more about the people he worked for and with.

Now, as I mentioned last time, in case you have sensitive ears, there is a little bit of PG-level language in this interview. You’d hear worse in almost any primetime TV show nowadays, but since the interviews are usually 100% G-rated, I thought you should know.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at storiesofthemagic.com/audible. There’s over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player—including my own book, Faith and the Magic Kingdom.

In this episode Rolly talks about:

• Bringing it’s a small world to Walt Disney World, including the changes he made (some because he wanted to, some because he had to);
• Yale Gracey;
• Mary Blair;
• Eric Larson;
• Bob Gurr;
• John Hench, Rolly’s mentor;
• Walt Disney;
• What it was like for him when Walt passed away;
• Playing gags on each other at the Disney studio and in Imagineering—I almost left one of these stories out, but it was just to “Rolly” to cut;
• “Another great story about vodka”—now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d hear in this podcast, but it really is a pretty funny story;
• Whether he ever thought he was doing something special while he was working for Disney;
• What it’s like to get all the attention he’s getting now;
• What he loved most about what he did—one of them is something you can still see today if you visit Disneyland;
• If there’s anything he’s never been asked that he’d like to be asked;
• A thanks to Jeff Heimbuch for his work with Rolly on It’s Kind of a Cute Story, and why it was so different from other authors who’d wanted to work with him;
• What inspires him;
• His advice to you for following your dreams;
• Shameless Plug Time.

Find Rolly:

I want to hear from you, so please email me, leave a comment below, or call the Listener Feedback line at (734) 23-STORY.

If you call in, don’t worry about having to sound perfect. If you ask me to, I’ll edit out any mistakes so you sound as good as you possibly can. You’re even welcome to start your entire story over again and I’ll use the “take” you want! If you want to submit a story anonymously, for whatever reason you may have, email it to me and tell you me you wanted it shared that way. I’ll read it on the podcast, but keep your name private.

Thanks for listening!

Subscribe by RSS.

Subscribe in iTunes.

Subscribe on Stitcher Radio.

Music and voiceovers provided by Rick Moyer.

All product links are affiliate links.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

We’re in a series of firsts here on the show, because here we have another one! Today, we have part one of my interview with Disney Legend, Imagineer, and more, Rolly Crump. If you’re a fan of it’s a small world, the Tiki Room pre-show area, and even the night lighting at Disneyland, then you’re a fan of Rolly’s work. I am so honored I get to have had this wonderful conversation.

I got to ask a number of questions I’ve never been able to ask before, and for the first time hear stories about Walt Disney from someone who worked with him personally. Now, in case you have sensitive ears, there is a little bit of PG-level language in this interview. You’d hear worse in almost any primetime TV show nowadays, but since the interviews are usually 100% G-rated, I thought you should know.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at storiesofthemagic.com/audible. There’s over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player—including my own book, Faith and the Magic Kingdom.

Rolly talks about:

• How he got started working for Disney;
• Why starting at the company was a shock to him, and why he loved it;
• His first assignment as an artist;
• Being an inbetweener;
• Animating the spots on the Dalmatians in the 101 Dalmatians animated feature;
• Whether he wanted to be an animator or not;
• His first assignment with WED—now Walt Disney Imagineering;
• How he designed the Enchanted Tiki Room pre-show area;
• Whether he enjoyed being thrown into things he’d never done before, and why;
• His philosophy;
• Walt’s philosophy of what made a good work environment;
• Working on concepts for the Haunted Mansion with Imagineer Yale Gracey, and the Museum of the Weird;
• His roles in “it’s a small world,” and something very interesting about how the teams designed and built it;
• Some of the things still in the attraction that he did;
• How the clock in front of “it’s a small world” got there, and Walt’s hand in it;
• Installing the attraction at the New York World’s Fair, watching guests experience it, and then moving it to Disneyland;
• Experiencing the World’s Fair, and what Walt expected his people to do while they were there—and everywhere else;
• Two instances where Dick Irvine didn’t think Rolly would get a project done—but he did it anyway—including the Adventureland Bazaar;
• Something he learned from Walt;
• Becoming Supervising Art Director of Disneyland—not exactly a promotion.

Find Rolly:

I want to hear from you, so please email me, leave a comment below, or call the Listener Feedback line at (734) 23-STORY.

If you call in, don’t worry about having to sound perfect. If you ask me to, I’ll edit out any mistakes so you sound as good as you possibly can. You’re even welcome to start your entire story over again and I’ll use the “take” you want!

If you want to submit a story anonymously, for whatever reason you may have, email it to me and tell you me you wanted it shared that way. I’ll read it on the podcast, but keep your name private.

Thanks for listening!

Subscribe by RSS.

Subscribe in iTunes.

Subscribe on Stitcher Radio.

Music and voiceovers provided by Rick Moyer.

All product links are affiliate links.