George Walsh and Pete Renoudet traveled to the moon and to Mars thousands of times. While that may sound extraordinary, it’s quite typical in the Disney theme parks. Each provided pre-recorded voices for the Flight to the Moon and Mission to Mars attractions which were at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. During their journey, guests walked by Mission Control where they were greeted by the Audio-Animatronics® character Mr. Johnson, voiced by radio announcer George Walsh, who introduced Gunsmoke on the radio for nearly a decade. Walsh’s presence in the parks wasn’t restricted to outer space, however. After retiring from radio, he enjoyed working in the shops of Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. Pete Renoudet played the role of Third Officer Collins, the in-flight narrator. Renoudet recently recalled the one thing that set that role apart from his other roles such as Henry the bear emcee in the Country Bear Jamboree and Abraham Lincoln in the Hall of Presidents. “We recorded the Mission to Mars soundtrack on “B” stage at the (Disney) studio. It was one of the few times that I was able to use my own voice instead of a ‘character’ voice—British, French, or Country.”
