For decades, Disney Ambassadors have been a constant presence around the globe, attending special events, supporting charitable causes, and spreading goodwill. But the long tradition began with a single individual—Julie Reihm Casaletto, the very first Disneyland Ambassador. a personification of Disneyland’s world-famous spirit of friendliness and happiness Julie was born in Galveston, Texas, but the …
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Few filmmakers, no matter how successful, can claim to have created an entire universe—much less one that defined generations of young filmgoers—but that’s exactly what George Lucas did with Star Wars, the biggest film phenomenon of its time, and one that continues to make new fans to this day. George Walton Lucas, Jr. grew up …
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Few actors prove so dominant a presence that they practically define an entire genre, but Susan Lucci did just that in her four decades portraying Erica Kane on ABC’s fabled soap opera All My Children. It is a role that TV Guide deemed unequivocally the most famous character in the history of daytime television—and it …
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Daniel Elfman grew up immersed in movie music. “I could listen to the scores of Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and Erich Korngold and identify them. I was really proud.” “I could hear something and go, ‘That’s definitely Max Steiner,’ and Nino Rota was huge. I loved playing the game of tuning into a movie on …
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When he retired from his role as Executive Chairman of ESPN in May 2014, George Bodenheimer wrapped up a remarkable 33-year career, which began in the company’s mailroom in 1981. Consistent and substantive growth defined George’s career, leading to unprecedented success. His leadership style was simple but effective: empower all employees to take charge of …
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In animation art circles, the work of artist, illustrator, and author Eyvind Earle is renowned, revered, and still influential today. That this remarkable and diverse talent came to call The Walt Disney Studios home for nearly a decade of his career is a testament to his talent—and to the artistic vision of Walt Disney himself. …
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Success followed success [for Jobs], with the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad each becoming ubiquitous among a gadget-hungry populace. Steve also oversaw the development of Apple retail and online stores. All this activity culminated in 2011 when Apple became the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. When The Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, Steve became the Company’s largest shareholder overnight, joining the Disney board of directors in 2006.
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Collin’s first full-time assignment [with WDI] was the Enchanted Tiki Room, which he helped develop. For the World’s Fair he sculpted cavemen for Ford’s Magic Skyway, built models and sets for It’s a Small World, and designed concept art for the Carousel of Progress. With Claude Coats he developed Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland; Collin built the model for the attraction’s Blue Bayou area and designed its trademark flat-bottomed boats.
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Dick [has produced] what has been estimated at more than 7,500 hours of programming spanning more than 30 series, 250 specials, and 20 television and theatrical films. An icon of the teenybopper set, his eternally youthful appearance would earn him the nickname “America’s oldest teenager.”
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“He’s my favorite character I’ve ever played,” Billy Crystal once said of Mike Wazowski, the frenetic, green, cyclopean monster from 2001’s Monsters, Inc. and 2013’s Monsters University. Billy’s voice acting and improvisational talents brought the excitable, soft-hearted Wazowski to life, making the character, as Billy once explained, “fast and edgy; speedy and nuts; aggressive and …
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