Bill Evans – Walt’s Green Thumb
On this day in 1910, Morgan “Bill” Evans was born in Santa Monica, California. As Disney Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar describes him, “Bill defined Disney theme park landscaping.”
Behind the Attraction Preview
Disney has just announced that a new original “pop history” docuseries focused on Disney Parks attractions will be debuting Friday, July 16th on Disney+. Behind the Attraction is a 10-episode, hourlong series produced by Seven Bucks Production (co-founded by part-time Jungle Cruise skipper Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) in partnership with Brian Volk-Weiss, the creator behind the hit Netflix pop-culture docuseries “The Toys That Made Us.”
Green Imagineering
A recent Orange County Register article highlighted a number of enhancements made to the Haunted Mansion attraction while the park was closed during the pandemic. In addition to a few improvements inside the mansion, the pet cemetery outside also received some thematic upgrades.
Harper Goff
Today is the birthday of Disney Legend Harper Goff. A number of beloved Disneyland attractions, including the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Golden Horseshoe Saloon, first appeared as concept art drawn by Goff. As one of Disney’s very first Imagineers, Goff began working on the Disneyland project even before it was called Disneyland or any land in Anaheim was acquired.
Old Trees for a New Park
One of Walt Disney’s many challenges in building Disneyland was taking an orange grove and landscaping themed lands in a way that made it appear like they’ve been there for a long time. The man in charge of that unenviable task was Disney Legend Bill Evans.
