D23 x Walt Disney Imagineering Magical Milestones – Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary - CAPTIONING

Celebrate Walt Disney World Resort with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club and Walt Disney Imagineering, in our Magical Milestones series marking some of the biggest Disney Parks anniversaries in brand-new ways for Disney fans around the globe!

This exclusive virtual event will feature a grand gathering of Imagineers who will take us on a journey spanning everything from the resort’s origins and history, featuring beautiful artwork and storytelling, to plenty of behind-the-scenes stories that will let us meet some of the fascinating people who bring our favorite places to life.

The fourth in this celebratory series marks the 50th anniversary of the most magical place on earth, the Walt Disney World Resort. Hosted by Academy Award®-nominated director Leslie Iwerks, you won’t want to miss our biggest celebration to date as we take you on an epic five-part journey through each park and the iconic resorts, traversing the evolution of design across 50 years, highlighting several fan-favorites (past and present) that we all love!

We’ll start where it all began, Magic Kingdom, as Portfolio Creative Executive Chris Beatty and retired Imagineer Eric Jacobson discuss the challenges that Walt Disney Imagineering had to deal with after Walt Disney; the path to opening day; and how it has evolved every decade to define its unique identity.

Next we’ll look at EPCOT, featuring retired Imagineer Peggie Fariss, and Portfolio Executive Producer Jodi McLaughlin, and learn how Walt’s biggest dream became a reality, with its visions of the future and global community continuing to inspire us to make this world a better place.

Onward to the glitz and glitter of Disney’s Hollywood Studios where Leslie Iwerks sits down with President, WDI Creative & New Experience Development Bob Weis, Portfolio Creative Executive Scott Trowbridge, and Executive Interior Design Barb Dietzel. Together they’ll look at the park’s origins as a movie studio that peeled back the curtain, to now evolving into some of the most immersive themed lands ever created.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Art Director Kyle Price and Assistant Producer Jennifer Gerstin sit down with Manager of Communications Diego Parras as they look at how this unique species of theme park broke new ground with its deeply thoughtful blending of animals, environment, and Disney storytelling.