Magic of Disney comes to Coast

Long Beach — A crowd of all ages went back in time to see Walt Disney’s vision for his parks and looked into the future at two new cruise ships, a Disney Hawaiian resort and other attractions.

Wholesome, fun entertainment for families, “That’s the legacy of Walt Disney,” said Jack Blitch, vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering in Florida. He spoke during Tuesday night’s Issues and Answers, sponsored by the University of Southern Mississippi and the Sun Herald.

Disney now has five theme parks around the world and he said when they try to incorporate the culture of Hong Kong, Paris and Tokyo, the people in those countries say, “We want American.”

Every park has a Magic Kingdom similar Walt’s design for Disneyland. Each has It’s a Small World and every castle is different, said Blitch.

He spent about seven years guiding the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida yet he said clearly his favorite attraction is the Tower of Terror, which he also helped build.

Blitch confirmed there are hidden Mickeys all around the Disney parks. “Yes, they do exist and yes, they’re all over the place,” he said. He also talked about the tunnels beneath Walt Disney World in Florida built so the costume characters from Adventure Land are never seen cutting through Tomorrow Land.

“There really is a complete city under the Magic Kingdom,” he said.

These attractions, hotels and cruise ships are created and built by teams of Disney Imagineers, who work across 140 disciplines from engineers to writers and even prop shoppers who scour the country for just the right props.

“Everything we do tells a story,” he said.

The Walt Disney company has just purchased 26 acres on Oahu in Hawaii and will create the first mixed-use family resort outside of the Disney theme parks.

Two new cruise ships, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, will be 50 percent larger than the two current ships.

“Everything we do is based on teamwork,” he said. “There is only one person’s name on the door and that is Walt Disney.”