Tony Baxter
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Tony Wayne Baxter is currently Senior Vice President, Creative Development, Walt Disney Imagineering, and is responsible for overall creative direction for the Disneyland Resort.
Baxter started his career at the Disneyland Resort at age 17, scooping ice cream on Main Street, U.S.A. After several years of odd jobs at the park, he garnered attention through a portfolio of attraction concepts and was hired at WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering), where he remained during his tenure. His roles on his first projects were relatively minor, but he was eventually given extensive creative control of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which debuted at Disneyland in 1979, at Walt Disney World in 1980, and later at Disneyland Paris in 1992.[1] After this, he continued to be assigned high-level roles in Imagineering projects.
On January 31, 2013, Baxter announced that he would be leaving WDI, effective the next day. On February 1, he posted his official letter of resignation, in which he talked about his experience with WDI. In the letter, he stated that his role would change to that of a "part time advisor" to WDI.[2]
Other projects that Baxter was responsible for include:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Opened in 1979)
- Re-design of Disneyland's Fantasyland (Opened in 1983)
- The Original Journey Into Imagination Pavilion (Opened in 1983)
- The Disney Gallery (Opened in 1987)
- Splash Mountain (Opened in 1989)
- Disneyland Paris (Opened in 1992)
- Indiana Jones Adventure (Opened in 1995)
- Re-design of Disneyland's Tomorrowland (Opened in 1998)
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland (Opened in 2007)
- Re-design of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (Opened in 2008)
Never-built projects that Tony personally supervised include a re-design for Disneyland's Tomorrowland called Tomorrowland 2055 and a new land for Disneyland called Discovery Bay. (However, this was a source of inspiration for Discoveryland in Disneyland Paris—that park's version of Tomorrowland.)
References
- ^ Smith, Dave (2006). Disney A to Z: The Official Disney Encyclopedia. Disney Editions. p. 354. ISBN 0-7868-4919-3.p 49
- ^ MousePlanet, Inc. (2013-02-01). "Tony Baxter's Letter of Resignation". MousePlanet. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
External links
- WDW Radio Disney podcast - Interview With Tony Baxter (August, 2012)
- InsideTheMagic.net - Interview with Tony Baxter (February 2010)
- LaughingPlace.com - Interview With Tony Baxter (June 2000)
- UltimateDisney.com - Interview With Tony Baxter (December 2007)
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