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Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on Their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers is a tribute to the trailblazing women who have contributed to Disney Parks over the last half-century.
This book follows the careers of 12 women who spent decades designing and building the Disney worldwide empire of theme parks. Each chapter is unique, a personal reflection of each Imagineer's perspective and experience during their careers at Walt Disney Imagineering. These dozen women have written personal stories about what it takes behind the scenes to create a theme park, and the struggles unique to women as the Walt Disney Company began to step away from a male-centric culture.
Founded by Walt Disney in 1952, initially dubbed as W.E.D. Enterprises, Walt Disney Imagineering became the creative force behind the memorable Disney experiences we know and love today, bringing the most awe-inspiring new worlds and characters to life for guests around the world. My childhood dream, now adulthood dream, is to become a Disney Imagineer, so I am constantly researching and enveloping myself in the Imagineering story. As a woman who has thrown herself into engineering and science at a young age, I actively seek out female role models who have trailblazed the paths that I now walk along.
The book starts off with a Foreword by Ginger Zee, an American TV Personality best known for her career as chief meteorologist for ABC News. Followed by the foreword, is a Preface by Elisabete Minceff Erlandson and an Introduction by Melody Malmberg along with short biography pages on each of the Imagineers who share their stories in the following pages. Immediately the tone is set, the book is a passion project supported not by the quality of writing, but by the quality of stories these women will share.
The book then continues on to the reflections each woman has personally written for this project regarding their career and experiences with Walt Disney Imagineering. The line-up was truly astounding with heavy hitters such as Maggie Elliot and Pam Rank whose climbs to senior positions during their careers are quite admirable. Here is the full list:
Maggie Elliott, Senior Vice President, Creative Development Administration
Eli Erlandson, Principal Concept Architect
Peggie Fariss, Executive, Creative Development
Paula Dinkel, Principal Lighting Designer
Karen Connolly Armitage, Concept Designer
Katie Olson, Principal Color Concept Designer
Becky Bishop, Area Development Executive
Pam Rank, Principal Show Lighting Designer
Lynne Macer Rhodes, Producer
Kathy Rogers, Executive Show Producer
Julie Svendsen, Concept Show Designer
Tori Atencio McCullough, Director (Interior Design)
The wit and humor in these women's stories truly make the text. Countless times, I found myself smiling and chuckling alongside the authors as they recounted the unique problems and situations Imagineers can be faced with. Not only did the stories contain a wealth of knowledge on the innovation the Walt Disney Imagineering is known for, but for each woman to have had full control over what made it onto the page, allowed both their personality and voice to shine through. It felt as if we as readers had the honor to read the personal diaries of these 12 trailblazers. Somehow each of these women completed the amazing feat of boiling down their decades-long careers into a single chapter. With the turn of each page, I was enthralled to learn more about the creativity and passion necessary to push out the innovative designs we cherish at Disney Parks. The opportunity to read more about Walt Disney Imagineering through the lens of women, especially the origins of the company, was what made this book stand out.
However, there were moments when I wanted more, and had the overwhelming sense there could have been more said about the trials and tribulations these women faced in a male-centric environment. Internally, I was screaming "YES, but how did that make you feel?" as some of the women quickly brushed past moments of adversity, briefly alluding to the misogyny faced in the workplace. Although we can appreciate and celebrate the fact that these women did not let their sex define their stories or work, I feel it would have been equally important for them to share how they felt, rather than plainly state the timeline of events in their careers. As women, we are constantly reminded to mask our emotions, and this deeply entrenched message very well could have been the cause of some of these women to hold back.
On a more personal note, as an aspiring Imagineer, I still did feel deeply connected to the stories of these 12 women featured in this anthology. Even in modern times, I find myself in rooms solely comprised of men, labeled as aggressive or bossy by my male colleagues for leading with confidence, and my favorite one (sense the sarcasm), told to smile. I appreciate how each forged their own path through male-dominated industries, but still acknowledged more work needing to be done. Many of these women had the privilege of their fathers working for Walt Disney prior to their careers which transformed into job openings for themselves. Unfortunately, this was the product of the time and something many of the women reflected on. Another observation was the lack of overall diversity amongst the panel, again another product of the time. Much like the sentiments of the authors, I hope their experiences and reflections can open the doors wider for others to enter and usher in a new diverse set of Imagineers.
If you are at all interested in Walt Disney Imagineering or Disney History in general, I highly recommend checking this book out. The way in which each Imagineer's voice shined through their chapter and the personal stories they shared created an authentic, intimate connection with these women. Although the book itself was not your typical autobiography, with parts at times disjointed, the mod podge of stories bounded together by a single cover came together in a cacophony of voices who made a profound impact in Walt Disney Imagineering.
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