On the heels of a big week for questionable Disney news — beards were finally permitted; a Joy Division-inspired Mickey shirt was sold, and then yanked from shelves — a former Imagineer is turning the news swell back to nostalgia for the parks. He’s asking Disney fans to send him photographs of their old trips to Disneyland and Disney World to help complete his memoir. 
(Kent Phillips / The Walt Disney Company)
Roland “Rolly” Crump began his career at Disney as an artist and assistant animator in 1952, working on films such as “Peter Pan,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and “Sleeping Beauty.” He became an Imagineer in 1959 — the blended term (imagine + engineering) referes to the creative minds behind the rides and exhibits at Disney Parks. Crump designed some of the park’s most beloved attractions, such as “It’s a Small World,” the “Haunted Mansion,” and the pavilions of EPCOT. He was honored in 2004 with a Disney Legend Award.
Now Disney superfan Jeff Heimbuch — who writes two columns for Micechat.com, a Disney discussion site — is trying to help 81-year-old Crump compile his memoirs of his time with the company, as well as his work for Busch Gardens and Barnum & Bailey Circus World. The book will be called “It’s Kind of a Cute Story,” and is expected to be released this summer.
Heimbuch and Crump are seeking vintage photos of Disney that will show Crump’s creations when they were brand-new. They’re crowd-sourcing for images of:
• Adventureland Bazaar in 1963
• Tower of Four Winds
• Enchanted Tiki Room in the ’60s
• It’s A Small World at World’s Fair
• The Land in the 1980s (EPCOT)
• Bear-y Tales at Knott’s Berry Farm
• Circus World
Anyone who wishes to contribute will receive a credit and a signed copy of the book. Submissions can be sent to Heimbuch at jeff@bamferproductions.com
What makes Imagineers so special? Filmmakers ZCDC answers that question with a lovely short film about Kevin Rafferty, Imagineer, who gets to feel like a kid again every day of his life.
THE IMAGINEER from Drea Cooper on Vimeo.
