Tom K Morris
@tomkmorris.bsky.social
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Walt Disney Family Museum on 02/28/26 about the origins of Walt Disney Imagineering (WED Enterprises). I'll reveal some new details & personalities involved with planning Disneyland that might surprise you! I hope to see my Bay Area friends there!
November 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Walt Disney Family Museum on 02/28/26 about the origins of Walt Disney Imagineering (WED Enterprises). I'll reveal some new details & personalities involved with planning Disneyland that might surprise you! I hope to see my Bay Area friends there!
Here’s a mystery to try and date. This hung in the Golden Horseshoe from when to when? It appeared in the film Summer Magic in 1963. The artist, Jim Schaeffing, says it was painted for the Golden Horseshoe. People remember it hanging more recently there, but it’s gone now, when was it removed?
November 22, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Here’s a mystery to try and date. This hung in the Golden Horseshoe from when to when? It appeared in the film Summer Magic in 1963. The artist, Jim Schaeffing, says it was painted for the Golden Horseshoe. People remember it hanging more recently there, but it’s gone now, when was it removed?
Here’s an IAAPA Fun Fact!
In olden days, IAAPA (then known as NAAPPB) was almost always held in Chicago. The reason? Proximity to Riverview Park, a 72-acre amusement park run by William B Schmidt, whose industrial & safety innovations made his park worth an annual visit by his peers.
In olden days, IAAPA (then known as NAAPPB) was almost always held in Chicago. The reason? Proximity to Riverview Park, a 72-acre amusement park run by William B Schmidt, whose industrial & safety innovations made his park worth an annual visit by his peers.
November 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Here’s an IAAPA Fun Fact!
In olden days, IAAPA (then known as NAAPPB) was almost always held in Chicago. The reason? Proximity to Riverview Park, a 72-acre amusement park run by William B Schmidt, whose industrial & safety innovations made his park worth an annual visit by his peers.
In olden days, IAAPA (then known as NAAPPB) was almost always held in Chicago. The reason? Proximity to Riverview Park, a 72-acre amusement park run by William B Schmidt, whose industrial & safety innovations made his park worth an annual visit by his peers.
So, thanks to Chris Merritt’s incredible “Book of Marc” my memory has been jogged re this scene I haven’t thought about for 40 years. IIRC, I was asked to place this scene into an environment after the figures on the right were deleted due to budget…
November 8, 2025 at 1:16 AM
So, thanks to Chris Merritt’s incredible “Book of Marc” my memory has been jogged re this scene I haven’t thought about for 40 years. IIRC, I was asked to place this scene into an environment after the figures on the right were deleted due to budget…
I also posted this on X but does @ProgressCityUSA have the Marc Davis sketch for this scene? I barely remember doing these crude sketches and can’t remember exactly why. I’m sure I didn’t ideate any of this, but perhaps I helped lay it out. My memory of working on World of Motion is sadly piecemeal!
November 7, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I also posted this on X but does @ProgressCityUSA have the Marc Davis sketch for this scene? I barely remember doing these crude sketches and can’t remember exactly why. I’m sure I didn’t ideate any of this, but perhaps I helped lay it out. My memory of working on World of Motion is sadly piecemeal!
You might be surprised to know that the Skyway Station was actually expanded along the back in the 1960s. You might also be surprised to know that Walt’s son-in-law, Bob Brown, “art directed” it. Imagine going from designing part of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to this “barn!”
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 AM
You might be surprised to know that the Skyway Station was actually expanded along the back in the 1960s. You might also be surprised to know that Walt’s son-in-law, Bob Brown, “art directed” it. Imagine going from designing part of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to this “barn!”
“We get our ideas from anywhere, but most mostly The Andy Griffith Show.”
-Walt Disney
-Walt Disney
October 30, 2025 at 1:41 AM
“We get our ideas from anywhere, but most mostly The Andy Griffith Show.”
-Walt Disney
-Walt Disney
I try to only post obscure anniversaries, so here’s one: 61 years ago, Oct 26, 1964, a curious episode of The Andy Griffith Show aired. The timing was perfect, and thus an iconic theme park sight gag was born!
October 26, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I try to only post obscure anniversaries, so here’s one: 61 years ago, Oct 26, 1964, a curious episode of The Andy Griffith Show aired. The timing was perfect, and thus an iconic theme park sight gag was born!
Can you believe it? This guy is 94 years old today!
October 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Can you believe it? This guy is 94 years old today!
Lunch with Mike McCracken. His father Michael (in the b&w photo) was one of Blaine Gibson’s key sculptors at Imagineering from 1967-1979 and sculpted some of the most iconic figures in the parks. He left to do freelance work on films and the occasional odd job like this version of the Big Boy.
October 20, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Lunch with Mike McCracken. His father Michael (in the b&w photo) was one of Blaine Gibson’s key sculptors at Imagineering from 1967-1979 and sculpted some of the most iconic figures in the parks. He left to do freelance work on films and the occasional odd job like this version of the Big Boy.
Reposted by Tom K Morris
Come see all the good stuff we kept IN the film on October 19th as part of the 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival.
An Outtake from BOB GURR: LIVING BY DESIGN
YouTube video by Frank H. Woodward
youtu.be
October 13, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Come see all the good stuff we kept IN the film on October 19th as part of the 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival.
Scary looking in the classic close-up, especially knowing that this was probably taken around April with only 2 months to go!
October 11, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Scary looking in the classic close-up, especially knowing that this was probably taken around April with only 2 months to go!
Inside this humble warehouse on Apopka Vineland Rd, the gothic towers and ornamentation for Cinderella Castle were created. Eleven years later, the stately king palms standing in front were transplanted, along with others, around Spaceship Earth.
Photo by John Kemp
Photo by John Kemp
October 11, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Inside this humble warehouse on Apopka Vineland Rd, the gothic towers and ornamentation for Cinderella Castle were created. Eleven years later, the stately king palms standing in front were transplanted, along with others, around Spaceship Earth.
Photo by John Kemp
Photo by John Kemp
Reposted by Tom K Morris
In 10 days, "Bob Gurr: Living By Design" will be at the Newport Beach Film Festival (October 19th). If you haven't seen our film yet, we hope to see you there.
If you have seen it, do us a wee favor and share one of these cover photos with a handy QR code linking to the festival box office.
If you have seen it, do us a wee favor and share one of these cover photos with a handy QR code linking to the festival box office.
October 10, 2025 at 2:46 AM
In 10 days, "Bob Gurr: Living By Design" will be at the Newport Beach Film Festival (October 19th). If you haven't seen our film yet, we hope to see you there.
If you have seen it, do us a wee favor and share one of these cover photos with a handy QR code linking to the festival box office.
If you have seen it, do us a wee favor and share one of these cover photos with a handy QR code linking to the festival box office.
In this case it WAS freshly paved, but not that hot. You can see where I tried to press my tennies into it.
October 1, 2025 at 11:44 PM
In this case it WAS freshly paved, but not that hot. You can see where I tried to press my tennies into it.
October 1, 1971. It was so hot that day that my Red Ball Jets sunk into the freshly poured pavement.
October 1, 2025 at 7:46 PM
October 1, 1971. It was so hot that day that my Red Ball Jets sunk into the freshly poured pavement.
Epcot, September 30, 1982
October 1, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Epcot, September 30, 1982
Reposted by Tom K Morris
So this was unexpected: I shared the link of Joe's 1980s Disneyland photos with Tim O'Day and...THIS IS TIM O'DAY AS MERLIN! He said he doesn't have a lot of photos of him from this time and it's priceless. 🤗
Disney history is still being uncovered before our eyes!
Disney history is still being uncovered before our eyes!
September 28, 2025 at 1:48 AM
So this was unexpected: I shared the link of Joe's 1980s Disneyland photos with Tim O'Day and...THIS IS TIM O'DAY AS MERLIN! He said he doesn't have a lot of photos of him from this time and it's priceless. 🤗
Disney history is still being uncovered before our eyes!
Disney history is still being uncovered before our eyes!
The back side of where it all began.
September 25, 2025 at 3:56 AM
The back side of where it all began.
KC, where it all began, before it began all over again in LA.
September 25, 2025 at 3:54 AM
KC, where it all began, before it began all over again in LA.
Sunset over Walt Disney’s boyhood farm, Marceline, MO.
September 24, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Sunset over Walt Disney’s boyhood farm, Marceline, MO.
Best photo op ever?
September 21, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Best photo op ever?