The Sorcerer's Guide

Marty Sklar passed away at his home in Hollywood Hills in July of 2017 at age 83. He was an Imagineer for 54 years and remained active in the Disney community after his retirement. He has received many awards from the theme park industry: The Buzz Price Award for Lifetime Achievement (Themed Entertainment Association, 1995). Disney Legend (2001) Window on Main Street in Disneyland (2001) International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Hall of Fame Inductee (2008) Diane Disney Miller Lifetime Achievment Award (The Walt Disney Family Museum, 2016) Career Marty was hired to work at Disneyland part-time by Card Walker. His first assignment was to write The Disneyland News. He wrote speeches and marketing materials for Walt. Many quotes we think of as being from Walt were actually written by Marty: I hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curiou...

Characters keep sneaking more and more into Epcot. This park started out as a permanent World’s Fair, but it doesn’t come across that way anymore. Nemo has taken the Sea, Lion King has been to the Land, Ratatouille and Beauty and the Beast are in France, and Frozen is in Norway. To celebrate Epcot’s 40th anniversary, let’s take a look at the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Cabelleros, the first attraction at World Show Case to be transformed to a character ride. Rio del Tiempo Rio del Tiempo was conceived as an attraction to celebrate the history and culture of Mexico. Like the other original attractions at World Showcase, you can see a country’s influence on the pavilion. The Aztec temple facade drew people for shopping, dining, and the ride entrance. Once you boarded this gentle boat ride, you’d float by a volcano and another Aztec temple. After that, you’d take a trip through time that would show you snippets of Mexico’s ancient, recent, and modern history. The physical componen...