In September of 1991, I was lead at the Monorail Cafe at the Disneyland Hotel, and I read in the cast newspaper that they were closing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island to refurbish it for a new show. That winter, I thought it would be fun to see what the Rivers of America (ROA) looked like empty, so I made my way over to New Orleans Square and headed down to the river, where I found a big green fence and a sign that read “Imagination!” Opening in spring of 1992.

I walked around the river, trying to see if I could see anything, but the fence kept me away. I then headed up the gallery above the Pirates of the Caribbean, which gave me a great view of the river and just an empty riverbed—not as exciting as I thought it might be. Oh, but I did enjoy the name change, Fantasmic!

One of the many perks of being a cast member at Disney was watching sneak peeks of movies, attractions, and shows. My first time watching a run-through of Fantasmic blew me away—the music, the lights, and most of all, the ending with Steamboat Willie.

A month or two later, I learned that the Park was looking for Media Escorts to help out with the media preview day for Fantastic! I quickly got permission from my bosses, and when they told me I had been given an assignment to ”Be Here When the Night Ignites” with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, I was so excited.

I was assigned a TV Station from Abilene, Texas (KTSX News 12) with a reporter and camera operator. On the first day with the news crew, we met at the Park entrance, and I got them all signed in. We received our press kits and credentials and went to explore the park. After walking around, the camera guy wanted some B-roll footage (background), so we took video around the Park. The reporter did some “ eases” with a live remote and talked with a few Guests before returning it to the studio. After the station’s work was wrapped up for the day, it was time to enjoy Disneyland at Night (my favorite time in the Park).

The next day was the Press Event for Fatasmic! We did many live shots for the morning, afternoon, and evening news, where they talked with guests about the park and the show. I learned a lot from watching them edit the videos in the Press Tent. The reporter would write out her speil and rehearse it while the camera guy would edit the segments to fit what the reporter was describing. I laughed because the reporter had a 90’s reporter voice…” and now, back to you in the studio.”

On the last day, we planned to have a free day to visit the Park, so when we met up for breakfast, they asked if I could drive them to Burbank for an interview. They had just an address, so we used the Thomas Guide (map book) to find the house, which we did—a cute two-story house in the hills.

As we walk up to the door, I think maybe this is an old friend from the station we are meeting, perhaps another reporter, who knows. We knocked, and this sweet older man opened the door and welcomed us inside. As we walked through his front room, the reporter was talking to him, and I saw some Disney books on the coffee table and more books on the shelves, and my eyes were zooming all around. Who is this guy? On the mantel, there were many small trophies and Disney Characters, and I saw a Disney Legends statue in the middle. As we make our way down the hallway, there are photos of him at the Disney Studio, and as we walk into the backyard, he points out all the inspiration he found in his yard; he tells us this bush was in Fantasia; these branches were in Snow White. I still have no idea who this fella is.

He invited us upstairs to his drawing room, a beautiful sunroom with a wall of windows overlooking the backyard. As the camera guy sets up his equipment, I finally learn who this mystery, his name is Joe Grant. He worked with Walt Disney as a character designer and story artist, beginning in 1933, on Mickey Mouse, the short Mickey’s Gala Premier. He created the Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He co-wrote Dumbo. He also led development of Pinocchio and Fantasia.

It was truly an out-of-body experience; this guy knew and worked with Walt Disney, and I was now glued to every word he said. As the reporter started the interview, we were at his drawing board, and inside, I had many questions I wanted to ask (but I knew I couldn’t). At one point, he started to draw a variety of Dumbo’s for the segment. As we finished the interview, he gave the drawings to the camera guy. (I wanted to ask for one, but I thought it was not my place to do so.) As we were wrapping things up, he talked about his work on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and how much he loved working for the studio. He also worked on The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Fantasia 2000, and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., among others. The last two films he worked on before his death, Chicken Little and Pixar’s Up, were dedicated to him.

As the crew left the house, I finally had my chance to talk to him, I thanked him for his time, shook his hand, and he said, “Anytime,” and for a brief second, I wanted to say, excellent I will be back tomorrow to chat, but being the professional I am, I just said, “take care, Joe.”

Joe worked four days a week at Disney until he died nine days before his 97th birthday. Joe’s final project, Lorenzo, for which he conceived the idea and helped storyboard, received an Academy Award nomination in 2005.