Aug 25, 2026 · 36 min · 12 segments
We sat down with Disney Imagineer Joe Lanzisero to talk about his career designing worlds at Disney and the process they followed to create worlds and experiences that guests will never forget…
Joe LanziseroGuest
Luke PolingHost
Heidi HedquistHost
But like you, I feel like you go to the aquarium or any museum or any, and there's always those one or two things where the computer is broken or someone has touched that screen.
But like, I don't ever remember in all the times I've been to Disney world or any of the other parks where you're looking at something and going, Oh, that doesn't work.
break.
Disney, because it goes back to Walt's idea for the park was bigger than just creating this place where you could step into these immersive worlds.
And that was very deliberate on his part because he said it changes the mindset of how you think about a person.
If you think of any, and he told his operators and the Imagineers, I want you to design like everybody is a guest, like they're coming to your house.
How would you treat them if they came to your house and you were going to have a meal with them or have a drink with them? And it immediately changes your mindset.
And that was great because, you know, I knew when I designed something, even after I learned how to design it correctly, that they were going to maintain it.
And there were periods in the history of Disneyland, you know, when, you know, different executives came and you didn't understand that mindset.
And there were some dark times at Disneyland when they didn't maintain it properly.
But like you, I feel like you go to the aquarium or any museum or any, and there's always those one or two things where the computer is broken or someone has touched that screen.
But like, I don't ever remember in all the times I've been to Disney world or any of the other parks where you're looking at something and going, Oh, that doesn't work.
break.
Disney, because it goes back to Walt's idea for the park was bigger than just creating this place where you could step into these immersive worlds.
And that was very deliberate on his part because he said it changes the mindset of how you think about a person.
If you think of any, and he told his operators and the Imagineers, I want you to design like everybody is a guest, like they're coming to your house.
How would you treat them if they came to your house and you were going to have a meal with them or have a drink with them? And it immediately changes your mindset.
And that was great because, you know, I knew when I designed something, even after I learned how to design it correctly, that they were going to maintain it.
And there were periods in the history of Disneyland, you know, when, you know, different executives came and you didn't understand that mindset.
And there were some dark times at Disneyland when they didn't maintain it properly.
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