You might have already read in my very first column (the four-sentence one called "Who is this guy?") that I am a Disney shareholder, aficionado, and hopeful future Cast Member. I work in the attractions industry as a Supervisor of Rides and Attractions, and I’m also a full-time Tourism Management student. I am primarily a fan of the theme parks, and I have a special affinity for Walt Disney the man.

Disney has consumed such a large part of my life, and has become such an integral part of my life. I know so much about Disney parks, Walt, and a lot of the company history that I often shock people at how quickly I can rattle off facts and figures right off the top of my head. (However, it is interesting to note that I often can not remember what someone told me just one day earlier…) In fact, those who work for me are often able to derail my focus (usually on purpose to get out of doing REAL work…) simply by asking, "So, what does EPCOT stand for?" to which I launch into a 2-hour dissertation about Walt’s original vision for the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow and how it morphed into the Epcot theme park that we know today…

Hello, my name is Corey, and I’m a Disney-aholic! (In unison, now…) HI COREY!

So, you are probably wondering how it came to be that I became so interested in Disney... I mean, Disney is typically associated with children and families. It's hardly something that many would think a 20-something, single male would be so passionate about.

Most men my age are sports fans. I don't play sports. I rarely even watch sports. Most people my age go to concerts, and have their favorite music artists. I don't often listen to popular music (besides what’s on the radio), and I don't have a favorite music artist. I probably could not even name off more than a few of today's more popular artists. Most people my age like to take relaxing vacations to the beach, where they can do nothing but soak up the sun and maybe do a little partying. My ideal vacations are to Disney theme parks, where I'm up at the crack of dawn to make sure I'm at the parks at least 30 minutes before they open, then I spend the day running from attraction to attraction utilizing a carefully calculated plan to avoid long lines and maximize my time, before being among the last guests to exit upon the park's closing… Relaxation? I don't have time for that!

If you can't tell by now, I'm not your average guy. I have something called, Disneyitis. Here's the definition:

Disneyitis (Diz nee i' tis) n. 1. Condition related to the uncontrollable desire to return to a Disney Theme Park. Subjects with this condition are known to frequent note files, web pages, and newsgroups. Only known relief is a trip to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, or Disneyland Paris. There is no permanent cure... and no cure is being researched (as those afflicted don't WANT one). People who suffer from Disneyitis have also been known to spend an unusual amount of time at their local Disney stores to temporarily relieve some of the symptoms associated with the disease. They will also tape, watch, re-watch, and re-re-watch Disney videos, specials, parades, vacation planners, etc. Also will subscribe to Disney Magazine, and will read every brochure on Disney they can get their hands on. They will sport hats, coats, jackets, pants, and carry bags with Disney logos. Can't go more than one full year without going to a Disney Theme Park without becoming delirious, and no matter how many vacation days they take, they always seem to get ticked off at everything one or even two days before they have to leave and return to the real world.

So, how did I catch Disneyitis? I have been able to break the disease down into five stages: The Kindling, The Fuel, The Spark, The Ignition, and The Explosion.

Stage 1: The Kindling
My grandfather was always a fan of Disney. Before I was ever born, he went to Walt Disney World with my parents and sister. Before that, he went with my parents out to California, where they stopped at... you guessed it... Disneyland! I was only 5 years old when he passed away, but I've always been told that he had a great fondness of things Disney... Apparently, it runs in my blood!

What's more, my grandfather bore what I think is an uncanny resemblance to Roy O. Disney, the brother, business partner, and financial genius behind Walt Disney himself. Plus, he was very much a numbers guy, even working for the IRS – Roy was a numbers guy too!

Corey’s Grandfather (left) and Roy O. Disney (right)
Separated at birth? (I think it's the glasses)

Stage 2: The Fuel
I first visited Walt Disney World at the age of 2 years old. Quite honestly, I don't even remember it. However, it is speculated that somehow, the imprint of the place was permanently ingrained in my subconscious, only to surface at a later time in my life when I could better interpret what it all meant...

Corey and his big sister at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 1982.

Stage 3: The Spark
The year was 1990. I was 10 years old. That summer, my family embarked on a three-week trip down the East Coast of the United States, ending in Orlando, Florida with a stop at Walt Disney World. This would be my third time there.

One evening while in the Magic Kingdom, we were having dinner in a restaurant when the Main Street Electrical Parade came down the street. Seeing as how the park was very crowded that evening, we were not able to clearly see the parade, but we could hear the unforgettable melody all around us. What fascinated me was how from out of nowhere, lights rose from the tops of the buildings along the parade route to help illuminate the street below. Also, the energetic sounds of the synthesized musical score became ingrained in my head. What floats we could see seemed to magically sparkle in thousands of miniature lights. I was completely enchanted by the whole thing.

The Main Street Electrical Parade

When we discovered that the parade would run a second time later in the evening, we all camped out on the curb with front row seats waiting for the next showing. By the time it began, it was very late and I just could not stay awake through the whole thing. There we sat, with front row seats, and I slept through almost the whole thing.

A few years later, my aunt was visiting, and shared with me a CD that she had recently purchased. It was called The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The very first track on the disc was the music from the Main Street Electrical Parade. As soon as I heard the music, the enchanted memories all came flooding back. I had to get a copy of this for myself. Shortly thereafter, I did get my own copy. It was my first Disney CD, and the spark of what would become an obsession. I listened to it over, and over, and over again, trying desperately to picture the parade in my mind -- trying to re-live those enchanting moments I experienced a few years before. I vowed that I would someday return to the Magic Kingdom and see the parade again...

The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Stage 4: The Ignition
In 1995, I had just completed my freshman year of high school. I was 15 years old. It was a time in my life when I suddenly was feeling older. I was growing up, and I was looking toward the future. I had never really spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. My father had always been an architect. My mother was a teacher-turned-stay-at-home-mom who was getting back into the teaching field. My sister was following in my mom's footsteps, going to college for elementary education. So, it started to make sense to me that perhaps I could follow in my dad's footsteps and be an architect.

That year, I also began pushing my parents to take us back to Walt Disney World. After all, I DID have a mission to complete... I argued that since I was older, I would be able to appreciate the place a lot more. Apparently, my convincing paid off, and the trip was planned for June.

To help get everyone excited, I created a paper chain from which we would tear off a link each day until we reached the day of departure. Using a household light timer, each evening at precisely 8:00pm, I staged a special ceremony for the removal of the link. At that time, a string of Christmas lights outlining my bedroom door would turn on and a tape player would kick on, chiming the hour. Following that, the electric soundtrack of the Main Street Electrical Parade would echo through the hallway. At the conclusion of the music, I would tear off a chain link, bringing us one day closer to the start of the trip.

When we finally did get to Walt Disney World, I found that I was looking at it from a completely different angle. I was completely immersed in the magic of it all, and I began trying to figure out how everything worked.

This trip was also the first time I experienced many of the big "E-Ticket" attractions (Disney-speak for thrill rides), like Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror. Old favorites such as the Haunted Mansion suddenly became puzzles where I would try to figure out how all the effects worked. The whole time I was there, I kept thinking to myself, "Who comes up with all these great ideas?" and "How do they do it all?"

Following the conclusion of the trip, I began a quest to learn everything I could about Disney. My research led me to a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company called Walt Disney Imagineering. The group of people who work in this division, called "Imagineers," are the people responsible for dreaming up, designing, and building the Disney theme park attractions, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.

Suddenly, it clicked. Imagineering was just the thing I had been searching for. THAT is what I wanted to do.

Stage 5: The Explosion
The Disney explosion began. I collected Disney theme park soundtracks on CD, I taped Disney specials on TV, I bought books about Disney, I subscribed to the Disney Magazine, and when I finally got connected to the Internet, I surfed around all the Disney websites I could find. (believe me, there are a lot!)

Also in my research, I began to get to know who Walt Disney the man was. This knowledge would blossom into a great admiration for the man who many called "The world's greatest dreamer."

Since 1997, I have visited a Disney theme park at least once every year (sometimes more than once). My Disney CD collection has expanded to include music from the overseas parks such as Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. My book collection has grown to include everything from trivia to a Disney encyclopedia, to Walt and Roy Disney biographies, to books about the parks, and to books about the Imagineers. My video and DVD collection includes theme park souvenir videos, vacation planners, taped parades and specials, and every one of the limited edition "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD's.

When I was still living at home with my parents, I turned my bedroom into my very own Disney attraction. Using Christmas lights, blacklights, strobe lights, disco lights, and several lighted displays I made myself, I created a light show all set to the music of the Main Street Electrical Parade. To control it all, I designed and built a lighting control board using light switches and dimmer switches. The show even extended into the hallway outside my bedroom, where the "Pre-show" was staged. To get "guests" from the "pre-show" to the main attraction, I even installed a little motor that automatically opened and closed my bedroom door! To enhance the experience, special hologram glasses were passed out to make the lights appear to jump right out at you.

Eventually, I matured a little more, and wanted a more "normal" room. After my sister got married, I moved into her old bedroom, and sadly the bedroom Disney attraction came to an end. In place of it were carefully designed displays of all the Disney items I had collected through the years. Websites like eBay and Disney collector sites became dangerous places for me, and as a result, my collection grew and grew.

My current apartment is probably the biggest display of Disney stuff I have ever created. My living room is themed to "The Haunted Mansion," with all four of the portraits from the stretching room hanging on my walls (in the correct order, mind you!). Also is a full-sized reproduction of the original Haunted Mansion attraction poster from Disneyland. To top it off, I have a die-cast replica of the Haunted Mansion plaque, which hangs outside the entrance to The Haunted Mansions at all the Disney parks.

Conclusion: Why Disney?
So, now you know how my Disney interests came to be, but just what is it about Disney that keeps me so interested? I think it can only be traced back to Walt Disney himself.

Walt was a man who was passionate about his work. He demanded the highest quality work out of his staff, and he never settled for anything less. He had this remarkable ability to know what the public liked and what they wanted. He was never afraid to take a risk.

My interest in Disney is mainly with the theme parks. In creating Disneyland, Walt was able to transport people to a fantasy world -- a place where you can forget about real life for a while, and where you can live out your childhood fantasies. Walt wanted to make the world a better place, and provide a place where families could come and all have fun together. In that sense, he was a bit of an idealist.

This is extremely clear when you examine his plans for EPCOT - the "Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow." Walt's EPCOT was not the theme park we know today. It was a living, working community, carefully planned to address problems that were plaguing cities of the day.

The city was designed in a radial pattern, with the commercial sections in the center. Surrounding that was high-density housing, followed by a "greenbelt" that contained recreation of all kinds. Finally, the low-density housing would ring the perimeter of the community. Streamlined transportation systems would eliminate the need for cars and the resulting traffic jams within the community. Underground roadways would be built for the automobile traffic passing through the city, with separate levels for delivery trucks and passenger vehicles. However, before EPCOT ever got out of the design stage, Walt Disney passed away. Gone with him, was his vision of an Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

Would Walt's EPCOT have worked? Maybe, or maybe not. We'll never really know. But what makes a bigger impression on me is the fact that he wanted to try it. He wanted to try to create a place where the problems of the day could be solved. He wanted to try to create a place where the latest technologies would be utilized in an urban environment. He wanted to try to create a place where people could really live a better life.

It's that side of Disney - continually trying to improve things, trying to make them better, and striving for the highest quality product - that keeps me hooked. Walt left behind a legacy. His ideals are still among the driving forces at work in today's Walt Disney Company. It's no coincidence that the Disney theme parks are continually the most visited theme parks on the planet. It's the immersive experience, the dedication to service, and the quality product all working together to make people's lives just a little bit sweeter.

And I want to be a part of it.

So, that is Corey Thomas – the Disney shareholder, aficionado, and hopeful future Cast Member. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite any readers out there to drop me a line if there is a Disney-related subject you would like to see me cover. As I’ve already noted, I’m very knowledgeable in Disney company history, Walt Disney the man, Walt Disney Imagineering, and the Disney theme parks. So, if any of you out there have a burning question, send it my way. It might just end up the topic of my next article! Otherwise, we’ll just see what other magic I can pull out of my hat…

Until next week… See ya real soon!