Bob Weis, Former Walt Disney Imagineering President, Talks 'Dream Chasing'
Bob Weis, former president of Walt Disney Imagineering and Imagineering Global Ambassador, will recount the triumphs and challenges of his decades-spanning creative career at The House of Mouse.
The public lecture, set for Tuesday, Dec. 3 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Cal Poly Pomona Theatre, is inspired by his new book, “Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering” (Disney Editions, September 2024). The book is in equal measures an autobiography and an unblinking study of the unseen work behind the magic — navigating politics, culture, design and technology to deliver Disney projects from idea to reality. It was edited by Disney Publishing’s Editorial Director Wendy Lefkon and includes a foreword by Disney CEO Bob Iger.
“I wrote ‘Dream Chasing’ to share ideas about how we all have good ideas and vision and dreams,” Weis said. “Often what separates dreams from reality, is the work environment. Great leaders, and educators too, work to enrich the environment so that people with dreams, people from all backgrounds and talents, can flourish, bring their whole selves to work, and be supported in carrying through difficult and challenging ideas.”
The immersive experience of Disney theme parks synthesized the disciplines Weis (’80, architecture; focus in theatre design) studied at Cal Poly Pomona: the drama of the stage and the built environment. In his more than 35 years with Disney, Weis has worked at every Disney site around the globe, as well as on hotels and Disney cruise ships. He has also been a consultant to the Smithsonian Museum, Sony, Fox, Kennedy Space Center and the U.S. Navy, assisting in museum designs and documentaries. Weis capped off his WDI career as President (2016-2021) and Imagineering Global Ambassador (2021-2023).
Weis’ notable projects include the five-year transformation and expansion of Disney’s California Adventure Park that included World of Color, Cars Land and the Avengers Campus attractions; Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando; the conceptual design for Tokyo DisneySea; and the first international Disney theme park, Tokyo Disneyland. He was the executive vice president of creative and design development overseeing the launch of the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Weis co-founded the Global Entertainment and Immersive Design Practice at Gensler, the world’s largest architecture and design firm. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Buzz Price Thea Award for Lifetime of Outstanding Achievement, the China Construction Engineering Luban Prize, and the Creative Visionary Award for the Ryman Arts Foundation. Weis is now a full-time author and consults on creative projects. His second book, “Ghost Dog: A Novel” (Old Mill Press, October 2024), is a young adult adventure inspired by Weis’s admiration for Disney’s Haunted Mansion and his love of dogs and ghost stories.
At Cal Poly Pomona, Weis was instrumental in the creation of the WDI-funded Bobby Brooks Interdisciplinary Studio. Now on its 12th year, it provides unique immersive design training for architecture and landscape architecture students, and Disney Imagineers serve as lecturers and jurors for students’ design reviews.