The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio in San Francisco is dedicated to the vision of Walt Disney from the early days of the Disney Brothers Studio to The Walt Disney Studios, Disneyland and even to the present days. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that features contemporary, interactive galleries with state-of-the-art exhibits narrated in Walt’s own voice alongside early drawings, cartoons, films, music, a spectacular model of Disneyland, and more. They work to preserve and continue the legacy that is Walt Disney. Throughout the year, there are many special events held at the Museum. Most events are included with museum admission or are separately priced.
On Wednesday, August 28, you can join The Walt Disney Family Museum for a comprehensive discussion of the intersection of Walt Disney Imagineering and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) with Disney Research Fellow and recent National Inventors Hall of Fame® inductee Lanny Smoot, whose inventions have been featured in Disney attractions, including Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth. Smoot will share highlights from his decades-long career in STEM, including stories of the many patents he developed from his research and inventions at Disney. Earlier this year, Daps Magic was invited to a special event honoring Lanny and his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. You can read about that event here.
So who is Lanny Smoot? Lanny Smoot has spent more than 47 years as a theatrical technology creator, inventor, electrical engineer, scientist, and researcher—with 25 of those years at The Walt Disney Company. Smoot holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University and he has invented and patented many forward-looking technologies that allow The Walt Disney Company—and, ultimately, the theatrical community at large—to create new magic, illusions, and entertainment. With 106 patents to his name, he is Disney’s most prolific inventor. His work can be seen throughout Disney’s theme parks, resorts, and cruise ships worldwide.
Smoot joined Walt Disney Imagineering as the head of its Research & Development site in East Hampton, NY, and moved with the rest of that group to the Los Angeles Imagineering R&D headquarters a few years later. Subsequently, he joined Disney Research—the most forward-looking part of Research & Development—and became a Disney Research Fellow in 2014.
74 of Smoot’s patents are from his research and inventions at Disney. Some of his favorite patents and innovations while working at Disney include “Where’s the Fire?” at Innoventions, formerly at EPCOT; popular special effects in the Haunted Mansion; a state-of-the-art extendable lightsaber and the lightsaber training experience, both formerly used at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort; the virtual and interactive koi ponds at the Crystal Lotus Restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel; the Fortress Explorations interactive adventure at Tokyo DisneySea; and “Power City” at Project Tomorrow in the post-show area for Spaceship Earth at EPCOT.
Before Disney, Smoot worked at Bell Labs and then at Bell Communications Research—where he was also the company’s patent leader—for more than two decades. While at Bell, he earned patents for his work in the early development of video-on-demand technology, video conferencing, special television systems for displaying multiple views of a remote location, and early fiber optic receivers that can be used in harsh environments.
Smoot is the recipient of many awards and honors, including three Thea Awards® from the Themed Entertainment Association (for Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland Park, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure at EPCOT, and the Ghost Post limited-time experience inspired by the Haunted Mansion). Additionally, he was named a 2020 TEA Master®, also by the Themed Entertainment Association.
In May 2024, Smoot was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame®, only the second person from The Walt Disney Company to achieve this honor. The first was Walt Disney, honored posthumously in 2020 for inventing the multiplane camera. Smoot, along with a prototype of one of his recent inventions—the HoloTile™ floor—are currently highlighted at the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Museum located in the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Beyond his own achievements, Smoot feels a responsibility to help others recognize and magnify their own talent and creativity. He has often spoken at schools from the grade school to university level to encourage young people—especially people of color—to consider careers in the sciences and themed entertainment, and he has mentored dozens of young people over the years, almost all of whom have gone on to successful careers at The Walt Disney Company and elsewhere.
Guests attending the virtual event can submit questions during the webinar through Zoom’s Q&A function. Due to anticipated demand and limited Q&A time, not all submitted questions will be answered. Please note, this event will only be offered live—there will be no recorded virtual replay following the live webinar. All participants must sign up by 5pm PT on Tuesday, August 27. Participants must have a Zoom account to attend the webinar. A link to the webinar and instructions for joining will be sent via email prior to the event.
Tickets for Virtual Talk | STEM and Imagineering with Lanny Smoot will be available as follows:
- All member levels: Purchase tickets online beginning Thursday, August 1 at noon PT via the Member Portal.
- Public (non-members): Remaining tickets available online beginning Friday, August 2 at noon PT via the public ticketing site.
Upgrade your membership to receive priority access to purchase tickets. Membership dues and Walt’s Circle donations may be paid as monthly installments or as a one-time annual payment. For more information, please email the Membership Department at membership@wdfmuseum.org.
What do you think about this special event? Will you be participating in this event? Let us know in the comments.
