Marty Sklar - One Little Spark!

Copyright 2015 by Marty Sklar Creative, Inc.
Cover design by Winnie Ho
Cover photograph by Gary Krueger
Map illustration by Patti Newton

All rights reserved. Published by Disney Editions, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

For information address Disney Editions, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.

One Little Spark
Words and Music by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman
1981 Wonderland Music Company, Inc. (BMI)
All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

Meet The World
Words and Music by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman
1982 Wonderland Music Company, Inc. (BMI)
All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

Theres A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Words and Music by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman
1963 Wonderland Music Company, Inc. (BMI)
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

Its A Small Word
Words and Music by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman
1963 Wonderland Music Company, Inc. (BMI)
Copyright Renewed. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

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ISBN 978-1-4847-3779-8

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For John Hench, Herb Ryman,

Richard Irvine, and all my mentors at

Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Disney Legends taught me the magic

formulaI have been spreading Pixie Dust

in their memory ever since.

And for

Leslie Sklar,

Rachel and Jacob Dahan,

and

Howard Sklar,

Katriina Koski-Sklar,

and Gabriel and Hannah Sklar.

And my one and only love,

Leah Gerber Sklar,

who made my career

and life

a dream come true.

As the dedication for this book indicates, I owe a great debt to the Imagineerspast and present. Walt Disney created the Imagineering organization, then called WED Enterprises (for Walter Elias Disney), in 1952 to work with him in creating Disneyland. Over its sixty-some-year history, the Imagineers have become one of the worlds most admired design teams, responsible for the creation and construction of all eleven Disney parks, and their complementary resorts, on three continents around the world. Literally billions of people have experienced the fun and entertainment magic that have come from the Imagineers drawing boards during those six decades.

Through this book, its a great thrill for me to serve as a bridge between my mentorsthe original team assembled by Walt himselfand todays Imagineers, many of them part of the team I had the privilege of leading as president and then as vice chairman and principal creative executive. Im excited to open the doors to this very special group of talents in One Little Spark! through the words, thoughts, experiences, and sage advice of seventy-five Imagineersand me, of course! Whether you are an Imagineer wannabe yourself, or a parent, grandparent, or friend interested in advising a very special talent, I know you will find this book a valuable source of inspiration and motivation.

I am also indebted to the people who played key roles in making this book a reality. That list starts with my favorite Disney Editions editor, Wendy Lefkon, editorial director for special projects. As always, the support I receive from Wendy and her staff (especially the great enthusiasm and design talent of Winnie Ho) is first classas is the enthusiasm of my agent, Richard Curtis. And Patti Newtons two terrific maps should lead future Imagineers right to the front door!

Special thanks belong to two people whose advice and suggestions were truly the glue that brought this book together: my wife, Leah, and my Sklar Editor, daughter Leslie. She is a tough markespecially for her father. But in truth, Leslies talent and insistence on editorial excellence and qualityand accuracy!were among the most important influences on the outcome of this book. It is with respect and appreciation that she earned the credit Edited by Leslie Sklar.

I also owe a great big thank you to Richard Sherman. He is a living legacy to mea Disney Legend legacy, of course. Its the second time Richard has written an introduction for one of my books. I am very honored to enjoy his trust. And Glen Keane and I enjoy a mutual admiration relationship. His letter, written after reading my Dream It! Do It! book, helped motivate me to write this new manuscript.

About the books title: With Wendys encouragement, I wanted to send a message to my former Imagineering colleagues. For many years, I have been championing a battle cry related to Disney park entertainment: More songs! Im a big believer, and Ill tell you why. When you think of Disney entertainment, especially motion pictures, but also television, Disney park shows, and of course the Broadway theater, your first image is not visual at all: its aurala song!

To prove my point, in the following I have paired songs from Disney and Pixar films just to show that you dont need movie titles or photos of the key characters to know what the Disney story isyou just need to hear a song: Youve Got a Friend in Me or I Wanna Be Like You. Kiss the Girl or Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Just Around the Riverbend or A Whole New World. I Just Cant Wait to Be King or Hes a Tramp. Ive Got No Strings or Let It Go. Give a Little Whistle or Whistle While You Work. Beauty and the Beast or Some Day My Prince Will Come. When Somebody Loved Me or Baby Mine. Or the Richard and Robert Sherman tune that defies pairing (and spelling): Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Many of these songs have played a key role in the ride-through attractions and live theatrical shows at the Disney parks. My belief is that more original songs should be created. Think of the legacy of original story songs in the Disney parks: Theres a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow from the Carousel of Progress; its a small world; Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me) from Pirates of the Caribbean; Grim Grinning Ghosts from The Haunted Mansion; Golden Dreams from Epcots American Adventure; Listen to the Land from The Land pavilion; and especially Dick and Bob Shermans One Little Spark from Journey into Imagination in Epcot.

So thats how One Little Spark! became the main title of this book. As those simple words suggest, my goal is to offer young talent insight into the world of Imagineering as Imagineers have lived it and practiced it. And not only for future Imagineers; there is advice here for anyone with a creative bentcreative talent of today speaking to passionate young talent of tomorrow. The words to that song say it directly: all of us hope that this book will contribute to realizing your dream, so that it can be a dream come true, with just that spark, from me to you!

To Richard and Robert and all the great songwriters since Mickey first tooted that whistle in Steamboat Willie in 1928, I acknowledge you. I thank you. I cant wait for that next great Disney story that reaches my ears long before my eyesand continues to tell the tale long after the screen has turned dark and the ride-through adventure has ended.