Alan Coats considers himself pretty lucky. His father, Claude, was a talented Disney artist who worked on almost every feature-length film from
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to
Lady and the Tramp. Claude would eventually shift his talents to Disneyland, designing the Fantasyland dark rides for grand opening before taking on the "impossible" task of creating the Mine Train's Rainbow Caverns. Claude was named a Disney Legend in 1991.
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| Disney Imagineer Alan Coats |
Alan's mother, Evelyn, was a department head at the studio's Ink and Paint Department. She and Claude got married during the hectic production of
Snow White, took a three-day honeymoon in Ensenada, then went right back to work.
Alan grew up among all the great names at the studio. He met Walt and Roy Disney. He marched in a Disneyland parade alongside Annette Funicello. He knew all of the Nine Old Men. Artist and Imagineer Yale Gracey took Alan's baby pictures.
Add to that a decades-long career at Disney with stints at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and WED (later Walt Disney Imagineering) and you see before you a very lucky man indeed. Being a talented artist and designer probably didn't hurt either. Nor, for that matter, did being Claude's kid. Alan readily owns up to that one.
Alan is my guest today in
The Mouse Castle Lounge. In part one of our two-part conversation, he talks about his father's career as well as his own early days working at Disneyland. Enjoy!
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Related: The Mouse Castle Lounge 07-28-2014 - Disney Imagineer Alan Coats Part Two
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