Xavier Atencio
Visual Effects
Biography
He was a Disney artist from 1938 until 1965, when he became an Imagineer to help design the Disneyland Railroad's Primeval World diorama segment. He then contributed to various Disney attractions. He wrote the script for both Adventure Thru Inner Space and Pirates of the Caribbean, for which he also penned the lyrics to the theme song, "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" and provided the voice of the talking skull early on in the attraction. He also wrote the script for the Haunted Mansion, including the lyrics to that attraction's theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)." His voice can also be heard emanating from the coffin in the Haunted Mansion's conservatory ("Hey! Let me out of here!") and, in the Disneylandmansion, when the attraction comes to a temporary halt it is his voice which announces, "Playful spooks have interrupted our tour. Please remain seated in your Doom Buggy" as well as other emergency spiels. Another brief voice-over he provided was for the Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space where he is addressed as "Bridge." "Bridge: Aye, aye, all ahead one third. Stand by the mooring lines." He also wrote the lyrics to Buddy Baker's catchy music for the retired Walt Disney World attraction If You Had Wings. Atencio served as a photo interpreter in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1945 during World War II, reaching the rank of captain in the 2nd Photo Tech Squadron. Stationed in England, he was part of team that would analyze aerial surveillance for military intelligence. He retired from The Walt Disney Company in 1984 and was named a Disney Legend in 1996. -Wikipedia Entry
Known For

Whether we’re young or forever young at heart, the Hundred Acre Wood calls to that place in each of us that still believes in magic. Join pals Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger and Christopher Robin as they enjoy their days together and sing their way through adventures.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Two identical twin sisters, separated at birth by their parents' divorce, are reunited years later at a summer camp, where they scheme to bring their parents back together. The girls, one of whom has been living with their mother and the other with their father, switch places after camp and go to work on their plan, the first objective being to scare off a gold-digger pursuing their father.
The Parent Trap

Through an ancient spell, a boy changes into a sheepdog and back again. It seems to happen at inopportune times and the spell can only be broken by an act of bravery....
The Shaggy Dog

All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary!
Babes in Toyland

Christopher Robin's bear attempts to raid a beehive in a tall tree.
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

Biography of the famous composer of children's music Gabilondo Soler. Starts from his childhood, when he worked as a pastor and grandmother tried to teach him to play the piano. Later he went to the city to study music theory and began writing his first songs.
Cri-Cri the Singing little cricket

We learn the true stories behind various nursery rhymes. Little Jack Horner: a servant to a city official was delivering a present to King Henry VIII, baked, as was the custom of the time, in a pie. The present was the deed to a valuable estate, which Horner stole. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary: Mary Stuart brought "quite contrary" French style to the Scottish court. After a series of disastrous romances, she was jailed; the jailer's son, captivated by her, helped her escape. After a brief but disastrous attempted coup, she fled to England, where her sister, Queen Elizabeth, soon grew jealous and had her imprisoned. London Bridge: The bridge, finished in 1209, was soon lined by shops with luxury apartments upstairs, turning into a popular commercial and cultural zone. The Great Fire that broke out in 1666 spread to the bridge, but the houses were rebuilt. Over the ages, things decayed. In 1823, things finally got bad enough that the bridge was demolished and replaced.
The Truth About Mother Goose

The Biblical story of Noah's ark full of animals gets the Disney treatment in this animated short.
Noah's Ark

Professor Ludwig von Drake plays a variety of popular music, all of which he wrote. First, ragtime: the Rutabaga Rag, with vegetables dancing in stop-motion. Next, the Charleston, with cut-out animation of a singer and dancers. Dixieland and more cut-out animation; the crooner/love ballad; 50's doo-wop; and finally, rockabilly.
A Symposium on Popular Songs

Professor Owl gives a lecture on the evolution of Western musical instruments, starting with the advent of rudimentary brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments by ancient cave dwellers at the dawn of history.
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece is a behind-the-scenes documentary narrated by Corey Burton on the making of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was originally made to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary, and was included with the film's subsequent home video releases. The special was made in 1996 by TV is OK Productions and was directed by Harry Arends.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece

The audience visits WED Enterprises and sees how Disneyland attractions are created, including Pirates and the new Tomorrowland.
Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow

Party, enterianment, and Behind the scenes
Backstage Party

Welcome, foolish mortals! In honor of the Disneyland® Resort 70th Celebration, you're invited to step into a ghostly realm of happy haunts, eerie elegance, and frighteningly playful spirits in this immersive Point of View journey through the Haunted Mansion. From floating candelabras to ballroom waltzes beyond the grave, every spine-tingling scene invites you deeper into one of Disneyland Resort's most iconic attractions. Listen closely as your Ghost Host guides your Doom Buggy past mischievous phantoms and ghosts who are inviting you to a swinging wake. It's a wickedly delightful tribute to seven decades of storytelling where the magic of Disney meets the mystery of the afterlife.
Haunted Mansion | Disneyland Resort

A young boy dreams of being a cowboy. After he gets the basics, as outlined in the title song, he's attacked by Indians. He runs out of bullets and manages to lasso them. He smokes the peace pipe with their chief. A robber is holding up a stagecoach and he rides to the rescue, refusing the reward. He also saves a train from a dynamited bridge, and a girl tied to a cactus, before riding into the sunset (and back to his suburban bed).
A Cowboy Needs a Horse

See the behind the scenes story as told by the people who worked side by side with Walt Disney on the most famous theme park attraction of all time! From the walk through concept to the final design in Disneyland and Disney Theme parks world wide.
Extinct Attractions Club Presents: The Pirates of the Caribbean Story

Two stylized nursery rhymes are shown. First is "The House That Jack Built" as told with a variety of characters composed of letters that spell out their names (Example: the cow is made up of an intertwined C, O, and W). Next is "Old MacDonald Had a Band" (no, not farm) in which Old MacDonald and his band give way with a hot jazz number (even his animals play instruments). The piece comes to an end when Old MacDonald's wife is tired of doing all the housework and gives him a swift whack on his head with her rolling pin.
Jack and Old Mac

Promo film shown at the EPCOT Preview Center at Walt Disney World. The film explains the philosophy and ideas behind EPCOT Center, which would open to the public on October 1, 1982. It also presents a look at the various pavilions that would be there, as well as footage of the attractions being planned and developed at WED Enterprises.
The Dream Called EPCOT

Through painstaking research, the torrid saga of the dearly beloved attraction is now revealed. Witness rare unearthed footage, superlative imagery and vicious interrogation of the guilty parties.
Extinct Attractions Club Presents: The Haunted Mansion Story
Walt Disney's involvement in the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair would have a great impact on the course of his theme parks for years to come. Join us for a trip through time. Back, back over 40 years to a period when Disney reigned supreme at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair!