882 · Marvel in Disney Parks: Behind the Magic with Brian Crosby

WDW Radio: Your Guide to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!

Host Lou Mangiello sits down with Marvel Studios' Brian Crosby at D23 to discuss the creative process of bringing Marvel characters to life within

Key takeaways

• Brian Crosby spent ten years as an Imagineer before joining Marvel Studios in 2015.
• A new Spider-Man themed land is being developed for Shanghai Disneyland featuring the Worldwide Engineering Brigade.

Main topics

• Marvel integration in Disney Parks
• D23 Expo highlights

Notable quotes

It's just like a, a notch above playing with my action figures in my in my room.

Conclusion

This episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at how cinematic univer

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) The Avengers. Speaker 1 (0:03) That's what we call ourselves. Sort Speaker 4 (0:05) of like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes type Speaker 1 (0:07) thing. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from. We're gonna need some help. Speaker 4 (0:17) When Speaker 2 (0:18) you said we were going to open Wakanda to the rest of the world, this is not what I imagined. Speaker 4 (0:23) What Speaker 2 (0:24) did you imagine? Speaker 4 (0:25) The Olympics. Maybe even a Starbucks. Speaker 1 (0:28) That guy's brain is a bag Speaker 3 (0:30) full of cats. You could smell crazy on him. Speaker 1 (0:32) I care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is a Vazgard. And he is my brother. He Speaker 4 (0:38) killed 80 people in two Speaker 1 (0:39) days. He's adopted. I'm Peter, by the way. Doctor Strange. Oh, you're using your made-up names. Then I am. Speaker 2 (0:55) What does a little boy meeting Peter Pan have to do with bringing Marvel to life in the Disney parks? For my friend, and yours, Brian Crosby from Marvel Studios, that memory still helps shape the experiences he's creating in the parks today. And this week, I'm sharing my conversation with him recorded live in the WW Radio booth at D23 to share why an Iron Man adventure begins before you board, how Groot found his way into a Disney classic, and what it meant to Stan Lee to see these worlds become real. It's a conversation about the stories we love, the people behind them, and the memories we get to make inside them. Hello, my friend, and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney parks and experiences around the world. I am your host and your friend, Lou Mangiello, and this is show number 882. And whether this is your first time joining me or you've been part of the WW Radio family for more than 20 years, thank you for spending some of your day with me. I received an email this week from a listener named Cynthia who called WW Radio a living documentary. And I love that because since 2005, we've been sharing this story week after week through reviews and top tens and conversations and interviews and deep dives into the places and people that make Disney so special. And along the way, we've made time for some of these longer conversations and richer storytelling and those little details that I think change how you experience a place the next time you visit. And together, I think we've captured some of those places that we miss and those memories that we treasure and the stories from the people who made it all possible. And whether you've been here since the very beginning or you're just joining us, I am so grateful that you are part of the story that we're telling and sharing. As I said, this week, we're heading back to our booth at D23 with a conversation with Brian Crosby from Marvel Studios. He helps bring the Marvel experiences to life throughout the Disney parks and resorts, and he still approaches that work. with the enthusiasm of the kid who grew up loving these characters. We talk about some of the creative decisions you might walk right past, the memories that stay with us, and the people who helped make the dreams a reality. You can read more and find links to everything we talk about in the show over in the show notes at www.radio.com, where you can also sign up for my free weekly email newsletter. Lots of cool things coming to that in the very near future, I promise. Come share your stories in the WW Radio Clubhouse. Be part of the community and conversation over at www.radio.com slash clubhouse. Join me live every Wednesday at 730 P.M. Eastern for WW Radio Live on Facebook and YouTube and connect and chat with me on social. I am Lou Mangiello on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And if and when this conversation starts you thinking about your next Disney adventure, visit our friends over at mousefantravel.com for completely fee-free and personalized vacation planning services. Quick thanks to my friends over at Shure for helping bring these D23 conversations to you. We use Shure microphones at the WWD booth. I've been using them for years in my home studio, and I am so grateful for their support in helping us to capture these stories in the middle of a very busy and very loud show floor. So let's go back to the booth at D23 where my friend Brian Crosby stopped by for some stories, a few laughs, and what might be the longest 55-second lightning round I've ever attempted. So sit back. Speaker 2 (4:13) Relax and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show. We Speaker 4 (4:40) got places to be we don't have all day. Bites me here at 2 o'clock, starts the Speaker 3 (4:47) interview at 2.30. You need a little bit of humble pie. I was told you need a little. That guy Brian needs a little bit of humble pie in his life. The universe will not let me ever think I'm too cool. You should. You should. And with that. Are we on? We're in, man. This is it. Are we live? Speaker 4 (5:08) No, God. Is this a live Speaker 3 (5:09) stream? No, I can't trust you. You can't trust me? Is that what you said? I can't trust you. I can't trust myself. And I also can't trust the Wi-Fi. So there's that. Speaker 4 (5:18) You'll get messages like, hey, we don't. Speaker 3 (5:20) Yeah. So we're live, like there's a booth cam going. That's cool. So there's people watching. Speaker 4 (5:27) How many people are watching? Oh, they can see me right now. Oh, Speaker 3 (5:31) yeah. You still do this? You mix and you don't. So there's a couple hundred. Hey, everybody. This, as you may or may not recognize, is the one and only. Speaker 3 (5:44) You're Brian Crosby. You are Brian Crosby Speaker 2 (5:46) of Speaker 3 (5:47) Marvel fame? Is that what you wrote? Yeah, Speaker 4 (5:50) that's the title that I asked for. I'm like, just of Marvel fame. At the bottom of my email... Speaker 3 (5:56) What does your business card say? It Speaker 4 (5:59) says Executive Marvel Experiences Development. Marvel Studios. Speaker 3 (6:04) That sounds way too fancy and official. I know. I Speaker 4 (6:08) said, how many times can we get Marvel into one title? Speaker 3 (6:12) You're doing it for SEO, right? You've got to get those keyword density in your business card. That's right. What does that actually mean for those who don't know? Speaker 4 (6:19) Yeah, so I oversee all of our development in the Disney parks and resorts. Anywhere our Avengers or Spider-Man or the Guardians of the Galaxy or Fantastic Speaker 3 (6:29) Four. What? Any Speaker 4 (6:31) of those guys and girls show up in the parks. That's what I work on. So I kind of bounce around from project team to project team. Speaker 4 (6:41) just helping making things feel authentic. And yeah, it's a blast, man. You know, I get to be a part of all of these different teams and work with amazingly talented people. And it's a lot of fun. You Speaker 3 (6:54) bring that world outside our window, like into the parks and let us not to sort of experience, but live through and create our own adventures, man. Like you, all the things that we dreamt about doing as kids, you and your team, I understand. help bring to life in the parks. And it's, that's why I think you still smile when you talk about what you get. They pay you for this? I know. It's Speaker 1 (7:17) insane. Speaker 3 (7:17) Yeah. Speaker 4 (7:17) It's just like a, a notch above playing with my action figures in my room. It's, but now lots of people get to do with me. They'll always be action figures to me. Um, but yeah, no, it's, it's, it's great, man. I really, I enjoy it. You know, I had fun at Imagineering. I did that for 10 years as a concept designer. And then, um, In 2015, made the jump over to Marvel. And we've been doing that ever since. And I've kind of bounced around to doing what we call outside the Berm entertainment as well. Did escape rooms and pro sporting events and comic conventions and things like that. There was a Speaker 3 (7:54) few times you tempted me to go to some of those things that were happening like overseas too. Yeah. Because you were doing some really cool stuff. Speaker 4 (8:00) Well, we just got back from Singapore for the Disney Adventure, which we, for the first time, have a... theme park on top of a ship, Speaker 1 (8:08) which Speaker 4 (8:09) is pretty cool. You know, we got the Iron Cycle test run up there and Pym Quantum Racers and yeah, it's Groot Galaxy Spin. I almost forgot about that one. Which is, that was a lot of fun to go over there and be a part of that as well. Speaker 3 (8:25) And it's not, and the fact that you've been able to, like you were talking about going outside the berm, like having that first of all, that incredible coaster at sea, but that type of immersive theming and then you go down a few other decks and you have what I believe is, look, the entertainment on the Disney ships is next level. The entertainment on the adventure is incredible. That Marvel show, like you took all of the elements of like Marvel Day at Sea and you bring it to that one thing. Like I was smiling the whole time. Like I felt like that. I mean, I still am. A seven-year-old kid trapped in a slightly Speaker 4 (8:59) older body. Aren't we all? Aren't we all? Speaker 3 (9:01) And I'm like. The body gets older, Speaker 4 (9:04) but still remain a seven-year-old at heart, man. That's Speaker 3 (9:08) it. Speaker 4 (9:08) That's a secret. That's why we're friends. That is the Speaker 3 (9:10) secret. Speaker 4 (9:10) That's why we're friends, though. Are we? That's literally all we have in common. Speaker 3 (9:16) And, you know, obviously you're not done yet. You've been bringing to... Just getting started, bro. Yeah, well... Just getting started. You're Speaker 2 (9:23) better. Speaker 3 (9:23) You've been bringing these amazing experiences to the parks and guests around the world. What is on... the near horizon that has been announced that you're able to talk about that you are really excited for? Yeah, Speaker 4 (9:34) well, I mean, being at the Expo is always a, it's kind of a weight off of my shoulders. You know, the stuff that we're carrying around for, in some cases, years, and the world doesn't know about it. So to finally have it be in front of people. to see and experience and get excited about. It rejuvenates me because it's like, oh, that's right. You Speaker 3 (9:54) haven't heard about this yet. You have to come back on Sunday so we can actually talk about stuff that we probably can't talk about right now. Speaker 4 (10:01) Yeah, no, we should definitely do that. Speaker 3 (10:03) And I'm like, why didn't you tell me about this thing? Yeah, Speaker 4 (10:05) I've got to be very careful. I don't spill the beans ahead of time. Speaker 3 (10:08) Could we get Brian another drink, another cocktail? We Speaker 4 (10:11) can definitely come back Sunday and chat. Speaker 4 (10:15) I think what we're talking about here at the show today, we're talking about a Spider-Man themed land coming to Shanghai Disneyland the first time ever. Because we've done a couple of Avengers Camp I. I don't know if that's the official. Camp I? Speaker 1 (10:28) Camp Si? Speaker 4 (10:28) Camp Speaker 1 (10:28) I? Camp Si? Speaker 4 (10:30) And yeah, so a full Spider-Man themed land where you're going to get to experience the Worldwide Engineering Brigade in a whole new way. And then we're doing a brand new Avengers Pavilion. So we're expanding the Stark Expo. In Hong Kong Disneyland. That's OG. Iron Man experience. That was the original gangster, as the kids say. And then we did Ant-Man and the Wasp Nano Battle there, which to my knowledge is the first sequel to any attraction in the world. Right? It's Speaker 3 (11:00) all Speaker 4 (11:00) connected. Is Speaker 3 (11:02) there another sequel? Technically Horizons was a sequel to Carousel of Progress. Wow. But I will Speaker 2 (11:10) give you... It's Speaker 3 (11:11) our Speaker 2 (11:11) first Speaker 3 (11:11) Marvel sequel. Okay, I'll take it. Well, Speaker 4 (11:13) no, thank you for educating me. I don't want the Speaker 3 (11:15) nerds to be like, Mangello, you did not know about Horizons. Well, yeah, I mean, honestly, Speaker 4 (11:19) I've been saying it's the first sequel for years, so you're Speaker 3 (11:22) the Speaker 4 (11:22) first person to correct me. Okay, fine. Second sequel. And so, yeah, we're expanding with a new Avengers pavilion, a completely new experience, which people might think it's like something they've experienced before, but it's totally different. Wow. It's going to be really cool. And then, of course, the Avengers Campus expansion here in Anaheim with not one but two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. And honestly, I'm just so excited for all of what we're doing. Continue to plus our cruise ships. We've got a lot going on, man. It's busy. Speaker 3 (11:56) I saw Speaker 4 (11:56) the model. Speaker 3 (11:57) I had a chance to preview the Imagineering Pavilion last night, and my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw. model. Which one? Speaker 2 (12:07) Which we were just talking about. Hong Kong? Speaker 3 (12:09) Yeah. Okay. Yeah, with the oh god, the Quinjet out front and sort of that tower behind it. Speaker 4 (12:16) Yeah. Speaker 3 (12:16) And I looked around and I'm like, where Brian Crosby could they didn't invite me to media night. Speaker 4 (12:23) What did you do? We just decided to totally change the skyline of Hong Kong Disneyland, nay Hong Kong. You know, you might even say, I mean, that's going to become a major icon for the parks. I think, yeah, hopefully continue to make it a destination for Marvel fans out there. We're going to keep plussing these things. Keep doing new stuff, man. Speaker 3 (12:45) And what I love is that because all those things, and I don't know sort of what the timeline is for them opening, but I keep saying, like, if you're going to go out and you need to go to the Asia parks because they are spectacular. Yeah. Speaker 4 (12:56) But Speaker 3 (12:56) if you're going to go to Hong Kong, Shanghai is right across the street. And as long as you're there. Hit the adventure, and then you hit Tokyo. And Speaker 4 (13:03) the Speaker 3 (13:03) adventure. And then as long as you're going that way, then you just sort of stop in Ohlone. Look, you know Speaker 4 (13:08) I'm a fan first, man. So when I go over there, don't think I don't do exactly that. Like, I'm hitting all three parks for sure. And I hope fans do as well, because all those parks are amazing. I'm a huge fan. I love them. You know, Marty Sklar, you know Marty, you know. He used to say the sun never sets on a Disney park. And I am proud to announce here on WDW Radio that the sun will never set on a Marvel experience anywhere in the world. We are just trying to let our fans, the guests, step into these worlds and meet these characters in new and hopefully unexpected ways that they haven't seen or done in the pages of the comics or even in the movies or shows. Look. It's got to be Speaker 3 (13:58) new. You know, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Television Universe continues to expand and we're seeing old characters are new again and new characters are being introduced, it opens up this whole new canvas for you in terms of stories you get to tell. I love the fact that we are seeing some of these beloved characters, these beloved stories coming back. Like, I'm sure you're a big X-Men 97 fan. Who Speaker 4 (14:25) isn't? Speaker 3 (14:25) Who isn't? And I think what Marvel has been doing on the small and the big screen is very exciting. You may or may not realize that you are wearing a lovely Doctor Doom hat. Oh, no, I'm aware. Yeah. Speaker 4 (14:40) So excited for Avengers Doomsday. I haven't Speaker 3 (14:44) been this excited for a Marvel movie like in a long time. Like, I am just... At least a