Walt Disney Imagineering is the entity that creates the “Disney magic” at The Walt Disney Company’s theme parks, cruise line, and more. For decades, Lanny Smoot has been at the forefront of much of the innovation that Disney Parks guests have come to love. As the company’s most prolific inventor, he will soon be inducted in the 2024 National Inventors Hall of Fame. Let’s get to know this Disney Imagineer who is making Black history.
Smoot’s journey to Walt Disney Imagineering starts with his childhood in Brooklyn, New York, where he was selected as a Bell Labs Engineering Scholar at Brooklyn Technical High School, which earned him a full scholarship to Columbia University. In the 1970s, Smoot invented some of the first iterations of fiber optic technology for Bell Labs before moving to Bellcore and becoming the company’s patent leader. In 1998, Disney approached Smoot regarding a camera prototype he created and the company was interested in, and the two have been linked ever since.
Smoot is an affable individual who is passionate about developing and creating new technologies that not only benefit the vast business interests of Disney, but also put a smile on the faces of the guests who, ultimately, are the real end users of many of his inventions. (Smoot has lent his expertise for ride technologies within Disney parks worldwide, the numerous special effects at The Haunted Mansion, Star Wars Lightsabers, glassless 3D displays, and much more.)
Smoot encouraged the next generation of Imagineers and inventors, “One, experiment and do what you do. There are ways that you can be creative within your own home, whether its drawing, building something, etc. Two, when I was growing up, there was no internet, but since it exists now. It’s easier and faster to gain knowledge about out how things work. Learn on your own. You shouldn’t just wait for a teacher to teach you something. Learn because you want to know.”
Next to Walt Disney, Smoot is the only Disney inventor to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and this achievement isn’t lost on the top brass within The Walt Disney Company. To honor this special designation, the official announcement of Smoot’s induction was held recently at Walt Disney Imagineering in Southern California. Lonnie Johnson, the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun who was inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022, was among the attendees.
“When I was a kid, when I realized that I wanted to be an inventor, I was like, ‘All of the great inventions have been made already and great things had been done.’ Little did I know!” said Johnson with a laugh. “Technology builds on itself, and I would like to see what future generations are able to come up with.”
Disney fans can expect to experience more jaw-dropping illusions and innovation from Smoot, as he works diligently and quietly behind the scenes, while remaining an example of positivity and high achievement within Black history.
