When envisioning which Disney artists I would profile for the Architects
of Magic, I expected to write about those who had retired after
a long and illustrious career – not about a key Imagineer still in
his prime. Sadly, life has a way of throwing curve balls, and now I must
write about the uniquely talented David Mumford.
David Mumford. Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company.
Mumford passed away Monday, January 20, 2003, of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,
after struggling with the illness for the past year. He not only left
behind his wife and family, longtime friends and co-workers, but he also
left behind a multitude of fans who are grateful for his contributions
to Disney entertainment.
Mumford spent his entire career working at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI),
rising through the ranks to the position of WDI Senior Principal Show
Set Designer. He also wrote and produced (along with his longtime collaborator,
Bruce Gordon) several books on Disney history, and was well known for
his love of Disney lore and generosity in sharing his wealth of knowledge
so freely.
David Mumford at an El Capitan Theater Mary Poppins special event
in April 1999. MousePlanet file photo.
Born in Palo Alto, California, he lived there until the age of 5 when
his family moved to Southern California. As a young child, he faithfully
watched Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color every Sunday night.
He was fascinated by the animatronics shown on the series and decided
he wanted to work for Disney back then.
His first job was at Disneyland in 1974 as an attractions host on the
now-closed Submarine Voyage. After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
and obtaining a degree in architecture in 1979, he applied for a job at
Walt Disney’s WED Enterprises and was promptly hired. His first official
assignment was to work with the legendary John Hench on Epcot’s Universe
of Energy, followed by work on The Land.
David Mumford with design elements for Mermaid Lagoon. Photo courtesy
of The Walt Disney Company.
Another key assignment for Mumford was his set design work for the update
of Disneyland’s Alice in Wonderland attraction in 1983. Some of the highlights
of his career include the designs for Aladdin’s Oasis in Disneyland, Toontown,
the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour, the pre- and post-show areas for Star
Tours at Tokyo Disneyland, The Living Seas at Epcot, and—what could
be considered a culmination of his career—Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo
DisneySea. His final major assignment was returning the popular character,
Figment, to the Journey Into Imagination with Figment attraction at Epcot.
Mermaid Lagoon in Tokyo DisneySea. Photo by Todd Meigan.
In the early 1980s, he found a kindred spirit in Bruce Gordon when they
discovered that they both collected Disneyland souvenir postcards. Interestingly,
both men were born in Palo Alto and lived only a few blocks from each
other during the same five-year period.
As they compared postcards, they started wondering about the stories
behind each card and decided to collaborate on a book about Disney history.
Collecting anecdotes and stories from longtime Disney employees, they
put together what is considered one of the ultimate reference books, Disneyland:
The Nickel Tour, published in 1995 (an updated second edition was
released in 2000).
Continuing their collaboration, they wrote and produced Walt’s Time
in 1998, a history of Robert and Richard Sherman’s long career with Disney,
along with Walt Disney Imagineering (also in 1998), and A Brush
With Disney (published in 2000), which featured the art of Herb Ryman
along with Ryman’s notes and thoughts on his life. In the last year, Mumford
and Gordon were in the process of completing Ellenshaw Under Glass,
a tribute to artist Peter Ellenshaw, and which is scheduled for a March
2003 release.
 The Nickel Tour. |  Walt’s Time. |
Branching out into other areas, Mumford co-produced the 1989 Disney Channel
special, The Disneyland Story, and more notoriously, made frequent
appearances with Bruce Gordon at NFFC Disneyana conventions and meetings
(which were affectionately known as the “Bruce and Dave Show”).
Mumford and Gordon would entertain appreciative audiences at the conventions
with humorous presentations about Disney history and trivia, often marked
by their throwing of Disney trinkets and even toilet paper into the audience.
They would show video clips they put together about Disney theme parks
and attractions, or hilarious “home movies” about their efforts to get
their books published.
Mumford also contributed many articles to Disney Magazine, the
Disneyland Line (official newsletter for Disneyland cast members)
and the WDEye (WDI’s in-house newsletter), covering everything
from the back stories for the Haunted Mansion and Star Tours attractions
to behind-the-scenes glimpses at the history of other Disney attractions
like Adventures through Inner Space.
Although Mumford could be considered part of the next wave of Imagineering,
his creativity, commitment to detail, and high standards of design certainly
continued the tradition of quality and excellence as originated by Walt
Disney himself. We will miss you, David.
