Horizons Show Designer George McGinnis Passes Away

Courtesy Carolwood Foundation

The OC Register is reporting that former Imagineer George McGinnis has passed away at the age of 87. McGinnis was the last Imagineer personally hired by Walt Disney, in 1966. His three-decade career with the company involved such high-profile projects as the Mark V and Mark Vi monorails, Horizons, and Space Mountain.

Disney Legend Marty Sklar said in a statement, “I was just writing something about the Horizons pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World, and found this quote from George: ‘We’re convinced that even though environments will change, people won’t. Teenagers in our show will still monopolize the phone; kids and dogs still exasperate mom and dad. We believe one of the main differences high technology will make is that it will give us more choices.’”

McGinnis is survived by his wife and family.