Disney fans who love the magic behind the scenes have a new reason to tune in. The latest episode of Imagineer That! takes viewers on a fascinating journey into the world of Disney mountain-making. This episode features Michelle Khare, the popular host of Challenge Accepted on YouTube, who has been a longtime fan of Tom Morrow 2.0 and Walt Disney Imagineering. After 25 years of waiting, Tom finally answers Michelle’s big question: “How do Imagineers make mountains?”
As it turns out, building a Disney Mountain is far more involved than simply piling up rock and concrete. Tammy, a Rockwork Engineer, takes viewers through the process step by step, and, as you’d expect, it all starts with a story.
Every Disney Mountain begins with the narrative Imagineers want to tell. Some, like Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds or Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World, are inspired by real-world peaks. Others are completely fantastical, like the floating mountains of Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Once the story is set, Imagineers create detailed models that are scanned into digital structures. From there, Tammy’s team designs the steel skeletons that give the mountains their shape. These frameworks are then layered with bent rebar, lath, and concrete to create the rocky surfaces.
An important part of the process is what Imagineers call “rockwork integration.” This step ensures that technology – like lighting, speakers, and even foliage – blends seamlessly into the mountain design, keeping the magic intact for guests. Finally, skilled artisans carve and paint the surfaces, giving each mountain a lifelike appearance that looks like it could exist in the real world.
Episodes like this one remind fans how much care, artistry, and engineering go into every corner of a Disney park. Imagineer That! offers a rare peek behind the curtain, and this episode is a must-watch for anyone who’s ever looked up at a Disney Mountain and wondered how it was made. Watch it below!
