Black Inventor Lanny Smoot Becomes First Disney Imagineer To Be Inducted Into The National Inventors Hall Of Fame

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VCG
/
Getty

Disney
research
fellow
and
imagineer
Lanny
Smoot
was
inducted
into
the
National
Inventors

Hall
of
Fame.
The
esteemed
honor
spotlights
his
important
contributions
to
the

global
brand’s
most
beloved
attractions.

The
Disney
Parks
Blog
mentions
that
Smoot
is
the
first
Disney
Imagineer
to
receive
the
prestigious
honor
and
the
second
person
at
the
Walt
Disney
Company
inducted
into
the
institution.
The
first
was
Walt
Disney,
honored
posthumously
in
2000
for
inventing
the
multi-plane
camera
to
produce
modern
animation.

Smoot
has
been
with
Disney
Experiences
for
an
impressive
45-year
stint.
During
his
tenure,
he
has
held
several
positions
such
as
a
theatrical
technology
creator,
inventor,
electrical
engineer,
scientist
and
researcher.
His
journey
led
him
to
create
over
100
patents,
with
74
of
them
invented
during
his
impactful
25-year
career
at
the
Walt
Disney
Company.

According
to
the
Parks
statement,
Smoot
has
been
instrumental
in
pioneering
special
effects
and
technical
marvels
at
Disney
theme
parks
globally.
His
contributions
include
Madame
Leota’s
ability
to
float
in
the
Séance
Room
at
Disneyland’s
Haunted
Mansion,
the
cutting-edge
extendable
lightsaber
featured
in
Disney
Live
Entertainment
and
the
Magic
Playfloor
interactive
game
experience
on
Disney’s
Cruise
Line.

This
isn’t
Smoot’s
first
honor.
He
has
received
with
countless
awards
with
the
Walt
Disney
Company
and
Disney
Experiences.
His
passion
for
innovation
and
technology
began
after
earning
his
bachelor’s
and
master’s
degrees
in
electrical
engineering
at
Columbia
University.
He
later
worked
for
Bells
Lab
and
Bells
Communication
Research,
where
he
specialized
in
the
early
development
of
video-on-demand
technology,
video
conferencing
and
specialized
television
systems.

Smoot
was
excited
to
be
recognized
by
the
Walt
Disney
Company
alongside
a
few
of
his
“childhood
heroes.”

“As
a
life-long
inventor,
I
am
excited,
delighted,
and
humbled
to
be
inducted
into
the
National
Inventors
Hall
of
Fame,”
Smoot
said
in
a
statement.
“To
be
included
alongside
my
childhood
hero,
Thomas
Edison,
and
my
lifelong
role
model,
Jim
West
—
the
inventor
of
the
electret
microphone,
is
both
exciting
and
humbling.
And
as
someone
who’s
had
the
privilege
of
working
at
The
Walt
Disney
Company,
it’s
especially
meaningful
to
know
that
Walt
Disney
himself
is
also
an
inductee.”

The
National
Inventors
Hall
of
Fame
was
held
on
Wednesday,
Jan.
24
at
Walt
Disney
Imagineering’s
campus
in
Glendale,
California.

Congrats
to
the
legendary
Lanny
Smoot!

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