Attractions Expert Q&A: Adam J. Bezark

By Kendall Wolf

Before forming The Bezark Company in 2012, he was a Creative Director of Live Entertainment at Walt Disney Imagineering and was part of the Creative Leadership Team of Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland.

Earlier, Bezark served as Senior Show Designer at Landmark Entertainment Group, where he conceived, wrote, designed, and/or directed over sixty projects, including several Universal Studios attractions such as the Jaws ride, Jurassic Park: The Ride, and the award-winning Terminator 2: 3D. He also co-directed the popular IllumiNations night spectacular at Disney’s Epcot.

What theme park souvenir might we be surprised to find on your shelf? What’s the story behind it?

What a great question! Like all of us, I have a wild and woolly collection of goofy souvenirs I’ve collected over the centuries, but my favorite is probably a little piece from Disneyland’s old “Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland,” where Big Thunder Railroad is today. I have one of the little birds that sat in a rock nest in the desert.

The train traveled through a painted desert with snakes, bobcats, bubbling pots of colorful mud, and toppling rocks that (kind of) looked like they might fall on you. There was a geyser they cleverly called “Old Unfaithful.” And there were the spectacular Rainbow Caverns with dancing UV-infused waters and colorful glowing waterfalls. In the 1970s, they took it down to make way for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I loved that old ride, and the bird is a reminder of how old things can lead to great new things.

Disney held onto some of the former ride’s heritage when they built Big Thunder: You can still see some of the old ride tracks along the riverfront. The down-scaled old west buildings near the end of Big Thunder were the loading background for the loading platform on the Mine Train, and the “old prospector” pre-departure voice for Big Thunder is Dal McKennon, who narrated the original Mine Train. That little bird is a symbol of continuity.

What theme park have you always wanted to visit but have never been to? 

Oh, golly… I guess Efteling in The Netherlands because it’s a land of beautiful stories and fairytales, with art and sculptures that are so unique, as well as beautiful architecture and landscaping. In fact, one of Efteling’s lead designers, Michel den Dulk, was recruited to come work for Walt Disney Imagineering by (Disney Legend) Tony Baxter when he visited the stunning park. Michel is now in charge of all the big Frozen rides around the world, so again – continuity.

Was there a theme park or attraction that made you want to be in this industry? How did it inspire you?

Easy one. The Haunted Mansion. I grew up in Chicago and didn’t even visit Southern California until I was 13 years old, but growing up, I would do magic, make movies, and put on weird puppet shows in my backyard. I was always a goofy theatrical storyteller at heart.

So, when I visited Disneyland for the first time, the Haunted Mansion blew me away. I’ll never forget coming around the corner and seeing Madame Leota inside that crystal ball. Followed immediately by the ballroom… my brain just exploded. It was a one-two punch that left a huge impression and triggered an obsession. After my first ride, I immediately wanted to go through it again. But the park was closing, so it would be four years until I saw the Haunted Mansion again. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the ride. There was no internet then to research it, but I was obsessed with trying to figure out how it all worked.

When I took my next trip to Los Angeles as a senior in high school, I made a beeline for the ride. I rode it five times in a row, checking off my theories one by one and taking endless photos and audio cassette recordings. One of the cast members noticed me and took pity on me. He pulled me aside, offering to show me something backstage. It was the original blueprint of the ride track layout, mounted on the wall in their break room. I knew I had like two minutes to memorize it. But to this day, I can draw the whole track from memory from that two-minute peek.

From that moment on, the die was cast – I was bound for a career in this industry.

What was your favorite ride/attraction as a child, and why?

Another easy one! Has to be the legendary Coal Mine ride at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which is located in one of the few buildings remaining from the 1893 World’s Fair. It was one of the museum’s first exhibits, and you felt like you were going down into a real coal mine. You travel in a simulated cage elevator down into the mine. Then you board a real working train and ride through the mine, seeing actual working examples of “modern” mining machines.

There was also a glorious old “World of Hardwoods” exhibit at the museum, where you could stand in a tilted cabin, and right outside the window, there was a giant animatronic Paul Bunyan, lips moving and eyes shifting, looking right back at you and telling tall tales.

MSI Chicago gave me my first taste of immersive experiences, animatronics, and theatrical storytelling.

Was there a ride, attraction, or character that frightened you as a child?

As much as I loved that Coal Mine attraction at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, it was also scary as hell. There’s a simulated explosion that terrified the pee out of little kids. It was a rite of passage to get through it each time, and it gave me the deep-seated belief that kids like to get a little scared.

What is your oddest or coolest job in a theme park?

Both in one: I was a tour guide on the Universal Studios Hollywood Glamour Trams. They really treated us like we were part of the studio, inviting us onto sets and shows. But I was more interested in learning about the attractions they were building for the tour. Sometimes they’d even let me help out with odd jobs, like getting coffee or being a general gopher. But one time, someone handed me a screwdriver and said, “Here… rewire this electrical panel.” – that didn’t seem like a great idea.

What ride/attraction do you think everyone needs to experience and why?

I may be biased, but hey, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland. I was lucky enough to be on the project from Day One. It was challenging because the investors in China had seen the original ride in Anaheim and were worried it was too old and dated (if you can believe it), so we were challenged to come up with something new.

Luc Mayrand (V.P. Creative Portfolio Executive, WDI) was leading the Pirate Land. We sat down together on the first day. He said, “I want to go underwater.” And I said, “I want to go between two battling ships.” And we went from there. I wrote the story and script and worked on all the show scenes, but Luc and his team did all the heavy lifting. I didn’t fully see it until after it opened in Shanghai. It’s truly glorious.

In terms of a park everyone needs to see, it has to be Puy du Fou (in Les Epesses, France). We spent two days there, and it was just incredible. I kept saying, “How did they pull that off?” Don’t ask – just go.

If you were tasked with creating a new theme park food, what would it be?

Drinkable S’mores. They’re my favorite food and would be amazing in liquid form. Also possibly lethal.

You’re a walk-around character for a day; who do you choose?

I actually got to do that! One weekend I was Eeyore, and the next, I was the White Rabbit. They couldn’t be more opposite. The meet-and-greets were fun, but when they put me in a parade, I thought I was going to die! But if I got to do it again, I’d want to be a Muppet.

What types of attractions would you like to see more of and why?

More that blur the line between attraction and live entertainment. A ride-through is great, but it can never have the immediacy, energy, and connection of a live performance. And live entertainment can be even more engaging when it’s immersive. This is an area we explore whenever we can.

Do you have any interesting theme park pandemic stories?

We were traveling to China once a month, right up until January 2020. That was our last trip. When we left, they were kind of closing the doors behind us, and I think we were the last guys to get out. And we were also working on a massive mock up for a whole new project (which was very cool) for a big company (which is confidential), but Covid shut it down the day before the big brass were scheduled to visit. Sigh…

Can you talk about what you are working on these days?

We just opened a big project – The wonderful Invasion of the Planet of the Apes Ride at Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park in Malaysia. It’s a trackless 3D ride through post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where we even blow up the Golden Gate Bridge. There was some delay due to Covid, but we’re really happy with how it turned out.

We also believe there are now opportunities for companies like ours to develop and create our own projects that we couldn’t do before. We could re-purpose spaces that were closed down during the pandemic. They would be our own attractions that cost between $10 – 20 million instead of $100+ million. It’s an exciting prospect.

You are going to your favorite theme park – which industry people (dead or alive) are you taking with you?

Hands down, I would take the original Haunted Mansion team: Claude Coats, Marc Davis, X Atencio, Yale Gracey, Rolly Crump… What a group. I would turn on the lights and walk through the ride with them, listening to them tell tales of how they got it done and argue over whether it was supposed to be scary or fun. (Of course, the answer was both). That would be a dream.

TEA Masters Spotlight: Adam Bezark

Kendall Wolf is a long-time consultant in the themed entertainment industry. She has worked with designers, producers, and fabricators to help developers create unique and successful projects around the world. In 2017, she introduced Merlin Entertainments to a development group in Sichuan province for the first Legoland park in China. Kendall continues to consult for the developer to open more themed resorts in China.