Attractions Experts Q&A: Shane Grammer

by Kendall Wolf

As the founder of Shane Grammer Arts, Shane has significantly contributed to a wide array of creative projects, collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, Legoland, The Bellagio in Las Vegas, and Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York. Shane’s artwork is also showcased in Disney park galleries worldwide, and his other works continue to gain recognition nationally and internationally.

In addition, Shane is the visionary founder behind the Hope Through Art Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness through art about a range of impactful causes – and has participate in benefit fundraisers for Agape International Missions (AIM), Give Kids The World (GKTW), The Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration Project, The Dick Van Dyke Foundation, Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), and Blue Heart International.

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

When I go to a major theme park, I am a geek for construction – the design and the fabrication. That’s what I absolutely love, especially the attractions developed in the ’80s or ’90s, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (I look at the theming, the Western style, and the rock work) and Indiana Jones – I love the Mayan ruins. I’ve done stuff like that on a smaller scale and could do it all day long.

I don’t have anything from a theme park, but if I did, I would really enjoy a piece of the construction because of the story behind it. I know how hard it is to design, fabricate, and work with large teams to create these attractions, so I would love to have a tool on my shelf – like a carving knife that carved the rockwork for Indiana Jones or maybe a broken piece of a medallion.

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

I would really like to see Europa Park and Chimelong in China because I love that they have different IPs. I think it would be interesting to go to those parks to absorb their IPs, characters, and theming because it’s all based and created around their own stories and narratives. I find that fascinating – we get so stuck in our Western mindset, but there are many other stories and narratives that are told differently.

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

I started out creating [legal] graffiti murals for churches and youth ministries. Then, a youth conference asked if I could do props, and even though I had never made any, I said, “Sure, I can do props.” And I started to learn how to sculpt foam.

My first influence was 100% the film industry. When I was asked to make props, I was inspired by the Batman films and the baroque architecture – watching them walk through the big sculptural elements. I was just fascinated by that, and didn’t know how to do it, but when I started sculpting the stage sets for these clients, a miracle happened.

There was a Hollywood sculptor named Thomas Pottage, who worked on “Hook,” sculpting the giant alligator and the skull on the front of the pirate ship. The client I worked for sent me to ask this guy questions and learn how to create these sculptures. I gained four years of experience from sitting with this guy for four hours.

Then, churches asked if I could do themed environments, like installing a big tree. I didn’t know how to make it permanent or structurally strong, so I reached out to companies and asked if they’d teach me how to sculpt cement like in theme park rockwork, trees, and even the Matterhorn. One company let me work for them for free for one week. As soon as I walked in and saw the cage fabrication, I knew how to do it. I went home and bought a welder, and the rest is history.

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

I absolutely love Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and what was then the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Also, Indiana Jones and The Jungle Cruise. I really like the old kind of rustic themes – the lost ruins, the broken-down mineshaft, the home built from a crashed ship in the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. I just love all those textures.

On The Jungle Cruise, you feel like you’re immersed in another world, and I really appreciate how Disney created that. Even in the queue, you feel like you’re in a foreign country. My favorite part of the Jungle Cruise is the lost ruins section, where you have an almost Angkor Wat texture. I could do that stuff for the rest of my life.

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

At the California State Fair, I wasn’t frightened by any ride, but I did get sick on the Gravitron. It spun around so fast – and you didn’t have any belt on – it just sucked you to the wall. When I got off, I had to lay down in the grass behind the ride for two hours and didn’t care who saw me.

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

The oddest job was working for someone else. And I learned I cannot work for someone else. I haven’t been in the movie industry, but I have that mindset that if the director asks if you can make two 20-foot sculptures for a shoot by Friday, you say “yes.” You get the materials, collect reference images, and do some sketches. You get everyone together, you collaborate, and you knock it out. I didn’t feel that way at all working for a company. It was not collaborative, and I left after two weeks, but it was a blessing. I told my wife I would never work for anyone again and would pursue street art murals. It was like my mid-life crisis, but now I feel like a kid in a candy store.

The coolest job would be at Granville Restaurant in North Hollywood, Calif. I painted murals on the whole exterior of the building. There are two stories inside the building, and I did artwork for both. He wanted the murals to look like different artists created them for the exterior and interior, so they had different feels. That was an amazing project.

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

I haven’t been to all the major attractions around the world, but I would say Meow Wolf. I think Meow Wolf was birthed out of many people who were frustrated with corporations, putting them in a box of how narrative can be written and communicated visually.

In my opinion, they are like Disney in the beginning. They are pushing the envelope and creating without boundaries.

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

I love the food at Knotts Berry Farm. I’m a big meat and potatoes guy. I love going to the South and hitting the barbeque joints. I like the holes in the wall. And I like portions. Give me portions. It’s frustrating that food is not the priority in some of the major parks and attractions, and portions are not that great, but they’re expensive. My favorite holes in the wall are cost-effective and give you a ton of good food so I’d like to see something like that. You go in and get ribs, mashed potatoes, gravy, lots of corn and green beans, and a big slice of cornbread – And you don’t have to spend 50 bucks for it. Maybe you can’t even eat it all, but when you go away, the first thing you’re going to think is that you’ll eat there again when you go back.

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

I would be a stormtrooper, but an old stormtrooper from the first three films. I think it would be pretty fun to be in one of the original Star Wars film’s stormtrooper outfits.

I’d specifically want the sand trooper because they have this big backpack and large gun and their outfit is distressed because they’re out in the elements in the desert and the dirt.  I’d totally want to look all distressed with my big gun and my giant backpack strapped to me. That’d be fun.

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

My family really loves Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That’s an amazing attraction, and the theming is incredible. I love how it’s interactive with cast members doing a show. I like how you’re on a motion simulator, walking around, and watching the video projection – it has everything. And I love how the story changes – you could be on a different ride the next time you go on.

On the other side of that is what I really enjoy about Knotts Berry Farm, which is some of the simplicity and the realism. I love the stagecoach. You can sit on the stagecoach or go inside it. It’s got horses, and you can smell the horses and the horse poop, and it takes you on a ride.

Some of the most powerful attractions around the world are the simple ones. The group of people get together, raise some money, and turn a forest in a national park into a light show, and 400,000 people come. And it took less than four years of design and development (and without a $400 million budget).

Did you have any challenges in your career?

The challenge I’ve always had – and the first thing I would ask God when I go to Heaven – is why everything and why nothing? When work comes, especially in art and attraction-based entertainment, it’s every project at the same time, and then it’s absolutely nothing.

In the roller coaster of scenic design and fabrication, there are no corkscrews, and there are no loops; it’s up, and it’s down. And I’ve found that to be one of the most challenging parts of being an artist full-time and having a scenic shop. It’s just one of those things that I don’t like. They say they’re ready to go, and then nothing happens. And then all the companies say yes at the same time.

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

I have only one or two IP projects, but I try to stay away from that. My favorite jobs are working with small amusement parks. For example, making an entryway that looks like an old gold mine shaft. I do the concept development, and they sign off on it, and we’re sculpting the rockwork. Then I get this idea that it would look much better if we added broken wood planks and another rock formation. And we’re not even going to charge the client because it’s still in the scope, but I think if we do this, it would look really good. With an IP, there’s no way. With an IP, you do exactly what’s been designed – there is no deviation most of the time; it has to stay exactly what you made.

These days, I have mural projects, and I’m signing three new paintings I’m releasing for the Epcot for the Festival of the Arts: a Darth Vader, a Grogu, and a hip-hop Mickey. In March, I’ll be doing signings on the first and second weekends at California Adventure in the Off the Page Gallery.

I’m also offering coaching on my website to artists who want to become mural artists. Besides coaching, I’m offering a paid community for $20 per month, geared towards artists and muralists. I give challenges every month and the community help each other grow in their business and sustain longevity as an artist. I’ve just launched my first online course on painting murals for beginners, and by the end of the year, my goal is to have eight different courses, from beginner to advanced.

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

I think the most nostalgic theme park has to be Disneyland because that’s where it all started for me. I would love to go there with Walt and ask him what was going through his mind when he transitioned from film to a theme park. I’m blown away that, as a company, they’re making these films, and the films were IPs audiences then became familiar with. I don’t know if he knew that or not, but it was perfect to make lands that were going right along with the films. It must’ve been so much fun for him.

Also Bob Gurr because he’s one of the last to work with Walt. He worked on a lot of the attractions. And Mary Blair – I think her designs are absolutely fascinating. And I love everything Tony Baxter worked on. I want to have him there to hear the inside behind-the-scenes scoops of issues building the attractions, as well as what attractions didn’t ever happen.

Tim Burton has a different mindset and it would be fun to have George Lucas. I’d love to ask him how it feels to see his idea and the story he created become a significant part of Disneyland. Steven Spielberg would be great, too.

If you sat down and had dinner at Club 33 with all these guys, wouldn’t that be an awesome party?

Writer 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.