image of Tony Baxter
Tony Baxter
Creative Advisor to Walt Disney Imagineering 
Former Senior Vice President, Creative Development
CSU Long Beach
B.A. Art (1969)

  • Led creative design efforts for major Disney attractions including: Big Thunder Mountain and Star Tours (currently operating at 4 Disney parks worldwide), Splash Mountain (operating at 3), Fantasyland redesign (Disneyland Anaheim and Paris), and Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland). Tony led the initial concept work for Disney Seas Long Beach (redeveloped for Tokyo), and The Seas, Land and Imagination pavilions for EPCOT at Walt Disney World.
  • Appointed Senior Vice President responsible for concept development, design and creation of an entirely new park, Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992.
  • As a CSULB student, convinced his theater arts professor to allow him to design a Disney attraction instead of the assignment to visualize settings for an opera. This became a major element of his portfolio and brought relevance to the review he presented to Disney.
  • Began his Disney career in 1965 scooping ice cream and later operating attractions while a college student at CSULB.
  • His creative achievements have earned him CSULB's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1988, the "Over the Years" Award from the Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions in 2000, and the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Themed Entertainment Association in 2001.

Notable CSU Alumni in entertainment & media

entertainment & media
Long Beach