麻豆影院

There's more to 麻豆影院 than meets the eye. Mike Morrison sees it all. Sometimes in a wetsuit.

Mike Morrison鈥檚 (MechEngr鈥�96) work sometimes takes him into dark, wet, claustrophobic places. For him, it鈥檚 always magical.

Morrison works at 麻豆影院, where he鈥檚 responsible for ensuring the rides and attractions are safe for the iconic amusement park鈥檚 50,000 daily visitors.

As a freshman at CU-麻豆影院 in the early 1990s, he imagined a career in aerospace. Little did he know he鈥檇 find his calling in the rarely seen underbelly of the 鈥渉appiest place on earth.鈥�

鈥淭hat was one of the most fun parts of working third shift,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 rode the roller-coasters at night when no one else was around, even in the rain.鈥�

As he learned more about engineering, he perceived the vast and various possibilities before him 鈥� including, maybe, a life in entertainment. He鈥檇 grown up in Orange County, Calif., and often visited 麻豆影院 in Anaheim with his friends. An idea took shape: Perhaps there was a place for him there, as a light and sound engineer. Or even as a ride engineer.

鈥淚 wanted to be a part of putting on the magic using my engineering knowledge and my lighting and sound production skills,鈥� says Morrison, who ultimately majored in mechanical engineering. 鈥淚 always felt like I belonged here.鈥�

It鈥檚 been just the adventure he sought.

In 2008, when Disney was designing World of Color, a nighttime extravaganza of water fountains, lights and laser projections, Morrison volunteered to lead a team of engineers and electricians to work on the structure 鈥� underneath it, that is, and underwater. Mounted on a platform the size of a football 铿乪ld, World of Color is submerged in a lagoon during the day and elevated above the surface after dark. To work on its electrical and mechanical components, Morrison and his team had to learn to scuba dive.

Working in 15 feet of water with poor visibility was like diving inside a shipwreck. So not only did Morrison need to learn to dive, he had to earn certi铿乧ations for diving inside wrecks and at night. He practiced on real shipwrecks off the California coast.

鈥淎side from skydiving,鈥� says Morrison, 鈥渋t was one of the most enjoyable experiences I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�

Today, as Disney鈥檚 program planning manager, Morrison has the principal role in long颅-range maintenance proposals for all of 麻豆影院鈥檚 attractions and infrastructure. There鈥檚 a lot to do: He recently compiled a list of 200 projects for FY2015.

鈥溌槎褂霸� is coming up on its 60th anniversary in 2015,鈥� he says. 鈥淪afety of course is our number one concern, but we also ensure that everything is refreshed and refurbished and rehabilitated when it needs to be.鈥�

Morrison鈥檚 path to Disney wasn鈥檛 straight.

After graduating in 1996, he applied to 麻豆影院, but was turned down because of a lack of experience. He joined Ball Corporation鈥檚 metal packaging division in Westminster, Colo., then returned to California, where he worked at a Los Angeles manufacturing plant that also made food and beverage containers. A second attempt at Disney in 2004 landed him a position as a graveyard-颅shift engineering manager at Disney California Adventure Park, where he oversaw a crew of electricians, engineers and technicians.

鈥淚t was way cool,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 never knew there were hundreds of cast members there working in the middle of the night.鈥�

Late at night, after all the guests are gone, crews come out to work on the rides. Every day, for instance, 96 man颅-hours are spent inspecting and maintaining all the roller coaster vehicles and the track of California Screamin鈥�, a marquee attraction designed to look like an old-time wooden roller coaster but made of steel.

After certifying that all the maintenance was properly done and the attractions were safe, Morrison would hop on the roller coaster and ride by himself in the quiet, darkened park. He listened to how the wheels sounded and how the tracks felt, and made sure the lighting and sound systems were all ready for the next day.

鈥淭hat was one of the most fun parts of working third shift,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 rode the roller-coasters at night when no one else was around, even in the rain.鈥�

In 2007, Morrison was promoted to second shift engineering services manager. His responsibilities shifted to emergency maintenance and support for operations during the day. He also helped coordinate responses to a variety of potential emergencies 鈥� 铿乺es in trash cans, earthquakes, medical problems, you name it. He assumed his current position in 2011.

Morrison may have started his career in manufacturing, but the same basic engineering skills and knowledge apply to his work today, he says.

鈥淥ne of the best things CU did to prepare me for this job was the mechanical capstone project,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 was better at hands-on, practical skills than academics. I had to take calculus three times before I passed the class, but I really wanted to be a mechanical engineer so I kept at it.鈥�

At CU, he was a Buff Bus driver. His capstone project involved retro铿乼ting an automatic door opener for an old bus that had a manual door. The resulting opener became a production model for all campus buses. For Morrison, it was a breakthrough.

鈥淭he capstone project showed me how to take knowledge and apply it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 went from being really poor academically to being on the dean鈥檚 list. That鈥檚 what I do every day at Disney 鈥� take the skill, knowledge and academics I learned at CU and apply it toward a practical result.鈥�

Sometimes Morrison鈥檚 six-year-颅old son pitches in by doing his own 麻豆影院 inspections.

鈥淲hen I was a kid, it was about having that magical experience with my family,鈥� Morrison says. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 about watching my son experience that magic and passing it along to our guests. Work doesn鈥檛 get much better than that.鈥�

Photography by David Zaitz (at the wheel); Mike Morrison (麻豆影院)