Remembering Disney Legend Ron Logan, who revolutionized theme park entertainment

Ron Logan started out in the 1960s playing the trumpet at Disneyland. And when he finally retired in 2001 from the Walt Disney Company, he had revolutionized what live entertainment looked like inside Disney theme parks and help launch Disney on Broadway.

The Disney Legend and former executive vice president and executive producer for Walt Disney Entertainment died on Tuesday, August 30 in Orlando. He was 84.

Logan was instrumental in the creation of many shows at Disney Parks around the world, including: Fantasmic! (Disneyland, 1992; Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 1998), Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! (Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 1989), Festival of the Lion King (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, 1998) and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show( Disneyland Paris, 1992).

Born in 1938, and growing up in Leavenworth, Kansas, Logan studied trumpet, violin, piano, and dance. He began performing professionally when he was in the ninth grade and played in bands and orchestras nationwide. He went on to graduate from UCLA, earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in music and music education. It was during this time that he began his career at Disneyland as a trumpet player, where he had the opportunity to meet Walt Disney on several occasions. He also performed with the fanfare trumpets as part of the Disney-produced pageantry for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Olympic Valley (also known as Squaw Valley), California.

From 1965 to 1978, he was director of bands and jazz studies at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. In 1978, he moved to Florida to become Walt Disney World Resort’s music director. He returned to Disneyland in 1980 as the park’s director of entertainment, and, in 1982, went back to Walt Disney World Resort as vice president of entertainment. In 1987, he was promoted to vice president of creative show development for all of Walt Disney Attractions.

In his last role at Disney, Logan was executive vice president, executive producer, for Walt Disney Entertainment. He was responsible for creating, casting, and producing all live entertainment products for The Walt Disney Company, including Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, The Disney Institute, Disney Business Productions, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Entertainment Productions, and Walt Disney Entertainment Worldwide.

Building on the success of live theme park stage shows, Logan and his team pitched the idea of a Beauty and the Beast Broadway show to leadership, and the same team that produced the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Disneyland helped to create the Broadway version. This led to the establishment of Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, where Logan served as president for the early years of Disney on Broadway.

He was a founding member of the International Foundation for Jazz, a corporate advisory council established in support of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE); a board member of the Orlando Repertory Theatre (UCF); and served on the Board of Directors (USA) for the Famous People Players (Canada) and the International Theatre in Long Beach, California. He was an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida.

Although he retired from The Walt Disney Company in 2001, Logan was honored with window on Main Street, U.S.A., at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park. The window is for the Main Street Music Co., with words below that title reading, “Ron Logan, Leading the Band into a New Century.”

Ever proud of his family, he is survived by his wife, Carol, and daughters Sheryl Logan (Michael Stewart) and Michelle Haney, and grandsons Zachary, Adam, Cristian, Collin, Daniel, and Jackson.