"If you don't know what you're looking for, it's easy to miss Garner Holt Productions in Redlands. The nondescript factory is tucked away behind blocks of industrial buildings, and from the outside, it looks like any other concrete box. But inside, it's a literal wonderland, full of the moving animatronic creatures that fill theme park rides all over the world."
"At 14, his parents took him to the park from their home in San Bernardino. "I told them on the way home that I wanted to build the rides at Disneyland," Holt said. And so, he did. Using his parents' garage as a workshop, Holt built rides for neighborhood kids in his backyard and crafted little puppets to figure out the mechanics of movement. By high school, Holt had created a haunted house attraction that got lots of local interest."
"Holt's first goal was to work for Disney itself. Holt sent a portfolio to Walt Disney Imagineering. They were impressed and sent then-Imagineer and now Disney Legend Wathel Rogers out to San Bernardino. "Some of the top people at Imagineering would come and visit my stuff. They liked me and I liked them, but they said, 'What are we going to do with you? We don't have a way for this to work out for you because you're 17, you're not even 18 yet.'""
Garner Holt became enchanted by Disneyland at 14 and resolved to build rides. He experimented in his parents' garage, constructed backyard rides and small puppets to learn movement mechanics. By high school he built a popular haunted-house attraction and left school at 17 after testing out, driven to advance his animatronic business instead of pursuing college. He founded Garner Holt Productions in Redlands, operating from a nondescript factory that houses moving animatronic creatures used in theme park rides worldwide. Holt sent a portfolio to Walt Disney Imagineering, which sent visitors and advised him to obtain a mechanical engineering degree before returning.
Read at SFGATE
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