Credit: DisneyAnyone who has ever traveled to EPCOT in the early years remembers how vastly different the theme park was when it opened in 1981. There were no thrill rides or drinking around the world; it was quieter and more about educating the guests.
The rides were much slower and required a sweeping soundtrack to keep the viewer entertained for the duration. Rides like Horizons, World of Motion, The Living Seas, and the original Journey into Imagination all had memorable music from when guests walked into the rides until they left.
Legend George Wilkins was the man behind most of that music. Disney fans learned on Saturday that Wilkins passed away at the age of 90.
Wilkins started his career at The Walt Disney Company in 1979 to work under Disney Legend Buddy Baker. Before he arrived at Disney, Wilkins worked as a composer for film and television, including working on Return to Oz (1964) and The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967).
Upon his arrival with Disney, Wilkins began composing for the company’s newest theme park, EPCOT. His first Disney credits were for writing the vocal arrangements for Kitchen Cabarat and the orchestral arrangement for Listen to the Land in the Land Pavilion.
From there, he wrote the queue music for the World of Motion and the original ride soundtrack for Journey Into Imagination. Wilkins would also write the music for The Living Seas.
The wonderful, brilliant, talented and kind George Wilkins has passed. This man wrote the music for many Disney park attractions that I grew up listening to as a kid – Country Bears, Food Rocks, Sonny Eclipse… if I wrote an entire list, your head would spin. pic.twitter.com/gdMIB7ojam
— Tammy Tuckey (@TammyTuckey) November 9, 2024
Beyond his work at EPCOT, Wilkins also wrote the music for Space Mountain in 1985 and the Country Bears Vacation Hoedown in 1986. In 1998, he wrote the music for the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) and It’s Tough to be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, and he worked with Randy Newman on the music for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
In 2008, Wilkins worked on his final project for The Walt Disney Company, composing “it’s a small world” music at Hong Kong Disneyland. He would retire from the company later that year.
Podcaster Tammy Tuckey announced Wilkins’ death on X. While Wilkins may have passed, his music will live on in our memories.