Distinguished Alumni

Living the Magic

Elden Muller goes to Disney World

story by Marcia Hill Gossard 

photos by Steven Martine

When Eldon Muller graduated from the University of Idaho in 1982 with a master’s in agricultural engineering, he certainly never dreamed his job would involve riding roller coasters throughout the world.

“I was on the Tower of Terror this morning, as a matter of fact,” said Muller by phone from his Florida home. 

As a program manager of worldwide safety and accessibility for Walt Disney’s Parks and Resorts, dropping 13 stories first thing in the morning is just part of the job.

“We are always trying to top ourselves, but rides at Disney are more about story telling than about the ride,” Muller says. “We want to find more interesting ways to thrill our guests and take their emotions to new places.” He adds, however, “When we look at ride design, the number one criterion is safety.”

Disney takes an integrated approach to safety by involving “all of our technical and operational experts,” says Muller. “When we work on developing or enhancing a ride system, we integrate all engineering disciplines and company groups into the design.”

Rides tell a story and are safe

Eldon Muller rides roller coasters and
drops 13 stories before breakfast some
days. It’s all part of the University of Idaho
graduate’s job as program manager
of worldwide safety and accessibility
for Walt Disney’s Parks and Resorts.

Disney’s systems are designed by first creating a story—the center of any ride. Operating partners even include cast members who run and maintain each attraction.

Muller’s focus is safety. “We constantly look at best practices within and beyond our 11 theme parks to improve our systems. I work with all organizations to keep our systems to our standards and Disney on the industry’s leading edge.”

One recent trend Muller sees is how changing demographics—particularly a growing aging population—affects ride design.

“Most of the rides are in a dimly lit environment for the atmosphere our artists are trying to create,” says Muller. “Older people can have difficulty with that light level, so we use contrast and other environment  modifiers to enhance visibility.”

Whether it is a low-tech yellow line that helps guests know where to stand or a high-tech device that records a passenger’s height using ultrasonic soundwaves, Muller’s group wants to make sure that everyone who gets on an attraction is safe.

First job—crops for Epcot

Muller is proudest of The Land Pavilion at Epcot, his very first Disney challenge.

Designed to communicate agriculture to the park’s guests, the 7-acre facility grows more than 40 crops organized by a theme or location in the world. Desert crops and tropical plants grow alongside produce more typical to Florida—corn, soybeans, and grains.

“Opening Epcot was a very exciting time,” recalls Muller. “We were doing something no one had done before.” His five-member team—an entomologist, plant pathologist, horticulturist, aquaculturalist, and an agricultural engineer (Muller)—had only two months to finish the attraction before Epcot (then Epcot Center) opened in October 1982.

 “I had no plants in, and the growing systems were either not installed or installed incorrectly,” recalls Muller. “We worked 16- to 18-hour days, seven days a week to get the park open and create a magical experience for our guests.

“Down to the last minute before gates opened, everyone—including the company president—was laying sod and chanting ‘green side up,’” recalls Muller. The Land Pavilion opened on schedule.

Growing up in Idaho, FFA, 4-H

Growing up near Meridian, Idaho, on his family’s animal farm, Muller, active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, always knew he  wanted to work in agriculture.

“I also wanted to go into engineering,” says Muller. His older sisters were already at Boise State and Idaho State, so he “had to do something different.” At the University of Idaho, Muller joined FarmHouse Fraternity and embraced college life.

“He was good at looking at a problem and letting his creativity work and was not afraid of trying new things,” recalls Chuck Peterson, Muller’s major professor.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1980, Muller wanted to design farm equipment, but in 1980 the farm machinery industry was downsizing. So he stayed for his master’s. Just before graduation, he saw a flyer looking for engineers to come to Epcot. Muller was ambivalent: “I didn’t want to leave Idaho.”

Peterson, fresh from a trip to Orlando, encouraged him to pursue the job for the experience, advising that the first job out of college should be “for the job, not the location.” 

Muller took his advice. “Disney called right after the Fourth of July. The next day I was on a plane,” says Muller. “Until I got the interview, I’d never set foot in a Disney theme park.” A week later he was “on the road to Orlando.”

One homebody’s dizzying ride

When Muller first took the Disney job, “I thought I would be there 5 years.” That was 25 years ago. Today the self-described homebody enjoys spending time with his wife, Cecelia, who works for the USDA biotech program, but who was an intern at Epcot during Muller’s first year, and their teen-aged son, Nathan. 

 “Our first date was at Epcot,” remembers Muller. “I felt bad about dating an intern until I found out she was two years older than me.” They dated for three years, and in October 2007 they will celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary.

But you won’t necessarily find them on the same ride. “The Tower of Terror is her favorite, but not mine,” says Muller. His favorite? The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, “a looping ride in the dark that plays rock music as you go.” Riding a roller coaster while listening to Aerosmith—just all in a day’s work.

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