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Disney Legend Kim Irvine Announces Retirement After 55 Years of Imagineering Magic
It’s the end of an era in the world of Disney design: Kim Irvine, a beloved and legendary Disney Imagineer, is officially retiring after a staggering 55-year career bringing magic to life. According to reporting from MiceChat, the longtime Director of Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering is hanging up her Mouse ears, leaving behind a legacy that’s stitched into the very fabric of Disneyland history.
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For Irvine, Imagineering wasn’t just a job — it was the family business. Irvine is the daughter of Disney animator Harvey Toombs and Leota Toombs, the latter of whom famously became the face of Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion. Kim joined Walt Disney Imagineering (then WED Enterprises) in 1970 straight out of high school — initially planning to only stay for the summer. Little did she know she’d spend more than five decades shaping Disneyland and Disney Parks worldwide.
Some of her most iconic work includes:
- Decorating Sleeping Beauty Castle for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary in 2005
- Bringing Disney characters into “it’s a small world” with updated costumes and storytelling in 2009
- Refurbishing the Jungle Cruise in 2021 with new, culturally updated scenes
- Designing the Disney Dream Suite, now the Dream Suite at Disneyland
- Serving as the model and voice for Haunted Mansion Holiday’s Madame Leota, continuing her mother’s legacy
She also put her creative stamp on countless small but impactful details: themed trash cans, vending carts, and maintenance aesthetics throughout the park — proving no detail was too small for storytelling.
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Her contributions were formally recognized in 2011 with a lifetime achievement award from the Themed Entertainment Association, but for fans, Kim Irvine’s greatest award will forever be the joy and wonder she sparked in the parks.
While Kim may be retiring from her official role, her legacy will continue to float through the Haunted Mansion, twinkle in Sleeping Beauty Castle, and sparkle in every pixie-dusted corner of the parks she helped build and reimagine. Thank you, Kim, for 55 years of dreams come true!
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