Preston Timothy Landry, also known as Tim Landry, is a professional in the film industry, specializing as both a filmmaker and a visual effects creator. His journey crafting cinematic magic began with his studies at USC Film School, and the expertise he gained there has proven valuable across various media platforms. Moreover, Tim Landry dedicated several years as a board member for the esteemed Visual Effects Society. His accomplishments have been acknowledged with numerous accolades, ranging from the CLIO and Emmy awards to several THEA awards for his contributions to theme park attractions.
Tim Landry's career included roles as a visual effects supervisor for commercials, television programs, and movies, and eventually, a lengthy tenure at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he played a role in creating some of the most impressive and intricate attractions enjoyed by audiences globally. His filmography includes titles such as George of the Jungle, The Sixth Sense, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Furthermore, he contributed to iconic theme park experiences like The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, The Hall of Presidents, and Soaring: Fantastic Flight. His contributions as a Disney Imagineer are visible across all Disney Parks worldwide, as well as on Disney Cruise Ships and the Disney+ streaming platform.
Preston Timothy Landry was born in the army hospital situated in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. Following his academic pursuits at the highly regarded film school of the University of Southern California, Tim Landry began his professional journey as a visual effects supervisor at Dream Quest Images. This company was later acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 1996, subsequently rebranded as "The Secret Lab" in 1999, and ultimately shut down in 2001, resulting in the unemployment of the majority of Dream Quest's workforce, including Tim Landry. For several years, Landry accepted smaller roles, primarily focusing on compositing, matte painting, and some on-set supervision for projects that were finalized in other studios without his direct involvement.
Early in his career, Tim Landry's talents were utilized as a cel painter for the short comedy film Gravity (1976). In addition, his groundbreaking student films, Chapter 21 and Cabbages and Kings or the Dancing Princess, garnered awards and widespread recognition. Subsequently, he lent his skills as a visual effects artist to projects such as the science fiction thriller Freejack (1992) and the science fiction comedy Coneheads (1993).
After attaining the designation of visual/digital effects supervisor in January 1993, Tim Landry played a role in the development of television series including The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (1993), Earth 2 (1994-1995), JAG (1995-1996), Invasion (2005-2006), and Prison Break (2005). He also contributed to the Alien Nation television movies Millennium (1996), The Enemy Within (1996), and The Udara Legacy (1997). Notably, Landry's contributions extended to a single shot for the Star Trek: The Next Generation series.
His film endeavors encompass the comic adaptation The Crow (1994), the comedy Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995), the television movie Moses (1995, featuring Anton Lesser), Disney's comedy Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997), the comedies George of the Jungle (1997) and My Favorite Martian (1999, featuring Christopher Lloyd), the comic adaptation Inspector Gadget (1999, featuring Brian George), the thriller The Sixth Sense (1999), the action comedy Shanghai Noon (2000), the family adventure Snow Dogs (2002), the action comedy Bulletproof Monk (2003), the thriller Out of Time (2003), the fantasy film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), and the family movie Charlotte's Web (2006).
After dedicating more than 15 years to Disney theme parks worldwide at Walt Disney Imagineering, Tim Landry retired and produced Shoveling Pixie Dust: a Memoir, a film that chronicled his extensive career. Beyond the specifics of his projects, Landry openly discussed his personal experiences and challenges, including his battle with health issues such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, all while maintaining his faith in God. Shoveling Pixie Dust premiered in 2021 and received positive feedback from audiences at various film festivals.
In 1977, the release of Star Wars marked a significant cultural moment and became an instant hit. Tim Landry was among the USC students who were invited to a screening and Q&A session at Fox studios. Landry also had a role in a simulator ride known as the Astroliner, which aimed to replicate the excitement of experiences like Star Wars. In 1987, Disneyland introduced the Star Tours attraction, with Mike McAlister serving as the primary camera operator, who had previously worked as the camera operator on Landry's Cabbages and Kings or the Dancing Princess project.
During his time at "The Secret Lab" under Disney's umbrella, Tim Landry established connections with Walt Disney Imagineering, which was in the process of completing Disney's California Adventure Park. Landry was assigned to create effects for several media projects within the park, including the Bakery Tour and Golden Dreams. Landry also contributed to CinéMagique, a 70mm presentation and a tribute to the world of cinema, blending live actors, theatrical elements, and film effects. It ran for over forty-six thousand performances at Disneyland Paris. CinéMagique featured a scene set aboard the Death Star from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and it became a cherished project for director Jerry Rees, producer Tom Fitzgerald, and Landry himself, who served as the visual effects supervisor.
In 2005, Tim Landry returned to Walt Disney Imagineering as a full-time employee at Disney Parks, initially brought in to transform the Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland into Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. In this role, Landry pioneered technologies that he would continue to use for the next 15 years, including projection effects and innovative methods to create real-world illusions, which he described as "an exhilarating and challenging new frontier." Landry collaborated with a team of Imagineers in a laboratory setting to develop new projection effects that expanded their creative toolkit. Landry also had the opportunity to enhance classic attractions with new effects, such as The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the 2011 updated version of Star Tours.
- TimLandry.com – official site
- Artist and Imagineer Tim Landry
- Tim Landry's "Shoveling Pixie Dust: a Memoir" - YouTube on the Phantim Manor YouTube channel (backup link)
- Tim Landry at the Internet Movie Database
- Tim Landry at LinkedIn.com
- Tim Landry on Memory Alpha