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Valerio Mazzoli was born in 1950. He graduated from the School of Art at the Sforza Castle in Milan. He began his career as an illustrator and cartoonist with the Premium Company. He collaborated with the Italian office of Walt Disney, and in 1976, he was invited by the Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. The initial period was spent in the legendary Disney Studios in Burbank. After about a year, he moved to WED Enterprises, the sector where theme parks are developed and created, now known as Walt Disney Imagineering. During this new experience, he contributed to projects such as Epcot Center in Florida, Disney Tokyo, and Disneyland California. Subsequently, he decided to return to Italy and leverage his Disney experience.
Back in Italy, Valerio devoted himself to cinema and advertising, specializing in special effects.
In 1983, an important collaboration commenced with Gardaland, a modest theme park on the shore of Lake Garda. This collaboration lasted for more than 20 years, during which he oversaw the development of the park and the creation of major attractions such as The King Valley, the African ride, the Merlin Castle, Fantasy Kingdom, and more. In the late 80s, Disney called on Mazzoli for Disneyland Paris, entrusting his company with the realization of eleven attractions, including Sleeping Beauty Castle, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and others.
The name of Valerio Mazzoli became renowned worldwide as he signed and executed significant projects. Mazzoli planned and oversaw large-scale projects such as the Fashion District in Valmontone (Rome), the largest outlet in Europe, and, for the same client, the Molfetta Outlet in Molfetta (Bari). He also served as the creative and artistic director of the first theme park in Athens, Greece.
In collaboration with Academy Award winner Dante Ferretti, he contributed to the Cinecittà World project and worked in various other countries, including Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Dubai, and more.
