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Imagineer Kim Irvine Retires
- Thread starter Disney Irish
- Start date
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
I think she's allowed to care because of her name. I think the new era of Imagineers are being trained in art of delivering only what is asked of them.
I honestly don't think that is fair. I think many in WDI care, even those within the "new era" of Imagineers. I just don't think we have many of the "Rock Star Imagineer" left who have the gravitas to be able to stick their neck out and challenge the directives they've been given. I mean can you name any of the new generation of Imagineers? Very few if any are put front and center anymore, most are still the older generations that are being put in front of the public.
So to say they don't care I don't think reflects the passion that one must have to work in that field.
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Professortango1
Well-Known Member
I would never say they don't care, as people end up there due to a passion for it. It's the peak to reach. I'm just saying the others don't have the same inherited respect and gravitas to shield them and are being trained to keep trying to work within the mandates.
You don’t think any of the Imagineers we’ve all come to revere had to work within mandates? Come on, I think you’re over exaggerating things just a bit. Kim, Tony, Bob, Marty, and on and on weren’t mavericks saying screw the decisions passed down from management. They didn’t go off on their own and did their own thing, they were given a task, a budget, and they went off and designed something and got approval just like every other Imagineer before and since. So let’s not get things twisted here.
In my opinion, and I could be wrong since none of us are on the inside, the issues recently have been a design by committee type of project management system rather than it being specific groups tasked with an entire project start to finish. So you have too many cooks in the kitchen sort of thing. That is a WDI management organizational issue rather than an Imagineer issue. I have hope that with Bruce Vaughn back as head of WDI that might change, so we’ll see.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Are we sure she was one of the main people behind the Jungle Cruise redesigns? Far be it for me to suggest a fan wiki on the internet may be inaccurate, but I do not remember her name coming up at all regarding those changes, and based on past precedent, if she was involved, it surely would have.
At any rate, those redesigns happened at WDW also and some changes to that attraction were likely inevitable regardless.
At any rate, those redesigns happened at WDW also and some changes to that attraction were likely inevitable regardless.
britain
Well-Known Member
Percent of Imagineers who care: 100%
Percent of Imagineers who get discouraged by corporate mandates and start phoning it in: ?
Percent who play ball, hold their nose, and muster all their enthusiasm they can for corporate mandates in order to play with larger budgets: ?
Percent who refuse and protest the mandates - and are shown the door: ?
Percent who hope brighter days will come: 100%
Percent of Imagineers who get discouraged by corporate mandates and start phoning it in: ?
Percent who play ball, hold their nose, and muster all their enthusiasm they can for corporate mandates in order to play with larger budgets: ?
Percent who refuse and protest the mandates - and are shown the door: ?
Percent who hope brighter days will come: 100%
Disney Vault
Active Member
Did she only work on DL or DCA too? Im curious if she played a role in the downside of dca since like 2017
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I have never heard her referenced in relation to DCA in any capacity.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Small world characters. Off center windows.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
That's because she understands public perception and marketing. she has to represent the old guard, who all distanced themselves from DCA
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Didn’t she say something really tone deaf/silly recently?
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Yeah I think it was something like “one piece of AI art” out of all that stuff” when referencing the fans who were complaining about putting up a piece of AI generated art work in the new HM shop.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I thought we were all saying she did not, in fact, understand public perception and marketing in light of her remarks on Small World and Mansion shop.
RE: DCA, I'm not convinced. Granted, there's much less out there about who worked on what at DCA in general with only a few exceptions (Braverman, a few people associated with RSR, etc), but given that some people have a history of blaming every change they don't like on Kim, it just seems a little too convenient to me to attribute the DCA changes primarily to her too.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
To be clear, I have no idea what she has or hasn't done in DCA. but you don't get to be the creative lead for Disneyland without at least being in the room for some of the stuff.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Pardon my ignorance, but what was her official title?
And if it was creative lead for Disneyland, how do we know that it meant for the entire resort and that it couldn't have meant simply the original park?
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I think as with many people in the history of Disney…her title essentially is “figurehead who’s been around forever”
Nothing wrong with that for a company that sells nostalgia…but I doubt she was a huge decision maker (only Bob is anyway)