DAK “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life theater

[thelookingglass]

With the way the corporate culture is at Disney, I don't have much faith that the people chosen for WDI are actually the best people for the job. Disney is all about promoting those who are the most likeable and not those who are best suited for jobs. I know this is also a problem at most corporate workplaces but it is rampant at the Orlando parks.

So you get people that were very social on their college programs quickly promoted into "big" positions, despite only like less than a year of actual theme park experience, and their leaders are people who did the same thing 5 to 10 years ago.

I know the process wasn't like this years ago when we could trust Disney and WDI to produce quality.. This is a systemic problem from top to bottom and is one of the reasons we are ending up with garbage brainrot attractions now.

 

[HMF]

I asked ChatGPT wha the attraction would be like if Joe Rohde led the design….

“Rohde would treat the Tree of Life itself as a sacred biome, not a cartoon veneer. Rather than Zootopia branding slapped on, guests might discover small, organic hints that something new thrives within the roots”

“
Rohde would insist on grounding it in ecological metaphor and emotional authenticity, not slapstick gags.

Narrative Concept:
A new energy imbalance is spreading through Zootopia’s biomes — an allegory for environmental disharmony. Judy and Nick lead guests on an investigation across ecosystems, discovering how each “district” depends on the others.

• Savanna Central: A stunning wide 3D vista showing interconnected microclimates — a Joe Rohde visual dream of biodiversity meets urban harmony.
• Rainforest District: Mist effects, scents, and 3D vine projections create an almost tactile environment.
• Tundratown: A cold air blast and snowflake projection effect mirror the chill of imbalance.
• 
  
• Core Message: “Harmony isn’t balance between nature and civilization — it’s realizing they were never separate.”

I don't think Rohde would use Zootopia at all if he had the choice. I am sure many compromises had to be made for Avatar.

 

[HMF]

blame team leadership not the team members. Sorry I’ll always defend young employees. They need to learn and it’s only a problem when there’s no leaders (or bad leaders) there to course correct

The problem is the majority of the veteran Imagineers who could share their wisdom with the new hires have all been forced out the door one by one.

 

[HMF]

With the way the corporate culture is at Disney, I don't have much faith that the people chosen for WDI are actually the best people for the job. Disney is all about promoting those who are the most likeable and not those who are best suited for jobs.

Oh, Trust me the smartest people don't always get the best jobs. I am living proof of that not to be too self-indulgent.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I don't think Rohde would use Zootopia at all if he had the choice. I am sure many compromises had to be made for Avatar.

For sure! But Bugs Life wasn’t his first choice either.

 

[HMF]

For sure! But Bugs Life wasn’t his first choice either.

Indeed, there were quite a few concepts before they settled for ITTBAB. Lion King would have made the most sense personally.

 

[flynnibus]

The Walt Disney Imagineering project team for Zootopia: Better Zoogether!:

View attachment 891871

What is the source of this photo? This really feels like a certain 'group' or subset of the team... not to be taken like 'this is everyone in wdi who worked on it'.

To highlight the project planner.. but not a producer, or writer, etc reeks of this being a photoOp for a specialist group

 

[DCBaker]

What is the source of this photo? This really feels like a certain 'group' or subset of the team... not to be taken like 'this is everyone in wdi who worked on it'.

To highlight the project planner.. but not a producer, or writer, etc reeks of this being a photoOp for a specialist group

Walt Disney Imagineering: Congrats to the Zootopia: Better Zoogether! project team

 

[lazyboy97o]

With the way the corporate culture is at Disney, I don't have much faith that the people chosen for WDI are actually the best people for the job. Disney is all about promoting those who are the most likeable and not those who are best suited for jobs. I know this is also a problem at most corporate workplaces but it is rampant at the Orlando parks.

So you get people that were very social on their college programs quickly promoted into "big" positions, despite only like less than a year of actual theme park experience, and their leaders are people who did the same thing 5 to 10 years ago.

I know the process wasn't like this years ago when we could trust Disney and WDI to produce quality.. This is a systemic problem from top to bottom and is one of the reasons we are ending up with garbage brainrot attractions now.

Rolly Crump didn’t stay around at Disney after Walt died because he was the young guy that Walt liked and others resented. And a major project he worked on was “it’s a small world” which was art directed by someone with no prior attraction experience, who wasn’t a full time Disney employee and was working remote on the other side of the country.

A number of the people who started in the 70s and 80s were young kids working at Disneyland.

 

[DrStarlander]

And a major project he worked on was “it’s a small world” which was art directed by someone with no prior attraction experience, who wasn’t a full time Disney employee and was working remote on the other side of the country.

Mary Blair continued to be involved with the Disney company on her terms including working across the country because she was a once-in-a-generation creative genius.

A number of the people who started in the 70s and 80s were young kids working at Disneyland.

And they were surrounded by old timers who famously mentored them.

 

[thelookingglass]

And they were surrounded by old timers who famously mentored them.

Yeah. And they produced quality. So the issue lies with the fact that these fresh young Imagineers and project teams are being led by people who were in the same position as them only a few years prior. The philosophies of the company have been almost completely filtered out by too many cycles of this.

 

[Bocabear]

Walt Disney Imagineering: Congrats to the Zootopia: Better Zoogether! project team

I want to see the show writing team that came up with that show.....and hope they will not be involved in the Encanto and Monsters projects....

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I want to see the show writing team that came up with that show.....and hope they will not be involved in the Encanto and Monsters projects....

The writing for Villians isn’t much better. :-/

 

[Ayla]

With the way the corporate culture is at Disney, I don't have much faith that the people chosen for WDI are actually the best people for the job. Disney is all about promoting those who are the most likeable and not those who are best suited for jobs. I know this is also a problem at most corporate workplaces but it is rampant at the Orlando parks.

So you get people that were very social on their college programs quickly promoted into "big" positions, despite only like less than a year of actual theme park experience, and their leaders are people who did the same thing 5 to 10 years ago.

I know the process wasn't like this years ago when we could trust Disney and WDI to produce quality.. This is a systemic problem from top to bottom and is one of the reasons we are ending up with garbage brainrot attractions now.

Yeah, what could possibly go wrong with the -kissers in charge?

 

[Bocabear]

The writing for Villians isn’t much better. :-/

I agree... it is pretty dreadful..... Hopefully they will not be writing the shows for Villain's Land when thet emerges someday...

 

[bmr1591]

Do we need the computer to tell us this? It's literally just spitting back what people have already said.

"It'll probably be about the biomes" was a common cope when this was announced.

Probably because that’s what they said it would be about.

 

[wdwmagic]

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Merchandise at Discovery Trading Company​

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Merchandise at Discovery Trading Company

Zootopia: Better Zoogether Merchandise at Discovery Trading Company

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

There are a whole lot of Disgruntled Walts in this thread. Sad that it’s come to this.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

There are a whole lot of Disgruntled Walts in this thread. Sad that it’s come to this.

And The regular defenders are strangely silent!!!

I’m trying to keep it spoiler free - I’ll give it a chance on my next visit.

 

[DrStarlander]

I want to see the show writing team that came up with that show

According to the Jared Bush interview:

"The story really begins with Imagineering...early on we talked about what kind of story could be told...we knew we wanted to see biomes and see how they intersected...and they had a lot of great ideas at the beginning...it was a lot of back and forth...what would our characters do that also needed to make sense for what the attraction was going to be...for me it was a bite-sized view into how Nick and Judy solved the case..."

This doesn't identify who exactly was behind the original ideas, and for me that's not the point. While I don't expect Jared Bush to be an expert on what makes for a great theme park show or what's most appropriate for Animal Kingdom's mission, it's not a career highlight for him as quite possibly the most senior person directly involved.

Since many theme park attractions involve animation IPs, some retrospection on this project and partnership would be warranted. What could have happened differently? How can the bar be set higher? Were the WDI/animation teams too deferential to each other (the image of two overly-deferential outfielders staring ruefully at the ball on the ground comes to mind)? Did they do a painful but necessary "What's terrible about this?" session mid-project where team-members are challenged to brainstorm every aspect of the project that will be criticized and perceived as failure, then recalibrate as necessary? Did they test-screen this adequately in animatic form with people removed enough from the project and company's politics to provide honest feedback? And every time they sought feedback, did they make sure to ask the question: "Even if you loved it, please tell me at least one thing you think other people might possibly criticize about it" (as this is often the only way to suss out something close to honest feedback).