After Rhode: What happens next?

LastoneOn

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So Mr. Rhode retires.
What is the future of Imagineering?
Vision, strategy, personnel, outsourcing, bespoke vs off the rack.
All of those kind of questions.


**NOT A DEBATE ABOUT HOW/WHY MR. RHODE HAS LEFT
 

FettFan

Well-Known Member
So Mr. Rhode retires.
What is the future of Imagineering?
Vision, strategy, personnel, outsourcing, bespoke vs off the rack.
All of those kind of questions.


**NOT A DEBATE ABOUT HOW/WHY MR. RHODE HAS LEFT

You know the story of the little Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dam to prevent a devastating flood that would ruin his village?
 

FettFan

Well-Known Member
Probably finally fix that Yeti with a statue of Elsa and some flashing lights

Don't be silly....statues are expensive.

Instead they'll buy a cheap inflatable screen and projector from Amazon and play the two second clip from Monsters Inc. on repeat.
himalayas-gif.gif




And you'll have a Mike and Sully meet and greet in the gift shop.

maxresdefault.jpg



It'll be the Monsters Inc. Himalayan Adventure.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Imagineering will move on without him. A wise boss once told me... No matter how good you are, no matter how valuable you are, no matter how important you think you are to the company, never think that you are irreplaceable. Joe Rhode held an important spot and was always regarded highly by all. But now that hes moving on, there will be someone waiting in the wings to take his place. Maybe that person will get the chance to shine and put out even better work now that they are out of Rhodes shadow. But it will be up to the Disney big wigs whether they allow that someone to pick up the ball and run with it. Even the very best talent can be held back and squashed by executives who cant or wont see the talent before their eyes..
 

RandySavage

Well-Known Member
As intellectually-minded and serious about the art and purpose of theme parks as Joe was/is, he wasn't able to do much about the broad strategic trajectory the top brass has set WDI on for a very long time:

So what happens next will be - unfortunately - a seamless continuation of what's been happening:

-More technology/screens/interactivity.
-Less nuance/history-mindedness/sophistication.
-More dependence on popular, established characters & film/tv IP.
-Less originality/imagination/invention.
-More ballooning overhead and costs for new developments.
-Less bang for the buck.
-More fantastical/superficial/child-friendly content and re-themes.
-Less real-world enrichment, inspiration & illumination.
-More shoe-horning of IP into ill-fitting locales.
-Less harmonizing of themed lands with their attractions.
-More diversity in branding and hamfisted PC "fixes".
-Less diversity of experience & themes, as all parks homogenize toward a OneDisney(tm) experience.
-More going with the safe option.
-Less risk-taking.
-More theme-less or poorly-themed mid-rise hotels/DVC.
-More "just ignore me" massive, highly-visible, unthemed showbuildings (e.g., Ratatouille, Tron, GotG)
 
Last edited:

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
It moves on. Joe wasnt the end all be all. Disney creativity doesnt cease to exist.
Finally, someone living in reality. I think Joe was great, but I thought Walt Disney was a one and done, but here 54 years after his death The Disney Company rolls on. There are other creative people who will now get a chance to show their stuff and who knows, maybe even better then Joe. Gloom and doom have been the hallmark of 2020 but, it will survive. Different, perhaps, but still there and then we have to make the decision to accept and enjoy or find an alternative. Pretty much what life has been like since the beginning of time.
 

DisneyNittany

Well-Known Member
Don't be silly....statues are expensive.

Instead they'll buy a cheap inflatable screen and projector from Amazon and play the two second clip from Monsters Inc. on repeat.
himalayas-gif.gif




And you'll have a Mike and Sully meet and greet in the gift shop.

maxresdefault.jpg



It'll be the Monsters Inc. Himalayan Adventure.

I'm going to be honest with you...

If the Yeti is "fixed" even just enough to yell "WELCOME TO THE HIMALAYAS" at me as I pass through, I think that'd be an INCREDIBLE improvement/addition.

The theming and feeling you get at EE is so pure, and they do such a great job of setting up both the "scary" back story and the thrill, that a lighthearted Disneyfied ending of the friendliest Yeti ever would be such a juxtaposition to the rest of the ride that I think it could honestly work, just from pure shock value.
 

DisneyNittany

Well-Known Member
-More "just ignore me" massive, highly-visible, unthemed showbuildings (e.g., Ratatouille, Tron, GotG)

This is the one that worries/upsets me the most.

I enjoy the attractions/rides, but they aren't the main draw for me. Don't get me wrong, we fit in as many rides and re-rides as possible, but I'm just as happy (arguably happier) when I'm just walking around and taking in the ambience. Once that begins to trend down, and the escapism becomes less and less, that's when I'll sour on WDW.

It hasn't happened yet (for me), but it's hard to see some of these exposed show buildings and stay in the escapist bubble at times.
 

Mickey5150

Well-Known Member
I think what happens next is also part of the reason Rhode left, Disney realizes it's lost billions of dollars and reworks the entire corporation from top to bottom. It's like a professional sports team going into a "rebuilding" phase. Yes some of the older players could stick around but they don't want to deal with all the trouble after all of their championship years. No matter who is in Imagineering it all depends on what the company direction is. Disney will hire whomever they want and if they say do IPs, they do IPs, if they say make original attractions then that's what they do.
 

Bob Harlem

Well-Known Member
So Mr. Rhode retires.
What is the future of Imagineering?
Vision, strategy, personnel, outsourcing, bespoke vs off the rack.
All of those kind of questions.


**NOT A DEBATE ABOUT HOW/WHY MR. RHODE HAS LEFT

Depends on the leadership, will they allow another "spokesperson" or new imagineer to develop and become their own star or not? There are plenty of people there that could qualify for that still, but it's not in the business interest to allow that to happen. Trowbridge could have been that, but that isn't happening either. These things take years to develop, how did Rohde or Baxter became a breakout star/spokesperson in the first place and just not another cog in the company?
 

NickMaio

Well-Known Member
As intellectually-minded and serious about the art and purpose of theme parks as Joe was/is, he wasn't able to do much about the broad strategic trajectory the top brass has set WDI on for a very long time:

So what happens next will be - unfortunately - a seamless continuation of what's been happening:

-More technology/screens/interactivity.
-Less nuance/history-mindedness/sophistication.
-More dependence on popular, established characters & film/tv IP.
-Less originality/imagination/invention.
-More ballooning overhead and costs for new developments.
-Less bang for the buck.
-More fantastical/superficial/child-friendly content and re-themes.
-Less real-world enrichment, inspiration & illumination.
-More shoe-horning of IP into ill-fitting locales.
-Less harmonizing of themed lands with their attractions.
-More diversity in branding and hamfisted PC "fixes".
-Less diversity of experience & themes, as all parks homogenize toward a OneDisney(tm) experience.
-More going with the safe option.
-Less risk-taking.
-More theme-less or poorly-themed mid-rise hotels/DVC.
-More "just ignore me" massive, highly-visible, unthemed showbuildings (e.g., Ratatouille, Tron, GotG)
Sadly.......you are BANG on.
 

FettFan

Well-Known Member
As intellectually-minded and serious about the art and purpose of theme parks as Joe was/is, he wasn't able to do much about the broad strategic trajectory the top brass has set WDI on for a very long time:

So what happens next will be - unfortunately - a seamless continuation of what's been happening:

-More technology/screens/interactivity.
-Less nuance/history-mindedness/sophistication.
-More dependence on popular, established characters & film/tv IP.
-Less originality/imagination/invention.
-More ballooning overhead and costs for new developments.
-Less bang for the buck.
-More fantastical/superficial/child-friendly content and re-themes.
-Less real-world enrichment, inspiration & illumination.
-More shoe-horning of IP into ill-fitting locales.
-Less harmonizing of themed lands with their attractions.
-More diversity in branding and hamfisted PC "fixes".
-Less diversity of experience & themes, as all parks homogenize toward a OneDisney(tm) experience.
-More going with the safe option.
-Less risk-taking.
-More theme-less or poorly-themed mid-rise hotels/DVC.
-More "just ignore me" massive, highly-visible, unthemed showbuildings (e.g., Ratatouille, Tron, GotG)

TLDR: Disney Parks becoming more like Six Flags, while Universal Parks become more like old school Disney.



I don't mean to disparage Six Flags (they're quite fun for a weekend trip), but Disney parks have always prided themselves at providing "The Disney Difference", and now that difference is walking right out the door.

Meanwhile at Uni...
0928_universal_jurassic_velocicoaster_concept_art
 

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