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Bob Weis to replace Bruce Vaughn as head of Walt Disney Imagineering
- Thread starter asianway
- Start date
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
And yet it's made it to the New York Times website.
Because Shanghai is ahead of schedule and under budget?
But Shanghai is Weis' project.
Rodan75
Well-Known Member
Yes. But wasn't spirit saying that Weis was getting shorted on resources and being made to look like a fall guy, I'm assuming that Weiss is getting a heroes welcome for overcoming that. (Maybe I'm getting the names mixed up with someone else. )
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Can anyone get ahold of the full text of Chapek's memo?
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
He probably asked for some of that DHS budget to actually begin work... Not realizing that money was never meant to be spent on actual attractions.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
It will probably be written as WDI needs to increase it's profit margins.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
My guess the former, This was probably meant as a warning to those who had 'Grand Plans' for Disney attractions.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Do you think these changes are a sign of legitimately better days ahead? Weis' reputation seems VERY solid on paper given what he has apparently worked on in the past, but it won't matter much unless there's also a change in the higher executive leaders. Those responsible for allocating money and approving projects...Indeed. Expect more to be announced.
Or maybe not
I also hope this isn't another case of setting up a fall guy. WDW1974 has warned in the past that Joe Rohde for instance may not be around forever.
I'd like to see Jason Grandt be assigned a project with some meat and see how he does. The guy gets it and can surely do more than add gags to meet n greetsIndeed. Expect more to be announced.
Or maybe not
Recent events have been more about trying to set the house straight. Avatarland is hugely over budget - like fastpass plus percentage - and it's no secret that this hasn't gone down very well. As you can imagine. The kids of WDI who wouldn't know an E ticket if it bit em got sent back to school with SWL so hopefully someone like Weis can try to demonstrate to them what Imagineering can do. Now they just need to sort of the ridiculous cost of a WDI project.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Kathy Mangum (not Magnum) also was in charge of Cars Land and Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, two Anaheim projects that were creative successes. I spoke with her for 10 minutes at D23 Expo back in 2011 without knowing who she was, and she was gracious and fun. If she got a promotion or increase in scope, that sounds like a good thing.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
He history is more in project management, not creative development. Cars Lands got a lot of uncredited help from Tom Morris.
Malin
Active Member
Your point being is?
This would have received much more widespread media attention if it was released during a Monday Morning for instance. It's a well known practice that big corporate companies do when bad or negative news has to be posted.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Previous reshufflings inside Walt Disney Imagineering tend to go without public comment or notice, relegated to "rumor" on fan sites.
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
The media doesn't give a riff about what happens at WDI. Fans do. Very few else care.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
No, no. That's old news and Weis received the promotion for all the stuff he's had to deal with.
I actually think this has far more to do with the other partners. OLC and HK are both stuck in limbo because WDI can't seem to get enough resources together to deliver on time. That's the type of hierarchical management the head of WDI would be responsible for and should be fired over.
Especially when there are people in HK government suggesting maybe they should seek a new partner for the second gate if Disney does not care enough to devote resources to them. It's all a lot of hot air obviously, but Weis should help mend that bridge.
Malin
Active Member
Yes exactly and the timing is very odd too.. Which is the original point I made was it not?
Malin
Active Member
And yet his departure was reported on the New York Times website like Lazyboy97o pointed out. Sorry I'm not understanding what you are getting at here?
Do you even know?
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
A reply is not always a rebuttal. Your point about Friday being a time to try and bury news was added to; by showing how the attempt 1) was not effective and 2) past executive reshuffles have been able to occur without notice.