It was a novel concept to fill in desperately need things to do quickly and on the cheap. DAK only had Dino, Safaris, Rafiki, and Bugs Life on day 1.
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News Bruce Vaughn Returns to Disney as Co-Lead of Walt Disney Imagineering
- Thread starter DCBaker
- Start date
Epcot81Fan
Well-Known Member
So “novel” is now defined as cheap, poorly themed, and embarrassing in a Disney park.
Fascinating to watch the level of rationalization and excuse making in this thread to avoid actually objectively critiquing the creative output.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
It was a break the glass because attendance fell in year 2…just like attendance is falling now and they are increasing prices across the board…
…wait a minute…that can’t be right?…
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Nobody is avoiding objective critique. They’re avoiding your overzealous commitment to ignorance.
lol it’s cute you think I’m making excuses for WDI and Disney. I for one can’t wait to be called a pixie duster.
Bottom line is that it was a novel idea that should have been replaced 20 years ago but wasn’t. The reasons are all the same and why capacity is still an issue in a half day park.
It’s the Disney way.
MagicHappens1971
Well-Known Member
PI's do get paid more, my point was just that WDW based PI's can live at Flamingo if they choose to. And that they are not paying Disney for rent.
Hope that's not a case study taught in MBA class by educated? professors on how to run a business...
JustInTime
Well-Known Member
They do what they are told with what they are given. So fan logic is sound logic!
JustInTime
Well-Known Member
Exactly this.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
What did that trip cost out of the attraction's $100 million budget? What did that attraction do to attendance at that park? Everest is the amongst the worst possible examples you could choose for an example of poor performance for Rohde.
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
My man…
The original DAK was horribly over budget…well beyond the published numbers - lost in “development costs” for the whole area.
And Aulani is quicksand.
Now is all of that on rhode specifically? No. But it can’t be true that none of it is.
And we have discussed the “culture” being flawed at WDI for many years. Nobody has ever disputed it…is that on him? Maybe a slice.
I’d say his best work is avatar overall…but they had a “co-creative” there.
He always has done quality work…no argument. But thinking it’s abstract art…and not a business unit in a behemoth company…is the root of alot of the present ills. There isn’t a “can do” attitude for many years that created WED/WDI…
Get it done…keep it working…amaze.
Not all him…but a slice for sure.
I guess it brings up several interesting questions:
Why now and why no official replacement? Disney typically does not handle it this way when the people on the org chart change.
Other than being in charge of WDI, did she have any direct involvement with TBA? There was a lot of emphasis in the video put on TBA being a reason for her dismissal, but I have to imagine if that were true there would be many more scapegoats to blame first.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
DAK had its budget slashed massively multiple times throughout the early 90s by the executive leadership. I would not blame any of its shortcomings on Rohde, who had far more impressive intentions for the park before these cuts occurred. If you want to point fingers, point them towards figureheads such as Michael Eisner (and the strategic planning people who were growing in power at the time) who slashed the hell out of everything following the financial failures of Disneyland Paris.
It's a miracle that AK turned out as good as it did, given the mess the parks division was being put through at the time thanks to idiots at the executive level (including the firing of a ton of talent, canning of other impressive projects, and massive budget cuts across the board). For comparison, look at the following three theme parks built under Eisner's watch (outside of Tokyo Disneysea, which wasn't budget constrained and was something Frank Wells was pushing hard for prior to his death). Studios Paris, California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland. Rohde did the best he could with the bad hand he was dealt, and he still managed to create something really special. Albeit not without glaring flaws beyond his power to fix.
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Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Yes I know…Eisner threw some cheap parks together…2 of which contractually or politically obligated…I’ve heard the horror story…in addition to living it.
But now we have 20 years of the short guy and the parks are in just as bad of shape across the board…
So Saint Joe is the answer?
Maybe
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I assume this is rhetorical?
Epcot81Fan
Well-Known Member
“He didn’t have an enormous budget!”
“Management made him do it!”
“Somebody else approved his terrible design!”
“It’s an overlay, what can you expect?!”
These excuses for Rhode’s terrible creative output are hysterical.
Can’t wait for:
“The sun was in his eyes!”
“The dog ate his homework!”
