News Bruce Vaughn Returns to Disney as Co-Lead of Walt Disney Imagineering

[yensidtlaw1969]

And yet…

What a weird thing to assume they're doing.

 

[Tha Realest]

Generally you don't hire a consultant just to pat you on the back for decisions you'd already made before paying them.

 

[celluloid]

The Haunted Mansion was actually regarded by many as the first disappointment in Disneyland's history when it opened in 1969 - up until then things were only getting bigger and better as time went on, and Pirates of the Caribbean was a tough act to follow. The fact that Mansion was slightly smaller in scale than Pirates, had nearly a decade's worth of rumor-mongering behind it, and was essentially the first attraction to open without Walt Disney's full leadership led many to feel let down by the ride and nervous about Disneyland's future prospects.

It was heinously well-attended, with record attendance at Disneyland the week after it opened, but it wasn't quite the popular instant classic we'd imagine it was. Lots of high hopes were dashed when the thing was actually revealed.

Little off-topic, but worthwhile history.

There were Southern Californians terrified of and from home invasion murders and wanted nothing to do with death in mansions.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Joe's currently back as a consultant. It's a very recent development.

Hey, Joe... you know the fake tarmac made out of concrete? Are those just fake cracks, or are they real cracks which would make demolition easier?

 

[mkt]

The grounds and resort itself is stunning, and there is so much to do. The Hawaiian art collection, just like AKL’s African art collection gives it an authenticity that also makes Africa and Asia at Animal Kingdom so effective. They’re both brilliant.

I mean, I'd expect nothing short of pre-colonial authenticity for a resort in Hawaii at that price point.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I mean, I'd expect nothing short of pre-colonial authenticity for a resort in Hawaii at that price point.

Well its the one dvc I’ve never stayed at as it stands…and I may get there…I may not

I hear it’s very nice. It’s main problem is it was built for a clientele that kinda dried up and they mismanaged the buildout

 

[mkt]

mismanaged

Mismanagement is Disney's fifth quality standard.

Safety, Courtesy/Quality (the neverending debate depending on when a CM went through Traditions), Show, Efficiency, and Mismanagement.

 

[el_super]

I mean, I'd expect nothing short of pre-colonial authenticity for a resort in Hawaii at that price point.

Is that pretty common amongst resorts in Hawaii? What other resorts are driven by pre-colonial authenticity?

 

[mkt]

Is that pretty common amongst resorts in Hawaii? What other resorts are driven by pre-colonial authenticity?

My snarkasm might have not come through. So here are two points for you to derive my thoughts on the issue:

1- I've been to Hawaii once, only to Honolulu, and stayed in a business hotel that my former employer paid for.
2- I am a US colonial subject

 

[RSoxNo1]

You need people that can do their own kind of great work on shorter timelines with controlled budgets. Maybe their stuff isn't as grand in the end but it can still be amazing and enjoyable and leave an impression.

So you need more people from Universal Creative?

In all seriousness, the lead Imagineers right now are probably Chris Beatty and Scott Trowbridge. The former excels in art direction, the latter excels at more ambitious attractions.

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Joe Rohde was well above average in both of those categories. There's also something to be said about the ability to convince executives to stretch a budget.

There are plenty of conversations throughout the history of Imagineering about pushing for more money to get another wow moment on a project. Off the top of my head, I recall specific stories about budgets from Tony Baxter and Joe Lanzisero and I'm sure there are countless others.

 

[MrPromey]

So you need more people from Universal Creative?

In all seriousness, the lead Imagineers right now are probably Chris Beatty and Scott Trowbridge. The former excels in art direction, the latter excels at more ambitious attractions.

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Joe Rohde was well above average in both of those categories. There's also something to be said about the ability to convince executives to stretch a budget.

There are plenty of conversations throughout the history of Imagineering about pushing for more money to get another wow moment on a project. Off the top of my head, I recall specific stories about budgets from Tony Baxter and Joe Lanzisero and I'm sure there are countless others.

I disagree with nothing you've said here!

... even the not serious part.

I remember watching a panel that included Joe, someone who had worked at Disney and transitioned over as a lead at Universal Creative (I should remember his name but I don't) and someone just a part of Universal Creative and Joe's compliment to the Universal team was their ability to build and open things quickly.

It was funny to watch because the way he expressed it, it seemed like such a foreign idea to him that such a thing was even possible.

For his part, I'm sure the speed his projects happened were a combination of his process and to an even larger degree, the roadblocks, pitfalls and detours that are a part of navigating the modern Disney workplace culture to get anything substantial done but it was funny because if he'd said it in any other way it'd have come across as a backhanded compliment but it was an acknowledgment that there's no way Disney could have done what Universal did with Harry Potter within the budget or timeline they did it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So you need more people from Universal Creative?

In all seriousness, the lead Imagineers right now are probably Chris Beatty and Scott Trowbridge. The former excels in art direction, the latter excels at more ambitious attractions.

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Joe Rohde was well above average in both of those categories. There's also something to be said about the ability to convince executives to stretch a budget.

There are plenty of conversations throughout the history of Imagineering about pushing for more money to get another wow moment on a project. Off the top of my head, I recall specific stories about budgets from Tony Baxter and Joe Lanzisero and I'm sure there are countless others.

The definition of “excel” is always a sliding scale

 

[celluloid]

I disagree with nothing you've said here!

... even the not serious part.

I remember watching a panel that included Joe, someone who had worked at Disney and transitioned over as a lead at Universal Creative (I should remember his name but I don't) and someone just a part of Universal Creative and Joe's compliment to the Universal team was their ability to build and open things quickly.

It was funny to watch because the way he expressed it, it seemed like such a foreign idea to him that such a thing was even possible.

For his part, I'm sure the speed his projects happened were a combination of his process and to an even larger degree, the roadblocks, pitfalls and detours that are a part of navigating the modern Disney workplace culture to get anything substantial done but it was funny because if he'd said it in any other way it'd have come across as a backhanded compliment but it was an acknowledgment that there's no way Disney could have done what Universal did with Harry Potter within the budget or timeline they did it.

I recall that panel online and was a clever question by the guest.
Also, for fun fact sake, Tony Baxter exited Forbidden Journey after riding it for the first time and said
"We used to do stuff like this"

So at one time, it was in the realm, but has not been now for a very long time.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

if you play the record backwards…it just sounds broken

I tried that once. All I heard was Chapek saying “Give me money”. Or at least something that sounded similar.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I tried that once. All I heard was Chapek saying “Give me money”. Or at least something that sounded similar.

….same thing as Stairway

 

[Tha Realest]

Mismanagement is Disney's fifth quality standard.

Safety, Courtesy/Quality (the neverending debate depending on when a CM went through Traditions), Show, Efficiency, and Mismanagement.

You do realize they added a new one in the middle a few years ago:

 

[MrPromey]

I tried that once. All I heard was Chapek saying “Give me money”. Or at least something that sounded similar.

You mean "Give me money AND spill the blood of the innocent", right?

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

You mean "Give me money AND spill the blood of the innocent", right?

Chapek was is a weird dude.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The definition of “excel” is always a sliding scale

"Excels at relative to their other skills"
In Chris Beatty's case, he has the ability to pitch something to the point of getting a budget for it, then having someone else jump in and make the project better.

 

[mkt]

You do realize they added a new one in the middle a few years ago:

View attachment 772753

Nice.

So a sixth key.

Although to this day it does bother me that Quality was replaced by Courtesy.