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

[EagleScout610]

If they announced Tony Baxter was coming back, id be clicking my heels, whistling Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah, speaking of, isn't he suppose to be on the Splash redo project, as some "honorary" role... haven't heard anything since.

Tony left early in the project I believe. Word is his plans for Tiana conflicted with what Disney wanted so he left.

 

[eddie104]

Imagineering being restructured is a good thing in my opinion. I’m not too familiar with this guy but if he is able to help rebuild this division from the ground up I will be happy.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My gut feeling is still that Rohde is incredibly overrated. I've never understood this near-worship of him from some corners of the fan community. He's done some good things, but some very bad ones, and as @Sirwalterraleigh points out -- crap, I'm agreeing with him again! -- Rohde's management, or lack thereof, actually contributed to making the situation in the parks worse in the long run.

Tony Baxter I could get more excited about, but as you point out, he's 76. Not saying that an imagineer in their 70's isn't possible, but he's not a long-term solution to the problems either. Still, I'd definitely be more excited about him than Rohde.

Nothing of this nature matters until they have new management. And I mean the office right next to dopeys ear…

A lot of the maneuvering now is one napoleonic weasel looking for pub to save his skin. Don’t forget all that’s passed in this very interesting 4 Months…

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wake me up when construction starts on these so called "new" projects...

…game
…….set
………..match

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Imagineering being restructured is a good thing in my opinion. I’m not too familiar with this guy but if he is able to help rebuild this division from the ground up I will be happy.

Did anybody say anything about restructuring?

I missed it

 

[afterabme]

Would this have any impact on moving or not moving WDI to Lake Nona?

 

[eddie104]

Did anybody say anything about restructuring?

I missed it

 

[SplashJacket]

You are really dedicated to “wishing it into existence”, ain’t ya??

Walt Disney Co. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors

Shares of Walt Disney Co. slipped 1.59% to $99.06 Tuesday, on what proved to be an all-around grim trading session for the stock market, with the S&P 500...

www.marketwatch.com

It’s not wishing it into existence. I have friends that are getting incredibly busy, as I said in the Big Thunder thread.

Stuff is happening.

 

[SplashJacket]

I'm honestly not sure if I should be excited. Having money to spend initially seems great, but if they're going to be spending on it stuff like changing Dinosaur into Zootopia or replacing Impressions de France with the Beauty and the Beast Sing-A-Long, I'd rather they have no money and leave things as is.

If they're actually going to build expansions, then great! If they're going to spend the money on replacements, their recent track record suggests they could easily be spending money to make the parks worse than they are right now.

I think there may be some unfavorable to some on here, but as a whole, my understanding is excitement is in order.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

So long as corporate thinks the only thing worth building are big box IP rides and pointless overlays, I can't get excited about who's left in WDI.

It’s like if you had a movie studio (Parks and Resorts) run by the people who manage your local multiplex.

This leadership group will never do it, but the creative head of WDI should be co-lead of Parks and Resorts alongside an operations head.

Until Parks is treated with the same level of respect as Features or Television/Streaming, nothing will change.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Imagineering being restructured is a good thing in my opinion. I’m not too familiar with this guy but if he is able to help rebuild this division from the ground up I will be happy.

He helped make it what is today.

 

[UNCgolf]

My gut feeling is still that Rohde is incredibly overrated. I've never understood this near-worship of him from some corners of the fan community. He's done some good things, but some very bad ones, and as @Sirwalterraleigh points out -- crap, I'm agreeing with him again! -- Rohde's management, or lack thereof, actually contributed to making the situation in the parks worse in the long run.

Tony Baxter I could get more excited about, but as you point out, he's 76. Not saying that an imagineer in their 70's isn't possible, but he's not a long-term solution to the problems either. Still, I'd definitely be more excited about him than Rohde.

I don't worship Rohde, but if you look at the past two+ decades of WDW, he's been heavily involved in most of what turned out really well.

I actually can't think of anything bad he's done, but I could certainly be forgetting something. Dinorama is the main one I think people would point to, but it's not actually bad -- it's very well done for what it is. I think it was a bad idea in general, but I can't fault the execution.

 

[Inspired Figment]

I don't worship Rohde, but if you look at the past two+ decades of WDW, he's been heavily involved in most of what turned out really well.

I actually can't think of anything bad he's done, but I could certainly be forgetting something. Dinorama would be the main one I think people would point to, but it's not actually bad -- it's very well done for what it is. I think it was a bad idea in general, but I can't fault the execution.

The ‘Dinosaur/Countdown To Extinction’ ride is fabulous… just not the carnival area to the side.

 

[UNCgolf]

The ‘Dinosaur/Countdown To Extinction’ ride is fabulous… just not the carnival area to the side.

The carnival area is what I'm talking about. It's a bad fit for a theme park and I'm not defending it as a good idea (it should have been replaced long ago) but it does execute its concept well.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It’s not wishing it into existence. I have friends that are getting incredibly busy, as I said in the Big Thunder thread.

Stuff is happening.

…oh I bet.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think there may be some unfavorable to some on here, but as a whole, my understanding is excitement is in order.

So the walls go up when?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Holy ambiguous, Batman!!!

That actually says nothing…but we’ll watch it play

 

[Tha Realest]

Holy ambiguous, Batman!!!

That actually says nothing…but we’ll watch it play

possibly face-saving for Bouza?

 

[SplashJacket]

So the walls go up when?

Sooner than you think, but beyond that, not sure.

What I know: imagineering is really busy at the moment. There is a desire to get projects moving ASAP.

Things I suspect: Disney spent a lot of money expanding Marvel, Star Wars, streaming etc, and pumping out as much content as possible, now they’re seeing what works and what doesn’t, and are cutting the fat. Now they’re shifting strategies to throw a lot of money on theme parks.

Currently, the only WDW investments are a DVC tower, a retheme, fireworks, and a nearly finished Epcot hub. Disneyland has nothing outside of a simple retheme of pacific wharf once TT opens this month.

Hong Kong and Shanghai are nearing completion on Frozen and Zootopia respectively.

They’re not about to cut investment funding to the parks, they may even expand it.

Back to what I know. The people I know in Imagineering are incredibly busy designing the projects that will begin coming to fruition in the near term to fit their desired investments. I said it in the Beyond Big Thunder thread, but what I know is they’re working on a lot. Whether it’s a lot of different things, one massive thing, I’m not entirely sure, I have general ideas and suspicions, but once again, I’m not entirely sure.

I am entirely sure, that unless they make a sudden 180° turn, a lot is coming and sooner than you’ll guess.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

possibly face-saving for Bouza?

Possibly face saving PR for a certain ceo that has foundered since he marched on Rome and has activist investors making a play against him?