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

[drnilescrane]

Big news that Barbara B. Is out. She was a big part of the problem. I suspect her “licensed architect” background was a big factor in the bland hotel construction at WDW recently.

I think the problem runs a bit deeper than that. WDI is a service provider to other parts of the company. Line of Business is the client.

Yes, they have a bit more power to dictate than most (because they have a captive client), but if the requirements and budget are Marriott, you get Marriott.

Both need to be fixed.

 

[peter11435]

Big news that Barbara B. Is out. She was a big part of the problem. I suspect her “licensed architect” background was a big factor in the bland hotel construction at WDW recently.

Every hotel construction project recently opened and currently under construction at WDW began before she was with TWDC.

That said her departure is a good thing for the organization.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Big news that Barbara B. Is out. She was a big part of the problem. I suspect her “licensed architect” background was a big factor in the bland hotel construction at WDW recently.

Disney Tourist Blog has a good post on what can be pinned on her...

President of Imagineering Leaving Disney

Barbara Bouza, the President of Walt Disney Imagineering, has announced that she's leaving the company. This post shares the news of her departure and offers commentary about what this could mean for the future of

www.disneytouristblog.com

 

[Tha Realest]

Disney Tourist Blog has a good post on what can be pinned on her...

President of Imagineering Leaving Disney

Barbara Bouza, the President of Walt Disney Imagineering, has announced that she's leaving the company. This post shares the news of her departure and offers commentary about what this could mean for the future of

www.disneytouristblog.com

-Communicore Hall
-Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
-Polynesian Towers
-DVC cabins

Yes, some quality control needs to be reasserted within WDI

 

[JustInTime]

Rhode gave us the embarrassing original DinoLand. “Authentic” cracked roadside carnival asphalt and all.

He did the best he could with the crumbs given. It could have been much worse.

 

[Disney Analyst]

He did the best he could with the crumbs given. It could have been much worse.

In the end, important to remember imagineers are just people who have to work within the parameters set by management.

They can and do create incredible things, when allowed.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

-Communicore Hall
-Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
-Polynesian Towers
-DVC cabins

Yes, some quality control needs to be reasserted within WDI

These projects predate her. Poly tower was in development in 2018/2019; it was put on hold due to COVID. Tiana was blue skyed in 2019.

 

[Tha Realest]

These projects predate her. Poly tower was in development in 2018/2019; it was put on hold due to COVID. Tiana was blue skyed in 2019.

There’s a good amount of evidence that neither of the things you mention were fully baked. TBA’s final product looks and sounds very different from what was teased in 2020.

Whether a project was blue skyed or “in development” prior to her arrival, much of the final work and authorization happened under her watch.

Let’s not forget the Storyliving projects either.

 

[peter11435]

There’s a good amount of evidence that neither of the things you mention were fully baked. TBA’s final product looks and sounds very different from what was teased in 2020.

Whether a project was blue skyed or “in development” prior to her arrival, much of the final work and authorization happened under her watch.

Let’s not forget the Storyliving projects either.

The Poly project has not changed much since the pre Covid plans.

 

[Epcot81Fan]

He did the best he could with the crumbs given. It could have been much worse.

Disney Fan logic:

Project turns out great: Imagineer is a genius.

Project turns out to be an embarrassment: Management’s fault.

 

[Tha Realest]

Disney Fan logic:

Project turns out great: Imagineer is a genius.

Project turns out to be an embarrassment: Management’s fault.

It’s the same folks who also felt D’Amaro was “just following orders” implementing Chapek-era changes to the Parks, and is still powerless to change anything under Iger

 

[monothingie]

The Poly project has not changed much since the pre Covid plans.

The others were.

 

[monothingie]

They can and do create incredible things, when allowed.

And yet Superstar Limo.

 

[Disney Analyst]

And yet Superstar Limo.

That entire parks development falls on Eisner for me. He did that. He approved that. He funded that.

 

[el_super]

Yes, some quality control needs to be reasserted within WDI

No one will ever be really happy. Either you end up with Bouza trying to rein in costs and producing uninspiring content or you end up with the guy who spent 70 million dollars to put pipes on the side of a building.

Either way people end up unhappy. A billion dollar land with only two rides?? OUTRAGEOUS... RIGHT?

 

[peter11435]

The others were.

The original comment was about hotel projects. Every hotel construction project at WDW started before she joined the company.

 

[monothingie]

The original comment was about hotel projects. Every hotel construction project at WDW started before she joined the company.

-Communicore Hall
-Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
-Polynesian Towers
-DVC cabins

Yes, some quality control needs to be reasserted within WDI

 

[castlecake2.0]

The Poly project has not changed much since the pre Covid plans.

So who do we blame for this terrible decision

 

[monothingie]

That entire parks development falls on Eisner for me. He did that. He approved that. He funded that.

But WDI is ultimately the creative force and bear the responsibility as well. Disneyland and MK were done on shoestring budgets, yet the results for the most part were amazing.

WDI isn’t capable of anything on that scale today, even if they had an unlikely budget.

When the prevailing mentality in the company is to treat the guest as solely a consumer of product and not as guests, you can get some awful results.

 

[Eric Graham]

Thank you so much for the backstory about Vaughn. I'm really not that familiar with a lot of the Disney's leadership. I was in the parks one day when Josh D'Amoro was there for the opening of Mickey's Runaway Railway, shortly before Disney World closed because of covid.