Joe Rhode

[Merlin]

I'd definitely like to meet him.

Well if you ever do, I hope you're a good listener, because something tells me this is a guy who likes to hear himself talk. :lol:

Say what you want, but the man is inspiring, interesting, colorful, and talented. I would also consider him to be the ambassador of WDI to the public.

And I'm sure he'd be the first to agree with every word of that. :lol:

 

[The_CEO]

Mr. Rhode seems to have alot of experience in the fields he's in, I also LOVE listening to interviews and his stories from his experiences.

 

[Merlin]

Mr. Rhode seems to have alot of experience in the fields he's in, I also LOVE listening to interviews and his stories from his experiences.

You must also love watching Celine Dion perform onstage. :lol:

 

[flscooman]

Is it just me or does he remind you of Doug Henning the magician?:drevil:

 

[Merlin]

Is it just me or does he remind you of Doug Henning the magician?:drevil:

I can totally see that. Except that Doug Henning always seemed to actually interact with people, whereas Joe Rhode just projects it all outwardly. He doesn't seem interested in the other person, only himself. And he definitely seems like someone who expects you to be mesmerized by him and by whatever he happens to be talking about.

 

[mkt]

Merlin,

not to start a fight, and I really am not trying to... but, can you say ANYTHING good about the man?

 

[Woody13]

Creativity is often not a pretty sight to behold.

 

[Trizz41999]

idk

 

[Merlin]

Merlin,

not to start a fight, and I really am not trying to... but, can you say ANYTHING good about the man?

That's a fair question. And no, I don't take it like you're trying to start a fight. I'm impressed by some of the things he's done. For example, I think Adventurer's Club is the best thing at Pleasure Island (although it seems like any time I've brought any of my non-Disney fan friends there, they tend to not get it and they are bored). I also think Animal Kingdom is the prettiest of all the parks, and the attention to detail is incredible on the outside of most of the buildings and structures. I do think the show quality of the attractions at that park leaves a bit to be desired.

So from the standpoint of judging him on the basis of his work, he does a fine job, though I still would not put him among the caliber of some of Disney's other Imagineers, such as Tony Baxter. But all in all I have no complaints about most of the stuff he has produced.

It's really his personality that tends to get on my nerves. Whether it's true or not, he definitely comes across as someone who's really full of himself. And the way he speaks about things, well although many on this thread have described it as "passionate", that's not how it comes across to me. I'm sure there's a level of passion behind it, and I'm sure it's also driven by his level of pride in his work (again, kinda full of himself). He just seems to speak very melodramatically about stuff. I've known people like this. They're the type of people who will tell you a story, and they seem to have this expectation that every other sentence, the listener is supposed to be constantly saying, "Wow!" "Really?" "That's amazing!" Those type of people get on my nerves.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I'm sure there's a level of passion behind it, and I'm sure it's also driven by his level of pride in his work (again, kinda full of himself).

Maybe it's just me, but I think there's a difference between being full of yourself and taking pride in your work.

Besides, if he went around saying "We're working on this new ride called Expedtion Everest, it's not that great, but it'll get the job done, and it's gonna make money either way, so whatever", it wouldn't really be good PR for the attraction. He's the lead Imagineer of AK, and it's part of his job to get people excited about what they're working on. I think Joe is kinda like Walt in that respect. He always takes pride in his work and speaks very dramatically as to get people excited about the project at hand. Maybe that's just me though .

Yensidtlaw1969

 

[Merlin]

Maybe it's just me, but I think there's a difference between being full of yourself and taking pride in your work.

I completely agree with that statement. I'm strugglng to articulate what I mean when I describe how his mannerisms annoy me. Perhaps that's why I started this thread, becase I wanted to find out if anyone else had made the same observations and felt the same way. Most of the responses I've gotten seem to focus on what he's created and done at Disney, and that's not really what my question was.

Besides, if he went around saying "We're working on this new ride called Expedtion Everest, it's not that great, but it'll get the job done, and it's gonna make money either way, so whatever", it wouldn't really be good PR for the attraction. He's the lead Imagineer of AK, and it's part of his job to get people excited about what they're working on. I think Joe is kinda like Walt in that respect. He always takes pride in his work and speaks very dramatically as to get people excited about the project at hand. Maybe that's just me though .

This is a very valid point, and one which I must admit I hadn't really considered. I'm not sure I'd compare him to Walt though. It's been widely reported that Walt did have a certain level of arrogance and I would tend to believe that's probably true. But that never came through in his interviews or speeches. He always came across as genuinely "giddy" and excited about projects and other things he might have been talking about. He smiled and laughed and he definitely had a gift for connecting with his audience. Joe Rhode, on the other hand, has this intense stare in his eyes and I've never seen him crack a smile.

 

[George]

. Most of the responses I've gotten seem to focus on what he's created and done at Disney, and that's not really what my question was.

I thinks that's because annoying is in the eye of the beholder and its more fun to talk about Rohde's work and his imagineering legacy. I think it would be neat to see a list of major imagineers and their contributions. Does anyone know of such a list?

 

[Merlin]

. Most of the responses I've gotten seem to focus on what he's created and done at Disney, and that's not really what my question was.

I thinks that's because annoying is in the eye of the beholder and its more fun to talk about Rohde's work and his imagineering legacy. I think it would be neat to see a list of major imagineers and their contributions. Does anyone know of such a list?

I totally agree it's in the eye of the beholder. That was my whole point in starting this thread. I wanted to find out if others find him annoying. I think people are having difficulty separating his work from his personality. This might not be a fair question to propose, but maybe people could look at it from the standpoint of this: Try to ignore everything you know about his work and just focus on his mannerisms and how he acts when he's being interviewed. Do you find it annoying at all?

 

[George]

To be honest Merlin (since you've stated your case so well)- He is kind of annoying. On a side note - I must be an idiot. How do you guys get those sweet boxes for the quotes? I hit the quote button, edit out the text I don't want, but not language that is clearly meant to separate the quote from my post (the backslash and bracket part) and I still don't get the sweet box. See - this is what happens when a middle aged guy starts communicating on a forum for the first time in his life.

 

[durhay]

plus, EPCOT has forgotten what it is supposed to be about, giving way instead to thrills and tie-ins.

Blame the Internet, the proliferation of cable channels, and increased quality of "infotainment" for the evolution to thrill rides. Back in the day, the information presented at Epcot was available in books and the occasional episode of NOVA on PBS. That information is much more readily available now, and presented in entertaining fashion. I remember seeing on NOVA a recreation of the JFK assasination using computer animation. Those sparse wire-frame models were cutting edge back then. You can't wow people soley with information anymore, because what Disney can do with AAs can be done with CG by television producers. Hence the addition of thrills. I myself was happy with WoM and Horizons, but I first saw them when they first opened.

 

[Merlin]

To be honest Merlin (since you've stated your case so well)- He is kind of annoying. On a side note - I must be an idiot. How do you guys get those sweet boxes for the quotes? I hit the quote button, edit out the text I don't want, but not language that is clearly meant to separate the quote from my post (the backslash and bracket part) and I still don't get the sweet box. See - this is what happens when a middle aged guy starts communicating on a forum for the first time in his life.

I think what might be happening is you're accidentally erasing the end quote (the one that starts with a bracket and a forward slash, followed by the word "QUOTE" and another bracket.)

 

[George]

I think what might be happening is you're accidentally erasing the end quote (the one that starts with a bracket and a forward slash, followed by the word "QUOTE" and another

Let's see if you're right. Yeah, I think I must have been too quick on my initial cursor placement. On a side note - Is there a place I can look up imagineers and what they've done? Lord knows I need another reason to kill time on the internet.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

If there are any CMs on this thread that are fans of Joe Rhode you should check out the "Conversation with Joe Rhode" video at the DLC. Its a 90 minute presentation with Joe talking about his career and he discusses in depth the background of DAK. Very very interesting

Unfortunately the video is only available to Cast Members.

-DGJake

 

[KevinPage]

As long as Joe Rhode keeps pumping out great attractions and keeping Merlin annoyed, then everything will be right with the world.

:drevil: :drevil: :drevil: