Oh no, say it ain't so, Joe..

[Surferboy567]

I guess...I have to be the one to say it.

Did he retire...or did they fire him (or politely ask him to retire)?

Whatever the case, he is an amazing talent, and I hope he enjoys his well earned retirement.

 

[Communicora]

I certainly wish him the best in retirement. One imagineer I will definitely miss.

Same here. I don't think they make imagineers like him anymore.

I wonder what this means for that new private cruise line island. Is that even still in plan?

 

[Haymarket2008]

Not an exaggeration to say he was one of the last truly GREAT Imagineers. Excited for new talent, but he is a fixture.

 

[LiterallyNobody]

I guess...I have to be the one to say it.

Did he retire...or did they fire him (or politely ask him to retire)?

Whatever the case, he is an amazing talent, and I hope he enjoys his well earned retirement.

I am sure it was a mutual agreement for him to retire. Saves face for both parties involved.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I guess...I have to be the one to say it.

Did he retire...or did they fire him (or politely ask him to retire)?

Whatever the case, he is an amazing talent, and I hope he enjoys his well earned retirement.

I suspect they gave him a good retirement option for his services, rather than just letting him go outright.

Maybe we can see his return as a Consultant when they retheme Everest to Frozen.

 

[HairyChest]

If Universal can acquire Joe Rhode for Epic Universe,that would be AMAZING!

 

[Horizons '83]

If Universal can acquire Joe Rhode for Epic Universe,that would be AMAZING!

I think Joe is done with theme parks as a whole. Sounds like there are other journeys he'd like to take before leaving this earth.

 

[MisterPenguin]

If Universal can acquire Joe Rhode for Epic Universe,that would be AMAZING!

Universal recently fired a bunch of their imagineers.

 

[Rteetz]

I think Joe is done with theme parks as a whole. Sounds like there are other journeys he'd like to take before leaving this earth.

Yeah I think unless he finds something else specifically he will focus on his world travels and art.

 

[Surferboy567]

I suspect they gave him a good retirement option for his services, rather than just letting him go outright.

Maybe we can see his return as a Consultant when they retheme Everest to Frozen.

I suspect this as well.

 

[LSLS]

Universal recently fired a bunch of their imagineers.

Universal were following this thread and new he was becoming available, so they were prepping.

Sad to see him go. I can honestly say he is the only creative guy's name I would even recognize, let alone recognize on the street. Big loss for theme parks as a whole to lose someone that pushed design.

 

[zakattack99]

Yeah I think unless he finds something else specifically he will focus on his world travels and art.

First I want to say I feel like this was an agreed upon retirement. Disney was gutting Imagineering and he was a casualty of it, Joe was just well known enough to give him leverage to negotiate his exit.

That out of the way I agree with what you are saying, if you follow him on his social media you get a great idea of how knowledgeable he is with both world history and culture. He has posted about everything from Medieval Europe to unheard of islands in the South Pacific. Now that Disney owns NatGeo it almost makes me wonder if he could have a future traveling the world and working with them on projects. Sort of like "Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom" but actually in Africa and with a more prominent role. Think of the marketing "Join former Imaginer Joe Rhode as he explores the wonders of insert far away mystical place here". Its not that far of a thought as Joe contributed to the Animal Kingdom NatGeo project.

 

[brb1006]

 

[WillWrambles]

If this is really a disguised firing, it might be a fatal blow to Imagineering in general.

 

[marni1971]

They’ll have to find another marketable fan favourite now. If there’s any left.

 

[ABQ]

And how about that Yeti?

 

[ptaylor]

They’ll have to find another marketable fan favourite now. If there’s any left.

Zach Riddley seems to be the one they are lining up for that role.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

They’ll have to find another marketable fan favourite now. If there’s any left.

No Marty, no Tony and now no Joe. Who's left?

 

[EagleScout610]

And how about that Yeti?

Dead

 

[wdwmagic]

No Marty, no Tony and now no Joe. Who's left?

Tom Fitzgerald and Kevin Rafferty are about the last of the original well known Imagineers.