Captain Neo
Well-Known Member
Uh this change happened 14 years ago
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Tony Baxter has announced his retirement, effective TOMORROW 2/1/13
- Thread starter Dopey77
- Start date
Uh this change happened 14 years ago
Nmoody1
Well-Known Member
Genie of the Lamp
Well-Known Member
Post #4107 in Eddie's thread talks about the traits of an effective leader. Tony and the older folks had it. The newbies like Bruce and Bob IMHO don't have all those traits, just some/little of them.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Why not? Tony Baxter had absolutely nothing to do with Cars Land or Buena Vista Street, two recent projects that are gorgeously designed and universally praised by fans and casual tourists alike. Oh, and the rides are good too. There are other Imagineers at WDI besides Tony Baxter capable of doing very good work, when given the proper budget and resources.
I've heard Tony speak a few times over the years, and I even see him around my neighborhood on occasion as he lives just over the hill from me in Anaheim Hills. He seems like a nice man who also happens to be a brilliant Imagineer who gave us some of our most cherished attractions of the last 35 years. But he's not the only good creative type working at Imagineering, and quite frankly he hasn't had any major impact on anything since New Tomorrowland bombed at Disneyland back in 1998.
AllyInWonderland
Well-Known Member
JOURNEY INTO IMAGINATION!!!!!! (original)
I haven't been to Disneyland (I WANT TO SO BAD!!!!) so I guess Indiana Jones
AllyInWonderland
Well-Known Member
Me too!
WED Purist
Well-Known Member
When Tony and Marty were out in October, I got to walk Tony through Gaston's Village and BOG. It was refreshing to see him, eyes aglow, taking pictures like a tourist, just purely excited about what he was seeing. The best Imagineers are the ones secure enough in their own skin to enjoy other people's work.
Captain Neo
Well-Known Member
So when does the tell all book come out??
I'm sure once you all read it your going to be so disgusted with the Walt Disney Company you'll never go back.
I'm sure once you all read it your going to be so disgusted with the Walt Disney Company you'll never go back.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
-
I guess i am out of the loop....as what is this book folks keep asking about?
Did Tony write some memories and plan to release a biography of sorts...and it too has been repressed?
I would LOVE to hear more of his thoughts on things...both the positive and negative.
I have a lot of respect for the guy and further insights into what he has experienced during his career would be interesting to read to say the least.
I guess i am out of the loop....as what is this book folks keep asking about?
Did Tony write some memories and plan to release a biography of sorts...and it too has been repressed?
I would LOVE to hear more of his thoughts on things...both the positive and negative.
I have a lot of respect for the guy and further insights into what he has experienced during his career would be interesting to read to say the least.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Great story..thanks for sharing.
It is cool to hear he enjoyed those two locations. I was wondering what he thought about New FantasyLand.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
Carsland is John Lasseter's pet project, and he had to fight for the $ to get it done right. You'd think Disney would copy this formula, i.e. building a detailed immersive land the next chance they get, but when you lose advocates for doing something like that (such as Tony Baxter), the chances of it happening become smaller. Tony Baxter dreamed big with Disneyland, and encouraged Iger to green light an expansion . . . with him gone, I think we won't see any big projects in Disneyland for a while.
Buenva Vista Street. It looks nice, but it's no Main Street just because the only attraction is the RCT, and because the Pig Cafe is horrible accoustically and awkwardly decorated, even though it is a step above the Sunshine Plaza strip mall. BVS is good, but where's the vintage neon sign on Carthay? Why did they just paint the bridge in a "fill-in-the-box" fashion? BVS could have been a lot better. Would have been cool to see an attraction based on the early days of Disney animation, maybe a little Oswald and Mickey mixed in.
John Lasseter is for quality, obviously, but he's spread pretty thin considering Pixar and WDFA. I can't see anybody else sticking their neck out and asking Burbank to build something big and amazing like Carsland. The motivation for doing something like that has to come from somewhere . . .
If Burbank/WDI looked at Carsland objectively, they would realize that much of Carsland is in line with what Tony Baxter's believes is the way to build attractions and lands, if so, then they should have tasked Tony with a Frontierland expansion, Tomorrowland E-Ticket, or even a Fantasyland expansion for Disneyland. Lasseter sort of proved Tony right, IMHO.
Carsland wasn't conceived by the old guard at WDI, it was Lasseter's project, and sort of proves that WDI is out of touch with what the public wants.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The problem with the success of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land is that they brought along the rest of the still sloppy and messy parts of Disney's California Adventure with them. Disney will look at these areas and think they are just as good because the park as a whole is doing better. Because people are waiting around for their Radiator Speings Racers FastPass time. Because they buy drinks at Mad T Party. Excuses will be made as to why so much is not needed going forward.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Most of the spectacular projects coming out these days has someone in power pushing for excellence. With Carsland it was Lasseter. With the Wizarding World of Hary Potter it was JK Rowling and Warner Bros.
My question is, who will do that at WDI when Lasseter doesn't have his heart in the project? Cameron is trying with Pandora and the project is stalled.
My question is, who will do that at WDI when Lasseter doesn't have his heart in the project? Cameron is trying with Pandora and the project is stalled.
JEANYLASER
Well-Known Member
good luck for retirement Tony Baxter you are the best!
Mammymouse
Well-Known Member
Reading about Mr. Baxter got me thinking about how projects go forward at Disney. When I read a lot of the threads on this forum regarding the "money guys" at Disney always being the problem for great attractions either not going forward or not being updated and improved adequately, it makes me think about their view of and affection for the Parks. I just call them the Disappointers. Don't they take their families to the Parks and enjoy the fruits of their labor? After all there are all $ levels of fun and relaxation that they could experience. Where else in the corporate world do you have the amount of customers that Disney has have such a heartfelt love for their product? I guess I am too naive. I understand in any company or household the checkbook rules all, but in my opinion the Disney Parks only thrive when the Imagineers' expression of their excitement, daring and imagination is allowed to shine.
radiohost
Well-Known Member
Jim Hill cites his sources at WDI that his comments last year that the "The Imagination Pavilion at Epcot was dead" pretty much sealed up his fate with The Walt Disney Company, really ticking off Eric Jacobson, the head Imagineer at Epcot, who was on the same stage as Tony when he made these comments...
http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...o-becoming-a-wdi-consultant.aspx#.UQ6U8Ye9LCQ
Also cites his not being assigned any big projects in over a decade and changing company culture at WDI as another reason.
And apparently, fellow imagineers didn't like the way he became the face of imagineering with TV specials and interviews from the late 90's through a few years ago.
I know folks on here take Jim Hill with a grain of salt sometimes, but this guy has the connections within the company and in this case his article makes 100% sense.
Just read it for yourself...
http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...o-becoming-a-wdi-consultant.aspx#.UQ6U8Ye9LCQ
Also cites his not being assigned any big projects in over a decade and changing company culture at WDI as another reason.
And apparently, fellow imagineers didn't like the way he became the face of imagineering with TV specials and interviews from the late 90's through a few years ago.
I know folks on here take Jim Hill with a grain of salt sometimes, but this guy has the connections within the company and in this case his article makes 100% sense.
Just read it for yourself...
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
It's nothing many here did not already know or has not been discussed here before. It's only surprising because Hill has become so defensive of The Walt Disney Company and antagonistic towards fans.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
If we snorted as much Pixie Dust as Hill we may see that DVC and Data Mining are the future of the themed entertainment industry. No more of that old fashioned stuff like quality attractions and upkeep.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Yep. There are still problems with the park and I bet Disney is so proud of DCA's current state that they won't even bother with phase 2 of the project. Sad.
Captain Neo
Well-Known Member
Tony was right to call Eric Jacobsen out on the bulls***. Enough is enough. Notice how the one good attraction that everybody likes is Cars Land which Fitzgerald and Jacobson had no say on? Everything they put there fingers on has been awful. Fitzgerald and Jacobsen are the Joel Schumacher & McG of Disney attractions