News Walt Disney Imagineering makes organizational changes and new creative leads at the theme parks

Rteetz

Rteetz

Well-Known Member
Trowbridge overseeing both DL parks is interesting. That seems like a bit of a promotion of sorts since it’s in addition to Star Wars portfolio and it being the original Disney resort.

Star Wars also couldn’t have been too much of a failure if they also gave Chris Beatty MK and DHS.

Shows that Tom Fitzgerald is also still very much in the mix for Epcot.
 
ThatMouse

ThatMouse

Well-Known Member
It's hard to really know what these people actually do. Disney is not very open about their "creative" process. Behind the scenes is a 1 minute fluff video on YouTube using the same outdated campy television format. They do not divulge much in interviews. They all seem to be riding the same IP cash cow wave.

While I love that Tom Fitzgerald is the "if we can dream it" Horizons, king of the darkride guy, he was also up there on stage smiling and talking about a Marvel coaster replacing Energy darkride.
 
EPCOTCenterLover

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
All I know about Tom is his projects are either enhancements to other's work (Phantom Manor) or film based attractions. Perhaps a good fit for renewing World Showcase country films but not for the rest of Epcot.
 
VJ

VJ

Well-Known Member
ThatMouse said:
While I love that Tom Fitzgerald is the "if we can dream it" Horizons, king of the darkride guy, he was also up there on stage smiling and talking about a Marvel coaster replacing Energy darkride.
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I think you'll find that the old-timers who are still at Imagineering are the ones who know how to trade dignity for promotions. I've always wondered why Tony Baxter had "retired" the way he did; my personal theory is that he wouldn't go with the status quo of IP everywhere and the higher-ups gave him the boot.
 
Walt d

Walt d

Well-Known Member
VJ said:
I think you'll find that the old-timers who are still at Imagineering are the ones who know how to trade dignity for promotions. I've always wondered why Tony Baxter had "retired" the way he did; my personal theory is that he wouldn't go with the status quo of IP everywhere and the higher-ups gave him the boot.
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From what i understand with tony, and have read. They were changing so much that it was hard to do your work. And you had to report everything. Before you went a head. So. He was, im out..
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
trainplane3 said:
Wasn't he the lead man for Imagination v2? I wish there was a site that had a list of Imagineers and all of their projects.
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That was Kathy Mangum in charge of that, I believe..oh nevermind that would be V3,,,..as to the one heading up Epcot now, Riddley is it? Wasn't the whole central redo his idea and plan? He was the one on stage at the D23 event acting all hip? Just not impressed if thats the case. What more is he going to want to deconstruct and undo at epcot?
Ill wait till one of our insiders maybe weighs in, but thats just what Im thinking off the top of my head.
 
BrianLo

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
It’s interesting that Imagineering has moved away from IP buckets of teams back towards individual parks.

I’d say that’s a generally positive move for unique individual parks.

Animal Kingdom has done very well with a strong imagineer shepherd. Who cared about his park more than his projects in a sense.
 
Victor Kelly

Victor Kelly

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
It’s interesting that Imagineering has moved away from IP buckets of teams back towards individual parks.

I’d say that’s a generally positive move for unique individual parks.

Animal Kingdom has done very well with a strong imagineer shepherd. Who cared about his park more than his projects in a sense.
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I hope that strong shepherd stays because he practically built that park. Keep Joe going as long as possible.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
It’s interesting that Imagineering has moved away from IP buckets of teams back towards individual parks.

I’d say that’s a generally positive move for unique individual parks.

Animal Kingdom has done very well with a strong imagineer shepherd. Who cared about his park more than his projects in a sense.
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That is not at all what has happened. The franchise portfolio leadership didn’t go away and the park portfolio leadership isn’t returning because it did not go away.
 
BrianLo

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
That is not at all what has happened. The franchise portfolio leadership didn’t go away and the park portfolio leadership isn’t returning because it did not go away.
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Was there a creative lead for DLR? I was only vaguely aware of Joe at AK, Tom at Epcot and the smattering of overseas people.
 
C

choco choco

Well-Known Member
ThatMouse said:
It's hard to really know what these people actually do. Disney is not very open about their "creative" process.
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I don't think there is one. The IP flavor of the month, handed down from someone way, way higher than even the highest guy at Imagineering, dictates what is being worked on. I'm not sure there's even pitch meetings anymore where the artists and storytellers present something they've dreamed up, and you get all sorts of wonky ideas and seeds for other ideas and is just an overall way of working the creative juices.

In my naive youth, I always thought that that creative process was the essence of Imagineering, the true soul of what they do. The lack of evidence it really even exists anymore or is treated seriously as any sort of fount for future park inclusions probably hurts me more than anything else Disney has done in the Iger era. And considering I've hated just about everything he's done with the fury of ten thousand suns, that's saying something.
 

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