Walt Disney Imagineering reshuffles creative leadership at Walt Disney World

[WDW1974]

This isn't anything new. Kathy has been basically in control since arriving. This is simply making things official.

This has nothing to do with GK. He only deals with operations and finances. Not WDI.

 

[aladdin2007]

Kathy is good for getting the most bang for her buck. She redid the seas on a horrible budget. So if the DHS budget is 600 million she should do some neat stuff with it.

Have been a fan of her as well....And she redid Imagination with a horrible budget, yes I know not what anyone wanted still, but she sure made it better than its first redo. If shes on board again there I think its a good thing because shes familair with it, and maybe this time will have a much better budget. It was probably not what she really wanted to do either back then, but had no choice with the budget given in 01 or whenever it was etc. So now maybe she can really go at it.........Jacobsen, eh really? Another higher ranking for him? and yet Holmes still stays on as a money pincher? Not impressed.

 

[JEANYLASER]

Please update the Imagination and new 3d Movie as well!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

This isn't anything new. Kathy has been basically in control since arriving. This is simply making things official.

This has nothing to do with GK. He only deals with operations and finances. Not WDI.

Yeah, but you know he has to want these parks FRESHENED up as soon as possible.

 

[Lee]

I have a feeling she has been involved with all these plans to begin with.

Yes.

 

[Captain Neo]

She doesn't have the power to do that. No Imagineer does. Kathy Mangum, like all Imagineers, is basically a hired designer for local park management, in this case TDO.

Think of her like a top-notch designer hired to remodel and expand your house; she is the project manager and has the creative vision, while she manages the construction contractors and various tradesmen involved. And the result is based on how much money you give her.

If TDO wants her to design a new Star Wars Land for DHS with three new E Tickets, she will do that if they give her the direction and money to do that. Or if all TDO wants her to do is design new bathrooms and drinking fountains, she will do that if that's all the money and direction they give her. Her current assignment to WDW however likely spells a project of reasonable significance.

Her latest project was Cars Land at DCA. But she's done lots of other stuff, like Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island for Disneyland.

But an Imagineer has no ability to muscle TDO around or tell local WDW management what to do. Imagineers are hired designers, and TDO is their client who holds the purse strings.

Well said. This should be a sticky on the front page for people who dont understand how imagineering and the Walt Disney Company works.

 

[articos]

So if Kathy was just put into creative control of DHS and Epcot today, it would seem we are still a ways off from any announcements about a Cars Land / Star Wars Land. Due to the fact that basically she has to step in and see all the plans that Eric was working on, make her own suggestions and changes, redo artwork, models, etc.

Not the case. Kathy has been deeply involved in many WDW projects since before she made the move to Orlando. Any announcements would have no bearing on her portfolio responsibility changes. She worked for/with Eric before, so she's quite familiar with the portfolio and projects and what's coming up.

This isn't anything new. Kathy has been basically in control since arriving. This is simply making things official.

This has nothing to do with GK. He only deals with operations and finances. Not WDI.

Right on all counts. Eric was higher in the food chain, but based in LA. Now that Kathy's in FL, she can be day-to-day hands on, and there are major projects coming up. They simply reassigned and spread the workload, giving Kathy the responsibilities she essentially came out to Orlando to take on. GK is not involved in WDI in any way, and has no bearing on these decisions.

 

[unkadug]

She doesn't have the power to do that. No Imagineer does. Kathy Mangum, like all Imagineers, is basically a hired designer for local park management, in this case TDO.

Think of her like a top-notch designer hired to remodel and expand your house; she is the project manager and has the creative vision, while she manages the construction contractors and various tradesmen involved. And the result is based on how much money you give her.

If TDO wants her to design a new Star Wars Land for DHS with three new E Tickets, she will do that if they give her the direction and money to do that. Or if all TDO wants her to do is design new bathrooms and drinking fountains, she will do that if that's all the money and direction they give her. Her current assignment to WDW however likely spells a project of reasonable significance.

Her latest project was Cars Land at DCA. But she's done lots of other stuff, like Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island for Disneyland.

But an Imagineer has no ability to muscle TDO around or tell local WDW management what to do. Imagineers are hired designers, and TDO is their client who holds the purse strings.

You left out the part that TDO is just the tenant. TWDC is the landlord.

If the landlord decides he wants a massive addition to the house then the tenant just has to go with the flow.

The tenant really did not want the last addition to the house (FLE), but the landlord forced it upon the tenant.

 

[WDWFanDave]

Not the case. Kathy has been deeply involved in many WDW projects since before she made the move to Orlando. Any announcements would have no bearing on her portfolio responsibility changes. She worked for/with Eric before, so she's quite familiar with the portfolio and projects and what's coming up.


Right on all counts. Eric was higher in the food chain, but based in LA. Now that Kathy's in FL, she can be day-to-day hands on, and there are major projects coming up. They simply reassigned and spread the workload, giving Kathy the responsibilities she essentially came out to Orlando to take on. GK is not involved in WDI in any way, and has no bearing on these decisions.

So, it seems as though we can have some hope...we've heard that Burbank has the purse somewhat open, George K and Kathy are fresh in from great DL success...

Seems to me that the right assets have been put together for something good to happen. I hope

 

[Magenta Panther]

Not her park.

Bummer.

 

[Captain Neo]

Not the case. Kathy has been deeply involved in many WDW projects since before she made the move to Orlando. Any announcements would have no bearing on her portfolio responsibility changes. She worked for/with Eric before, so she's quite familiar with the portfolio and projects and what's coming up.


Right on all counts. Eric was higher in the food chain, but based in LA. Now that Kathy's in FL, she can be day-to-day hands on, and there are major projects coming up. They simply reassigned and spread the workload, giving Kathy the responsibilities she essentially came out to Orlando to take on. GK is not involved in WDI in any way, and has no bearing on these decisions.

The fact that they moved her out to FL and gave her more authority suggests to me that they have some major projects lined up for WDW. As in not blue sky proposals but actually real projects happening soon.

Last year when they brought her over I thought maybe she would be supervising Avatarland because of the success with Cars in CA but she's specifically been placed in charge of DHS and Epcot. Interesting.

 

[Taylor]

The fact that they moved her out to FL and gave her more authority suggests to me that they have some major projects lined up for WDW. As in not blue sky proposals but actually real projects happening soon.

Last year when they brought her over I thought maybe she would be supervising Avatarland because of the success with Cars in CA but she's specifically been placed in charge of DHS and Epcot. Interesting.

Yup. The DHS plot thickens once again.

 

[HMF]

I want to be excited by these developments but I must admit I am concerned about Kathy being in charge of Epcot because historically her specialty has been with Pixar IP Projects and I would rather like to avoid continuing the "Everything must have a franchise tie-in" in Epcot. Epcot needs someone with vision who understands what the park's identity is and how it operates like Rohde with Animal Kingdom and I don't feel Kathy is that person judging by her track record on Epcot projects .

 

[Captain Neo]

I want to be excited by these developments but I must admit I am concerned about Kathy being in charge of Epcot because historically her specialty has been with Pixar IP Projects and I would rather like to avoid continuing the "Everything must have a franchise tie-in" in Epcot. Epcot needs someone with vision who understands what the park's identity is and how it operates like Rohde with Animal Kingdom and I don't feel Kathy is that person judging by her track record on Epcot projects .

I agree and quite frankly I am VERY concerned right now that the rumored Imagination redo that everyone is excited about isn't about restoring the pavillion to it's former glory and bringing back Dreamfinder and Figment but instead will be a cartoon tie-in possibly pixar or something much worse.

Add to the fact that under Iger everyone attraction that is greenlit must be cloned between the 2 coasts and whatever changes in Imagination will probably be piggybacking off something going in another park. Like how the Nemo overlay of Living Seas piggybacked off the Finding Nemo Sub Voyage at Disneyland. It's worth noting that even the "big blue world" musical segment from the end of the ride was even planned for the Subs and Lasseter said no way which ed off Disney because they had to actually spend money to make new animation for that ride.

 

[Admiral01]

I agree and quite frankly I am VERY concerned right now that the rumored Imagination redo that everyone is excited about isn't about restoring the pavillion to it's former glory and bringing back Dreamfinder and Figment but instead will be a cartoon tie-in possibly pixar or something much worse.

Add to the fact that under Iger everyone attraction that is greenlit must be cloned between the 2 coasts and whatever changes in Imagination will probably be piggybacking off something going in another park. Like how the Nemo overlay of Living Seas piggybacked off the Finding Nemo Sub Voyage at Disneyland. It's worth noting that even the "big blue world" musical segment from the end of the ride was even planned for the Subs and Lasseter said no way which ed off Disney because they had to actually spend money to make new animation for that ride.

Yeah, I am cautiously optimistic, but slightly terrified of another Pixar overlay in EPCOT.

 

[Crazydisneyfanluke]

I hope she doesnt bring anymore characters to EPCOT, unless it was original characters that help tell the story of that pavilion. While keeping the theme of EPCOT. If EPCOT was revamped into pixar central, i will plan my next visit to uni.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I hope she doesnt bring anymore characters to EPCOT, unless it was original characters that help tell the story of that pavilion. While keeping the theme of EPCOT. If EPCOT was revamped into pixar central, i will plan my next visit to uni.

I agree. Pixar belongs in DHS or the MK.

 

[Admiral01]

I hope she doesnt bring anymore characters to EPCOT, unless it was original characters that help tell the story of that pavilion. While keeping the theme of EPCOT. If EPCOT was revamped into pixar central, i will plan my next visit to uni.

If EPCOT gets Pixarized, to heck with Central Florida entirely - I'm planning our next trip to somewhere else.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I agree and quite frankly I am VERY concerned right now that the rumored Imagination redo that everyone is excited about isn't about restoring the pavillion to it's former glory and bringing back Dreamfinder and Figment but instead will be a cartoon tie-in possibly pixar or something much worse.

Imagination shouldn't be the only concern with Kathy in terms of Epcot. Universal of Energy is due to be updated since 1996 was when the latest version of the attraction first was open.

Soarin' shouldn't be a concern under Kathy's watch though.

 

[Captain Neo]

Imagination shouldn't be the only concern with Kathy in terms of Epcot. Universal of Energy is due to be updated since 1996 was when the latest version of the attraction first was open.

Soarin' shouldn't be a concern under Kathy's watch though.

Soarin will be replaced within the next five years though