With the recent news from Glendale last Tuesday, May 15th, Re-Imagineering may have the most compelling reason to shut its doors to date.
• Former Research and Development Vice President Bruce Vaughn just grabbed the reigns from previous Chief Creative Executive Tom Fitzgerald.
• Former Vice President of Environmental Design and Show Engineering Craig Russell is now Chief Design and Delivery Executive at WDI.
• Former WDI President Don Goodman moves out of WDI and into his new role as executive Vice President for resort development. As Bruce and Craig collectively fill his shoes, there will be no President title moving forward.
Creative executives at WDI (Joe Rohde, Joe Lanzisero and Tony Baxter among others) now report directly to Bruce Vaughn, signaling for many the best news at WDI in years, as fledgling projects will now get pitched directly to upper brass without excess or superfluous management filters.Since the shake-up feelings over at Imagineering have ranged from cautiously optimistic to ecstatic. Regardless, the announcement is a substantial one and could signal the beginning of the end of WDI’s paranoiac, toxic and grade school culture as well as set the stage for the renaissance of WDI into the creative powerhouse and industry leader it once was.
As the days progress look for more restructuring at Imagineering. As Bruce has made clear his feeling that many in creative have been miscast, you can bet that more internal re-org memos will be hitting the inboxes at WDI for a while. And with them a much needed boost to morale at 1401 Flower.
Perhaps it is a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow after all!
39 comments:
This blog thrives on WDI being dysfunctional. There wouldn't be anything to "re-imagineer" if they got it right the first time. If all goes well, this is the beginning of the end to this site as well.
Keep moving forward!
Yoo hoo! Mr. Banks!
You forgot to include Craig Russell's name on the second bullet point! (But I'm confident many bloggers have already gently scolded you about the oversight.)
Interesting that the President's position is now history. Seems like a return to the old WED/MAPO model of yesteryear. Which, IMHO, is definitely a good thing. Very!
I'm still cautious about TF's new role in Glendale. Time will tell. And then there's "Two Joes and a Tony" warming up in the wings for future greatness. It's all so overwhelming!
As for putting this blog out of business... isn't that what the Save Disney campaign strived to achieve? Become so successful, as to no longer have a purpose?
Not necessarily a misguided goal at all.
I would like to see this site continue, not because I'm the glass half empty type, but because I think it could be repurposed. There's nothing wrong with pointing out the warts on occasion -- that's what gets things like the Mark Twain rehab fast-tracked -- but it would also be neat to have a blog-style forum dedicated to making the park(s) even better than they are already.
Admittedly, it is entertaining to point out their gross failures... :) But I can see this site becoming the place to dream if the shakeup really works out the way we hope. A place where we can say, "I love the new Tahitian Terrace, wouldn't it be great if they introduced teriyaki burgers with pineapple rings?"
Thanks for doing this forum, everyone. It truly keeps Walt's dream alive.
If these changes are infact positive, I for one would still like to see this blog continue into the future. Maybe shift into telling stories about HOW WDI is re-imagineering and changing. I'd read that!
I have a feeling that this blog needs to exist into the whole transition. It would take quite a lengthy period to weed out all of the bad WDI players and reverse an entire organizational structure. But this has been the best WDI news I have heard in over a decade: hooray!
I guess I don't understand this sudden, seemingly blind optimism and euphoria. Walt Disney is still dead, and the company is still a huge, soulless, publicly-owned corporation whose shareholders care only about next quarter's stock price. No matter what happens at WDI, it's still the suits and bean counters making the final decisions. Are you guys expecting to see the old retro-future Tomorrowland with lovely murals return, or a resurrection of It's a Small World? Or actual sit-down restaurants with real food? Me neither.
Don't shut the blog down. It gives a great perspective on what Walt's vision was for Disney World/Land. No matter how many great people join, Disney is a huge corporate company that has to bow to Wall Street and that pressure will be to make everything neutral, boring, yet cost effective. We need sites like yours that will keep them honest.
PardonMyFrench,
Eric
pardonmyfrench.typepad.com
Cool. Maybe they'll finally read my resume!
I think I forgot my old password anyhow,
If Walt was right in saying Disney will never be complete, then why would you shut the door on this blog. It has more potential than you know. And all great ideas keep evolving as time moves forward, otherwise they would meet the fate of other wonderful project like the peoplemover...
Keep up the good work. You've earned it!
Would it kill them to hire some women? Especially for the higher positions? I'm available.
This also means that it Should be easier for Lasseter to penetrate the bureaucracy. But please! No more Nemo stuff!
As others have said, this blog is needed. It seems that there are very few websites that talk of this (EPCOTCenter & Jimm Hill being two others that I know of). It needs to be continued.
Mmm... Teriyaki Burger... aaahhhh!
Thank goodness. All I ask is that Walt be put back into Walt Disney. If this moves us closer to that, then I am very happy
It's ironic that all of those decisions to make managment so prevalent and top-heavy was probably in the interest of saving money... but it probably cost the company a lot of more money in the long-run in the form of bad design decisions and big salaries. There is something to be said for recognizing what various people are talented for, respecting that talent and leveraging it for the betterment of the company. I would imagine that is why people are nostalgic for the old days of WDI -- Walt hired people based on the potential or talent he saw within them, and leveraged that talent towards something greater than any one person could have created...
P.S. I love this blog... not only for the critique, but for the fact that it provides such great insight into what makes story and rides and spaces work... Even if the theme parks are someday "perfect", it would be useful to have such great analysis so that the designers following in your footsteps would know why certain rides and designs were so successful... while others were so short-lived.
anonymous pined:
Would it kill them to hire some women? Especially for the higher positions?
Ah, yes. The Perpetual Boy's Club of Glendale. Spun off from the Perpetual Boy's Club of Burbank. Transplanted to the Perpetual Boy's Club of Marin. Migrated to the Perpetual Boy's Club of Richmond. Relocated to the Perpetual Boy's Club of Emeryville.
Please don't get me started!
Only 10% of animation writers are women, according to a recent WGA survey. ACK!! No wonder the main protagonists remain predominately male in animation. (And for those of you keeping score at the PBC of E-Ville, I'm still waiting for that female protagonist who doesn't serve simply as the leading male's conscience, guardian angel, window dressing, or comedic sidekick.)
This is one situation where some ground has been gained in the past decade or two, but not by much. Imagineering is like a studio version of Augusta National. Women can attend... they just can't join. And it's the very essence of belonging, of being welcomed and accepted as an equal, that's at the crux of the matter.
The men cannot chart these waters without crippling consternation. So they don't even bother to navigate them at all. Women continue to be viewed as the sirens on the shore, luring the boys to the rocky shoals of doom. Yeah, yeah... and we all got cooties that'll make your dicks fall off.
I keep waiting for The Enlightenment™ to hit this bunch. But in my lifetime? With John Lasseter raising five boys and Nancy raising six?
Uh huh.
You folks seem to think it was just Tom causing the poisonous culture. The biggest backstabber of them all, and one who secretly uses the Internet and leaks and others to do his dirty work is none other then your beloved Tony.
Now crunch on that little imaginative fact.
And many of the attractions he did have that same "something gone wrong or someone is missing" storylines.
Let us also not forget some of the attractions he dumped on us but won't allow to be closed, like Pinnochio.
Tony should retire.
This is a good move, now just get rid of all those meddlesome glorified department heads!
I know, bring back Jeff Rochlis!
For those who need a taste of the conspiratorial, paranoid, toxic highschool culture of WDI one need not look any further than the anonymous comment two doors up. Hopefully this comment is one of the last of its kind as WDI turns the corner into a more adult and professional work-place.
Time to stop all the petty in-fighting and get to work. The public is waiting.
I'd like to add my two cents to Mr. Banks' timely wisdom.
You folks seem to think it was just Tom causing the poisonous culture. The biggest backstabber of them all, and one who secretly uses the Internet and leaks and others to do his dirty work is none other then your beloved Tony. Now crunch on that little imaginative fact.
I'd rather crunch on the fact that one of the more popular Disney fan sites and discussion boards on the net is owned by one of Fitzgerald's closest friends. A fan site that has been officially blessed by Disney. Hmm, coincidence? I don't think so. And there's never been any semblance of neutrality when some of the site's staff discusses Imagineering executives on their boards.
So which team again is leaking info and using the net to their advantage?
And many of the attractions he did have that same "something gone wrong or someone is missing" storylines.
And your point would be...?
Everyone has used this plot device at one time or another. Not just Fitzgerald. Not just Baxter.
E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.
However... some Imagineers have overly relied on the device more than others, especially in the recent past. I'll let you short out which ones.
Let us also not forget some of the attractions he dumped on us but won't allow to be closed, like Pinnochio.
And this is a bad thing? What's so horrid about Pinocchio? Granted, it's no Peter Pan or Mr. Toad. But there are far worse attractions, guaranteed. Like Stitch's Great Escape. Another FastPass to hell.
Tony should retire.
Honestly, I used to think as you, that Tony should just pack up his office and call it a day. As much as it pains me to state this, I was wrong.
There is a great deal of work to be done, to get Imagineering back on track. And the Principle Creative Advisor, John Lasseter, will need the guidance of those Imagineers who have the most creativity and experience to offer. Especially from those who worked with the original Imagineers at WED. They were the ones who wrote the book on designing the ultimate theme park. Any and all of that precious knowledge needs to be shared with the younger Imagineers, before it's forever lost.
With these qualifiers, Tony Baxter goes right to the top of the list. Asking him to step down now would be a significant loss to those who wish to support Lasseter, Vaughn, and Russell in making Walt Disney Imagineering the leader in design, once again.
The whole concept of Baxter somehow being a negative and needing to retire is so ludicrous that it really does not deserve commenting on... however since it has somehow become a topic I will throw in 2 cents.
I think it is clear that the anonymous (what a surprise) comments bashing Baxter are either from some disgruntled person or perhaps simply from someone trying to stir things up and be contrary. Either way they hold no water.
If you want to try and break down his career to pros and cons the pros so overwhelmingly out wiegh the cons as to make the cons almost meaningless. In fact I would argue that Baxter has been responsible for shaping the Disney parks in a positive way as much or even more so than most of the original and classic imagineers.
Look at a partial list of his projects (in no particular order)...
Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Indiana Jones Adventure
Overall design of Disneyland Paris
New Fantsayland at DL
The original Journy into Imagination
and on and on...
There have been some misses for sure but when you have been as prolific as baxter (and few if any have been) you are never going to have 100% success. I would also argue that those few missesare more heavily caused by outside influences than anything within baxter's control.
Aside from his stellar record the guy simply has a passion for Disney parks, something that is in short supply these days. He "gets it" he lives for it and he has become a public face of it.
I am not sure at what point in time or how exactly Tony became so well known but it was far before the age of the internet and ut was because he creates wonderful experiences for the parks he loves, and that can be felt and appreciated by even the most casual fan. Rather than some ridiculous talk of him leaving I wish we could clone him 100 times over.
Well, gee, darn, heck...
I was a cast member in attractions, and attemtped to present a fantastic re-do of Space Mountain (before it received its most recent incarnation), more involving FedEx, and having a lovely audio animatronic of S.I.R. from Alien Encounter in the end.
You see, since S.I.R. was going be next in line for the top guy at XS Tech (since the other guy got zapped into hyperspace), I thought it would have only made sense that a guest, while in line (via a 3-D hologram ala that old video game by Sega called Time Traveller - using the same technology, only with sensors so that a Flash program could detect...) could choose a part for S.I.R. that he would need. Via a quick E.T. attraction style card system, it would print out at this 3-D kiosk, and it would be scanned at your ride vehicle. With a Sony monitor in front of you, you would transport this rotating part to S.I.R., and the c.m. at the end (being located in the seating area, near the bathrooms) would scan the card again at the animatronic. He would say something clever, and you would be on your way to the FedEx store that would be located in that STILL dead space above the Starcade. (Or, move the Starcade upstairs, and the FedEx shop downstairs.)
ALAS, THEY DID NOT APPRECIATE WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO, AND TERMED UNDER A 2 WEEK INVESTIGATIVE SUSPENTION WITH A NO REHIRE STATUS!!! THANK YOU TOM TURLEY!
I do hope that the new management stystem will far better appreciate a supposed genius of an attraction planner when one graces their way!!
That's o.k., kids. I am forming my own family oriented entertainment organization, with a property for license. The bidding wars will begin!
Thanks!
Ha Ha! I just had a funny thought reading the comment above… I just saw that new reality show on TV last night “On The Lot” where they pick a bunch of up and coming film directors and then put them through weekly challenges and then eliminate them weekly according to the audience vote – you know, same old formula they use for all those shows now. Well, how about this… “Theme Park Imagineer!” where a bunch of young and talented wannabee Imagineers are selected to compete in a series of grueling challenges weekly, designing new rides and attractions. I’d love to be one of the judges. Come on ABC… do it! I’m available. I want to be the Simon Cowell type judge.
Paul postulates:
Well, how about this… “Theme Park Imagineer!” where a bunch of young and talented wannabee Imagineers are selected to compete in a series of grueling challenges weekly, designing new rides and attractions. I’d love to be one of the judges.
Wouldn't P&R run the risk of exposure? Allowing home viewers to realize their pricey theme park experiences have been 'less than perfect' for the past decade or so? And that Jimmy Bob from Natchitoches can design better rides than all those pesky Imagineering art directors and blue sky VPs for about, what, one-tenth the salary?
Come on ABC… do it! I’m available. I want to be the Simon Cowell type judge.
You wanna be obnoxious and insulting? Why not just go for Fitzgerald's job?
Oh that's right. Silly me.
Hey /bsdb, you're funny! I don't want to be rude and insulting... just tell the truth.
But I've been thinking about your comments about the "Glendale Boy's Club" and I don't know. You said,
"The men cannot chart these waters without crippling consternation. So they don't even bother to navigate them at all. Women continue to be viewed as the sirens on the shore, luring the boys to the rocky shoals of doom. Yeah, yeah... and we all got cooties that'll make your dicks fall off."
I don't know what you're talking about.
I was hired into WDI by a woman years ago. Years later, I was let go by a woman. For many years, my boss there was a woman. Right now there are some terrific women in high places there... and some really great managers, producers and designers. The head of sculpture there is a woman, and probably the best sculptor(ess) they've ever had there. The model shop manager is a woman... I could go on. I've always been a big fan of Mary Blair. One of the greatest Imagineers ever - Joyce Carlson, is now retired in Florida. I got to work with Harriet Burns, another one of the original Imagineers years ago. Also Helena Hutchinson was the figure finishing genius for so long. Let's see and then there was Leota Thomson (Madame Leota), not to mention Alice Davis (Marc's wife) who did all the costumes for the original pirates... And over the years I've seen many very talented women designers and artists and managers there.
I've never thought of WDI as a boy's club!
I've never thought of WDI as a boy's club!
Bless you, pariartspaul. I wish I had your perspective. And your experiences!
I've been wanting someone to author a book about these Imagineers -- "The Women of WED" is my imaginary title -- for as long as I can remember. I've even considered attempting it myself. But with your background at Imagineering, you'd have a much better chance for success.
And while I completely and wholeheartedly agree with your observations about these wonderful women, I still view Disney animation and Imagineering more as the boy's club type of environment than other businesses I've worked in, like educational technology. WDFA and WED/WDI are still predominately managed by men, like the hardware and software engineering labs of my professional past. Which admittedly does bother me.
Previously on this blog, an article was written about the heavy reliance on the search for the missing character premise, as well as its cousin, the something goes terribly wrong device. And most of the time, I see these story premises and plot devices as tools for the more thrill-based, testosterone-driven attractions, than for the softer, kinder attractions which tend to embrace the female archetypes, such as the mother figure and healer/caregiver.
Even in attractions where central characters include children, such as Peter Pan and Monsters, Inc, there still exists an overriding tone of masculine energy, unlike the gentler undercurrents of home and motherhood prevalent in Small World. In fact, I strongly believe that only Small World carries this feminine energy throughout the entire attraction, thanks in no small part to genius of Mary Blair and Alice Davis.
The universal desires for home, warmth, safety, and happiness are experienced by the rider through the eyes of children and their respective cultures. No one is missing; nothing goes horribly wrong. Some other attractions venture into this environment for a portion of their ride experience (Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh spring to mind), they fail to maintain it from start to finish. Only Small World achieves this goal, and does it beautifully. It's not your typical theme park attraction, even for Disney.
Even though I'm well aware of the major contributions men played in bringing this attraction to life, including Marc Davis and the Sherman brothers, I know that Mary Blair's vision, her conceptual designs and artwork are the reasons for these major differences. I would also credit Mary's gender as much as her artistic genius in the success of Small World, perhaps even more so, given the overarching themes of the ride.
It's difficult to embrace the joys of family, community, and culture while searching for a missing person or dealing with chaos in your midst. Leave that to the boy's club down the block. You know, the one with the roof on fire and the malfunctioning elevator car and the snakes crawling out of the masonry and neurotic robotic assistants who are still getting used to their programming.
/bsdb…. Oh! Beautifully explained and you’ve opened my eyes, especially with the last paragraph. Now I see what you meant by ‘boy’s club’ and get it… and I agree with you completely. I think you’ve pointed out something very important a lot of us ‘boys’ missed. Thank you, really.
One could easily argue that the entire success of Disney parks is built on reassurance, nurturung and confirmation of one's individuality, all extremely feminine concepts. These extend FAR beyond Small World and in fact permiate the very basis of the design and scale of the park.
I am not so sure that these elements are in short supply at Disney parks and in fact would argue that they are the very reason they work, whether created bt men or women.
It's been said, but I object about the sentiment that Re-Imagineering has any real reason to close its doors.
I'm no one with any inside insight into the situation, just a reader of the blog and long time Disney hopeful.
The news is nice, but how will the implementation go? Hopefully it will live up to the cautious optimism you guys are giving it. That doesn't mean there still won't be problems with Disney; by and large their parks are hugely flawed. Unless this guy can snap his fingers and overnight things magically fix themselves, there's no reason to sit back and close the doors.
Which isn't to say that the situation might not get better. It might. And a hearty "Yay!" if things improve. But I for one would feel badly at not getting a blow-by-blow of what's being fixed and also what's not being fixed that needs to be. There will always be something to fix and until you get to the point where you're nitpicking placement of the gold coins in Pirates or the floral patterns on the internior of rides from the 60s (which is to say, nitpicking the hell out of things) you guys are really needed if only to keep perspective on the whole thing. A sort of "we are accomplishing a lot of wonderful things, but we also have more things to make wonderful in the future" sentiment. Your usefulness won't run out for a long time and your insight is incredibly interesting.
It hurt to read you guys say you would close down ;)
-Kim
Did I miss something?
I don't think anyone actually involved with running the blig ever said one word about closing it down. rather a poster made a general comment about it and several others jumped on the band wagon. I don't think there is anything to fear here.
Plus, we have seen big changes in the past (most notably Pressler moving on to ruin the Gap instead of continuing his destruction at Disney) which have made progress but not solves largewr issues at hand.
I have read alot about Tony Baxter and I know Joe Rohde created Animal Kingdom. But Joe Lanzisero's name is new to me. Would someone please name some of the projects he's been involved in?
Thank you
Well, it appears that Imagineering is heading back into the doldrums again. Word is that the new regime looks to be no more effective at correcting the organizational mess than Lasseter was.
While Fitzgerald has been relieved of his former overall WDI management position, it seems he has been placed in charge of all Blue Sky projects. In essence, there doesn’t appear to be any real change in the creative division reporting structure. Fitzgerald will still direct all creative projects.
So, the euphoria that started to build when the recent new management overhaul was initially announced has begun to fade again, just as it did a year ago, when it appeared that the Pixar/Lasseter announcement wouldn’t result in the elimination of WDI’s paranoiac, toxic and grade school culture.
Even though it’s still early in the new organizational layout, leaving Fitzgerald in control of creative idea flow (Blue Sky) will just result in another bout of depression and despair.
Whether this will change soon is uncertain. But it will need to change if WDI is really going to break out of it’s continued political funk.
“I have read alot about Tony Baxter and I know Joe Rohde created Animal Kingdom. But Joe Lanzisero's name is new to me. Would someone please name some of the projects he's been involved in?”
Lanzisero has been overseeing projects for the Tokyo Disney Resort for some time.
The Pirating of America:
If Imagineering is getting better than why does Iger want to turn every Disney park into Pirateland?
I think the Imagineers have real imagination and it is clear that Iger does not.
Do we know the Pirating initiative is coming from Iger? I've not seen a citation of his involvement.
I never ceased to be amazed at how invested "civilians" are in the ongoing corporate saga of WDI and what happens on Disney property. I sometimes forget the Peter Pan phenomenom and the sheer numbers of fatuous park visitors who've been self-actualized just passing through the gate of Disneyland. So many cognesceti, and so many want to work at WDI. Be careful what you wish for, In my time there I saw many starry-eyed "Lost Boys" crash and burn when they found out the hallways are not lined with pixie dust.
I spent 17 years there and it was great...There were the pure, wacky creative types, the serious creative folks, the politically savvy corporate ascendants, the humorless managers who seemed to weather every lay-off....and a lot of just regular folks happy to be there.
WDI works best when overwhelmed with work. That is, 4 or 5 large projects with opening days looming ahead. It doesn't start to malfunction until the idle time sets in....a lay-off or two will set off the hand-wringing and jockeying for a job number.
At it's worst, WDI reminded me very much of an old South American Republic, replete with cronyism, political favors, waste rewarded, and an unhealthy attraction to unbuildable and downright wacky concepts based solely on the wild-eyed selling power of the designer/entertainer.
This latest move is proof that good organizations can heal themselves. Both Craig and Bruce are without guile and intent on creating a positive work envirnment so that WDI can get back to its charter.
Every current WDI concept designer, show producer and design executive should be farmed out to any one of the many design companies run by ex-Imagineers for one year...and then returned to Disney having learned what it's like to work in the "real world" with real clients, real budgets, and real consequences for failure. A "designer enhancement" program if you will. My company would love to reprogram a few.
Yet another anonymous poster chimes in:
There were the pure, wacky creative types, the serious creative folks, the politically savvy corporate ascendants, the humorless managers who seemed to weather every lay-off....and a lot of just regular folks happy to be there.
You've just described every company I've ever worked at in Silicon Valley. Friends and family have all told similar tales, ranging from the small net start-ups to the behemoth "fruity" computer multinationals. It's universally programmed into all organizations which deal in creativity as a commodity.
This latest move is proof that good organizations can heal themselves. Both Craig and Bruce are without guile and intent on creating a positive work envirnment so that WDI can get back to its charter.
While this newly found optimism is not without merit, I will reserve judgment until some solid indicators demonstrate a permanent turnaround.
We've been down this path before. Bruce and Craig will provide a safe harbor for Imagineering's creativity in Glendale. But other forces down the road in Burbank are still in play, over which these new leaders have little control.
Don't get me wrong... it's a great first step. I just hope that Bruce and Craig aren't taking those first steps on top of a hidden quagmire.
Every current WDI concept designer, show producer and design executive should be farmed out to any one of the many design companies run by ex-Imagineers for one year...and then returned to Disney having learned what it's like to work in the "real world" with real clients, real budgets, and real consequences for failure. A "designer enhancement" program if you will. My company would love to reprogram a few.
Hmm... Imagineers who need to learn what it's like to work in the "real world"? Haven't the foggiest who might fit this description.
But as I read your words, I hear music off in the distance. A faint rowdy chorus, repeating over and over again:
"We all live in a yel-low sub-ma-rine
Yel-low sub-ma-rine
Yel-low sub-ma-rine..."
I used to be an Imagineer for more than a decade and know both Bruce and Craig well. I think they are the best shot the place has had in 15 years. I didn't say or predict results, just that I think they will give their best. I believe they are fair people. That is all any creative really wants in a competitive atmosphere is to be treated fairly and with reasonable respect.
I could never imagine going back, the "real world" is far too exciting.
"It is a bad plan that admits of no modification."
— Publilius Syrus
First Century BC
and it seems that WDI has finally started modifying their plans as well with these upper office moves...
It is a very good idea that the people down below have a direct route now to get their ideas heard cutting out the middle man is always a good idea, we'll see how these office moves turn out in the long run, but one can only hope that their plans are open to modification..
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