Famed Imagineer Joe Rohde will soon become Disney Legend Joe Rohde, but we hope the legend of Joe Rohde isn’t done being written. As we think about Animal Kingdom 2.0, I would argue that it is already underway. So, in a sense, the article title should be “Joe Rohde should be brought back for the continuation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom 2.0 now that COVID is over and Disney is spending money on the park again”, but that’s less concise.
I’d consider Animal Kingdom 2.0 to have begun with Pandora – The World of Avatar and the since-shuttered Rivers of Light show. Pandora was executed on a very high level, and the significant bump in Animal Kingdom attendance reflected just how well it was received by superfans and casual guests alike. Flight of Passage remains one of the most popular rides at Walt Disney World today. I look back fondly on Rivers of Light. It was a beautiful show that kept Animal Kingdom open past sunset – a real treat for those of us who enjoy the park. Both of those offerings were setting the stage for an exciting future for Disney World’s “half-day park”.
Then, COVID-19 hit and Rivers of Light was unceremoniously retired. After the parks reopened, Animal Kingdom struggled to find its footing with shorter hours and reduced offerings. If we’re honest, it still hasn’t recovered. Taking that a step further, there isn’t a lot in the immediate future that would suggest that it will stop the attendance slide that has seen it go from the second most-visited theme park at Walt Disney World to its current position at dead last. Add to the fact that it has the slowest year-over-year growth post-COVID, and it’s possible that Animal Kingdom could struggle for years to come. Enter: new construction.
Disney is on the precipice of another big construction project (projects, plural?) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and we think Joe Rohde should be on speed dial. Rohde announced his retirement from Walt Disney Imagineering back in November 2020 and had his last day on the job in early January 2021.
Of course, Rohde didn’t stay retired long, announcing that he would be joining Virgin Galactic less than two months after his last day at Imagineering. This quick jump back into the workforce suggested that Rohde wasn’t done leaving an impact on the world. The question now is: is Rohde done leaving an impact on the (Walt Disney) World?
In talking about his retirement, Rohde said that it was a good time to step away. He said that he was approaching his 65th birthday and his 40th anniversary at the Company, and it was either step away when he did or get sucked into a new project cycle that would last years.
Well, really, it was the 40 years—that’s a nice round number. My 65th birthday and my sign-on time are very close to each other, so I thought all that came together very nicely. And then the projects that I am working on are in pretty good condition, so it’s a good time for me to be able to step away without leaving a lot of confusion. I just thought this is the time to do it. If I don’t do it, it’ll be like another seven-year cycle, at which point I’ll likely be doddering out the door. I thought this was a really opportune time.
Going back to the addition of Pandora – The World of Avatar, Rohde demonstrated an unbelievable ability to mesh an otherworldly Intellectual Property into a theme park that I’d argue is the most beautiful (and believable) out of Disney’s domestic lineup. Rohde met the challenge of expanding Disney’s Animal Kingdom before, and he might just be instrumental in doing so again. At least, we think he should be.
The next big construction cycle at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is probably already underway, will likely be made official this August at the 2024 D23 Expo. It is expected that Disney is moving forward with the Tropical Americas-themed land unveiled at the 2023 Destination D23 event. Concept art for the DinoLand USA reimagining includes an Encanto-themed area, an Indiana Jones retheme of the DINOSAUR attraction, and likely a Coco-themed takeover of the Restaurantosaurus dining venue. Disney recently unveiled a simple model of the land retheme.
There are even rumblings of more construction coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom beyond just the DinoLand USA reimagining. It’s very possible that Animal Kingdom could be the beneficiary of a significant amount of the $60 billion $30 billion coming to the Disney theme parks over the next decade. Putting Rohde back in the mix would very likely give fans a confidence that, honestly, hasn’t been felt in some time. Yes, Rohde is back to participate in masterclasses for Walt Disney Imagineering, but we think Disney should figure out a way to utilize him more.
Walt Disney Imagineering has been on shaky ground since the Chapek-era announcement that the division would be moving to Florida. Of course, that decision was ultimately canceled, but not after many Imagineers decided to retire rather than move to the swampland. Beyond that, the President of Walt Disney Imagineering at the time decided to leave as well. Blue Sky concepts were presented to fans with a conviction that probably was unjustified at the time, and projects never really got off the ground in a meaningful way. It’s very possible that many of the Blue Sky concepts were simply presented too early in the ideation life cycle.
That said, there have been some recent bright spots. The return of Bruce Vaughn and the departure of Barbara Bouza has been applauded by many. Bob Iger returned as Chapek departed. We’re still waiting for the purchase of shovels to break ground on many of the Blue Sky projects outlined by Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, but it looks more and more likely that Disney will finally be putting their money where their mouth is.
The cherry on top would be Rohde walking out to a crowd of 12,000 Disney fans packed into the Honda Center this August for the Parks keynote, the night before he is named a Disney Legend, to announce that he will be back on the ground at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as the next phase of the park is realized.
To be clear, our hope that Disney brings back Rohde is not a vote of no confidence for the current generation of Imagineering. There are some really cool things in the pipeline, but why not take advantage of a once-in-a-generation mind in Joe Rohde? To put it bluntly, Rohde is still alive, so we don’t have to play the “what would Walt want?” game for Animal Kingdom 2.0. Rohde has been the guiding light and steady hand at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since its inception, and Disney has a unique opportunity to use Rohde as Animal Kingdom continues its “2.0” transformation.
Now, we’ll caveat this by saying that this is an opinion article. We’re hopeful that the signs of Iger getting the old guard back together are indications of something bigger for the theme parks, but we’re not making a definitive statement that Rohde is coming back in a meaningful way. We’re very likely entering a period of construction and growth, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom seems like the place where we’ll see shovels in the ground first. We hope that Rohde is given one of those shovels (oversized or not).
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!