Today, legendary Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde announced his retirement. The news sent shockwaves through the themed entertainment industry and Disney fans alike. Through his four decades at Walt Disney Imagineering, Joe Rohde has worked on many beloved projects.
Joe Rohde is most well known for designing Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is rare to have an Imagineer these days to be tied to a specific park. But at the end of the day when you think of Animal Kingdom, you think of Joe Rohde (or if you’re a casual fan, that Disney designer with the cool earrings).
Joe Rohde was the creative force behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom and specifically the attraction Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. Which for many years held the distinction of being the most expensive roller coaster in the world (coming in at $100 million).
But before Joe Rohde worked on his crown jewel of Disney’s Animal Kingdom he worked on various iconic projects at Walt Disney Imagineering. Joe Rohde joined Imagineering in 1980 and worked as a scenic painter and model designer for the Mexico pavilion. Joe Rohde would then work as a designer on Disneyland’s Fantasyland refurbishment, the Norway pavilion at EPCOT, Captain EO starring Michael Jackson, and Adventurer’s Club, a themed bar and lounge that was within Pleasure Island at Walt Disney World.
Joe Rohde was one of the lead designers on the Disney Vacation Club property Aulani, which opened in 2011. Rohde was raised in Hawaii which gave him a more personal view of the project. One of Rohde’s strength as a designer was the way he’s able to communicate and respect world cultures and design. That’s evident in both Aulani and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, two Joe Rohde projects. Aulani was a luxury resort project which is a different animal than a theme park or an attraction.
Joe Rohde was the creative director for Pandora: The World of Avatar. Rohde oversaw the design and creation of one of the most immersive and breathtaking lands in all of Disney Parks. The six-year project ended up delivering on all accounts.
In 2016, Joe Rohde’s job title at Imagineering was expanded to include the global creative leader of the Marvel property. This was a departure from Rohde’s previous projects that focused on more worldly themes like conservation, nature, and world cultures.
One of Rohde’s first tasks under his expanded title was to reimagine the beloved Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s California Adventure into Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! Similar to Pandora, this project was met with a handful of different reactions. Yet, the same result happened as Rohde and team once again impressed with their reimagining and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! is one of the more beloved attractions at Disney’s California Adventure and will be a cornerstone in the upcoming Avengers Campus.
At D23 2019, it was announced that Joe Rohde would be handling the design effort for Disney’s second private island Lighthouse Point. Which seemed fitting given that Joe Rohde had already designed a theme park and a luxury resort. Let’s have him design an island too right?
At the time Rohde stated the project would be Disney magic mixed with Bahamian culture. Rohde even revealed some cool concept art from the project.
Construction at Lighthouse Point was supposed to begin in 2020. Yet, we currently don’t know where the project stands due to this crazy year. Lighthouse Point was going to be open by late 2022 or 2023 but now with Rohde’s retirement who knows. Still, even if we don’t get to see the magnificent concept of Lighthouse Point come to life. Rohde has contributed some of the very best to Disney Parks.
Joe Rohde released a statement today on his retirement and I feel like it would only make sense to include the wonderful post in here:
I’m sure by now many of you have come across the news that I am retiring from Walt Disney Imagineering. It has been 40 years since I stepped foot in the door at age 25, not knowing anything about theme parks, Disney, or what it meant to work for a big company. Every day of my life since then has been a learning experience. I’m very glad to have had that opportunity, and proud of the work that has been done, not just by me, but by all my fellow Imagineers, and especially those who worked by my side over the decades. But 40 years is a long time, and this strange quiet time seems like a great opportunity to slip away without too much disruption. If I wait, I will once again be in the middle of another huge project and by the time that is done, I would be truly old. I’m not that old yet and there are things I want to do that cannot be done here. We encourage a culture of storytellers, not just amongst ourselves but among our guests and our fans, and because of this, there is a strong temptation to take this moment and turn it into a story. But what story? I think it’s a coming of age story. I started at Disney as a child, and I learned almost all my life lessons there, developed my confidence, recognized my skills and weaknesses, and went on to work with both… and do what could be done. I could stay forever, but that is like remaining in another kind of womb. I want to see what a grown man might be able to do on his own. This site here is not really for Disney. It’s for us. I imagine that there are many of you who I will be sad that I will no longer be a daily part of the Disney company, and there will be some of you who will drift away and no longer follow my ruminations because they feel they aren’t relevant. But I will still be here. And I will still be thinking about things, and doing things, and talking about things… Because that’s kind of what I do. I mentioned in my departure note and I will mention here again the tremendous debt that I owe to our guests and our fans who have been so generous. Working as an Imagineer has made me a good designer, but it is all of you who have made me a better person.
For Joe Rohde, there will be plenty of new adventures as his last day with Disney is January 4, 2021. 40 years is a long time and there is plenty of new adventures left for him to explore. There will be things he will be able to accomplish now that he’s no longer at Disney. His impact and influence will remain on Disney Parks and the entire themed entertainment industry. He has quite the résumé, and us here at Boardwalk Times can’t wait to see what he does next.
Honestly, as fans of Disney Parks, we can’t thank Joe Rohde enough for the tremendous and awe-inspiring contributions to the parks around the world.
Kungaloosh, Joe! Enjoy your retirement and new adventures!
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
