On Monday, legendary Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde announced his retirement. Rohde has been with Disney for 40 years and has created countless memorable projects. So, today the Boardwalk Times staff decided to share their favorite Joe Rohde projects.
Elizabeth Pfeiffer (Senior Editor): Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! is my favorite Joe Rohde project because it’s the one that took me most by surprise. He transformed one of my favorite attractions, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, into something totally fun and exciting that’s a joy to ride every single time! It’s a big job to rehaul an attraction (especially one as classic as Tower of Terror) and Rohde did it successfully.
Zach Perilstein (Editor-in-Chief): Although I haven’t gotten to experience all of Joe Rohde’s projects yet. I would say my favorite is the one he’s most well-known for and that’s Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s Disney’s largest theme park in the world and has the theme of animal conservation which is unique compared to Magic Kingdom (classic Disney-style park), EPCOT (the real world made fantastic), and Hollywood Studios (Disney films come to life). The park is well-themed and you notice something new every time you go.
I also have to acknowledge Pandora: World of Avatar which is another one of my favorite Joe Rohde projects. Everything from the food of the land to Flight of Passage is excellent.
Jeff Gordon (Columnist): One of Joe’s first Imagineering project was the Mexico pavilion. So much of the sculpture work is due to him so that would be my favorite.
Sara Edwards (Star Wars Writer): Expedition Everest because that was the first roller coaster I rode on that went backwards. I was terrified but it quickly became my favorite ride at Animal Kingdom.
Iris Nijholt (Columnist): I’m going to have to say Expedition Everest as well! When I went to Walt Disney World for the first time when I was 12, that was absolutely my favorite ride out of all of the rides Walt Disney World has to offer! I think I went on it three times when we visited Animal Kingdom and I begged my dad to go with me one last time on one of our last days in Orlando just so I could ride it again. When I went back four years later, it was one of the rides that was on my list to ride first!
The Mickey Wiki (Columnist): The legacy of Joe Rohde has become synonymous with his creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The brilliance of the park comes from its almost perfect marriage of the unpredictability, beauty, and power of nature, with the familiarity and comfort of a Disney Park. To do this, Rohde and his team had to look at theme parks through a completely new lens and managed to not only revolutionize themed entertainment but the way we view zoos as well. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the company finally created a park that you felt like you could explore and learn in. There are quiet spots, and unmarked exhibits, winding paths and an unbelievable array of wildlife to see. In short, there is always a reward for the patient seeker.
Unlike many of its counterparts, since opening, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been able to retain its thematic integrity, while expanding in ways that appeal to a new generation. The seamless melding of Pandora into a park that previously hadn’t strayed from the real world, was a masterstroke. The beauty of the foliage and wildlife of Pandora, along with the way that the planet’s natural habitats are presented and made interactive, made this new land seem as if it had always belonged in the park. There were many who thought Pandora would ruin the park, but Rohde had a vision, and he proved us all wrong. So enjoy retirement Joe, you sure deserve it!
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