BREAKING NEWS: Disney Says Good-Bye To Imagineering Legend Joe Rohde
It is the end of an era. The news just broke on Instagram that legendary Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde will be retiring after an incredible 40-year history with the company.
You can check out the official tweet below:
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After an Imagineering career that has spanned four decades, Rohde will officially retire on January 4, 2021. In the announcement Disney said, “We can’t thank Joe enough for his infectious passion, being an incredible teacher and mentor, and for inspiring generations of Disney Imagineers and guests from around the world. Wishing @JoeRohde all the best in his next journey and on the many, many more adventures yet to come.”
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Rhode said in the Instagram post above:
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.
Rohde turned 65 in September. As The Orlando Sentinel reminds us he is widely regarded as one of the masterminds behind the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
His career with Disney began when he signed on as a model designer when EPCOT was being developed back in 1982.
Joe spoke to the Sentinel and advised that the timing is right for retirement and he’s definitely going out on a high note with his work on the simply spectacular Pandora-The World of Avatar being among his last projects. Rohde also helped design disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii.
Rhode told the Sentinel, “I know, this is going to sound weird for a 65-year-old person, but it’s kind of like a coming-of-age moment. I have things to do that are different than this.” He continued “There are things I want to create, there are things I want to do. There’s only so much time in a lifetime to do these things.”
Rohde has long been recognizable around the Disney parks like Animal Kingdom which he would regularly visit. Belows is a picture of Elyssa meeting with Rohde during a visit to Animal Kingdom:
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He is known for his long dangling earring and is an avid world traveler which he used to bring a depth and authenticity to his projects with Disney. He told the Sentinel that he hopes to become more involved with the Explorers Club in retirement which is a conservation-related group. He also hopes to return to some of his favorite countries like Nepal.
His retirement comes at the end of three massive projects that he worked on for Disney which included Pandora, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure and Villages Nature Eco-Resort, which is adjacent to Disneyland Paris. They all opened within a three-month period.
Rhode, with a gap in projects, said, “I feel like this is just a great sort of time, and it won’t continue. I mean, once you get ramped up on one of these gigantic, gigantic projects, then that’s another five to seven years, you know?”
Bob Weis, president of Walt Disney Imagineering said of Rhode’s time with Disney, “His unyielding commitment to excellence across all aspects of projects, and his demand for authenticity and including diverse, indigenous cultures in design and production, are hallmarks of his projects and what differentiate them from all others. ”
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Imagineer Zach Riddley took to Instagram to say, “Joe has spent his career mentoring and advising all of those he works with, and I know that he continue to do that until Jan. 4 and beyond.”
We here at MickeyBlog wish Joe a wonderful retirement and many more adventures. No doubt he has influenced and will continue to influence generations of Imagineers to come!
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Source: Orlando Sentinel