Joe Rohde Returns to Imagineering
Less than a week after the announcement that he’s being honored as a Disney Legend, the legendary Joe Rohde has announced his return to Walt Disney Imagineering in some capacity. This post shares the news and why we’re so excited for this development. (Updated March 25, 2025 at 1:15 p.m. Eastern.)
In the wise words of Rafiki, “The King Has Returned.” Joe Rohde broke the news himself on Instagram, with a video of him walking up to the front doors of Walt Disney Imagineering’s headquarters in Glendale, California. Rohde wrote: “Do a bit of work at the old farm.” Here’s the video so you can enjoy the goosebumps moment for yourself:
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Turning to commentary, we’ll start with the obvious. Wow was this satisfying to watch. Even though I suspected this would happen, I still didn’t quite believe it. And seeing it is another story entirely. I’ll admit that I watched this little loop about a dozen times for the dopamine hit, and then a dozen more to see if there are any little clues in Rohde’s reflection or anything.
This makes me more confident in the direction of Disney than I have been in a while–and I’ve been skewing towards optimism since late 2022! Given that we already know that Animal Kingdom is on the precipice of the park’s biggest expansion since (at least) Pandora – World of Avatar, it is so good to have Rohde back in the building.
On another note, I’m very pleased to see Rohde announce this himself and it not come as part of a polished press release from Disney. I know that could end up being a distinction without a difference, but it seems like there have been a few instances of Disney bringing back ex-Imagineers to “consult” on projects…when in reality, what they’re doing is more akin to buying a new non-disclosure/disparagement agreement. (See Tony Baxter.)
Call me foolish, but I don’t think Rohde would take the initiative of posting this himself if he were simply being bought off. I think there’s there there to this. (Say that ten times fast.) This isn’t the same as a Disney press release announcing Animal Kingdom expansion that breaks the “no pants rule” and the company attaching Rohde’s name to it in an attempt to indirectly invalidate the “no pants rule.”
With that said, and before we get carried away with excitement, it is important to note that the extent to which Rohde is returning is presently unclear. Doing “a bit of work at the old farm” could mean any number of things. It could mean he’s milking a cow for a day (having lunch with old colleagues) or it could mean that he’s taking over as chief animal technician (lead on Tropical Americas). Or a number of things in between.
My guess is it’s that last one. Rohde is a smart cookie; he wouldn’t post something ambiguous that he knows is going to break the Disney internet if it’s misleading. That would break our collective hearts, and he knows it. Conversely, we also know that Tropical Americas is going to be Florida-led, which makes it unlikely that he’s in a key role. An active creative consultant position is more likely. (Even more likely is that he has major involvement with Pandora at Disneyland, given his experience and its location.)
Don’t be surprised if Disney doesn’t disclose further or full details just yet. Remember, the Animal Kingdom expansion announcement has not yet been made. While Rohde returning is absolutely colossal news for fans and the cat is mostly outta the bag when it comes to DAK development, that’s not official yet.
So Disney’s approach to this development might be to ignore, deflect or downplay. We might not know the full scope of Rohde’s employment until the Annual Shareholders Meeting, D23 Expo, or whenever Disney chooses to officially announce and unveil Animal Kingdom expansion.
UPDATE: Well, exactly that has happened as the Walt Disney Imagineering Instagram account has since shared the following: “Beginning this week, Imagineers have an opportunity to participate in a series of master class work sessions led by Joe Rohde. Following in the footsteps of many former Imagineers, Joe continues to mentor and share his years of storytelling knowledge with current Imagineers, contributing to the future of creativity at Walt Disney Imagineering.”
While that’s not nearly as exciting as Joe Rohde being back in a creative capacity, we’ll again remind you that Disney has not yet announced the specifics of the Tropical Americas expansion or that it’s about to begin. All of that was uncovered via new permits Imagineering filed with the South Florida Water Management District.
Perhaps this is a matter of believing what we want to believe, but we’re skeptical that Joe Rohde is back simply to teach classes. Our guess is that a splashier announcement is on the horizon, and there’s more to this story. At least, that’s our hope! On the other hand, it’s also possible that Disney scrambled to post the subsequent photo and clarification in order to adjust expectations, so fans like us didn’t get carried away with speculation and false hope.
Given that we literally just discussed this a few days ago, I don’t have anything else new to add. In case you missed it, below is what we said then, when we argued that Disney should bring Joe Rohde back–and not just as a Disney Legend…
With the return of Bruce Vaughn last year, we speculated that Bob Iger was working on rebuilding Imagineering. It’s worth remembering that Walt Disney Imagineering was hit really hard in 2020-2022. This started with actual layoffs, and continued with layoffs in disguise via WDI’s planned move from Glendale, California to Lake Nona, Florida. As you likely know, that move did not happen.
Our speculation has been that Bob Iger is gearing up for another development cycle and wants an ally at Imagineering. Iger and Vaughn worked together during the last big boom for the theme parks, so this would not be even a remotely far-fetched scenario. With the recent departure of Barbara Bouza, the President of Walt Disney Imagineering, this seemed even more plausible.
This all relates to Joe Rohde because he was one of the high-profile retirements during the dark days of Imagineering in 2020 that might have actually been “retirements” (with heavy air quotes). Joe Rohde and Bob Weis quickly getting new jobs after leaving Disney suggests that those were “retirements.”
Fast-forward to 2024 and the environment is dramatically different. Chapek is out. The Lake Nona move is not happening. Disney is no longer in a holding pattern on new development. Vaughn and Iger are both back. Animal Kingdom is on the precipice of expansion. An Avatar experience of an undefined nature (perhaps Pandora?) is coming to Disneyland.
Heck, even Tom Staggs is once again working with Disney in a consulting capacity. (Rounding out the trio in the photos, James Cameron is still out there doing James Cameron things, like being a submersible expert…and also being named a Disney Legend. Hmmm.) It’s like 2014 all over again. Few could fathom Disney would be at this point back in the darkest depths of 2020 when Rohde “retired.”
The stage should be set for Joe Rohde to return to Disney. It’s not any one of these individual things, but the totality of them. Naming Rohde a Disney Legend was an inevitability, so it’s certainly not just that. But of course, honoring his storied career certainly doesn’t hurt–and is another example of good ole fashioned bridge rebuilding that has occurred during the second Iger regime.
(I will once again say that I think some of you who view Iger and Chapek as interchangeable “villains” truly underestimate just how much invisible damage Chapek inflicted during his reign of terror. There’s a reason so many people within the company cheered Chapek’s ouster and Iger’s return…and also back Bob in the proxy fight, for that matter.)
Designing and building theme parks is a highly collaborative endeavor, and they’re never the singular vision of any one person. It’s the intersection of art and commerce, with a bunch of different stakeholders (creative and otherwise) all having input. But to the extent that there has ever been a theme park auteur, it’s Rohde with Animal Kingdom.
He has been the guardian of Animal Kingdom and safeguarded the park and its original vision. By and large, Animal Kingdom still is today what old school EPCOT Center fans wish that park still was: thematically pure. There have been a couple of close calls over the years, but Rohde always managed to work his magic and make alien additions feel like perfect fits.
That’s the criticism when Pandora – World of Avatar was first announced, and it was absolutely scathing. Walt Disney World fans as a whole questioned a land about Blue Alien Sex Cats, and Animal Kingdom purists were livid that a supposedly inconsequential blockbuster movie would be added to their beloved zoological theme park.
And yet, Joe Rohde silenced the haters with Pandora. It’s not perfect, but it’s a better and more thematically coherent addition to Animal Kingdom than it has any right to be. Imagineering needs Joe Rohde to ensure the same for the upcoming Tropical Americas project (and beyond).
In our view, the key difference between Pandora and upcoming expansion is that Joe Rohde and his deft touch have since left Imagineering. This is why we’ve expressed skepticism about blue sky daydreaming for Animal Kingdom expansion over the last couple of years.
Honestly, the exact same announcement about Animal Kingdom getting Encanto or Indiana Jones could be made, but by Joe Rohde, and I’d felt much better about it. He’s one of the few modern Imagineers to have earned that trust. Rohde’s ability to world-build and thoughtfully integrate intellectual property where it otherwise might not belong was pretty incredible. He’d get the little details and placemaking right, ensuring that the stories Tropical America tells are not just extensions of movies, but befitting of Animal Kingdom.
This is precisely why Imagineering needs to bring Rohde back. He made Avatar work in Animal Kingdom, so he can certainly make Encanto and Indiana Jones work. These IPs are a cakewalk as compared to Avatar. I don’t doubt that there are other Imagineers who can weave them into Animal Kingdom tastefully, but no one can do it like him.
Rohde would likely return if he thinks his very valuable input would actually be heard and he has the chance to make a meaningful impact in helping to shape the future of Animal Kingdom in a major way. Now it’s up to Disney to pick up the phone, and bring Rohde up on stage the night before the Legends ceremony for a much more important presentation.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde returning to WDI in some capacity? Think this–and other things–are signs that Rohde will work on the Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom or Pandora at Disneyland? Or is that simply wishful thinking on our part? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Rhode returning to DAK (even if it’s just a consultation role or something) gives me so much more faith for the expansions. DAK is my absolute favorite park, and Rhode is basically god of that park. If he can make Coco and Indiana Jones fit, I’ll warm up to it. As long as the original vision and pillars of the park are respected.
Well, this is some great news! I has SERIOUS doubts about Pandora but man, it really works.
“ Now it’s up to Disney to pick up the phone, and bring Rohde up on stage the night before the Legends ceremony for a much more important presentation.”
This literally gave me chills. My God, please let this happen. Even if they did the Steve-Jobsian “oh, one more thing …” The thought alone is glorious
Joe Rohde made a roller coaster for AK which seems so natural for the park, that it’s impossible to imagine AK without it. Let’s hope he leads the AK expansion, showing the more junior Imagineers how an OG Imagineer works the Disney Magic!
“Work sessions” sounds a lot like “group meetings on my calendar where work actually gets done.” Whether he comes back full time or not, hopefully this is a sign that Rhode is more than welcome at Imagineering.
I mean, to the extent I understand it, I love sitting in the corner of rooms when engineers are battling, designing projects. If there’s room in his “How to Plan Animal Kingdom Growth Over the Next Twenty Years” seminar, I’m willing to pay for the view only teleconference line.
Oh, please, let it be true! Joe Rohde is the best, and Disney wouldn’t be Disney without him. I’m so happy he’s back in ANY capacity right now! (I even teared up at the news!)
Even if he just stops in there for lunch, it’s still GOOD NEWS!!! Any capacity in which this man can infuse his creativity is a win in my book.
I am beyond excited about the possibility of a Joe Rohde return!!
In the interest of not getting my hopes up, I’m choosing to take Disney’s official statement at face value. If he already had a formal consulting gig (which is certainly a plausible theory!), why wouldn’t Disney just announce that? Or ignore Rohde’s post altogether? They wouldn’t have to get specific about what, just say that he “has agreed to consult on exciting future projects” or something equally vague; then they get to keep their big AK and/or Avatar reveal for later. I can easily see Disney’s response being a somewhat panicked managing of fans expectations, with them knowing if they don’t say *something* fast the internet will act like Rohde leading the AK expansion is a done deal.
Yours is certainly a plausible theory, too. Probably the simplest and most straightforward explanation, which is usually the right one.
Maybe I’m just being conspiratorial about it, but I still think there’s more to it. Even the ‘master class’ series is being called ‘work sessions’ in the WDI post. It’s not just that–or any one thing–but all of that combined with my firm belief that Joe Rohde would still be there had 2020 not happened (Chapek, closure, etc.) and with Disney about to undertake major Rohde-esque projects on both coasts, it makes complete sense to bring him back.
I guess we shall see!
Or both could be true! That as of right now, he’s just giving some talks at the company. But Disney’s hope is to get him to agree to a larger role, which they are actively courting him for but he hasn’t fully agreed to yet. If Rohde was salty about his “retirement” in 2020 (and I seem to recall some social media posts that can sure be read that way), I could see him making the company jump through a few hoops before ultimately agreeing. His Instagram post might even have been designed to strengthen his bargaining position by showing how much the fandom still loves him.
So…I’m out of the loop. What happened with Tony Baxter? Is there a post about it I missed?
I wondered the same thing. He appears frequently on the Disney+ “Behind the Attraction” series.
With regard to Baxter, the original Princess and the Frog attraction announcement (from 2020) indicated he’d be consulting. It hasn’t been mentioned since, and Baxter’s comments during a subsequent interview suggested he was not involved.
Not sure what happened in between, but it seems like Baxter’s name was used in the original announcement to blunt criticism of reimagining Splash Mountain. If so, smart move by Disney…but also one that didn’t really work.
Personally, I still hope Baxter and other retired Imagineers are brought back for the (future, hopefully) Journey into Imagination reimagining.
Is he going to fix the Yeti? I remember him saying at a D23 Expo that he was going to get it fixed.
Nah, sadly even Joe’s given up on the Yeti, as it would require extensive structural changes to the ride. We’ll just have to make do with Disco Yeti.
The man the myth the legend. Could not be more glad to hear this.
In early 2023 I got my first chance to spend significant time at Aulani. Tourism in Hawaii is fraught, as a subject and as a reality, and there are so many terrible “resort” hotels on Oahu that feel completely disconnected from the lived and living experience of the islands.
Aulani… is not like that. In fact I would go so far as to say that Aulani is the most sensitively designed and interconnected resort on Oahu (I may be wrong, I haven’t been to all of them). It is gorgeous and epic but also somehow low-key and is so much more “Hawaii with Disney touches” than “DISNEY IN HAWAII!” Tourism on Oahu is still fraught, and Disney doesn’t “live” perfectly there… but Aulani is a really thoughtful and graceful version of a Hawaiian resort hotel, and that is largely thanks to the guy who grew up surrounded by those breathtaking coastal valleys and designed it to look like one: Joe Rohde.
@Matt, YES!!! Just took our first Hawaii and Aulani trip last month and I couldn’t agree more! We explored Oahu far and wide and Aulani was the only man-made structure that felt remotely respectful of its surroundings. It is a stunning resort on its own, but especially stands apart from the endless sea of beige concrete everywhere else across Oahu. It would have been reassuring to see Rhode’s reflecting sporting a fedora, holding a whip and wearing an Encanto t-shirt, but I will hold out hope that he is back to protect AK from clumsily dropped in IP.
OMG YES! It is very much needed to have him involved, both in the AK expansion planning, and in Imagineering in general. It’d be such an important positive move, showing commitment to quality and not fast cheap fixes. Iger could show all that Disney is back on the right track in many ways by even I stalling him as Chief Imagineer! One can dream.
Ok, you’re on a roll Tom. What else can you bring up to have come true. I know Figment/Dreamfinder is at the top there. But I believe you’ve already addressed that recently. So there’s got to be something else that you can channel here. 🙂
Sorry, I should know this, but what is the “no pants rule”?
Animals wearing clothing, e.g. Zootopia.
The “no pants” rule is the idea that all of the properties in Animal Kingdom should be based on more “realistic” depictions of animals that don’t wear clothes. So movies like Finding Nemo or The Lion King fit, because while the animals are heavily anthropomorphized they still have the basic proportions of real world animals and live in natural environments. Something like a Duck Tales ride (just making up an example, don’t think that was every rumored) wouldn’t fit because they all wear clothes and are running around what is basically a human city.
It was a guiding principal when the park was first being built to help provide thematic cohesion and make sure everything worked towards the goals of teaching guests about the natural world. I don’t think it was ever actually written down anywhere, and arguably some of the more recent additions are pushing against this. The “rule” is why some people were very against the idea of the Zootopia Land from Shanghai Disney being cloned in AK. Hope that helps 🙂
Thanks for the responses on this; it makes sense. I’m glad this much thought was given to the park’s message and theme. It would be easy to shove anything with animals in there without considering how “humanized” they are, and dilute the experience.
Sorry, I should know this, but what is the “no pants rule”???
Wow! That’s great news. Harrison Hightower III has returned! I truly hope he’s involved in the Tropical America’s project in some capacity. You rightfully mention Pandora, but I think GotG: Mission Breakout is another feather in his cap. That was an IP-led makeover shoehorned onto a great attraction that didn’t need a makeover. And yet it turned out far, far better than it has any right to be. I might actually even prefer the remake.
I had no idea Joe was involved in Mission Breakout! As much as I was revolted originally by the idea of the re-theming of ToT in DCA (I might have told my husband I would chain myself to the Tower at WDW if they threatened to re-theme it…), I have to agree with you: I also prefer Mission Breakout to the original now! 😀
As a huge DAK fan, I’ll admit I also watched that reel on loop a few times to let it sink in that this was actually happening! Rodhe being involved in any capacity gives me confidence in the new expansion being handled with the thematic dignity DAK deserves! As Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed said “Long live the king!!!”