President of Imagineering Leaving Disney
Barbara Bouza, the President of Walt Disney Imagineering, has announced that she’s leaving the company. This post shares the news of her departure and offers commentary about what this could mean for the future of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond.
Bouza joined The Walt Disney Company in Summer 2020, a few months into the Bob Chapek regime. Prior to joining Disney, she served as co-managing director for Gensler Los Angeles. According to her Disney Parks bio, she brought strategic design management to Gensler and worked with clients such as Amgen, City of Hope, Debbie Allen, JPL/NASA and Netflix.
While Bouza was at Disney, Imagineers brought a number of experiences to life that include Avengers Campus at Disneyland Paris and Disney California Adventure, the Disney Wish ship for Disney Cruise Line, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON: Lightcycle Run at Walt Disney World, World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort. Again, all per her Disney Parks bio.
Bouza has been the President of Walt Disney Imagineering since November 2021, when she took over for Bob Weis. He didn’t officially retire, but rather, stepped into the role of Global Imagineering Ambassador. That occurred ahead of WDI’s planned move from Glendale, California to Lake Nona, Florida. As you likely know, that move did not happen.
It’s worth remembering that Walt Disney Imagineering was hit really hard in 2020-2021. It’s impossible to say how many of the high-profile retirements have actually been “retirements” (with heavy air quotes). Joe Rohde and Bob Weis quickly getting new jobs after leaving Disney strongly suggests that those were “retirements.”
Anyway, Bouza shared the news via Instagram to say her goodbyes before she leaves next month. You can read her full post below:
Proudly building upon our extraordinary legacy, Imagineers are shaping a future that inspires humanity. As one global team of innovative creators and storytellers, we immerse our guests in experiences that make memories of a lifetime.
As a licensed architect I was recruited by The Walt Disney Company to challenge the norm and bring broader global industry perspective and expertise. Joining Walt Disney Imagineering in June of 2020, I truly believed humanity needed Disney more than ever. The world was trying to understand the impact of a global pandemic, business disruption, stay at home orders, a reckoning on race, and the growing political divide. From there Imagineers endured the pressures of talent reductions, unprecedented hyper-escalation on projects, political crosshairs, and the need to make life changing decisions with their families around the relocation from California to Florida.
Through all of this, Imagineers relentlessly created and delivered some of the most impactful projects in the history of The Walt Disney Company. This success has fueled the turbocharged growth of Disney Experiences through $60 billion in investment over the next 10 years that Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro speak of. So I want to take this moment to personally thank all Imagineers, past, present and future for making the impossible possible.
It is bittersweet as I wrap up my work as President of Walt Disney Imagineering this month before I create an even bigger impact for world. Stay tuned! WDI will be in excellent hands with my partner, Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer, who is an exceptional creative leader.
“There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious.”
Walt Disney
In terms of commentary, there’s only so much I’m going to say. Bouza did not put herself out there as a public figure and I think it’s unseemingly to dissect the employment status of others. Fans may valorize Imagineers because it’s a really cool job, but that doesn’t make them actually celebrities or whatnot.
What I will say is that every project highlighted in Bouza’s Disney Parks bio started before Summer 2020. There is not a single entry on that list where principal creative or material design decisions were made subsequent to her hiring. This is only to say that, if you like or dislike those things, that’s not really on Bouza.
As for which projects at Imagineering came during the Bouza era? That’s also difficult to say, since normally it’s a long road from incubation until fruition. CommuniCore Hall would be the obvious one, since that was a totally different design up until Summer 2020.
Although it goes against the narrative that it had been planned for a while, I suspect work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure started in earnest around mid-2020. (The exterior looks totally different from the original concept art, which should be a signal of that.) Possibly the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness and Polynesian Tower, as well as Downtown Disney at Disneyland. She seemed proud of Disneyland Hotel in Paris, so perhaps that, too.
All of this seems to check out if you review the projects page on the Gensler Los Angeles website. A lot of what’s there should look familiar, and it seemed like Disney, for whatever reason, wanted less themed design and more real world architectural expertise. Even so, this design-style was en vogue at Disney before her tenure–just look at the concept art for Reflections Lakeside Lodge, which looks fairly similar to the new Poly tower.
With all of that said, it’s difficult/impossible to blame/give credit to Bouza for Imagineering’s output during her tenure. This is something that often seems to trip fans up. When a project moves too slowly, there’s cost-cutting, or the end result is uninspired, there’s often a chorus of “Imagineering has lost their touch” or “the new guard isn’t as good/creative/etc. as the old guard!”
That’s not how this works. Think of Imagineering like a chef at a restaurant, Walt Disney World management as the guest, and you as a viewer watching on television. Like The Menu, but family-friendly. For the restaurant in this example, let’s use Cítricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. It’s one of the best Disney restaurants anywhere, and the chef (Imagineering) has some truly ambitious and envelope-pushing dishes on the menu. Unfortunately, the guest (Walt Disney World management) keeps ordering the macaroni & cheese from the kids menu.
Now, the conclusion you could draw is that Citricos sucks because all they’re serving is macaroni and cheese. And you might think that, if you didn’t have insight into the full menu. Or you could conclude that maybe the guest is the problem, and the meal can only be as good as what’s ordered.
In a nutshell, that’s the dilemma with Imagineering and fans’ assessment of it. From the outside looking in, we only see what Disney Parks management is actually ordering from the menu that Imagineering has prepared. If that’s a bunch of mac & cheese dishes, who is actually to blame for that, chef or client? We don’t see all of the creative projects on the menu that aren’t ordered.
We know Imagineering is capable of more, because we have examples of that. I may be unimpressed by World Celebration and think there were both budgetary (and creative execution issues, to be fair!), but Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance “proves” to me that Imagineering is capable of greatness. I’m hoping to be wowed by Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, World of Frozen in Hong Kong and Paris, and Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, too. All of that should likewise “prove” that Imagineering has tremendous talent when creatively unleashed and given the budget.
Point being, I may not love WDI’s recent output (and the lack of it), and several of the recent designs may have a “Gensler look” to them, but that’s not necessarily an indictment of Bouza or Imagineering as a whole. It could simply be that was what management–whether that be Chapek, D’Amaro, or Vahle–ordered from a menu of choices presented to them. I could see Chapek as a man with mac & cheese tastes. He definitely would’ve preferred the $13.50 price tag of that entree over the $52 Guava-barbecued Short Ribs!
Regardless, Bouza will soon be gone. Based on both the wording of her announcement and logic, this means that Bruce Vaughn will once again be the President of Imagineering. He returned to WDI last spring after leaving in 2016. Before that, Vaughn had worked at Imagineering in leadership roles for 22 years, and had an impressive number of project credits, including DisneyQuest! (Okay, he had a lot of other much bigger ones–I just think it’s funny that one is often listed first for some reason.)
When it comes to Bruce Vaughn, specifically, my knowledge is also limited and has an outside-looking-in perspective. (Much of what follows is my commentary from when he returned, recycled and updated slightly based on sentiment I’ve heard since.) My understanding is that his 2016 departure was tied to cost overruns and delays at Shanghai Disneyland–that rightly or wrongly, he was essentially the fall guy.
Timing-wise, Vaughn ascended to the top of Imagineering in 2007, months before the announcement of the Disney’s California Adventure overhaul and only a couple years before New Fantasyland was greenlit for Magic Kingdom. Those major projects precipitated a decade-plus of major development in the domestic and international parks. In terms of spending on the parks, Vaughn’s track record speaks for itself.
One potentially interesting angle of this news is that Vaughn was ousted shortly after Bob Chapek ascended to the role of Parks Chairman, and returned shortly after Chapek’s downfall. That could be entirely coincidental, or not. If it isn’t, my sincere hope is that this is the start of the return of previous leaders who (allegedly) butted heads with Bob Chapek or otherwise were viewed as threats.
Following Vaughn’s return, a number of current and ex-Imagineers praised Iger for bringing him back and viewed it as a hugely positive move. This is particularly meaningful when coming from the former Imagineers, as they can speak more freely–many of them are slightly jaded, so anything they few favorably generally carries more weight.
Between the words of Imagineers and Vaughn’s tenure and track record at Disney, he’s the one I’d rather have as President of Walt Disney Imagineering. Again, that’s from the outside looking in and without knowing anything more. On paper, Vaughn is the better fit for head of WDI.
Speaking of homecomings, I’d love to see Joe Rohde, Bob Weis, Tony Baxter, Kevin Rafferty, and other Imagineers brought back. Walt Disney Imagineering has been hit hard in the last several years. Again, it’s impossible to say how many of the recent high-profile retirements have actually been “retirements” (with heavy air quotes). I would imagine that at least a couple of those individuals (and others) could be lured back to Disney.
Personally, I’m optimistic on Bruce Vaughn as the (presumptive) President of Walt Disney Imagineering. It is noteworthy that he was on stage during last fall’s Destination D23 and struck a much different (better) tone about the blue sky proposals–it struck me as doing a bit of ‘recovery’ as he indicated that he wasn’t completely comfortable with Imagineering sharing plans before they’re officially announced.
In any case, I’ve been saying for about a year now that I think Imagineering is on the precipice of its next big development cycle for the domestic parks. Disney could have brought him back, and is now promoting him to the top spot because he’s a good leader and has more experience with both Imagineering and actual theme park work.
Vaughn was known as more of a project manager, but that’s every bit as needed as brilliant creatives who can dream up inventive and envelope-pushing attractions. Imagineering has become notorious for bloated budgets and project delays, and there are plenty of instances of recent projects lacking a coherent vision and focus. Creatives need guardrails, and perhaps Bruce Vaughn is the type of leader that can provide that. I truly do not know.
Speculating a bit, I could certainly see a scenario where 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.
In that case, it’s also plausible that Imagineering needs to staff back up–and Vaughn will have an easier time working with or luring creatives to return than Bouza, who was an outside hire made right as all the layoffs started and relocation plans were revealed. None of that was her fault, obviously, but she could “symbolize” a bad era for Imagineering and be a casualty as a result.
Ultimately, that’s where I’m at with this. I still believe that Vaughn was brought back because positive change is on the horizon and that Imagineering is gearing up for the next big development cycle. Moreover, that they’ve been so gutted in the last 4 years that they’re trying to undo the damage and turning to a leader in Vaughn who worked in Imagineering for 22 years and likely has the relationships and expertise for actual theme park attraction and land design. I’d also love to see true creatives with institutional knowledge and clearly-defined portfolios brought back to Imagineering.
Then again, Bruce Vaughn was at the top of Walt Disney Imagineering during the development of the original Pandora – World of Avatar (another infamous ‘moment’ of his was being Photoshopped out of groundbreaking photos for that!). Perhaps Imagineering is getting the gang back together for round two at Disneyland, and Joe Rohde will be the next re-hire. All things considered, I’m excited for the decade to come at Walt Disney World and Disneyland…and I certainly hope this plays into that!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about this Imagineering news? Think this will be a positive or negative–or a mixture of both–for Imagineering and Disney fans? Thoughts on this being WDI laying the groundwork for big development plans that are on the horizon? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Feel free to share your perspective, but keep the comments civil. This is not the place for politically-charged arguing, culture wars, antagonism, personal attacks, or cheap shots. We will be heavy-handed in deleting any comments that cross the line, irrespective of viewpoint.
I liked your Citricos analogy, and particularly your line “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance “proves” to me that Imagineering is capable of greatness.” I’d like to expand on that sentiment and mention that Rise of the Resistance is only one small portion of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. Starcruiser reached unbelievable levels of technology, storytelling, and logistics, creating thematic physical designs, unique food creations, interactive technology, innovative theater techniques, groundbreaking special effects, and integrated music and sound, and aligned those in a unified concept, to create the largest and most immersive experience ever, by far. As Leslie Iwerks says in “The Imagineering Story”, “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was in many ways the culmination of seventy years of Imagineering artistry.” This shows Imagineering at the very top of their game, raising the bar so high that Walt Disney World management didn’t know what to do with it, especially not how to promote it and explain it to potential audiences. In your analogy, it’s like they received the Guava-barbecued Short Ribs along with Caviar Imperial Osetra Caviar and a bottle of Storybook Majacamus Range Zinfandel 2016, then completely misrepresented it to the TV audience, who said $317 is way too much to pay for Mac & Cheese, so management sent the meal back. Here’s hoping new management can make better use of a still top notch creative team.
I’m bearish on Bruce, but man – his last CEO adventure – Dreamscape VR was incredible (it closed this weekend). Maybe of the best fixed VR experiences I’ve ever done, with some really neat concepts of using a “floating platform” to make a VR adventure. Less interactive, more passive – they really felt like transport rides (some with interactivity) to another world. I was so darn impressed. I wanna see Bruce work some of that magic and swing big again, and maybe bring some of that magic to spaces that didn’t get it the first time around.
If Imagineering were functioning properly, there would never be a need to hire externally for senior positions within the group. This is a team that must develop talent organically in order to preserve its strengths and institutional knowledge. Much damage was done the past 5 years…it will not be a quick or easy fix.
“Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland, World of Frozen in Hong Kong and Paris, and Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea”
I can’t tell, were these examples of attractions designed one or the other? I hate passing out “Incomplete” as a grade, so I’m just going to grade based on the evidence and say that Tom is right that this is a savvy and smart move by Iger. (Smart because it looks like a clear improvement, savvy because it puts right a change that Chapek made to Iger’s organization.)
I’m glad she’s gone and I hope that means the generic designs of recent years is over. The new Polynesian tower is an abomination as is the Swan Reserve. The Riviera isn’t much better and the changes at Grand Floridian have been bad. Worst is the “too long to finish” central garden in EPCOT. Comparing what Disney build and what Universal is building as Celestial Park…there is no comparison. It’s time for Disney to put the magic back into park designs.
This blog is always very critical of Chapek and rightfully so, but he is and was part of the Iger team. Did Iger really leave? I read that he kept his office and served on the board. Iger seems to get a lot of praise and a pass on his mismanagement of the USA parks and billions of wasted and mis allocated dollars. If Imagineering is the amazing Citricos Kitchen and WDC executive management is the customer ordering off the boring kids menu, maybe it’s time to show them where Chuck E Cheese (or Rain Forest Cafe) is. Iger’s team, (Chapek is part of that regime) began and still is, diminishing the USA parks. The Iger Way of doing things:
1) Made things, once free, paid for services or just cancelled them: (fast pass, Magic Express, are 2 big ones).
2) Reduced park hours in favor of more paid parties.
3) Got rid of night time parades, roaming characters, dream lights, Star Wars fireworks, and other entertainment.
4) The last 4 resorts in WDW are bland, themeless towers (BLT, Riviera, Gran Destino, Poly Marriott).
5) 3 lands with only 6 rides. Each took longer to build than the entire original Magic Kingdom built by Roy Disney.
6) Rethemed Splash Mountain while Spaceship Earth and Journey Into Imagination have needed help for over a decade.
7) The big Epcot overhaul – a statue, entrance fountain, gardens, 1 new ride, and a ride retheme (Guardians is fantastic, the one bright spot).
8) Wasted hundreds of millions on the Starcruiser and the ugly Harmonious barges and that soulless show. Both gone.
9) Monorails falling apart. More efficient trains with higher capacity are available. You’d think this would be an easy one.
Iger and his team have been the worst CEO team for the parks. I view them as 4 separate periods. Walt/Roy (built the company and gave everyone who followed a treasure trove of IP and good will), Tatum through Miller (Epcot, parades), Eisner (themed resorts, 3 USA theme parks, Disney Springs, fast pass, Magic Express), Iger (see above).
Bravo!!! Every point is accurate but sad because you are so correct.
I agree with this assessment. You appear to be up to speed on Disney history. Congratulations.
Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora are amazingly well-themed, immersive lands that cost way more than previous park expansions. Disney spent $2B total to put Galaxy’s Edge on both coasts, including the most ambitious ride they’ve ever attempted. Smuggler’s Run isn’t as ambitious, but having a life-size Millennium Falcom is amazing. The architecture and detail that went into that design are not something you can knock out in a few years. It’s way easier to take standard coaster technology and slap a theme on it.
Pandora costs $400M and includes one of the best rides in any park. Again, the land is incredibly well done and immersive. Designing and building a complex alien world with giant floating rocks are orders of magnitude more difficult than building a run-of-the-mill movie facades land like Adventureland and Frontierland.
Other sections of your critique make no allowances for a global pandemic that has killed over 7,000,000 people globally since it started.
I hope that the new president encourages the staff to bring more young family entertainment back to WDW. There is nothing in any of WDW parks with the Mickey Mouse Fun House and how about more characters through the parks? Magic Kingdom is supposed to be about princesses and character meet & greet. What about princes? – can’t find them anywhere. Imagineers are supposed to create imaginative entertainment. Let’s include little ones in the imagination. More restaurants that offer character dining. How about improving on the Beast’s castle? If you can’t have the Beast come to every table – how about adding Belle? How about a room while you wait for your table that has Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth or other characters from the castle. With the price that is charged for children’s park tickets and the outrageous price of meals for 3 year olds – they deserve just as much entertainment as 10+.
I’m optimistic about Vaughn as well! And speaking as someone who has a day job in a creative field and has worked in organizations that thought they “didn’t need” project management …. you do. You really, really do. Creativity flourishes under those guardrails and it only helps the business and the teams in the long run. I think it’s a hugely important skill and I’m glad that Vaughn will bring it back to a leadership position.
100%
I also think that people in those positions can sometimes be unfairly vilified from within and aren’t fully appreciated until they’re gone. That would certainly explain the sharply contrasting sentiment I heard in ~2013 versus last year about Vaughn’s return. I suspect some of the creatives may not have realized the value he added until he was gone and replaced with something/someone different/worse.
I’ve always wondered about the true reason for Joe Rhode leaving. With the upcoming expansion at Disney’s Animal Kingdom it would be great to have him back to oversee that. In terms of theming, Asia will always be my favorite land. Joe created such a rich backstory to that area I am sure he could develop another wonderful addition to DAK.
We’ll probably never know the full story, but Rohde almost certainly had a huge salary (relative to younger WDI employees) and he was outspoken on social media and had a lot of influence within Disney and wasn’t afraid to wield it. Power is a double-edged sword, and when there’s a regime change, certain things you say or do can come back to bite you. I have no clue if that’s what happened, or if it was a simple cost cut, but not hard to see things playing out that way.
I’d love to see Rohde brought back, assuming he has the desire.
This seems like good news. For a while, I’ve been waiting for imagineering to move away from safe but boring theming (the new Polynesian tower…Ft. Wilderness’s HGTV cabins…Riviera’s exterior drabness). As much as I like envelope-pushing attractions, they are budget busting and delay ridden. Esthetics are everything, and I’m hoping they return to creating beautiful environments that guests enjoy visiting and being a part of, like Cars Land, 7DMT, or just about everything in Disneyland Paris.
“I’ve been waiting for imagineering to move away from safe but boring theming”
While I agree with your sentiment, I would replace Imagineering in the quote above with Disney (see Citricos example in the post). I am completely certain that Imagineering is willing and capable of delivering lavish resorts with immersive themed design.
I am far less confident that their clients–the park presidents, DVC, etc–are interested in spending on said designs, both the upfront cost and the ongoing maintenance.
Granted, part of it comes down to Imagineering’s menu of options, but getting the company to order the themed option requires top-down change. Hopefully that has happened with the end of the Chapek era, but I’m skeptical.
I’d replace “Imagineering “ with Iger and his executive team, not Disney.
I don’t object to the international Disney parks, and what they’ve added in recent years (or will add soon). But when are the millions of people who visit Disney World and Disneyland going to start seeing some of these “new” lands? If they are going to insist on charging so much more to attend, then we should expect something new, different and thrilling to see and enjoy.
Let’s hope that Bruce Vaughn can restart some of these long-delayed projects.
PS: You can’t go wrong with someone named Bruce.
I think it’s a big misconception that the international parks are receiving larger investments than the domestic parks. I assume this happens because WDW and DLR fans aren’t focused on the international parks, noticing the additions but not the absence of them in between.
-Disneyland Paris has been neglected for years; its second gate is an embarrassment and will still be the worst Disney park in the world after the current expansion–just not by as wide of a margin
-Hong Kong Disneyland was underbuilt when it opened, and has been playing catch-up since. (It’s also partly owned by the government.)
-Shanghai Disneyland has gotten a lot of investment and was not underbuilt when it opened–that critique is fair. (But it’s also partly owned by the government.)
-Tokyo Disney Resort hadn’t seen major expansion in a decade-plus prior to BatB and Fantasy Springs. (It’s not owned by Disney AT ALL, though.)
Meanwhile, Walt Disney World has added the followed in the last decade:
-Pandora
-Toy Story Land
-Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
-Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
-3 big rides in EPCOT
-TRON Lightcycle Run
Disneyland has gotten SWGE and MMRR, Avengers Campus & other minor additions.
So while I agree that the domestic parks should start a new development cycle and receive investment, the last cycle was pretty good for WDW and DLR! (Especially if you count New Fantasyland and Cars Land as part of it.)