There is an old Zen Koan that goes something like this:
If a Tree Falls in the Forest, and No One is Around to Hear It, Does It Make a Sound ?
Last week, Walt Disney Imagineering experienced the corporate equivalent of that tree falling in the forest. In that last Tuesday, there was this extreme makeover of WDI’s management team. Which will (in theory) significantly change the way that this division of the Disney Company does business from here on in. But because so many Imagineers were initially reluctant and/or downright fearful to talk about these changes … It initially seemed as if they hadn’t happened at all.
Of course, that may have been because the Imagineering head honcho who just got sidelined — Executive Vice President and Senior Creative Executive Tom Fitzgerald — had previously put the fear of God into everyone who worked in Glendale. Repeatedly warning all within earshot that any Imagineers who were caught leaking info to the Internet and/or having unauthorized contact with the press would automatically be fired. No questions asked.
And given that Tom is still with WDI (Though now in a much less powerful, new ill-defined role), people who work at Imagineering were still somewhat reluctant to talk as last week wore on. It was only after the weekend arrived and people got back to the safety (More importantly, the privacy) of their own homes that this particularly juicy story started to get out.
Changing the Leadership Structure of Walt Disney Imagineering
“So who’s in charge of Walt Disney Imagineering now ?,” you ask. Two folks, actually :
- Bruce Vaughn (formerly Vice President of R & D) has been promoted to Chief Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering.
- Craig Russell (formerly VP of Environmental Design & Ride / Show Engineering) has been promoted to Chief Design and Delivery Executive of WDI.
In essence, Walt Disney Imagineering is now going back to the structure that it used to have back in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Back when Marty Sklar was WDI’s President & Vice Chairman and Stanley “Mickey” Steinberg served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. And together, these two successfully rode herd on the development & construction of over $4.5 billion worth of theme parks & resorts.
Vaughn & Russell’s New Vision for Imagineering – Fixing the Culture
Anyway … On Wednesday morning, Vaughn & Russell began making the rounds at Imagineering to rally the troops. And as he spoke with members of WDI’s creative team, Bruce first paid tribute to Tom. Saying that Fitzgerald is ” … the best writer that we’ve got here at Imagineering. So we’re going to continue to use his talents.” But then Vaughn went on to share his vision for a revived & revised Imagineering. Where ” … We’re no longer going to design projects that we don’t intend to build.”
And while it’s great that Bruce is now mapping out a new, smarter business plan for WDI … One of Vaughn’s main priorities right now is finding a way to fix Imagineering’s infamous corporate culture. In essence giving this entire division of the Walt Disney Company an enema. Putting an end to all of the back-stabbing and political in-fighting that (sadly) became ingrained at 1401 Flower Street while Tom was on top.
Imagineering and John Lasseter
Putting an end to all that corporate back-biting won’t be easy, though. After all, there are still dozens of Eisner era hold-overs left in that building. Snide, cynical, sarcastic types who can’t wait to kiss John Lasseter’s butt whenever WDI’s new Principal Creative Adviser drops by for a meeting. But as soon as he walks out of the door, those same WDI staffers immediately begin making fun of the pudgy Academy Award-winner.
Of course, what these nasty “We know better than John does” types don’t realize is that Lasseter already has plenty of eyes & ears inside of Imagineering. People who are perfectly happy to report back to John about everything that’s being said behind his back.
This may explain why Lasseter has been keeping WDI at arm’s length for quite a while now. With the exception of Disneyland‘s “Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage,” John hasn’t shown all that much enthusiasm for any of the other projects that Imagineering has shown him.
Mind you, that may also be because Fitzgerald had been acting as Lasseter’s gatekeeper. Meaning that no one at WDI ever got to speak with John unless they first went through Tom.
Why Remove Tom Fitzgerald?
It’s been suggested that one of the main reasons that Fitzgerald was pushed aside and that Vaughn has now been placed in charge of WDI’s Creative side is because Disney Company management hopes that Bruce can forge a better working relationship with John. But given that one of Lasseter’s main complaints about WDI is its poisonous corporate culture (He’s reportedly referred to Imagineering as “the anti-Pixar”) … Vaughn clearly has his work cut out for him.
The upside is the whole situation is — given that Bruce comes from the R & D side of Imagineering — he’s perfectly in sync with Bob Iger’s vision for the future of the Disney theme parks. Where emerging technologies will soon be used to enhance the stories that the Imagineers are trying to tell as well as improve the guests’ experience. And given that Vaughn was a key member of the team that developed Lucky the Dinosaur, Turtle Talk with Crush as well as the Muppet Mobile Lab … We should be seeing more truly innovative stuff popping up in the parks and less of those “Who Want to Be a Millionaire — Play It!” type shows that Fitzgerald was continually pushing for.
Don Goodman – Executive Vice President of Resort Development
And Bruce & Craig aren’t the only ones with new responsibilities. Don Goodman — formerly the President of Walt Disney Imagineering — has now become Executive Vice President of Resort Development. Working together with Wing Chao (I.E. WDI’s architectural & master planning exec), these two will — in essence — be reviving the Disney Development Company. Which will then concentrate on the construction of new hotels, cruise ships as well as all those Location-Based-Entertainment complexes that Imagineering currently has in the works.
Imagineering Moving Forward
So — all in all — this could be the start of a bold new era for Walt Disney Imagineering. So you’ll have to forgive the Imagineers if they’re sounding cautiously optimistic these days.
And when I say “cautiously,” I say that because Tom Fitzgerald is still working at 1401 Flower Street. And a lot of guys at WDI are still wondering if Tom will get them fired if he catches them talking to anyone who writes for the Internet.
Your thoughts ?