
Imagineer Joe Rohde Announces Retirement
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He's not retiring to go work for UniversalSo... wonder if universal would be looking for someone to help them out on the design for the new park?
He was Leonidas at Thermopylae keeping the hordes of accoutants at bay at Animal Kingdom which I think is the pinnacle of the imagineer's art. No the towns in Africa and Asia are not exact replica's but they evoke the spirit of those places down to the little remnants of the British Empire in Harambe. If you've been to a former british colony in Africa. Or many parts of India you see these same things like the cast iron post boxes and the phone booths.So many questions for the future now. An amazing person no doubt. One so many will miss. He played a big role in my love of Disney for sure.
That picture captures Joe probably better than anything I've ever seen up till now, You can see the soul of an artist at work.
He’s also 65 and many had been expecting his retirement to be imminent. Not truly a surprise.How incredibly sad, The last of the 'Real Imagineers' is leaving, I guess Disney corporate's hostility to creatives just became too much to bear.
I hope he finds a new gig where his incredible talents are appreciated.
Sure but previously it didn’t seem he was intent on slowing down. I think we had some expectation he was remaining for a while given the lighthouse point project.He’s also 65 and many had been expecting his retirement to be imminent. Not truly a surprise.
Artists rarely walk away from their artform unless forced to by circumstances. Art is one of those things if you win the powerball you say wow I won and are back in the studio the next day working on completing your current project. Art comes from the soul and demands expression I know many artists in their 70-90's some of them are fitter and more active than I and some struggle with a walker to get to their studios but they are all in their studios creating joy and beauty themselves and others.He’s also 65 and many had been expecting his retirement to be imminent. Not truly a surprise.
As with many things in life, the truth likely lies somewhere in between. I'm sure, at 65, he's had thoughts about other passions he wants to pursue at this point in his life. On the other hand, he still had several active and ongoing projects at WDI, and given the serious delayering that has happened at WDI as a result of the pandemic, this may have been a good time for both parties. Generally, with these high-profile Imagineers, they announce their retirement in advance (not suddenly) and then there's some sort of consulting/advisory period. This seems to be a hard exit.He’s also 65 and many had been expecting his retirement to be imminent. Not truly a surprise.
It’s interesting timing that he began his eBay “rohde garage sale” last week to sell some artifacts and is retiring this week.Artists rarely walk away from their artform unless forced to by circumstances. Art is one of those things if you win the powerball you say wow I won and are back in the studio the next day working on completing your current project. Art comes from the soul and demands expression I know many artists in their 70-90's some of them are fitter and more active than I and some struggle with a walker to get to their studios but they are all in their studios creating joy and beauty themselves and others.