To which project are you referring? Not Western River Expedition?just imagine if tony had got the whole wild west bit off before big thunder mountain...we could have had some of the greatest indoor themed attractions decades earlier. at least i think it would have actively encouraged the development of dark rides sooner than the 90's.
Western River Expedition was being handled by Marc Davis and the signature attraction of the larger Thunder Mesa project. Part of the Thunder Mesa project was a runaway mine train roller coaster, to which a young Tony Baxter was assigned. Realizing the growing costs of Thunder Mesa and its signature attraction, Baxter spun off the mine train coaster as a separate and competing project, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Tony Baxter helped kill the Western River Expedition.suddenly hoping i haven't mixed up my imagineers... yeah, western river expedition. i could be wrong here, but i think he was the brains behind things on that project and had it been greenlit i'm sure it would have developed into a more streamlined and cost effective version of the ambitious scope he had in mind.
Skip, I need your feelings on the possibly of no Rohde
I've got mixed feelings. He's part of the problem and solution at the same time.