Tony Baxter Retiring

[Disneyhead]

I love this pic of Tony and Banks Lee:

 

[jtsalien]

It's a shame that it's so sad. He should have been able to pass on the torch, not be the last glimmer of hope.

 

[Mad Dog]

Baxter released an open letter to Imagineers and said he would just be a part time consultant. And Disney also released an official memo confirming that. Generally the part time consultant position is just a face saving gesture on the part of one or both of the parties. Jim Hill has a good article on the ramifications of the move...Sorry to see Tony leave. It says a lot about the present Disney mindset.

 

[maxairmike]

If you read Tony's letter and Disney's pittance of a note you'll see just how bad the relationship has gotten. Tony's letter reads a bit more like a warning/run while you still can, and Disney's reads like a forced public note because he was a public enough figure they had to write something to look nice.

 

[jubs]

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.

 

[lazyboy97o]

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.

To which project are you referring? Not Western River Expedition?

 

[jubs]

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.

 

[lazyboy97o]

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.

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.

 

[Mike]

....And now having understood a little better what Marc went through as Marc left WED shortly after WRE/BTMR, it was nice to see Tony chose Marc as his reference in his goodbye letter to WDI.

Circle of Life.

 

[Disneyhead]

Spirit is saying that Joe Rohde may be the next one out the door. Just thought I would mention that.

Horizons78 made this:

 

[Mad Dog]

That is soooooo funny.

 

[jtsalien]

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.

 

[Mike]

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.

He's neither part of the solution or the problem. He thrives on big projects, he is only at his maximum value on big projects as a creative lead. A producer/director rolled up in one for an entire project rather than just one attraction. Just like Tony. And just like Tony, he too is a SVP. So, if Disney doesn't need him on upcoming big projects, or the next project in AK doesn't require his involvement, he really isn't a factor in the betterment or toxicity of WDI.

His wife and him did a great job of showing off the hidden quality of AK once it was complete, he is a nice guy, and like Tony, when the time comes to leave I am sure he will stay active. I am not a fan when celebrity imagineers come to the forefront, but I do understand why it occurs.