Disney’s Animal Kingdom Has Added A Worthy Tribute To A Disney Legend, But I Have One Issue With The Placement

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I went to D23, Disney’s big fan event, last year and had tickets to the Disney Legends ceremony. Everyone was excited to see stars like Harrison Ford and Miley Cyrus, but I was actually there to see Jor Rohde. While it was great to see the bigger names in person, Jor Rohde was the one I really came for.

I’ve always been a big fan of Walt Disney Imagineering, and especially of the lead designer behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom – a real highlight of Disney World. I was thrilled to hear that the park he created now includes a hidden tribute to him. It’s a nice gesture, though the location they chose for it is a bit unexpected.

Joe Rohde Is A Disney Legend Deserving Of Any Tribute In Disney Parks

You might not know the name Joe Rohde, but if you’ve seen documentaries about Disney parks – especially Leslie Iwerks’ fantastic The Imagineering Story – you’ve probably seen him. He’s easily recognizable with his signature dangling earrings. He’s earned all the praise he’s received for championing the value of immersive entertainment and serving as a wonderful ambassador for the field.

About thirty years ago, Joe Rhode successfully persuaded then-Disney Parks Chairman Dick Nunis to create Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Since then, he has consistently championed the park’s goal of protecting animals and their habitats.

A new 3D show, Zootopia: Better Together, will debut this Friday at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Replacing the former It’s Tough to be a Bug attraction, the updated show tells the story of how the Tree of Life – the park’s iconic centerpiece – was created with help from the characters of Zootopia. The story features a charming new character, a little mouse named Joe Rohdent who sports a dangling earring.

I really admire this. Joe Rohde has made incredible contributions to Disney Imagineering and especially to Animal Kingdom. He was key in developing the park from the beginning and later led the teams that created popular attractions like Expedition Everest and the Avatar expansion. He also oversaw the creation of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout, and impressively, he traveled across the country to be present for the openings of both that ride and Pandora – The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom.

It’s thoughtful to acknowledge someone in a small way like this. However, the place where this recognition was given feels a little strange.

Joe Rohdent Being Added To Zootopia: Better Together Is A Strange Place For Such A Tribute

It’s unusual that a character resembling Joe Rohde is being included in the new Zootopia attraction, considering Rohde wasn’t a strong supporter of bringing Zootopia to Animal Kingdom. The possibility of Zootopia being added, even potentially replacing an existing area of the park, has been discussed for years. As far back as 2019, Rohde expressed concerns that the film, despite featuring animals, focused on uniquely human problems and therefore didn’t quite fit the park’s theme. He explained…

The animals in our stories mainly represent people and the problems they face, instead of being animals dealing with their own natural struggles. We generally require all characters to not wear pants, with established, well-known characters being the exception.

Generally, if the characters in a franchise wear clothing like pants, it likely wouldn’t be a good match for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney executive Rhode initially questioned adding the Avatar franchise to the park, but he changed his mind once he realized that, despite the alien setting, the story strongly emphasizes protecting nature – a key theme at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, just like in James Cameron’s film.

It’s not a major problem that Zootopia is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I appreciate Disney World acknowledging Joe Rohde with an attraction he helped bring to life. It’s a thoughtful gesture that recognizes his earlier work was essential to the park’s creation, even though he wasn’t directly involved in this specific attraction. Still, there might have been a more fitting way to honor him.

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2025-11-04 04:38