Disney Imagineering relocation shifts creative balance of power from California to Florida

3 years ago 281

The secretive originative laboratory started 7 decades agone by Walt Disney for the operation of Disneyland volition soon bid farewell to Southern California erstwhile the office for Walt Disney Imagineering moves to Central Florida.

Walt Disney Imagineering volition beryllium based astatine the caller Lake Nona field successful Orlando, Florida, adjacent the Walt Disney World resort, according to a Disney Parks, Experiences and Products spokesperson.

An opening day has not been acceptable for Disney’s Lake Nona campus. Imagineering’s relocation from California to Florida is expected to proceed done the extremity of 2022.

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Imagineering won’t relocate to Florida until the Lake Nona field is acceptable owed to the specialized abstraction requirements indispensable for Audio-Animatronics and different technological needs, according to a Disney Parks spokesperson.

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products president Josh D’Amaro wrote a missive to employees successful July describing the upcoming Lake Nona relocation arsenic a “catalyst that sparks growth, collaboration and caller ideas for the future.”

The caller 60-acre Lake Nona field represents a $864 cardinal concern by Disney, according to the Orlando Business Journal.

The Lake Nona field volition springiness Imagineering and different Disney Parks teams the accidental to beryllium much collaborative from a originative and operational standpoint, D’Amaro wrote successful the letter.

Cost Savings

D’Amaro cited Florida’s business-friendly climate, little outgo of surviving and deficiency of a authorities income taxation on with the region’s civilization of hospitality and progressive lifestyles arsenic reasons for the move.

Disney tin instrumentality vantage of important taxation savings by moving its parks part to Florida, according to Martin Lewison, a taxable parkland adept astatine Farmingdale State College successful New York.

“It’s not brainsick to deliberation that the institution tin importantly trim costs by moving Imagineering,” Lewison said via email. “Southern California is an costly spot to bash business. It whitethorn beryllium cheaper to run successful Central Florida.”

Relocating Imagineering to Florida whitethorn besides prevention Disney a large woody of wealth connected travel, according to Lewison.

“Walt Disney World is overmuch larger than the Disneyland edifice and decently servicing Disney World means a batch of flying backmost and distant from California to Florida,” Lewison said. “Presumably immoderate of this question volition beryllium avoided and specified costs tin beryllium recovered.”

Walt Disney Imagineering formed members person been notified if their roles are moving to Florida and they person until the extremity of the twelvemonth to determine if they are consenting to relocate, according to a Disney Parks spokesperson.

Imagineering has not yet determined however galore formed members volition beryllium moving to Florida, according to a Disney Parks spokesperson.

Most Southern California-based Imagineering roles not dedicated to Disneyland oregon immoderate planetary parks volition beryllium relocated to Florida. Imagineering is inactive determining which employees volition beryllium based successful Lake Nona.

“The endowment that they privation to keep, they’ll marque it worthwhile for them to determination oregon make a virtual strategy for them,” erstwhile Disney enforcement Duncan Dickson said by phone. “Some radical volition spot it arsenic an accidental and immoderate radical volition spot it as, ‘Oh, my beingness is over.’ It’s benignant of the aged solid fractional afloat thing.”

Relocation Disruption

Disney has acknowledged the relocation of the Imagineering office from California to Florida volition disrupt the lives of its employees and their families and could pb to the nonaccomplishment of originative endowment who take not to determination and the imaginable poaching of cardinal executives by different firms, according to Orlando Business Journal.

The upcoming determination to Florida has caused immoderate Imagineers anxiousness portion others person already decided not to relocate, according to Carissa Baker, a University of Central Florida adjunct prof of taxable parkland and attraction management.

“This is the radical portion of the equation,” Baker said from Florida via email. “I recognize this interest well, arsenic I made the determination from Southern California to beryllium successful the taxable parkland epicenter a spot implicit a decennary ago. There are a batch of considerations erstwhile reasoning astir whether to determination your beingness crossed the state including family, fiscal and cultural.”

Making the determination to determination from the Los Angeles country to the Orlando country won’t beryllium an casual prime for galore Imagineers, according to Baker.

“Both areas person their upsides and downsides,” Baker said. “Florida has a little outgo of surviving and nary authorities income taxation — and nary earthquakes. But determination are different challenges specified arsenic upwind and inferior nationalist transportation.”

Some Imagineers volition take to permission their positions alternatively than relocate, according to Lewison.

“Some of those Imagineers volition beryllium senior,” Lewison said. “Senior Imagineers astir apt transportation ample salaries and payment costs.”

Disney has said the mean yearly wage for employees relocating to Florida volition beryllium $120,000.

Imagineers who opt to enactment successful California volition apt find employment, particularly with their Disney tenure connected their résumés, according to Baker. But staying successful California volition beryllium a harder prime for Imagineers who specifically privation to enactment for Disney, Baker said.

There volition beryllium nary shortage of taxable parkland originative professionals consenting to capable the void near by immoderate exodus from Imagineering that would instrumentality with it a wealthiness of organization knowledge, according to Baker.

“This determination volition interaction originative labour successful some states,” Baker said. “It volition besides impact the lodging marketplace arsenic good arsenic the section economy.”

Low Morale

Morale among existent Imagineers has “never been lower” arsenic Disney executives proceed the “systematic destruction” of the originative limb of the company, according to WDW News Today.

“For some, the determination has already been made, and they won’t beryllium heading southeast,” according to WDW News Today. “For others, a ‘yes’ to the determination was fixed successful hopes that the Lake Nona relocation volition neglect to materialize oregon astatine slightest neglect to materialize quickly, leaving them a fewer much months, possibly adjacent years of employment astatine WDI earlier they person to battalion a bag.”

Imagineering presidents Bob Weis and Barbara Bouza looked “distraught” erstwhile they broke the Lake Nona relocation quality to Imagineers astatine the Glendale campus, having been told themselves of the determination conscionable a fewer days earlier by Disney brass, according to WDW News Today.

“The cognition of their peers was that they took the determination from the institution ‘very personally,’” existent Imagineers told WDW News Today.

Without seeing Disney’s fiscal spreadsheets, Lewison can’t accidental if Disney is trying to downsize Imagineering.

“Imagineering has surely been downsized before,” Lewison said. “Theme parkland designers and builders are often looking for enactment aft the completion of large projects.”

The archetypal program successful July was to determination prime Imagineering teams to Lake Nona, but that changed successful September erstwhile the determination was made that “all of Imagineering was going to beryllium going,” according to WDW News Today.

“The interior rumblings connected this alteration are that truthful fewer are consenting to marque the move, that it conscionable makes consciousness to determination each who are consenting to go,” according to WDW News Today. “Some estimation arsenic debased arsenic conscionable 15% oregon little of employees volition stay erstwhile each is said and done.”

A large-scale exodus of endowment is expected aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile Imagineers indispensable determine if they are moving oregon not, according to WDW News Today.

“In the end, it is clearer each time to the nationalist what the Lake Nona determination is — and Imagineers person known it since time one,” according to WDW News Today. “It is not genuinely a relocation. It is simply a downsizing, cost-cutting measure.”

Emotional Farewell

Imagineer Kevin Lively, who shepherded the caller update of the Jungle Cruise attractions, announced successful mid-October helium would not beryllium making the determination to the Lake Nona field aft looking “long and hard astatine the possibility.”

“After 14 years astatine Disney, I’m going to beryllium hanging up my rodent ears,” Lively wrote connected Twitter. “I ne'er thought I’d beryllium stepping away, but sometimes beingness throws you a curveball.”

The determination to permission Imagineering and Disney was “really hard” for the erstwhile Jungle Cruise skipper.

“When idiosyncratic puts an extremity day connected thing you emotion arsenic overmuch arsenic I emotion what I do, it tin consciousness similar your satellite is crumbing successful astir you,” Lively wrote connected Twitter.

Imagineering enactment made it “abundantly clear” the doorway remains unfastened portion Lively steps distant for awhile, helium wrote.

“Disney has virtually made my dreams travel true,” Lively wrote connected Twitter. “I’ve been capable to travel successful the footsteps of certified legends and was honored to transportation connected Walt’s legacy. I had a beauteous bully run.”

Lively volition beryllium stepping distant from Imagineering to absorption connected immoderate “pretty chill opportunities” successful his location authorities of California.

Expand and Contract

Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative regularly poach endowment from each different arsenic 1 task ends and different begins, according to Dickson, a retired University of Central Florida subordinate prof of taxable parkland and attraction management.

“It’s an incestuous business,” Dickson said. “Imagineering has ever been the radical that expanded and contracted arsenic projects came in. They cognize that they unrecorded task to project. That’s the life. That’s what they signed up for.”

Imagineering has agelong been a revolving doorway of originative endowment that ebbs and flows arsenic plan teams turn and shrink with each large task astatine Disney parks astir the globe. Imagineers often instrumentality their originative talents to different large taxable parkland deliberation tanks and smaller Southern California plan studios betwixt projects oregon onslaught retired connected their ain to commencement their ain firms.

Southern California is location to galore attraction plan and themed amusement studios similar Thinkwell Group (Los Angeles), BRC Imagination Arts (Burbank), Landmark Entertainment Group (Altadena) and Super 78 Studios (Silver Lake).

The smaller studios often enactment for Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Six Flags, Cedar Fair and Legoland arsenic the large taxable parks’ originative teams prosecute specialists and enactment services for larger projects.

Florida Bound

The attraction plan and themed amusement manufacture that grew up successful Southern California successful Imagineering’s shadiness has agelong been expanding into Florida, Europe, Asia and the Middle East — taking connected projects astir the satellite and mounting up outer shops wherever concern boomed.

“With Disney leaving L.A., the designers’ scenery for storytelling and themed attractions continues to shift,” TDAC International themed amusement advisor Bart Dohmen wrote for Blooloop. “The determination of WDI leaving L.A. volition origin further erosion of the themed amusement ecosystem. This volition not assistance the galore L.A.-based U.S. attraction designers.”

Universal Creative — Imagineering’s main rival — was founded successful the 1960s soon aft Universal Studios Hollywood opened. The originative limb of Universal’s taxable parks moved to Orlando successful 2001.

What remains of Southern California’s attractions manufacture and the endowment that powers it aft Imagineering departs whitethorn yet travel Disney and Universal to Florida — with some of the main grooming grounds for contractors and freelancers soon to beryllium based successful Orlando.

Central Florida is already location to a big of taxable parkland design, engineering and improvement studios filled with scores of erstwhile Imagineers — including Dynamic Attractions, Falcon’s Creative Group, Holovis, Oceaneering and Nassal.

Imagineering’s determination to Florida volition punctual different taxable parkland plan studios to see relocating oregon adding a subdivision successful the Orlando area, according to Baker.

“Universal Creative and galore smaller firms are either already based present oregon person a outer bureau successful Central Florida,” Baker said from Florida.

Lost Industry

The demise of Imagineering’s storied past successful Southern California marks different large American manufacture that has near municipality for a caller home, according to Lewison.

“It’s the communicative of America, connected repeat,” Lewison said. “California indispensable beryllium getting a small utilized to this by now. Every movie oregon amusement I spot these days seems to beryllium filmed successful Canada, not California.”

The birthplace of the modern taxable parkland tin beryllium traced to Southern California — acknowledgment to the 1955 debut of Disneyland. The archetypal Disney, Universal and SeaWorld parks on with 1 of the oldest taxable parks successful the United States (Knott’s Berry Farm) and the roller coaster superior of the satellite (Six Flags Magic Mountain) each telephone Southern California home.

“The important beginnings of the modern taxable parkland manufacture are successful Southern California,” Baker said. “However, Orlando is present a cardinal determination for the industry.”

Walt Disney created the in-house deliberation vessel successful the aboriginal 1950s arsenic a mode to blend originative imaginativeness with method know-how. The assembled squad — known past arsenic WED Enterprises for Walter Elias Disney’s initials -—- was tasked with planning, designing and gathering Disneyland.

By 1961, WED Enterprises had outgrown its quarters connected the Disney Studios backlot successful Burbank and moved to an concern halfway successful Glendale — which has remained Imagineering’s location until today. In 1986, WED Enterprises was renamed Walt Disney Imagineering — a blending of the words imaginativeness and engineering.

All 12 Disney taxable parks astir the satellite and the attractions that capable them person been mostly conceived, planned and designed successful Southern California by Imagineering.

Continuous Shift

The displacement of the taxable parkland epicenter from California to Florida has been going connected for 50 years since the Magic Kingdom opened successful 1971 arsenic an “East Coast Disneyland.”

In 2019, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions moved its planetary office to Orlando — wherever the IAAPA Expo manufacture commercialized amusement is held each year.

Today, Central Florida bills itself arsenic the “theme parkland superior of the world” with Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Legoland operating flagship parks successful the region.

Half of Walt Disney Imagineering formed members enactment extracurricular the Burbank and Glendale offices with galore moving connected projects astatine planetary sites, according to a Disney Parks spokesperson.

What Remains

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products intends to support the Walt Disney Imagineering field successful Glendale, according to a institution spokesperson.

Disney remains committed to its beingness successful California and its continued concern successful the Disneyland resort, D’Amaro wrote successful the letter.

Expanding Imagineering’s Glendale field would person been expensive, according to Dickson.

“If you’re going to consolidate and enlarge the group, Florida’s astir apt a smarter concern determination than Southern California,” Dickson said. “There’s abstraction truthful you tin expand, which successful California is often precise difficult.”

Dickson anticipates Imagineering’s Glendale field volition apt consolidate and shed immoderate excess properties.

“I don’t deliberation Imagineering volition cease to beryllium successful California,” Dickson said from Florida. “There volition ever beryllium an Imagineering limb retired there, conscionable arsenic determination has ever been an Imagineering radical retired here.”

The other pixie particulate that Imagineering has sprinkled connected the Disneyland edifice done the years whitethorn present rainfall down connected Walt Disney World, according to Lewison.

“Some volition look astatine it arsenic a decimation of Imagineering,” Lewison said. “Others volition accidental that the Disneyland resort’s nonaccomplishment is going to beryllium Disney World’s gain.”

Imagineering volition proceed to plan and physique projects for some Disneyland and Disney World jointly oregon separately depending connected the needs for each resort, according to Baker.

“The sheer size of Walt Disney World means determination is much abstraction for caller projects, but the monolithic popularity of Disneyland volition mean they should support a steadfast pipeline,” Baker said.

Walt Disney Imagineering volition proceed to support offices astatine Disney taxable parkland resorts and cruise vessel improvement locations astir the satellite with immoderate Imagineers moving to the Disneyland edifice successful Anaheim, according to a Disney Parks spokesperson.

“The folks successful Anaheim don’t person to interest excessively much,” Dickson said. “They volition inactive get their task support. There volition inactive beryllium an Imagineering bureau determination successful Anaheim.”

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