Special Column: The West Side of the Kingdom
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I will forever cherish my memories of visits with Bob and walks through Disneyland as he proudly pointed at a new sign or a new Vending cart and said, “That’s one of ours.” On several occasions, one of his favorite things to do would be to catch lunch at Coke Corner - nothing like a hot dog, Coke and fries on a glorious Southern California afternoon as happy guests raced by toward the many lands of the Magic Kingdom. That was as corporate as Bob ever got. Always in his trademark bright print shirts and blue jeans, he was one of the most spirited Imagineers the Park has ever known. If something was broken or not working properly during our walks through the areas, he’d whip out his little recorder and make a note to himself. Usually within a few days, that problem would be eliminated. He cared, and it showed; he got things done.

The departure of Bob Baranick is coupled with that of another high-profile Imagineer, Eddie Sotto. Eddie’s one amazing character, and upon telling Marc and Alice Davis that he’d left, they were both saddened - which surprised me, because the Davis’ aren’t the biggest fans of Imagineering at this point in time. Alice said, “That’s really too bad, because Eddie’s one of the most brilliant creative people we’ve ever known.” Marc and Alice are unfamiliar with Bob, but I am sure that will change as they want to get to know him too and have expressed an interest in his work at Disney.

With these creative forces leaving Imagineering, one can’t help but wonder if it’s not the symptom of something terribly wrong with the Company. One individual who will remain anonymous told me recently, “It looks like they are positioning themselves to completely disband WDI and contract everything out.” If this is the case - and it’s a worst-case scenario in my opinion, then Disney has many more problems ahead. Both Baranick and Sotto have been quoted as being very excited about other plans and projects that have presented themselves, etc. But you still can’t help but wonder how two people so in love with what they did would leave. Happy campers don’t move to a new campground without reason. Respected Imagineers don’t choose to leave Disney unless there is a reason. That is my own personal feeling about the situation. If I am correct, then management needs to take a look at this very, very carefully. God knows, I don’t want to be writing about the departure of Tony Baxter or John Hench next month. If there is any remote possibility that Disney is moving to disband WDI, then God help them - they will have an uprising of Disney enthusiasts unlike they could ever imagine on their hands.