Special Column: The West Side of the Kingdom
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On August 31, 1999, Imagineer Bob Baranick resigned from the Walt Disney Company to pursue outside interests. Because of columnist Rick West's close relationship with Bob, we have given him an expanded West Side of the Kingdom column this month to talk about Bob's contributions to Disney and Rick's opinions on the state of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Bob Baranick (right) with
Imagineer Tony Baxter
Riding Off Into The Sunset
Each day, hundreds if not thousands of employees hire in or quit working for The Walt Disney Company. They come and go with little notice; no one blinked twice when I left the Park to work for Disney Television Animation, and no one cared when I was let go almost a year later. There are however, certain individuals that leave such an impression within the Company that when they do leave, they leave behind an incredible void that few can overlook.
Case in point is Bob Baranick. For nearly 15 years, Bob’s creative vision and artistry have been key elements in many Walt Disney Imagineering projects around the world, from Disneyland Paris’ Phantom Manor to Tarzan’s Treehouse at Disneyland. Bob has always preferred to remain a quiet player - a total behind-the-scenes kind of guy. He’s always been down-to-earth and in a nutshell, one of my favorite Imagineers ever. I first got together with Bob several years ago when he was in charge of the Haunted Mansion’s rehab during which he installed the new Attic effects as well as the Hearse out front. Since then, he’s been involved with many Disneyland projects as a team leader for the Disneyland Design Studio, which is the in-Park branch of Walt Disney Imagineering. Working closely with Tony Baxter on most everything, Bob’s touches have been many and fantastic at the Park. From the sound effects along Big Thunder Trail to the new music of Frontierland and improved sights and sounds of New Orleans Square, Bob’s creative impact has played heavily into the Disneyland experience that guests take home each night once they leave the Magic Kingdom.
Recently, he was involved with two very high-profile changes at the Park. The first was overseeing the controversial rehab in 1997 that altered some of the elements found within Pirates of the Caribbean (his entire story is told in the current issue of Theme Park Adventure Magazine). It was an experience that took him to his professional and personal limits for several weeks as he constantly struggled between current Disney management’s desires and the original vision of Walt Disney and the WED pioneers. One day in a candid conversation, he was openly torn and said to me, “What can I do? Tell them I’m not going to do it, lose my job and then go home and tell my family?” It was an emotional experience that he felt very strongly about, as he was at ground zero each day, dealing with the pressure directly from the public and Disneyland fans as he worked to make the best out of a highly charged political situation. He came through with flying colors, in my opinion, and gained much admiration and respect from Disneyland enthusiasts once the attraction reopened to rave reviews. TPA put the spotlight on Bob early on, and so he’s gradually become more of a known entity in enthusiast circles. It’s not unusual now for someone to say, “Oh, that’s a Bob Baranick project” these days when complimenting a new scene or upgrade to a Disneyland attraction.