When you leave a job, it’s hard to watch as your company moves on without you. It’s even more complicated when that company has a public presence like The Walt Disney Company.
Related: Disney Reimagining Another EPCOT Attraction
Jim Shull was a Walt Disney Imagineer for 33 years. He worked on projects at Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland. Now that he’s retired, he has some thoughts on the current state of Walt Disney World, Walt Disney Imagineering, and The Walt Disney Company.
Shull has not entirely left the theme park business. He currently consults with Disney and other theme park companies.
However, Jim Shull spends most of his time on social media commenting on the current state of Disney parks. Not all of his comments are negative, and he frequently compliments Disney Imagineering for their new projects, but he also has some biting remarks about some of the recent projects that have fallen short.
A take away from a recent trip to Epcot is that the Disney Company has given up on presenting a challenging view of the future. Epcot is all festivals and character encounters. #BoringEpcot pic.twitter.com/YSR2tY5mPv
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) September 19, 2024
Shull’s most recent comments have been aimed at Disney’s update at EPCOT. He said:
A take away from a recent trip to Epcot is that the Disney Company has given up on presenting a challenging view of the future. Epcot is all festivals and character encounters.
Many of the fans’ comments on Shull’s post agreed with his critique of the park and the Disney experience that is lost there. They also wanted to see EPCOT return to what it used to be without Disney’s intellectual property, taking up many rides and attractions at the park.
Every interactive game in Epcot needs to go into the nearest landfill. Every guest carries a smart mobile device with access to video games. #BoringEpcot pic.twitter.com/xbBenKaSD6
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) September 19, 2024
Shull has been critical of the reimagining of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, which guests believe looks like a high school cafeteria. When the renovations were complete, Disney said it would look better during the festivals. However, the Hall still looks dull and lifeless, with EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival underway.
Returning EPCOT to Future World and World Showcase seems impossible, but the park lacks a cohesive vision that brings it all together. However, without Disney’s intellectual property at the park, there would be no Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, or Frozen Ever After.
Whatever its flaws Epcot when it opened had a vision that was ambitious. The recent work is okay but is too safe to be interesting. A landscaped office park as a welcome mat doesn’t engage guests. A empty hall with racks of retail is boring. #BoringEpcot pic.twitter.com/s9AEtA06zV
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) September 19, 2024
EPCOT was mostly left off Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro’s D23 Expo announcements, so nothing is coming to save Walt Disney World’s rudderless park—unless you count the Test Track renovation.
Former Disney Imagineer Jim Shull must wait on the sideline while Disney continues renovating. However, no matter what Disney does, Shull will have something to say.
Do you agree with Jim Shull’s assessment of EPCOT?
The post Former Imagineer Thinks Disney Has ‘Given Up’ on Innovating Its Parks appeared first on Inside the Magic.
