Animal Kingdom Creator Misses 25th Anniversary Celebration

On Earth Day 2023, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will celebrate its 25th Anniversary. However, the milestone birthday party will commence without the famous Imagineer who led its entire development.

Retired Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rhode took the creative lead on Disney World’s fourth Theme Park, taking expeditions all over the world and recruiting the finest people in zoology, his team braved controversy to manifest an experience that is unmatched in its authenticity, immersion, and overall quality standards.

However, he announced that he will not be able to join the festivities due to his commitments to the illustrious Explorers Club. Despite coming from a Theme Park background, Rohde’s extraordinary expeditionary-style work in matters of research, anthropology, conservation, and more has earned him an honored place among the world’s explorers. And as Disney fans celebrate a place where real exploration can be inspired, he will be celebrating 50 world explorers today.

Related: Disney Announces Arctic Expedition With Former Imagineer

“Tomorrow is the 25th Anniversary of the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I could not attend because I had a previous commitment to The Explorers Club and the EC50 program of which I am co-chair,” he explained. “Each year we select 50 worthies from around the world and recognize them for their accomplishments. So today will be devoted to celebrating the 50 extraordinary people who have achieved this recognition.”

“I love Disney’s Animal Kingdom, of course, and I’m proud of all the work we did there,” he added. “But the EC50 initiative is present work that I am doing now. That deserves the same devotion and effort that my previous career demanded.”

 

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Rohde retired from Walt Disney Imagineering in January 2021. He continues to educate and explore in a variety of ways.