NJD No Mercy

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40+ year Walt Disney Imagineer, Val Usle, speaks out against Disney's decision to "reimagine" Rivers of America. This is at least the 5th prominent Imagineer to speak out: -- THE NUKING OF THE MAGIC KINGDOM'S RIVERS OF AMERICA Former Imagineer with over 40 years with the Company. In case you don't know, Imagineering is on point for the demolition (destruction is a better word) of the Rivers of America at WDW. The waterway, Riverboat, and Tom Sawyers Island are being eliminated to make way for a new Carsland that would sit in their place. Heritage places in the Parks like Rivers of America are not and never have been pure sacred cows. In Paris, Big Thunder replaced Tom Sawyer's Island. At Disneyland the night show Fantasmic was set on Tom Sawyer's Island and entertained those who lined the River. For Galaxy's Edge we re-aligned the Steam Train, Columbia, and Mark Twain routes to accommodate the new land - but we never nuked it. Elsewhere in the Parks, icons like the Castles get overlays and Main Streets get new shops. Walt said it best about the Florida property, "Here we are blessed with space." But WDI has failed to navigate and master plan a path to capture land adjacent to the Rivers of America for the new land. A lot of Imagineers, particularly those that bleed WED, are more than saddened by this master plan fail. I admit that in other social media circles there's audience that's happy with the land being replaced, but in those same circles there is no small community of those who can't believe Imagineering would do this. It starts to add to a litany of other missteps like the medical building looking Poly DVC, the elimination of the Red Car (the only kinetics on Hollywood Blvd at Disney's California), the outdoor stage area at EPCOT's Communicore (the entertainers face the sun and the guest area has no seats - they sit on the concrete in direct sun), the Junior College cafeteria looking food facility just put into Communicore, and the new merch shop between DL Haunted Mansion and Splash. WED and WDI have never been perfect, but such missteps in the past have been few and far between - the exception being Paul Pressler's version of Disney's California Adventure. Now I can list several just in the recent years. One wonders if Rivers of America can be nuked, what other foundational heritage pieces can be next - Castle, Main Street, Pirates, expensive Steam Trains or Monorails? To fix such a mess, it has to be recognized as a mess, but I don't see it happening. The Emperors at 1401 Flower Street are butt naked and don't know it. WED lives, just not at 1401 Flower anymore.