all of the animals to the African savanna . Every day after work , he rode his mountain bike along the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride vehicle path , enjoying the evening sunset . Once the animals arrived , no one would ever be able to experience that again , and it was a highlight of his career .
EXPLORING THE WORLD Joe Rohde had a significant impact on many design elements at Walt Disney World , but his influence reaches many corners of the earth .
At Disneyland , Joe was involved with the updates to New Fantasyland in 1983 . Flash forward to 2017 when Rohde made new waves of fantasy with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission : Breakout ! Joe had been charged with making the Marvel portfolio relevant to Disney , just as he had done with Pandora . Tasked to incorporate Marvel into a Tower of Terror overlay , Joe thought of Guardians of the Galaxy , and the retheming was a huge success .
Off the coast , Rohde ’ s work on Aulani brought him back to his roots , having grown up in Hawaii . With Aulani , Joe wanted to “ create something that was truly original and really coming from the culture , not coming from us looking at the culture .” This started with the name , which didn ’ t come from Disney , but from a cultural guide in Hawaii . The resort has a large-scale focus on indigenous Hawaiian people , and the uniqueness makes Aulani Rohde ’ s most memorable and significant endeavor .
On the other side of the world , Rohde left a lasting impression as the character
A Harrison Hightower stained-glass window from Tokyo DisneySea . PHOTO BY DANNY SHUSTER
Harrison Hightower at Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea . The evolution of Joe as Hightower started with an architectural detail for the outside of the building . The team in charge of the design thought Rohde had the perfect “ scowl face ” and wanted to imitate it for a carved head . Suddenly , he was the model for the character and had to pose for photographs , mosaics , and murals . Rohde even ended up playing Harrison Hightower in commercials for the attraction .
One of Rohde ’ s final projects will be revealed in 2022 : the newest Disney Cruise Line island destination , Lighthouse Point . The island will have an adventurous theme that shows appreciation of life , people , artists , and the natural beauty of the Bahamas — plus a sprinkle of Disney