Hidden Rohde

Throughout Harambe are advertisements for various businesses, some of which you can visit and some you can't. Together, they help to create a rich storytelling tapestry and build the sense that Harambe is a real place, not just a land in a theme park. A few of those ads pay tribute to the people who helped create the park and tell the stories. Chief among them is the park's executive designer, Imagineer Joe Rohde.

Joe is a fascinating guy who has traveled all over the world, both personally and to research projects for the Disney Parks. He's the kind of person who, when you talk with him, makes you feel infinitely smarter. I had the honor of working with Joe when we opened Disney's Animal Kingdom, and it's an experience I will never forget.

Joe Rohde helped me appreciate details in the parks like I never had before. In fact, there's a great story he tells about one of their research trips to Africa. The team visited Lamu, one of the oldest Swahili towns on Kenya's coast. As they stepped off the bus, everyone immediately began shooting pictures of the buildings and other sights around them.

Joe waved his arms and shouted for them to stop. "Those pictures are fine," he said, "but you can see that in the National Geographic. I want you to pay attention to this." He directed their cameras to the ground, where the dirt from the road gathered against the base of a wall. "These are the kinds of details that make a place look real and lived in."

Thanks to the work of Joe and his team, the lands of Disney's Animal Kingdom are among the most compelling storytelling environments ever created.

"Detail is there to make you believe in the reality

of the story you're immersed in."

- Joe Rohde