Rohde is a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the
division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme
parks and resort hotels. Rohde's formal title is Executive Designer and Vice
President, Creative. Rohde's trademark is
a large collection of earrings he wears in his left ear, all of which are
souvenirs from decades of travel to remote corners of the world. This tradition
began when he stuck his 5 year anniversary pin into his ear. Rohde is the lead
designer of Disney's Animal Kingdom, one of four theme parks at Walt Disney
World Resort in Florida, and the principal creative force behind the park's
Expedition Everest thrill ride, which debuted in 2006. He is one of the lead
designers behind the new Disney Vacation Club property Aulani in Oʻahu, Hawaii.
He was chosen for the role because of his experience with the Island and its
native people, having grown up in Hawaii.
Rohde joined Imagineering in 1980 during the development of
Epcot as a model designer and scenic painter for the theme park's Mexico
pavilion. He later worked as a designer on the refurbishment of Fantasyland at
Disneyland, the Captain EO 3-D film attraction starring singer Michael Jackson,
the Norway pavilion at Epcot and the Adventurers Club, a 1930s-themed bar and
lounge that opened in 1989 within the Pleasure Island entertainment district at
Walt Disney World Resort.
Rohde was featured in an April 2006 Travel Channel
documentary titled Expedition Everest: Journey to Sacred Lands. The program was
produced by Discovery Networks during expeditions to China and Nepal in 2005
called Mission Himalayas. The treks were sponsored by Discovery, Disney, and
Conservation International to promote the Expedition Everest theme park
attraction and conduct scientific and cultural research in remote areas of the
Himalayas. Rohde served as the model for Harrison Hightower, the owner of the
fictional "Hightower Hotel" which houses the Tower of Terror
attraction at Tokyo DisneySea outside Tokyo, Japan.
Currently Rohde is leading the team transforming Disney
California Adventure's Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission:
Breakout!. The attraction is expected to open Summer 2017.This new project is
part of the expansion of his role as global creative leader of the Marvel
property.
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