Disney World President Takes Heat for Calling Closed Beloved Attractions “Underutilized Areas”

Comments from a recent interview are getting Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle in hot water from the Disney fan community. In talking about growth at the resort, Vahle said the quiet part out loud, noting that recent closures of beloved attractions like MuppetVision 3D and the Rivers of America were due to those areas being “underutilized”. Let’s take a look at what Vahle said, and why it is hitting home with Disney fans.

Vahle Takes Heat, Calling Closed Beloved Attractions Underutilized

When the interview with Vahle came out a few days ago, I really didn’t think anything of the comments. Basically, Vahle was saying exactly what we’d expect someone in his position at The Walt Disney Company to say. I’ve never met Jeff Vahle, so I can’t really speak to his intentions, but I have heard stories. His comments dismissing the Rivers of America, MuppetVision 3D, and more as underutilized areas that need to be optimized do align with what I’ve heard of him. That is, there is a greater focus on the bottom line than there is on some of the principles that made Walt Disney World, and the Disney theme parks in general, great.

Of course, the Disney fandom isn’t taking the comments well, and I can’t really blame them. Reaction on social media has been scathing towards Vahle.

There are a few things at play here. First, I think Vahle’s comment saying that “everything at Walt Disney World is somebody’s favorite” approaches empathy toward nostalgia, but doesn’t get there. Of course, Vahle’s job isn’t empathy, so we’ll move on.

The next issue is when Vahle says, “we were extremely thoughtful about [removing people’s favorite things]”. That’s a tough statement to make when there are so many shuttered areas at Walt Disney World that are ripe for investment. Instead of replacing beloved attractions, investing in closed spaces would be additive – I’m looking at you, Wonders of Life (honorable mention: Stitch’s Great Escape). There are so many areas that could be brought back to life, that I think dead/closed areas should’ve been prioritized for capital over “underutilized areas”.

The loss of the Rivers of America in particular is significant. Yes, it was underutilized in the most optimization-focused sense of the word, but it was supposed to be. The Rivers of America is going to be tough to replace as a breath of fresh air in the world’s busiest theme park. I never got around to writing an article about Tom Sawyer Island, and I might still, but my opinion was that it was the last hidden gem in Magic Kingdom, and now it’s gone.

In seeking to eliminate underutilized spaces, Walt Disney World is simply building New York City without Central Park. Ironically enough, Walt Disney World’s biggest competitor, Universal Orlando Resort, built a theme park around their own version of Central Park: Celestial Park. When creating something brand new out of the dirt, Universal realized that underutilized spaces play just as important a role as groundbreaking, envelope-pushing attractions. Universal understood this so well that they not only created space for it, but they leaned into it. Universal executives would often mention that Celestial Park is “putting the park back in theme park”. To me, that read as a dig at Walt Disney World, which was announcing plans to pave over the Rivers of America.

All of that is to say that while I don’t find Vahle’s specific comments as distressing as Disney fans have over the past 48 hours, I do find the mindset of maximum optimization distressing. The white space in between words is what creates a complete, cohesive sentence. Optimizing every corner of the theme parks with Lightning Lane-generating attractions loses sight of the importance of creating spaces to relax and catch your breath. Spaces like the Rivers of America not only invited guests to slow down for a moment, but they also play a huge role in establishing theme and place within a theme park.

While all of the announced projects are certainly too far along in the process to be substantially changed, the hope is that there is a mindset shift within Disney Experiences leadership to recognize the importance of underutilized spaces, and not the need to optimize underutilized spaces.

The fear is that we’ve gone too far already, and that Disney won’t build an Epic Universe Celestial Park-style area ever again. I can’t imagine Josh D’Amaro (or the next Chairman when D’Amaro lands CEO) getting in front of 12,000 Disney fans at a D23 Expo and announcing a Rivers of America-style concept anytime soon. I hope I’m wrong.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!