Disney Imagineer Bob Weis Announces His Retirement

Walt Disney Imagineers are the people who create and develop some of your favorite things in Disney Parks, from rides to hotels and more!

Imagineers in Disney World | Photo: Shared by Jeff Vahle via Instagram (@jeffvahle)

Without Imagineers, we wouldn’t have all the wonderful things we love in Disney Parks! Over the past several months and years, we’ve seen a number of Imagineers leave the Company, including Joe Rohde. And now one Disney Imagineer, Bob Weis, has announced his retirement.

Disney Imagineer Bob Weis announced today that he is retiring at the end of 2022, as reported by D23 and as shared on Weis’ Instagram page. Bob Weis is currently the Global Imagineering Ambassador and formerly the President of Walt Disney Imagineering. He wrote in an email, “I will always be proud to have led Imagineering from 2016-2021, and to be your Global Ambassador in 2022.”

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Bob Weis grew up visiting Disneyland every year on his birthday, and he grew up not far from the theme park in Southern California. When he was in college, he worked as a Cast Member in Disneyland Park, selling ice cream and popcorn. He became a Walt Disney Imagineer in 1980, and he was part of the team that created Tokyo Disneyland.

©D23

After that, Weis worked on Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Tokyo DisneySea, the reimagining of Disney California Adventure, and even the design and construction of Shanghai Disney Resort. In 2016, he was named the president of Walt Disney Imagineering. He stayed in that position for 6 years. Then, in 2022, Weis became the Global Imagineering Ambassador, a position once held by his mentor and Disney Legend Marty Sklar.

Weis wrote, “When I retire, I am relishing the opportunity to write a book for the Marty Sklar Archives and I’m in the process of developing a screenplay for Walt Disney Studios. I may even find some time to just go down and walk around Disneyland once in a while.”

©D23

In his Instagram post, Weis shared, “I’m very proud of the years I spent as an Imagineer, as president of WDI, and the past year that I have served as Global Imagineering Ambassador.”

He continued, “For me this is a very exciting next chapter. I’ll continue writing my book for Disney Publishing on the Marty Sklar Archives, and I am developing a screenplay for Walt Disney Studios. But I am also excited to take my experience and use it for worthy projects that have the potential to improve our world. These are exciting times, let’s stay connected.”

If you want to read more about D23’s interview with Bob Weis, you can click here. Keep following DFB for more Disney news!

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