Chief Disney Imagineer Promises to Move Beyond Blue Sky Ideas and Get Shovels in Dirt

The biggest Disney fan convention in the world, D23, starts tomorrow and we are here reporting live from the event as we lead up to all the major D23 announcements we expect from the Disney Parks!

To kick off the event, we heard some exciting commentary tonight from Bruce Vaughan, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering about the upcoming announcements. This commentary has us even more excited for the news coming this weekend at D23. Especially that he specifically is calling out moving beyond general “blue sky” promises and giving us FIRM details!

Keep reading for all of Vaughan's commentary and why we think this is promising news for theme park fans as we wait to hear final details about upcoming projects coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

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Imagineering Pavilion Showcases New Disney Projects

Tonight we got a first hand look at the “Imagineering: Behind the Dreams” pavilion during the media preview night at D23.

The pavilion functioned as something like an Imagineering Open House, with the venue divided into the four quadrants “invent,” “build,” “entertain,” and “design,” with different Imagineers talking about different projects at center stage. The space showcases models, interactive demos, and more. This area will be a must see for guests and Disney Park fans!

However, the thing that stood out the most to us were the comments made by Bruce Vaughan, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering.

Chief of Imagineering Promises Exciting Announcements

Bruce Vaughan opened with remarks about how the pavilion highlights recent Walt Disney Imagineering projects showcasing their techniques, technology, interior design, and more. The best part about this introduction was Vaughan's no nonsense approach to the news we will receive this weekend. Starting Sunday, the pavilion will showcase the projects that will be revealed during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, which takes place on Saturday, August 10 at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Vaughan insists that coming back to the Imagineering pavilion for this reveal will be a must so guests can “get in there and see some really cool sh*t that is brand new and is on the horizon.”

Did the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering just tell us that we are going to see some really cool sh*t? Yes, yes he did. Not only is this just an amusing thing to hear one of the top professionals at Disney say, this really drives home the excitement behind the scenes of how Imagineers are hoping guests will react to these announcements.

Vaughan talked about how he knows we have “all been hungry for something beyond Blue Sky” and while Blue Sky is a fun concept, “building, delivering, putting shovels in the dirt is even better.” He says that “that’s what this year is all about and the next decade is all about and beyond, quite frankly.”

This is exciting, as we have had a lot of Blue Sky-type announcements but have been saying that we would love to see “shovels in the dirt” for many of these projects. This has been one of the biggest critiques theme park fans have had against Disney lately as many have grown weary of hearing vague ideas without concrete details. I for one am hoping we get specific closing dates for areas that are overdue for reimagining (looking at you DinoLand U.S.A.!) along with firm opening timelines.

And since Bruce Vaughan is insisting we're about to see some really cool sh*t, I am feeling hopeful that Disney will deliver at D23 this weekend.