Al Lutz is reporting that Anne Hamburger will be leaving Disney, where she has headed the entertainment department as Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Creative Entertainment.  Hired during the Paul Pressler era, Ms. Hamburger’s first assignment was to revamp the horrid “Steps in Time” production which opened with Disney’s California Adventure park in the Hyperion Theater. Though her fixes reportedly cost millions, the show did not last and was quickly replaced with a touring production of “Blast,” until she was able to complete the work on the replacement show “Aladdin a New Musical.”

As the artistic director of Disney  entertainment, Ms. Hamburger was responsible for all major shows, parades, and nighttime spectaculars at all of the Disney parks and on the cruise ships.   It was a broad role which paced Ms. Hamburger as producer and artistic adviser in nearly all of Disney’s theatrical productions.  While her production values were very high, her artistic sensibilities did not always jive with what guests expected to see in the Disney parks.

Ms. Hamburger did have a following of devoted fans. For many years, her Aladdin and Snow White productions (at California Adventure and Disneyland respectively) successfully filled theaters and had many loyal regulars.  Her Nemo Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a smash success, and many of her cruise ship and foreign park productions were also considered critical successes.  Recently, she was reported to have been pitching a Narnia production for the space currently occupied by the Muppets at Disney’s California Adventure.

The changing of the guard in the Entertainment department at Disney will no doubt allow for a refocusing on the type and tone of entertainment offered in the parks and cruise line in the immediate future.  Such major changes at Disney are usually followed by additional staff changes, department reshuffling, and policy changes.

Steve Davison, a Disney fan favorite for his fireworks spectaculars and Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, is the current Creative Director for Walt Disney Creative Entertainment and was an immediate subordinate of Ms. Hamburger.  He is surely capable of continuing the work of the department until final changes have been made.

Mr. Lutz has started a discussion on the MiceChat forums HERE.

_______________________________

_______________________________