Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<EPCOT Center could get a huge attendance bump and return some significant change if Disney would put a team together to focus on it.>> Totally agree. Epcot is never even close to capacity all year save for NYE. It's a HUGE part that has so many untapped opportunities.
Originally Posted By WDWVacationer I want to say a few things here... First, I do think Iger is a great leader of TWDC. Any executive that can not only keep a company afloat, but keep it PROSPERING in economic times like this while still turning out content that is generally accepted as high quality gets a check in my book. Do I think there are a few weak points? Yes. But the only huge problem is WDW. And it seems both Iger and Eisner have had a hard time sharing the love between WDW and DL. Eisner let DL rot. (Literally in some cases.) WDW has lacked new attractions in Iger's reign, and its not like nothing has been added. There has also been a decline in quality, which has been an unstoppable trainwreck since the last couple Eisner years. But keep in mind he has also turned the motion pictures divison around and quality in DL and the international parks has gotten better. Pretty strong CEO.
Originally Posted By Archimedes Report >>And there are tons of other people saying it. Not saying that makes it true, but it seems to be a consensus. Show me where it says that he's staying for longer, if anything.<< Who are these "tons of other people saying it?" He may very well be leaving at the end of his contract, but it won't be because he's being pressured out as you seem to be insinuating. >>Say what you want about ME, but he did care, on a personal level. He simply didn't want to invest the capital as a businessman.<< Uh huh. Well thank god he cared, because if he didn't could you imagine how DCA, WDSP and HKDL would have turned out? Disneyland is in the best shape it's been in since the 40th, Disneyland Paris is finally bouncing back from the Rasulo years, they're spending more than twice what it cost to build DCA to fix it, they've invested heavily to fix some of the mistakes of HK Disneyland and they're building a park in Shanghai which was one of Iger's goals from the beginning. I have a lot of problems with Iger's decisions (Rich Ross, anyone? The Studios is a turd machine), but I'll take his indifference over Eisner's brand of "care." >>Yup. That's why I'd still love to have Eisner over Iger.<< This sentiment is absolutely baffling to me. How quickly we forget. >>Just to add about my last point, yea, Esiner sucked hard at the end of his tenure. But with the right people around him he would have been fine.<< If wishes and buts were clusters of nuts, we'd all have a bowl of granola. "Would have been?" I don't see what difference it makes what *could* have happened. Every thing good Eisner did at the beginning of his reign was undone by the time he left. Feature animation? Demolished. WDI? Gutted. Parks and Resorts? In a worst state than when he was brought in as CEO.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Try Sept 2015. Iger took over daily operations from ME around March 2005, then was crowned Chief Cheese at the beginning of FY2006. This is why the Pixar deal was announced in Jan 2006. Iger and his legal team had been working with the Pixar principles in the latter part of 2005 to get the deal done. If Iger's stepping down at the end of his current contract, it will happen in a little over four years. And I won't be surprised if he does step down, for it seemed as though his main goal was to grab as much compensation as possible by pushing profits through the pseudo-growth illusion of cost cutting and IP acquisition. I never got a strong sense that Iger was interested in the gig for the long haul, as ME clearly was. It also wouldn't surprise me to see P&R sold off before Iger bails for Retirement Land. As others have pointed out in this thread, the Rotunda Bldg simply doesn't have any genuine interest in the parks. Say what you want about ME, but he did care, on a personal level. He simply didn't want to invest the capital as a businessman.<<<< So I was off by a few months. ;-) LOL And yes, that's the worry, sell off PR, have a money grab, leave. This, from a millionaire, already. All about greed.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Other parks, however, could use some capital investment. EPCOT Center could get a huge attendance bump and return some significant change if Disney would put a team together to focus on it<<< I adore posts like this.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Do I think there are a few weak points? Yes. But the only huge problem is WDW. And it seems both Iger and Eisner have had a hard time sharing the love between WDW and DL. Eisner let DL rot. (Literally in some cases.) WDW has lacked new attractions in Iger's reign, and its not like nothing has been added. There has also been a decline in quality, which has been an unstoppable trainwreck since the last couple Eisner years.<<<< I disagree. There's no real creative content coming out of the company that's not a tie into a franchise. That's at the very basis of the problem... it just manifests itself in the parks in very visible, boring ways.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Who are these "tons of other people saying it?" He may very well be leaving at the end of his contract, but it won't be because he's being pressured out as you seem to be insinuating.<<< Read what Skinner said. And it's floating around the Disneyverse, here and there. Anyway, where is Leemac in all this? Would like to hear his take on some of the new lines of thought here....
Originally Posted By WDWVacationer <<I disagree. There's no real creative content coming out of the company that's not a tie into a franchise. That's at the very basis of the problem... it just manifests itself in the parks in very visible, boring ways.>> Creativity can come in franchises. Its all about how you use them. Toy Story, TRON,and Wiinie the Pooh are good uses of franchises. High quality and creative adaptations and use. And there is plenty of stuff besides franchises anyway. Brave? Tangled? Mystic Point? High quality, creative content.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Creativity can come in franchises. Its all about how you use them. Toy Story, TRON,and Wiinie the Pooh are good uses of franchises. High quality and creative adaptations and use. << I'll give you Toy Story. The rest is cultural driftwood. >> And there is plenty of stuff besides franchises anyway. Brave? Tangled? Mystic Point? High quality, creative content. << Tangled? Was that the movie that only kids and fanbois saw? Mystic Point? What's that? Brave? Too soon to tell, but it looks a little derivative.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>Creativity can come in franchises. Its all about how you use them. Toy Story, TRON,and Wiinie the Pooh are good uses of franchises. High quality and creative adaptations and use. And there is plenty of stuff besides franchises anyway. Brave? Tangled? Mystic Point? High quality, creative content<<<< And where's any of that in WDW? And yeah, but when franchises are ALL YOU DO, it doesn't matter. WDW has the capability to be so much more than rehashed stories.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 As usual, away for the day and things go in sooooo many different directions, so please pardon this little interruption (can you interrupt your own thread?) because I think/know there's a lot going on in Disney's universe and at The Walmarted World of Disney. I posted last night that I thought it was VERY odd that another MAGICal webmaster, with NO first-hand knowledge, was claiming that Bob Iger was 'spotted' at DAK yesterday walking the park with VP Michael Colglazier. Naturally (as social media will do, right Duncan?), everyone took the statement as gospel and began tweeting the same thing ... puking forth would be my more colorful way of putting it) ... Only issue was no one else has said it. No one I contacted at Disney yesterday could confirm it. No one had heard of it. And not one piece of evidence/proof has been put out on the web. Why would that be? Could be any number of reasons. Like fanbois tend to have the attention span of kitties chasing a laser pointer. The simple folks reason IF Iger is at DAK WITH the VP THEN 1.) he cares; 2.) he's working on making the place better; and 3.) anything else on the social media Disney 'hot topic' list must drop away and be pushed aside for this REALLY big, REALLY MAGICal news. So ... it's been tough on Disney of late with Social Media. You have a massive thread about how Disney is dealing with Social Media with all sorts of troubling questions being raised ... from certain websites being essentially paid off for coverage ... to TDO allowing certain individuals to set up WDW-based businesses that compete with Disney's own products in exchange for 100% pro-WDW Co. spin ... to allowing people to steal Disney's IP for fan-based DVDs and the like, again in a quid pro quo ... to what the real goals of The Disney Parks Blog are ... to whether Disney lies and fakes 'comments' from regular fans on said blog etc. You have another thread that brings up something fairly well-known in some business circles, but very quiet on the large scale media front. That being that Disney has talked to people about shopping the parks and resorts or spinning them off. That's right, The Weatherman has considered dumping Disney Parks! You even have a thread questioning whether the Four Seasons project at Golden Oak is dead (since it was supposed to be open in the past year and they haven't even stuck a shovel in the ground). You have Al Weiss 'resigning' when in fact he did not ... and, personal issues aside, his removal is likely the start of a large scale new round of layoffs. Finally, and not least, you have a new fan-based initiative (founded on the most pixie-dusted major site on the web) that is ripping Disney rightfully for the pathetic conditions of many signature attractions and the parks themselves. Now ... I know some people don't like conspiracy theories ... or they've lived simple lives where they haven't seen or been a part of them. And I don't even like the word and kind of regret putting it in the Social Media thread because it evokes too many things in too many contexts. But does it not seem odd that Bob was reportedly at DAK ... yet not one person including the webmaster and one poster (who offered no info of substance whatsoever but indicated Iger was there with others and then proceeded to ignore questions by many on said site) has confirmed he was at DAK and why? Why didn't anyone see him? Why didn't a fanboi Tweet a pic with him? Why didn't some tourist from Ohio take pics of his kids with Bob in front of the Tree of Life? With Social Media, it is so easy to place information that isn't true out to the world in an effort to draw attention away from potentially damaging information. I think we're all getting a good lesson in that right now. And I'd take that lesson with you in each and every thread you place something more significant than what character breakfast you enjoy the most.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>But does it not seem odd that Bob was reportedly at DAK ... yet not one person including the webmaster and one poster (who offered no info of substance whatsoever but indicated Iger was there with others and then proceeded to ignore questions by many on said site) has confirmed he was at DAK and why? Why didn't anyone see him? Why didn't a fanboi Tweet a pic with him? Why didn't some tourist from Ohio take pics of his kids with Bob in front of the Tree of Life?<<< You know what's the worst of all? The fact that Iger being in one of our parks should even be BIG news. Isn't he supposed to be here all the time? Checking up on things? Being a CEO that's mindful of one of his biggest products? But suddenly, when the parks are neglected for so long, even the possibility of the CEO being in the parks is HUGE news. That's downright depressing, wrong, and horribly evocative of how Iger and Co treats the parks.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ... making it quite believable that they aren't important to him, and just a commodity to be sold. You know, to tie it back into the thread and all....
Originally Posted By HMButler79 I think everyone is blowing Eisner's last years out of proportion. No, we don't forget. But in retrospect to now '95-'00 was not THAT bad. Animation was still good (Pocahontas, Hunchback, Herc, Mulan, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000 Atlantis, Lilo), WDW was actually getting new product, The Disney Channel still resembled itself. It was simply the disastrous years at DL that have ruined that time for us. Now, there is no question, that '01 onward was INSANE. Fox Family/ABC Family., Treasure Planet write off, DCA1.0, WSP, Eisner asking the Board to report EVERY CONVERSATION they had with Roy, Go.com, The Disney Store implosion, Andy Mooney heading Consumer Products, the cheap-quels, the end of Vault Disney, and the one that pushed everyone and Toy over the edgs... the closing of Orlando Feature Animation and Burbank WDFA Layoffs. I truly believe it was this that led Roy to resign, go public with the letter, and launch SaveDisney. However, i truly do not think he thought it through good enough......
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Spirit, I'll have you know that my friends working at DAK yesterday were quite surprised if I asked them if they saw Iger yesterday. Needless to say many of them had no idea and are sure he wasn't there. <<... making it quite believable that they aren't important to him>> They aren't. I've been saying it for YEARS. Yet no one ever listened.
Originally Posted By Archimedes Report >>Read what Skinner said.<< Oh, well if we're just guessing... >>And it's floating around the Disneyverse, here and there.<< If your answer to "who is saying he's being pushed out?" is "people on the internet," you'll have to forgive me if I'm not convinced. The Disney fan community is just a giant echo chamber, filled with the same twenty or so voices saying the same thing in different venues. >>I disagree. There's no real creative content coming out of the company that's not a tie into a franchise. That's at the very basis of the problem... it just manifests itself in the parks in very visible, boring ways.<< This is the current movement across all of Hollywood. Franchises, franchises, franchises. >>Isn't he supposed to be here all the time? Checking up on things? Being a CEO that's mindful of one of his biggest products?<< I'm not sure you understand what a CEO does or how a corporate hierarchy works. The real tragedy of this thread is that people are going to be spreading, "Iger wants to sell the Parks" which is a gross oversimplification. It's an interesting thought exercise, if not a particularly realistic one.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Not really responding here in order right now due to time constraints and a major project that's suddenly been placed into my lap. But when I see something that I want to jump on quickly ... I will ... so ... <<I'm not sure you understand what a CEO does or how a corporate hierarchy works.>> That's a good point. Many in the fan community don't understand this. AT. ALL. That's why they see TWDC as being only WDW ... or perhaps all the parks in the USA ... or maybe even all of them. ... They don't see ESPN ... they don't see television shows that Disney owns and produces (from Desperate Housewives to Grey's Anatomy to Criminal Minds -- yes, even though it's on CBS) ... they don't get that what Iger wanted most of all in China wasn't another theme park/resort -- and he failed to get it. So, when someone plants (or outright lies, and I'm saying that here ... yet) that Iger was seen in a troubled park in O-Town, people assume things thru their own very narrow prisms. <<The real tragedy of this thread is that people are going to be spreading, "Iger wants to sell the Parks" which is a gross oversimplification.>> I think the word 'tragedy' is a being more than a bit dramatic. I don't think anyone dropped dead, contracted cancer or even herpes or had their home foreclosed on from reading this. Maybe some people even learned something IF they read what was written and thought about ... and asked questions if they didn't understand. I am NOT saying ''Iger wants to sell the Parks'' ... I am saying he has thought of it, talked about it and had people look into it. And that it still could happen. You can retweet that as much as you'd like ;-) <<It's an interesting thought exercise, if not a particularly realistic one.>> Well, again, it's hard to sell something when you don't have buyers.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>If your answer to "who is saying he's being pushed out?" is "people on the internet," you'll have to forgive me if I'm not convinced.<<< It's not just people on the internet. The buzz is out there. You'll have to forgive me, if I don't have a bibliography attached to my posts. LOL.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>I am NOT saying ''Iger wants to sell the Parks'' ... I am saying he has thought of it, talked about it and had people look into it. And that it still could happen. You can retweet that as much as you'd like ;-) <<<< Splitting hairs, but if he's looking into it, he does want to, on some level. Which, of course, it worrying.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>>Well, again, it's hard to sell something when you don't have buyers.<<<< Mind if I ask who he has tried to sell the parks too?
