Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Remember back in the mid-80s, before Eisner and Wells were put in place, when Saul Steinberg was going to buy Walt Disney Productions and it was all going to be get chopped up and sold off as different divisions? Theme parks sold to Six Flags. Animation sold to...Filmation. Motion Pictures division sold to MGM. But it didn't happen in 1984. Because it seems like the company is stronger when it is one group than when it's split apart and sold off. Synergy as Frank Wells used to say in the 'Traditions' film at Walt Disney World. How is this current proposal any different? How would the idea of selling off the theme parks and resorts division help the overall health of The Walt Disney Company.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I was typing mine as your's was posted, Spirit. Maybe your Gordon Gecco scenario is correct. But I wonder.
Originally Posted By devoy1701 it's now being reported that Staggs and Iger were spotted at Via Napoli about an hour ago...interestingly enough this didn't come from the admin. Not sure what's going on...sure all of these "spotting" would have been captured in a picture by now.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Al-Waleed Bin Talal owns a significant stake in Euro Disney, and when approached for that initial investment in 1994, the Saudi prince (who is widely cited as the wealthiest person in Saudi Arabi and whose uncle is the king) wanted to buy that property in its entirety. He is widely known as 'Disney's Saudi Banker' and has remained a devoted fan of Western media since his early years spent at prep schools and colleges in the US (of course). He also owns a major stake in the Four Seasons, as Leemac has pointed out. For him, there has not been a cash crunch of any kind, nor will there EVER be. Which does sorta make the stalled project at WDW ever-the-more suspect. If one looks at the time-line, this project was announced only a matter of months before The Weatherman put out word to certain folks in the investment community that P&R might well be on the market. Seems to make sense that if you thought you might have an interest in owning the whole of WDW, you might not want to invest in building a hotel that competes with other WDW properties. As well, you might not want to move forward with said project not knowing if TWDC was retaining its interest because doesn't it seem illogical that Disney would part with P&R unless there were underlying problems in that division (things beyond Disco Yeti and 1972 parades)? Recently, the prince went on a PR campaign to reshape his image as a proponent of more Western-like change in the stuck in the Stone Age Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While he is a lover of 1950s era American media and the Disney image cultivated under the 'Myth of Walt', Al-Waleed Bin Talal has long been rumored to be a frontman for others in the Middle East who are not able to invest here because of links to certain organizations and individuals. Now, let's move on to the only place Disney is currently building a new park ... China was the deal Disney 'never should have made' ... that's not me talking (although I agree), that's what an expert who worked in Nixon's administration actually said to Iger and this person would know better than almost any Westerner about doing deals with the People's Republic. That said, China wants in on Disney and China has the money. TWDC wanted and was advised to enter the Chinese mainland through the airwaves and not a 'castle park' and resort. China is loaded with parks, loaded with knockoffs of everything Orlando has to offer and then some. On any given day, Chinese investors are scouting the parks and resorts of Central Florida to see what works, what doesn't ... what they like, what they don't. I've seen them, and many of you probably have too. Regrettably for Disney, the central government was only willing to enter into a highly restrictive ... make that, a very onerous agreement for a 'Shanghai Disney'. Forget the PR spin (that's what The Disney Parks Blog is here for, after all!) Disney has not spent more than a decade working on its entry to the mainland only to get this one resort. TWDC's English schools were/are a backdoor into the Chinese mainland to gain more brand recognition in a market heavily saturated with non-Disney characters. No Disney Channel, no movie distribution agreement, no content broadcast to the masses of the mainland. All of the above, what The Weatherman desperately tried to get Beijing to cave on right on through the start of 2011. In dealing with the 'uber-Western' authorities in Hong Kong, Disney has been left bruised, battered and ... squeezed. Shanghai, as currently framed, has to be the most ill-advised move yet by TWDC in its expansion to the East. Understand, there simply is no working 'with' the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), the real partner for any Western business operating in the Chinese mainland. You do what 'the party' tells you to do. And hope for the best. Sure, once you set up a business, you aren't working with/for the Chinese government. But without getting all into the political here (besides, that's no fun without Pierce), when you deal with a Chinese entity, it is largely a dummy company that is controlled by the government. At any point in time, you can be shown the exit. And, no, not even Mickey and his pals could help TWDC with that. Everything stays but the American management and its interest. Such is business in a Communist China. But MULTIPLE China-based corporations DO have the money for a deal. And with the licensing agreement and infusion of cash TWDC would receive, this is not so farfetched. As well, it is not at all out of character for Chinese officials to approach media executives or personalities from the West for poaching purposes. And, from my own experiences working/living there, Disney is a topic that 'China Media' wastes no time in bringing up when working with folks from 'American Media' ... they want Disney, but on their terms. From my knowledge of the deal, and my discussions with officials privy to it and the negotiations, that is what they got with Shanghai Disney and the expansion to HKDL. TWDC may have a hard time saying no if the powers in Beijing ever decided to make a run for P&R. This might well be the best case scenario. As the 'greed is good' crowd is likely pushing for a cash-out of P&R after pushing that division to the brink, and I see a repeat on a much grander scale of what occurred pre-Eisner and Wells in the early 1980s. Only where they came in and saved the whole, The Weatherman is there to take it apart. That's why he is not 'the face' of Disney, not the charismatic chieftain at the head of a Western media giant. Bob Iger is a manager. (say that three times) P&R amounts to nothing more than one part, one component, in 'the portfolio' he is charged with managing.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<it's now being reported that Staggs and Iger were spotted at Via Napoli about an hour ago...interestingly enough this didn't come from the admin. Not sure what's going on...sure all of these "spotting" would have been captured in a picture by now. >> Three days in O-Town now? And no pics, no interviews, no fanboi autographs with the family? No one from the Orlando Sentinel to Kevin Yee to our own Leemac (not to mention anyone from this VERY trusted) site (or anyone) has heard/seen/reported this. Again, I'm VERY skepitcal. And Via Napoli? A none Disney owned and operate restaurant where they can be photographed ... I almost feel by acknowledging this that I am helping perpetuate a myth/lie here because I simply don't believe it until someone I know/trust has seen them with their own eyes ... but I'll start with just another source that isn't that MAGICal Disney-Can-Do-No-Wrong site.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> Amputation. Or, here, removing the division, the part of the company you have diseased through a systematic plundering of its underlying brand power. Only, where is the buyer? Who is the buyer? Who out there would invest in this kind of a product? << I just saw "127 Hours" this afternoon, the movie about the guy who gets his arm stuck in a Utah canyon and is forced to amputate it to free himself. Yeah, I just had a mental image of Bob Iger trying to cut off his theme parking arm and it kinda made me chuckle. After seeing that movie, never thought I'd crack a smile at amputation. Um, thanks Spirit!
Originally Posted By devoy1701 <<<Three days in O-Town now? And no pics, no interviews, no fanboi autographs with the family? No one from the Orlando Sentinel to Kevin Yee to our own Leemac (not to mention anyone from this VERY trusted) site (or anyone) has heard/seen/reported this. Again, I'm VERY skepitcal. And Via Napoli? A none Disney owned and operate restaurant where they can be photographed ... I almost feel by acknowledging this that I am helping perpetuate a myth/lie here because I simply don't believe it until someone I know/trust has seen them with their own eyes ... but I'll start with just another source that isn't that MAGICal Disney-Can-Do-No-Wrong site.>>> Completely agree. There is no way it wouldn't have made Parks Blog News yet, and none of the other 3 forums I frequent have made a peep about it. Posters on the MAGICal board (including myself) are starting to blatently call BS. All of this for an intiative that is still roughly 5 days away from officially launching? I'm not sure I completely understand the motive behind it...
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<All of this for an intiative that is still roughly 5 days away from officially launching? I'm not sure I completely understand the motive behind it...>> Do you guys have a site ready to go and everything? Just curious. I'm interested in what you guys are doing, but it seems to be MAGICal based, and I try to spend as little time possible over there.
Originally Posted By devoy1701 <<Do you guys have a site ready to go and everything? Just curious. I'm interested in what you guys are doing, but it seems to be MAGICal based, and I try to spend as little time possible over there.>> The site is almost ready, This long weekend is definitely going to help. It's built out enough to launch and we will be working on a more "advanced" formatting for tracking issues after we go live. But we're ready, we're willing, and we've already started to cause a slight ripple in the pond and we want to build off of that. Commentary articles are being completed, and we have secured some pretty high level backing both behind the scenes and names that you'll recognize that want to be out in the open with us. And I ssure you...it's not MAGICal based.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Completely agree. There is no way it wouldn't have made Parks Blog News yet, and none of the other 3 forums I frequent have made a peep about it. Posters on the MAGICal board (including myself) are starting to blatently call BS. >> I respect Tom (and he sometimes posts here), but I just don't see how Bob is at WDW for now three days and no one else sees him/photographs him or reports it. <<All of this for an intiative that is still roughly 5 days away from officially launching? I'm not sure I completely understand the motive behind it...>> I don't think it's your fan initiative, which I support as you know. I think it's a confluence of things going on ... everything from Social Media and Disney being asked questions by the press (something I know they've had to deal with from AT LEAST two news outlets, possibly more) on everything from IP protection to in-park tours by podcasters ... to Al Weiss' departure and the circumstances surrounding it ... to THIS very discussion (because while people on Wall Street have been talking about this, from time to time, the mainstream media as well as the fan community hasn't heard a peep) ... to maybe Bob helping Tom pick out a lot at Golden Oak ;-) Even if Iger were really here, that wouldn't negate any of the above. It would simply do what the mere prospect of his visit is doing, namely increasing chatter in the fan circles and taking people's attention away from all of the above issues. It's amazing how many in the Twitterverse have been abuzz that Iger would visit and about all the good things that must mean. That's what Disney wants. To control the message. Maybe I should visit WDW this weekend?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<The site is almost ready, This long weekend is definitely going to help. It's built out enough to launch and we will be working on a more "advanced" formatting for tracking issues after we go live. But we're ready, we're willing, and we've already started to cause a slight ripple in the pond and we want to build off of that. Commentary articles are being completed, and we have secured some pretty high level backing both behind the scenes and names that you'll recognize that want to be out in the open with us. And I ssure you...it's not MAGICal based. >> Sounds great! Can't wait to see it. And by "MAGICAL based" I meant you guys came up with it over there. I'm headed down to Orlando the 12-17, I'll let you know if I spot any problems.
Originally Posted By WDWVacationer Well hold on a second. Weren't Bob and Tom in town for a theme park conference a while back? We can safely assume they were in WDW at some point. No blog post. Bob has been in WDW multiple times the past few years. No blog post. No PR. So if Bob is in WDW right now getting a spot for Illuminations while digesting a pizza and thinking about dancing yetis, how can we be sure there'd be a blog post? Now here's another question. Could Bob be in town to appraise the parks? Sure. Could he also be there because he is evaluating WDW and it's condition? Was DAK's VP saying stuff like "Over there is where WDI wants to put_______."? Now, ThemeParkOne on Twitter-and I'm not sure how much you all trust him-but I put confidence in him said Bob's presence could have something to do with the 2 dozen proposals Joe has for DAK. So could his presence be a dark cloud? Yep. But it could also be a ray of sunshine.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Maybe I should visit WDW this weekend?>> No, visit sometime the 12-17 and bring EE and Lee hisownwhateverthehellhescallinghimself and we can have a big o'le party.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Vacationer, I'm almost certain Iger isn't there. No one I've asked has heard a peep about him being there. I could be wrong, but so far I'm not buying it.
Originally Posted By devoy1701 <<And by "MAGICAL based" I meant you guys came up with it over there.>> Got it...I was thinking you meant somewhat in-line with the MAGICal way of thinking.
Originally Posted By WDWVacationer <<Vacationer, I'm almost certain Iger isn't there. No one I've asked has heard a peep about him being there. I could be wrong, but so far I'm not buying it.>> Trust me, I find it fishy it's not spreading. (If he really is there.) But there are some people saying he is, and reasons to believe he is. There are also people saying he isn't, and reasons to believe he isn't.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<So could his presence be a dark cloud? Yep. But it could also be a ray of sunshine.>> The issue, Vacationer, is whether he is in town at all. When that ascertained, nothing else really matters. As of now at 9:24 Eastern Standard Time on June 30, 2011, not one CM in Orlando, not one fanboi, not one blogger, not one reporter, not one guest has reported seeing him/speaking to him/photographing him. Where did this RUMOR begin? Was it a first-hand account? That's all that really matters at this point ...
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 When that IS NOT ascertained, nothing else really matters. Sorry, too speedy fingers ...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<What is a Golden Doobie? Oh, and congratulations for having a posting style named after you! >> Bolna, Golden Doobies are awards sometimes presented at the big LP meet generally held about once a year. Any LP member can nominate any other LP'er for an award for any reason from silly to serious. I'm not sure who selects the people who receives a Doobie from those nominated or assigns a name to the award won. I assume it would probably be Doobie and Rebekah and their Admins. I was joking about nominating myself... a person can't do that. I would also never shamelessly hustle an award for myself. I might do it, but it would certainly be with some shame! LOL Here is a thread with the 2009 Golden Doobie Awards: <a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/MsgBoard-T-110156-P-1.asp" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/Ms...-P-1.asp</a>
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>My young (but older today) buddy, EE, asked about if Disney were to sell P&R who might be lining up to buy. ... The queue would be shorter than the Treehouse (insert your own joke about WDW's typical guests not being able to walk up the plastic tree here!)>>> A whole difference of a decade... And I love the Treehouse, and was very happy to see a lot people climbing it this trip. You do get a awesome view... >>>>Still, two potentially interested 'parties' came to mind when I came to terms with the reality that TWDC has indeed shopped P&R. Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. And the People's Republic of China. >>>> ...Wow. Really? Not a incredulous "Wow, really", but... WOW, REALLY!?? ...China? As i n Oriental Land? YES PLEASE...
