Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ... the as expected announcement of yet another after-hours, hard ticket party at the MK next Janurary-March on 13 nights themed to (what else?) Pirates and Princesses. Can you say overkill? ...or the July 4th power outage that hit the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. You guys/gals slipping?
Originally Posted By Labuda I think that was already mentioned here - ot sure when or by whom, though. Maybe o The Latest? Deb's got info on it up on her site.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>... the as expected announcement of yet another after-hours, hard ticket party at the MK next Janurary-March on 13 nights themed to (what else?) Pirates and Princesses. Can you say overkill?<< I think I read this at WDWMagic. and yes - - - "overkill" Especially considering that after seeing the second film and imagining the third, the franchise won't be on the same level of Star Wars. But Disney does this. The squeeze every ounce of juice out. Besides, no one really thought the E-Ride Nights or any other hard-ticket event was going to go away. These things only grow.
Originally Posted By pixiedust1 <<But Disney does this. The squeeze every ounce of juice out.>> You know I agree with you... but the reality of it all, is that Disney is a company that is in the business to make money.... It would be so nice not to answer to stockholders but it won't happen... bottom line is what counts... they can't pass up a opportunity to make every penny they can on pirates.. it makes good business sense.... I don't think there's a solution for it.. Marketing Marketing Marketing, that's where it's at... I remember when my kids were growing up. back then it was He-Man, Transformers, Cabbage Patch Dolls, I used to camp out hours before a store opend to get one of these things... LOL.. Now I want my own Capt Jack Sparrow doll.. LMAO....
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>they can't pass up a opportunity to make every penny they can on pirates.. it makes good business sense.... I don't think there's a solution for it..<< I would disagree. It is a sign of being short-sighted. It's gimmie gimmie gimmie. Their plans do not call for long-horizon valuations. They want to realize and/or recongnize everything immediately. It's not that they think it's in the company's best interest, it's that their jobs depend on it. It's how their own performance is judged. It's what has distinguished Pixar from Disney in recent years. From my observations, Pixar nurtures their product and their artists. For POTC, it has seemed that Disney wants to squeeze that juice because of their own ineptitude in not taking advantage of synergies with the first film. So, instead of slowing growing the franchise into something that will be cherished for years and years, they over-saturate the marketplace with pirate junk. Next it will be tinkerbell and pixie junk, just as it has been princess junk. There are 20 examples of this strategy. Millionaire is one of the most often spoken about. They were in dire need of advertising revenue when Millionaire became popular so they put all the weight of outperforming past years on Millionaires shoulders. It's like Eisner's own analogy - - what happens when you overwork an engine when it's only firing on one cylnder.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I would like to get all worked up about it but I can't see any possible reason to care. They will get whatever they can for the franchise and when it dies, it dies. Deposit the money in the bank and move to the next project. Didn't they exploit Peter Pan? Cinderella? Pooh? Snow White? Indiana Jones? It's a bugs life? And so many others too numerous to mention. Those just flew in under the radar with the appearance of classics. How about 20K Leagues? Or for that matter Mickey Mouse himself! It's all shameless self promotion, the only difference being that Pirates is more recent.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I would disagree. It is a sign of being short-sighted. It's gimmie gimmie gimmie. Their plans do not call for long-horizon valuations. They want to realize and/or recongnize everything immediately. It's not that they think it's in the company's best interest, it's that their jobs depend on it. It's how their own performance is judged.>> Yes, and that is frequently what the shareholders demand. Right now a major GM shareholder, Kirk Kerkorian , is trying to force out CEO Rick Wagoner and have GM join an alliance with Renault and Nissan. The general consensus among industry analysts is that Wagoner is taking the proper steps and will return GM to long term profitability if given time. For Kerkorian that is not fast enough. He wants the short term boost that would come from the alliance, even though over the long haul the value of such an alliance is questionable. One major shareholder can really screw things up. I don't know what the situation is with Pixar, but if I was taking a company public I would require that no one other than the founder(s) could hold more than 5% of the stock.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros "...I remember when my kids were growing up. back then it was He-Man, Transformers, Cabbage Patch Dolls, I used to camp out hours before a store opend to get one of these things..." Then you would be happy to know that during the previews at POTC2, when the Transformers trailer ended and the title was finally revealed, the entire theater laughed. This was the same crowd that cheered for the Snakes on a Plane trailer.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>Didn't they exploit Peter Pan? Cinderella? Pooh? Snow White? Indiana Jones? It's a bugs life? And so many others too numerous to mention. Those just flew in under the radar with the appearance of classics. How about 20K Leagues?<< No. Other than the incidental need for a 3D movie in the Tree of Life, those movies were released surrounded by all of the marketing hoopla and were successful because they were GOOD movies. POTC II is an issue of a movie of questionable quality being celebrated with theme park additions before it is even released. Most of those other movies had spots in theme parks because PEOPLE decided they were classics for the last 10-30 years prior.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>One major shareholder can really screw things up. I don't know what the situation is with Pixar, but if I was taking a company public I would require that no one other than the founder(s) could hold more than 5% of the stock.<< RoadTrip, this is one area where I would agree with the socialistic utopian views of the citizens of Minnesota, but a rule like that defeats the purpose of raising capital in the first place. The system is flawed, no doubt, but it still is a good system. My problem is that Disney uses the flaws as a crutch. Unneedlessly. That's why the very people who expect a return were so willing to vote out Eisner a few years back. The shareholders aren't to blame, the people in charge who made bad macro decision were. Shareholders didn't stop Pixar from being a creative AND financial leader. Shareholders don't prevent Costco from being one of the best well run and labor-friendly corporations in the U.S.
Originally Posted By pixiedust1 <<they over-saturate the marketplace with pirate junk. Next it will be tinkerbell and pixie junk, just as it has been princess junk.>> <<Deposit the money in the bank and move to the next project. Didn't they exploit Peter Pan? Cinderella? Pooh? Snow White? Indiana Jones? It's a bugs life>> Strike while the irons hot... nobody will want Pirates junk when theres no more Pirates movies.. merchandising is what it's all about... why do you think that selling Pirates junk 2 years from now will not make it junk... it will just make it old junk... and anyway.. we are talking short realization of profits on a very popular movie... that was the original thread about Pirates.. and the juice LOL...
Originally Posted By pixiedust1 One last quick thought... I guess it comes down to, give the public what it wants... there are so many movies (even some non-Disney) that generated millions of dollars of merchandise sales, some of that money was not even made by the movie companys themsleves...example.. the movie Urban Cowboy with John Travolta.. people walked out of that movie and said I want a cowboy hat... cowboy hat sales skyrocketed.. all I'm saying is, give the people want they want, when they want it.... good or bad it's a way life...
Originally Posted By ChiMike And while I agree with that, I think it's simplistic to lump everything in together. To say, that there never is TOO MUCH. To follow your Urban Cowboy analogy, I find nothing wrong with what Walt did with Davy Crockett. I think it's great that he started licensing anything he could. One of my favorite episodes came from him greenlighting the prequel-esque final two episodes. The difference, the big difference, is that he responded to mass-demand. He responded to the popularity the resonated across the country. I don't fault Disney for currently doing the same with POTC movie sequels. My criticism comes in when they go into synergy overdrive before the new film is even released. That they plan and assume for continued success. They have done the same thing in the past and all it has done is increase the speed in which the film, tv show, character, whatever depreciates. Walt didn't keep doing Davy tv shows. He moved on.. Yet now we have a line of Tinkerbell & Friends products/stories coming. I shudder to think if the Pan characters would sustain decades of """"classic"""" status if they were first released and synergized in 2004.
Originally Posted By mickey_ring so what happened at the Yacht-n-Beach? We were at Old Key West one time when all the power went out due to lightning. Totally dark and nothing is where it is at home.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>The difference, the big difference, is that he responded to mass-demand.<<< If there wasn't a mass demand they could hold all the "special events" they wanted, but, no one would show up. Demand may not create the event but only demand will sustain it and make it work. In that case, it is never too much until the public says, "OK, been there done that, ain't doin it again." Then it will go away like a bad dream, if it doesn't, then there was a popular demand.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I would disagree. It is a sign of being short-sighted. It's gimmie gimmie gimmie. Their plans do not call for long-horizon valuations< I so whole heartedly agree, in fact the whole Pirates phenomenon is an example of being short sighted TWICE. First Disney undersold and underestimated the first movie so badly that little was available in the way of collectibles ( until a full year after the movie in many cases )- and toys -- the had no idea what they had on their hands....so what happens now....they go overboard the other way....you can't pickup a foodproduct in the store rightnow without some POTC tie in -- ... At a time when Depp has said that he would be willing to do 4,5,6 if there were good story lines.....it is being (IMHO) oversold..let's hope most people don't tire of it now, or even before #3 comes out... and the statement that it is not the franchise that Star Wars is , is so true...not in the same universe merchandising wise....
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey I know I'll be waiting for a midnight showing of "Pirates 3" the day it comes out. I love the way this one ended and can't wait to see the next installment (not to mention Keith Richards as Sparrow Sr.!).
Originally Posted By vbdad55 as long as he doesn;t fall out of any more trees ( off wave runners) or whatever happened...I too am looking forward to this...a modern day pirate in a pirate flick
Originally Posted By DisneyWorldMom <<NikkiLOVESMickey Sun 7/9/2006 6:07p I know I'll be waiting for a midnight showing of "Pirates 3" the day it comes out. I love the way this one ended and can't wait to see the next installment (not to mention Keith Richards as Sparrow Sr.!).>> Saw it last night , and loved it... I agree, can't wait for the third installment... great flick... I can't wait to get my kids meal... LOL... I was on the McDonalds site trying to win the car... The McDonalds web site is cool and it's no purchase nessecary just register and they send you your 14 # code and bonus code, and then you call.. I only won a free music download.. hope somewone does better... good luck...
Originally Posted By MinnieSummer Back to the original post -- what happened at Yacht and Beach Club to cause a power outage? Does anyone know?
