Originally Posted By leemac <<It seems to me that part of this obsession is wanting to reach his 50th anniversary with the Mouse. But that won't happen until Aug 2015. So if there aren't any new projects for him to work on, why not create a new position for him like they did for Marty?>> I still can't understand why he is so well-insulated from any threat to his tenure. Any other SVP (or even VP) will so little on his plate would have been turfed by now. There is a long list of busier imagineers that were pushed out of 1401F. Marty was a different case - that connection to Walt and going back to the founding of WED. I'm not the best person to ask about what to do with him. You know what I'd do.......
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper << I think the land needs a new masterplan to deal with disasters like the Astro Orbiter, Observatron, Cosmic Waves, Starcade, Autopia etc. Just ramming an Iron Man concept (or even the awful TRON lightcycles from Shanghai) into one space doesn't fix the larger problem and I think it will actually hamstring future development for the land. It becomes yet another brand in a congested marketplace.>> This can be said for basically all the Tomorrowlands I've visited. MK, DL, and DLP's Discoveryland have all deteriorated into a wird mishmash of themes and ideas.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Does anyone actually believe this will be another Alice? Aren't March release films typically weak at the box? It hits the screens here in just 8 weeks, yet there seems to be little buzz surrounding the film, other than with the Raimi and Oz fans.>> I don't see Oz garnering any sort of success.
Originally Posted By leemac <<And once USH Potter is up and running, guest satisfaction will spiral downward that much faster. >> USH has never had any impact on DLR. I'm not saying that Potter won't have the potential to do that for the first time but there is a reason for skepticism in TDA on that front. It will be interesting to see if it does have the same draw as down in the swamps. I guess it is as close to a slam dunk ready made success as you can get.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Lee, any idea what the final tab on Oz is going to be?>> Huge - higher than JC. Rumor has it that production costs are close to $300m so with marketing and distribution it could creep up towards $400m. It has been amusing to be in the DCP building over the past year or so because it is clear they have no idea what to do with Oz at all. There are always some folks sat in Starbucks scratching their heads over movie stills. I don't think the Studio has done anywhere near enough marketing to date on this feature. I know that there have been a lot of changes in Studio marketing over the past few years but that should have put a roadmap in place to market the crapola out of it. There are folks at 500 S.B.V.S. that genuinely believe that the success of Alice was driven by a gap in the window - that the end of Q2 has huge potential. I think they are crackers.
Originally Posted By leemac <<MK, DL, and DLP's Discoveryland have all deteriorated into a wird mishmash of themes and ideas.>> I still think DL's is the worse offender as it was the one with the most recent makeover. MK's vision for TL is virtually the same since AE opened in '95. At least it has a unified vision - even if it does look dated. DLP has tried to maintain that vision and aside from the entry to Buzz I think it has kept to that. Doesn't stop it from being a hodgepodge of brands though. I still can't fathom why someone doesn't say "let's create a vision for all the TLs including Tokyo Disneyland" - it would help defray development costs and mean at the least that there is one hymn sheet.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper << MK's vision for TL is virtually the same since AE opened in '95. At least it has a unified vision - even if it does look dated. >> While that may be true for the exteriors, the attractions in the space make little to no sense. <<I still can't fathom why someone doesn't say "let's create a vision for all the TLs including Tokyo Disneyland" - it would help defray development costs and mean at the least that there is one hymn sheet.>> I think it would be a great idea.
Originally Posted By ReelJustice <<Huge - higher than JC. Rumor has it that production costs are close to $300m so with marketing and distribution it could creep up towards $400m.>> Insanity. I imagine that Lone Ranger's budget must be obscene as well. But that'll benefit from Depp being in it.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<I still can't understand why he is so well-insulated from any threat to his tenure. Any other SVP (or even VP) will so little on his plate would have been turfed by now. There is a long list of busier imagineers that were pushed out of 1401F.>> I've heard tales of, I hate to use the word, blackmail being threatened. Given any corporate culture like Disney's, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. I just don't understand how his enormous salary can be justified if he isn't working on any major projects like Indy or Nemo Subs now. If they want to keep him around for another three years so he can reach his 50th anniversary with the company, they should give him a role that exploits his strengths instead of rewarding his weaknesses. <<Marty was a different case - that connection to Walt and going back to the founding of WED.>> Yeah, I get that. But the position was created for roughly the same reason, correct? To keep Marty around for a bit longer, to reach some deliberate goal or milestone? Or was it simply a graceful transition into retirement? Personally, I liked having someone with a long history at WED/WDI doing the Ambassador thing. I wish Marty could have stayed in the role longer. And I wouldn't mind seeing TB in that spot, truth be told. The Legacy stuff is still cool, even though corporate seems to view it with the same affection as home renovators do for layer upon layer of lead-based paint.
Originally Posted By leemac <<While that may be true for the exteriors, the attractions in the space make little to no sense.>> True - but I'd take an unified architectural vision over no unified vision at all! )
Originally Posted By leemac <<I've heard tales of, I hate to use the word, blackmail being threatened. Given any corporate culture like Disney's, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.>> I've heard stories too - I'm still unconvinced that it actually true. One involved one of Tom Fitzgerald's previous partners but that was public knowledge so I'm skeptical that he would actually descend to that level. I think it is more about public opinion of said individual than blackmail but it is just a hunch.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Yeah, I get that. But the position was created for roughly the same reason, correct? To keep Marty around for a bit longer, to reach some deliberate goal or milestone? Or was it simply a graceful transition into retirement?>> The latter - he handed over the reins and it was to prepare him (and Leah!) for retirement. Leah still hasn't got used to him being home despite his new-ish home office!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "The park is literally heaving at the seams with undercapacity at peak times and it must be affecting guest satisfaction." It is. At least for this guest. DCA is a superior experience at the moment.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Personally, I liked having someone with a long history at WED/WDI doing the Ambassador thing.>> The problem is that that role is expensive. Marty was an EVP grade in that role and said individual would be a SVP. That is a hefty six figure salary to keep on the books when it is largely ceremonial or PR-based. There was an attempt to shift Marty's salary to Media Relations when he went to the ambassador role and funnily enough they said "never!".
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Insanity.>> That's putting it mildly. Especially since, as leemac pointed out, there's no commando marketing budget for the film. Eight weeks to go and only a relatively small percentage of moviegoers knows anything about it. Dumb move, Disney. <<I imagine that Lone Ranger's budget must be obscene as well. But that'll benefit from Depp being in it.>> Johnny isn't always box office gold, as evidenced by Dark Shadows and Sweeney Todd. Plus the public has been fickle with regard to the western genre. It does, however, have the benefit of Ted and Terry, along with Verbinski. So anything is possible. Looking at the 2013 lineup for Disney, my money's on Iron Man 3. Based on the success of the first two films, coupled with Avenger's success which is largely attributable to Downey's Tony Stark character, I think IM3 will easily be Disney's best performing film this year. It only gets a two week jump on the next Star Trek, but that should be enough to clinch several hundred million at the box.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Looking at the 2013 lineup for Disney, my money's on Iron Man 3.>> That makes a lot of sense. I really didn't care for the second one at all but the initial stuff I've seen looks promising. However they took a huge gamble on the writing team of Shane Black and Drew Pearce and Shane's direction. I hope it doesn't come back to bite Feige in the butt. At least you know Robert Downey Jr will market the crap out of it for you. The Lone Ranger is a huge gamble. I love Ted and Terry but the initial marketing isn't doing it justice. I'm at a loss as to why it has this guerilla graffiti look to it. The trailers should be playing up the train setpieces (I've seen most of the first one and it is spectacular). The problem is the huge backend deals for the talent - if it is a failure then Disney is on the hook for the $350m and if it is a success then the talent's deferred income will kick in. Lose/lose.
Originally Posted By dagobert After reading all the posts, it seems the Studios, which were once the core business of TWDC, are now a minor part of it and that small part can even be more disastrous when Oz and the Lone Ranger will flop this year. And Iger will still in charge as CEO?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<One involved one of Tom Fitzgerald's previous partners but that was public knowledge so I'm skeptical that he would actually descend to that level.>> Interesting. I hadn't heard that one. <<Leah still hasn't got used to him being home despite his new-ish home office!>> LOL!! Which reminds me... when is Marty's new book coming out?
Originally Posted By leemac <<Interesting. I hadn't heard that one.>> Oh it is very old news - a very '80s thing. It was a minor controversy but it was personal - had nothing whatsoever to do with his ability to do his job. However it was the first thing that said individual told me when we had our first meeting. It was sad to see such a talented individual feel the need to try to exert a moral authority. <<Which reminds me... when is Marty's new book coming out?>> I think he'll be touting it at D23 - it has a fall release. He ended up peddling it to Disney Editions so it isn't the kiss 'n' tell book that he originally promised. Marty is a slave to the dollar and went with Disney. A few smaller publishers went after him but couldn't make DWP's offer. A real shame but I'm sure it will still be a decent read.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<The problem is that that role is expensive. Marty was an EVP grade in that role and said individual would be a SVP. That is a hefty six figure salary to keep on the books when it is largely ceremonial or PR-based.>> Oh, you'll get no argument from me about the cost. I just figured that if Disney is hellbent on keeping him around, why not put him to good use with the public speaking gig? He's a good storyteller and has a wealth of legacy info and experiences to share. Allowing him to putz around 1401F with no CapEx to help him realize project concepts is a waste of labor costs, if those projects never see the light of day. Which, given the way Disney is now treating the parks, is more likely to happen than not. <<There was an attempt to shift Marty's salary to Media Relations when he went to the ambassador role and funnily enough they said "never!".>> HA! Can you blame him? 8^D
