Jim Hill's most controversial article ever....

[Cheshire Cat]

This article just about summarizes everything we've been going through with Disney ever since "Epcot '94"
...only this time, it's from Disney's point of view.

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... iners.aspx

It's sickening that these imagineers really think what they're doing is ok. It's the nail in the coffin. Disney is gone and it's not coming back. I'm just baffles that the imagineers think taht what they're doing is right. All the newbies are partly to blame too because they're the ones that compain that tehre's not enough characters in the parks, yet that's not what the parks were about in the first place.

There just doesn't seem to be a way out of this cycle... maybe we are wrong? Maybe the times have changed and Disney characters are the new "in" thing. I don't know I give up... I'm not going back. I wish I could just stop loving the Disney that once was, that would make everthing easier.

edit: What with Spaceship (D)earth, small world, vmk and now TSM, are there anymore groups that Disney could possibly upset before the year is over?

[Captain Schnemo]

My first response is that that dude needs to be fired (or shouldn't have been hired in the first place), but on second thought, it's not really his fault. He's getting miserable direction from above and clearly management has not created a proper work environment.

...maybe we are wrong?

Not a chance.

Our problem is that we take Imagineering seriously and these clowns don't. We have respect for the audience and there's no one telling this guy that he should too. He was probably born long after Walt's death and has no idea what Disney used to be (or could be). Disney has changed the measure for "success", so you can't blame him when he spouts off like that because he's completely ignorant and Disney has done nothing to educate him.

The fact is, Disney no longer tries to create "Disney" experiences. Their goals have changed and therefore they are succeeding in their own eyes.

This could all change in 10 minutes if they would simply put a non-jackass in charge of Imagineering, but that's not going to happen. There's no one left who respects the legacy (or, in their terms, the brand).

In short, don't blame the cog, blame the guy who built the machine (ultimately Iger, but also Lasseter and the other people we've never heard of who are responsible for all this).

[YZFDonor]

I have read all the rants and chats about theming and the parks and so on.... I have to ask, WHY BOTHER with all the immersice atmosphere and theming IF everyone isn't going to notice and walk right by it???

Now, having said that, I agree with what everyone has said... it SUCKS that they are cheapening it.

[DisBeamer]

Assuming this is a real WDI employee (sorry - JHM articles automatically put on my BS detector ), something about what s/he says there confuses me.

I actually agree that the main 'target' audience for WDW isn't the AP or regular, repeat visitor. If you look at the demographic, the occasional or once-in-a-lifetime visitor population dwarfs the reapeters for Orlando. Locals don't make up a large percentage of the regular visitors, and by extension it stands to reason that people in Orlando aren't going to be riding TSM every weekend. Re-rideability, therefore, probably drops in importance, at least a little bit. I don't agree with that in principle - there's no Earthly reason to make a ride less re-ridable just because of that; it's an excuse not a reason - but I can see how it makes sense from the perspective of aiming for a certain group.

That said, isn't TSM going into DCA as well? Disneyland resort, in contrast, has a massive local AP holder contingent; people that actually do live in SoCal and go every weekend. That kinda negates the whole 'once-in-a-lifetime visitors will love it' argument, doesn't it? Or is it just okay to throw the dregs at DCA ... while spending billions to 'fix' it? I don't get it.

If it is a real WDI employee, it's a silly argument for him/her to make; makes me wonder how much of the response is really 'the way they look at things' and how much is 'I worked hard on this and people aren't patting me on the head about it; what a thankless job' angst.

[subsonic]

I have read all the rants and chats about theming and the parks and so on.... I have to ask, WHY BOTHER with all the immersice atmosphere and theming IF everyone isn't going to notice and walk right by it???

But here's the rub, would Disney be where it is today if it wasn't made to be the first "Theme" park? I think not. It's what Disney WAS that made it so special. It was the escape from reality, and the very minor details are what's important to escape that. A person might not notice these things consciously but your mind knows the difference. When you start taking these things away, like Kevin Yee's Declining by Degrees, they start to add up. Why is it Disney parks are the most successful? It's not the thrill rides, there's plenty of those parks. It's the theming, environment, and ambiance in such minute detail that you can't help be feel good.

If Disney declines too much and parks like Islands of Adventure keep pushing ahead *ahem* Spider-man the Ride then Disney will eventually get passed. I have no doubt about it.

[Captain Schnemo]

You make a good point about the thrill rides.

Lots of people keep clamoring for more of these, yet there is only one name in theme parks that stands indisputably on top of the heap, and it's the one that built its empire on very few thrill rides.

If anything makes the point that poll data is completely worthless when designing superlative parks that live up to the Disney brand, that's it.

[horizons1]

I read the imagineer's comments and thought it was no different from the rants of any other customer-facing employee group. Substitute restaurants, hospitality, retail, whatever. You'll always find some guy whining about how nobody notices or appreciates his efforts.

Of course, you don't see too many fan sites dedicated to Chili's or bloggers fretting over whether James Cash Penney is rolling over in his grave whenever they redesign the Juniors section of one of his department stores. Disney is uniquely in the spotlight, but that doesn't mean employees aren't still sensitive to criticism.

[RREng77]

I'm actually genuinely concerned for the future of Disney and its reputation as the best "themed" company in the world. The "we're right...you just haven't realized it yet" attitude has got to go if Disney wants to maintain its position above the other theme park companies.

I'm all for change, but it has to have a direction, goal, vision. Change for the sake of change leads to very dangerous predicaments.

[subsonic]

We were discussing in chat that really it's Disney's fault. They, themselves, set the bar VERY high. People now expect super high quality from Disney. It's not that times are changing and people are impatient, nit-pick, or expect more. They expect the SAME quality that Disney used to provide. The internet has allowed us to be more vocal about it.

[Captain Schnemo]

After looking at some photos, it really occurred to me just how off-track those comments were. They made a point of using bricks similar to the original Pixar campus. Sure, that's a nice touch, but it's so inside baseball that who could possibly care about it, except for maybe Lasseter & Co.?

I realize it's a studios park and therefore the theming is consistent, but this just again points out how completely boring a studios theme is. It's one step away from showing you the inside of Harvey Weinstein's office or "The Magical World of Contract Negotiation".

To choose that one thing to harp on and then be upset when someone complains about the experience on the ride itself is pretty telling.

Again, assuming, as Beamer pointed out, that these comments are genuine.

[QuickGold]

I'm beginning to think the whole article is a sham and I'm not sure the "Imagineer" really is an Imagineer.

[blinkereye123]

Hi. I'ts come to my understanding lately that aytime a new form of entertainment
whether its movies, music, theme parks, etc. comes along we all have a tendency
consciously or unconsciously to treat it more like a threat than a promise. After
all, we all know that in the 21st century, technical knowledge and atistic creativity
are prized somewhat higher than 'traditional' education and manuel expertise; and
yet whenever anyone tries to express their creativity unabashedly our first instinct
is to suspect an ulterior motive behind such creativity.

Having said that, and speaking as someone who has been in love with Disney since for as long as I've been alive, I'm well aware that as times change certain
ideas have to change along with them. However, as someone who also is a repeat visitor, I have to admit that there are some things I've come to expect at the
parks whenever I'm there.

Now I'm all for upgrades and refurbs as much as anybody else, so long as it's done
with a modicum of respect for the original concept. I think anyone who wants to call themselves an 'imagineer' by any stretch of of the imagination has to at least
try and have an awareness of why they were hired in the first place.

Just remember that success in any form has to be give and take on both parts,
the consumer AND the producer. That's the only way everybody can get what
they want out of the experience.

Well, I better stop before my head explodes. As always, if naything I've said makes no sense, forgive me, we've been having a heat wave out here. Peace.