Post about 10 things we wish Disney would do

[Wizzard419]

One thing I never understood about the harry potter area was the timing of it. It seems so late in the franchise and there will most likely be a new kid's franchise that will make people say "Harry what?" within the next 10 years.

Anyone else remember from Disney Magazine, this was when Harry Potter just had gotten big in the US, that Disney was trying to develop a new book franchise to compete and even had a land planed. Anyone remember the author they had tagged for it?

[mindflipper]

You're not thinking of that Percy Jackson series Disney tried to unsucessfully bring to the big screen?

I almost suspected the reason they've been delaying the last three films was to stretch out the films for the new IoA land. It's been risky to keep stretching out the film release dates as it could negatively impact keeping the fans interested. I notice the Twilight film series appears to be trying to release each film in its series as quick as possible.

[Wizzard419]

I am not sure actually, I want to say it is some popular teen horror/thriller author with the last name that starts with a C. I can't remember the name for the life of me, but whatever they were doing was supposed to have wizards and all that stuff.

There was an article on the twilight movies having to machine gun them out because they know the fans won't wait as long and each one gets a cooler and cooler response.

[mindflipper]

I am not sure actually, I want to say it is some popular teen horror/thriller author with the last name that starts with a C. I can't remember the name for the life of me, but whatever they were doing was supposed to have wizards and all that stuff.

There was an article on the twilight movies having to machine gun them out because they know the fans won't wait as long and each one gets a cooler and cooler response.

I think the third Twilight film was better received than the second film, and did better at the box office than the second as well. Problem with people playing vampires is while vampires don't age the actors who play them can, and I heard that's one reason they're rushing - they don't want the vampires to appear to age. In the HP films, the fact the actors are getting much older than the characters they play hasn't escaped the attention of those watching the films.

[Len90]

Kind of shocking that I have somehow not posted in this thread at all yet. I honestly feel that the article is pretty much stating what every Disney lover wants. I always wonder if Disney is taking note of what the people want so they can better allocate the "limited" funds for refurbishments or other projects. The fantasyland expansion was definitely something to take as a step in the right direction along with finishing off the Legacy section of Pop and trying to find a purpose for Pleasure Island. I honestly think that EPCOT should really be number 1 on the wish list. The reason I say this is the writer mentions how Disney had a vision and currently the compnay lacks that. I really think a way the company can restore that vision and get an idea of what to do would be to update Walt's dream. Get Future World back to the future, and find a purpose for all the empty buildings. I feel that if the company can get back to Walt's thinking, they can really achieve something great again.

As for upper management... I don't want to go on a rant.

[mindflipper]

As for upper management... I don't want to go on a rant.

Oh c'mon, rage against The Machine!

[subsonic]

I feel that if the company can get back to Walt's thinking, they can really achieve something great again.

Well, yeah. It was Walt's thinking that made Disney what it is today. Mostly, Disney now rides on Walt's laurels. And, it's the lack of Vision that shows. "Vision" is one word that is so descriptive and encompassing when it comes to Disney though. It mostly encompasses the lack of theme, cutting costs, and being short sighted. Disney has become to reactive instead of proactive. Le Sigh.

[Len90]

I feel that if the company can get back to Walt's thinking, they can really achieve something great again.

Well, yeah. It was Walt's thinking that made Disney what it is today. Mostly, Disney now rides on Walt's laurels. And, it's the lack of Vision that shows. "Vision" is one word that is so descriptive and encompassing when it comes to Disney though. It mostly encompasses the lack of theme, cutting costs, and being short sighted. Disney has become to reactive instead of proactive. Le Sigh.

That is it. I also wonder if there will be more issues now that most of Walt's hand picked people have either stepped down, retired, or passed away. I recently read the Designing Disney book by John Hench. I was fascinated to read how Walt reacted to guests walking though a landscaped area. The executives he was with informed him they will work on putting up a railing to prevent people from walking through, but Walt decided that a walkway needed to be installed there.

My point to this is Disney just doesn't have anybody that can think, see, respond, and react like Walt anymore. I honestly feel that this is why we have lost theming to certain areas, have cut costs, and become short sighted.

[Wizzard419]

I think that a lot of the criticism of the company today stems from the evelation of Walt Disney to a concept or ideal which is impossible. It is likely that what you see walt disney as is not the same as the real man.

There was no secret that while Walt had the imagination, he still needed people with buisness sense to keep things going.

[mindflipper]

People go on about cutting costs but Walt was known to be a bit of cheapskate too. He would find clever ways to reduce costs and hide it when building rides. I think Disney is not good at that: selecting what costs to cut and finding effective ways to make it not so apparent. If Walt was alive, I don't think he would have spent the $$$ that was spent on Expedition Everest, Test Track and Mission: Space. He would have tried to do something else more cost-effective.

Wizz is right that Walt Disney has become elevated to some impossible ideal. He wasn't perfect, and neither is the company today.

[Wizzard419]

You know, I actually want to say that he possibly would have done Test track and Mission: Space in the same fashion that they were done, have the sponsor help pay down the costs in return for promo space. If you look through the attraction history the sponsorship has always been a major thing, just like product placement in television and movies.

[Len90]

You know, I actually want to say that he possibly would have done Test track and Mission: Space in the same fashion that they were done, have the sponsor help pay down the costs in return for promo space. If you look through the attraction history the sponsorship has always been a major thing, just like product placement in television and movies.

Definitely would have sponsors for almost anything big done in the parks. The costs, even in Walt's time were extremely high and the company would have never been able to do half of what it accomplished if there was no funding through sponserships.

[mindflipper]

You know, I actually want to say that he possibly would have done Test track and Mission: Space in the same fashion that they were done, have the sponsor help pay down the costs in return for promo space. If you look through the attraction history the sponsorship has always been a major thing, just like product placement in television and movies.

Definitely would have sponsors for almost anything big done in the parks. The costs, even in Walt's time were extremely high and the company would have never been able to do half of what it accomplished if there was no funding through sponserships.

But would have Walt really have done either attraction? Both Test Track and Mission: Space had monumental cost over-runs that lead to lawsuits. Would he really spend that kind of money if he was alive when either attraction was proposed, or would he have scrapped the ideas for something more economically reasonable?

[Wizzard419]

I am going to guress that lawsuits do factor into plans with any attraction by looking at possible ways people can get hurt on it. If they think the number suits/payouts is low enough they would still build it.

That and a corporate legal dept. isn't exactly a new thing either.

[mindflipper]

Actually, I was talking about lawsuits between Disney, the engineering company that developed it, and whatever company is building the ride; safety may not be a factor as much total construction costs. With test track, the original computer system was unable to handle the capacity and had to be scrapped.