Can Disney kill you?

AKLRULZ · Post by **AKLRULZ** » Jul Thu 06, 2006 6:16 pm

From the Motely Fool. The author states that people may not be aware of what they're about to experience?! What baloney. Anyone who has ridden Mission: Space or RNR has heard the warnings (and in the case of RNR you can clearly see the launch). Interesting article, nonetheless.

A 12-year-old boy died after riding the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida last week. A grieving Tennessee family will never be the same. The initial autopsy report claims that the boy had a congenital heart condition, but that's obviously no consolation to the parents facing this insurmountable loss.

It's also not going to be any consolation to Disney (NYSE: DIS). Media channels have pounced on the chance to revisit stories detailing fatalities that have taken place on Disney's rides since last year. Even if nearly every case has pointed to a medical pre-existing condition, the smearing is legitimate. I'll be heading out to Disney World for the umpteenth time, and even my usually centered wife wants nothing to do with the coaster ride that we have ridden countless times before.

The timing is lousy for Disney. It's bad enough that high fuel prices had some families scrambling to hit regional parks closer to home this summer. Now Disney has to cope with the fallout of this latest horrific episode.

If you play the percentages, you know these kinds of things are going to happen. In Florida alone, Disney's four parks drew an estimated 42.8 million guests last year. Compare that with the 12.7 million turnstile clicks that Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) generated in all of its parks in 2005 and the 33.7 million guests that Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) entertained, and you can see that Disney's year-round destinations are volume producers.

Billing itself as "the happiest place on Earth" does not exempt a company from the grim realities of human mortality. After all, how many folks have died in car accidents on the way to Disney? How many have simply expired in their hotel rooms?

This doesn't mean I equate someone dozing off at the wheel or passing away in mid-slumber to the shock and magnitude of dying after going on a park ride. My point here is that vacationers punch out all the time. The media just glosses over those occurrences to dive in to more graphic in-park deaths.

Is Disney too good at what it does? On our lively Disney discussion board, theories have abounded about the unusually high number of fatalities on some of the park's signature thrill rides lately.

One school of thought claims that Disney is so well entrenched as a "family entertainment" brand with a proven pedigree in tame rides that folks don't expect the g-force extremes that rides like Rock 'n' Roller serve up.

The problem becomes compounded by Disney's mastery of themed elements. Go to a regional park, and the steel and wooden scream machines are visible for miles. The thrills are as obvious as they are naked. But at Disney, some guests may not be aware of quick-launching coasters or a space-themed spinner with lots of centrifugal force -- things that get wedged between much tamer diversions.

Disney also draws a much wider base of overseas tourists than traditional amusement parks do. Translations are tricky in those cases. Expectations are varied. Still, that is probably not much of an argument in this case, since most of the publicized cases have befallen stateside victims.

All of this theorizing may be for naught. It's more than likely that these unfortunate riders would have still ridden identical rides in a non-themed, non-Disney environment. And that prompts one final question: should Disney stop building thrill rides?

The impact of a new thrill ride is undeniable. Animal Kingdom had been an attendance dud since it opened, yet folks have been turning up in droves since the animal park opened its state-of-the-art Expedition: Everest coaster three months ago. Likewise, Epcot has seen healthy upticks in attendance after adding Mission: Space and Soarin' to its once laid-back lineup.

You can't skimp on thrills, but Disney seems to be hoping that technology and its recent acquisition of Pixar will help it provide the appropriate turnstile catalysts. Two -- possibly three -- Disney World attractions in development feature Pixar characters in high-tech dark ride experiences.

Technology has evolved to the point at which high-tech rides such as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal's Islands of Adventure or Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin at Disneyland and Florida's Magic Kingdom ignite the same kind of "let's get in line and do it again" fever that you see at the most daring of coasters.

Riding through a shooting gallery may be merely scratching the surface, as parks respond to jaded teens who prefer staying home and playing video games over a day at the park. The Internet may change that. Regional park operators are already turning to companies such as Cygnus to facilitate online ticket sales, but the World Wide Web is a better tool for pulling instead of pushing. What happens when parks allow guests riding the new wave of virtual shooting gallery attractions to have their scores -- and running averages -- posted online?

The young crowd that thrill rides normally attract are flocking to photo-sharing sites such as CNET's (Nasdaq: CNET) Webshots or social-networking hubs such as News Corp.'s (NYSE: NSW) My Space. Why can't regional and national parks embrace that kind of viral candy to make their own sites into stickier draws than caramel apples? Disney has done well on that front with its Virtual Magic Kingdom game, but much more is possible.

The prospects are bright for the industry. Ride safety is the current concern -- and rightfully so -- but it's all the more reason for the industry to embrace tomorrow a day early. In the future, parks will be far more interactive than they are today.

Safer, too.

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/...ry06070503.htm

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Jul Thu 06, 2006 9:47 pm

What a Jerk!! Have you

read anythimg eles on his website? Motely Fool...FOOL

is the part you should pay attention too!! He's an idiot!! But beyond that; Believe his selfserving I hate everything that doesn't make me money writing!!

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 2:42 am

What do you think he said that was jerky? I thought the article was pretty much dead on, except perhaps for referring to Soarin' as a "thrill ride".

Of course it's all about the stock price, since Motley Fool is all about economics and the market. He doesn't make any value judgements, he just considers how the corporation's bottom line might be affected.

Despite a couple minor errors, he obviously has a much stronger grasp of Disney than most of the mainstream media.

Just Believe · Post by **Just Believe** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 4:39 pm

BUT... the moment they enter the ride they're at their own risk!!

(no laughing matter) It has been that way forever with rides, since the days of Coney Island (is that how you spell it?). People blame it all on the rides, which is morally right!!! The rides should be safer but even a ride like Peter Pan has a potential of injury. People take a risk entering a ride at a theme park, even at the Happiest Place on earth. I'm not being Negative on Disney on any part!!! I LOVE DL and WDW SOOOOOO MUCH IT KILLS!!!

I'm just trying to look at the situation logically.

Blackie Pueblo · Post by **Blackie Pueblo** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 4:46 pm

I don't know about that. What I do know is that LEAVING Disney can kill you!

Heartbreak for sure!

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http://www.newlineagefilms.com

ericpabear · Post by **ericpabear** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 7:10 pm

I can not think of a better place to spend eternity. That is if GOD is willing to let me stay, I would loved haunt at the Haunted Mansion. Not that I am in a hurry to check out, but if I were, I would ride Mission Space, that would kill me. ( I have motion sickness) All joking aside, I thought the article was very informative. However, it's nothing new realy. I have read simular articles over the years.

knedeau · Post by **knedeau** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 7:16 pm

ericpabear wrote:I can not think of a better place to spend eternity. That is if GOD is willing to let me stay, I would loved haunt at the Haunted Mansion. Not that I am in a hurry to check out, but if I were, I would ride Mission Space, that would kill me. ( I have motion sickness) All joking aside, I thought the article was very informative. However, it's nothing new realy. I have read simular articles over the years.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The Haunted Mansion! What a GREAT place to...... ummmm.....retire....hehehe. Sign me up!

ericpabear · Post by **ericpabear** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 7:27 pm

Don't forget to bring your death certificate.

bribren · Post by **bribren** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 8:12 pm

What do you think he said that was jerky? I thought the article was pretty much dead on, except perhaps for referring to Soarin' as a "thrill ride".

I have to agree. I would think to attack this article would be a myopic defence of everything Disney. The article praised Disney's ride structure (hidden thrills) and simply pointed out the increasing dangers as attendance grows...

Just Believe · Post by **Just Believe** » Jul Fri 07, 2006 8:13 pm

I like ur comment Blackie Pueblo!!! I feel the same way. I think LEAVING DISNEYLAND would kill me more then the dangerous rides would.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Jul Tue 11, 2006 12:21 am

I still stand by my earlier post!! But this is what a person I know,love ,and respect had to say on the subject. He also has spent years apon years working on this stuff. So he has an inside view on this subject:

He has a lot of valid points. I have personally seen AND experienced the false sense of safety and security that I call, for lack of a better name, "The Disney Effect." People think "Disney would never do anything to hurt me" and then push the theory to the extremes. I've done it myself:

When they installed the post-show area of the Indiana Jones Theater, it was separated from the guests by barbed wire. I immediately walked up to the fence and tightly grabbed one of the barbs. My logic was that Disney would never put real barb wire within reach of a guest. The instant I grabbed it, I thought to myself "darn, that was a stupid thing to do!" If I had been wrong, I would have probably died from tetanus. But as it turned out, the barbs were flexible plastic.

I also think that some people simply ignore the ride warnings because of excessive litigation. They see all the warnings on a ride like Spaceship Earth, then find out it's slow and steady. They start thinking that Disney puts warnings on all their rides not because they need to, but just because they want to cover their ass. After a guest sees so many warning signs crying wolf, they stop paying attention to them. Have YOU ever read the warnings going into Honey, I Shrunk The Audience? How about Spaceship Earth? Personally, I don't think either attraction needs any warnings, but lawyers and stupid guests feel otherwise. Spaceship Earth has been ruined with safety spiels and instructional videos. If someone doesn't know how to ride SSE, then they shouldn't be breeding.

But let's assume the parents and children DO read the warnings. It still wouldn't have helped. The last fatality was due to an undiagnosed heart problem. As far as anyone knew, the boy was perfectly healthy, and had no reason to avoid the ride. It was nobody's fault. What's next? Should Disney conduct MRI scans on every guest as they enter the park? I suppose we could route them over to the Wonders of Life pavilion and scan them there.

jrcohen · Post by **jrcohen** » Jul Tue 11, 2006 9:50 am

Jacca5660 wrote:I still stand by my earlier post!! But this is what a person I know,love ,and respect had to say on the subject. He also has spent years apon years working on this stuff. So he has an inside view on this subject:

He has a lot of valid points. I have personally seen AND experienced the false sense of safety and security that I call, for lack of a better name, "The Disney Effect." People think "Disney would never do anything to hurt me" and then push the theory to the extremes. I've done it myself:

When they installed the post-show area of the Indiana Jones Theater, it was separated from the guests by barbed wire. I immediately walked up to the fence and tightly grabbed one of the barbs. My logic was that Disney would never put real barb wire within reach of a guest. The instant I grabbed it, I thought to myself "darn, that was a stupid thing to do!" If I had been wrong, I would have probably died from tetanus. But as it turned out, the barbs were flexible plastic.

I also think that some people simply ignore the ride warnings because of excessive litigation. They see all the warnings on a ride like Spaceship Earth, then find out it's slow and steady. They start thinking that Disney puts warnings on all their rides not because they need to, but just because they want to cover their ass. After a guest sees so many warning signs crying wolf, they stop paying attention to them. Have YOU ever read the warnings going into Honey, I Shrunk The Audience? How about Spaceship Earth? Personally, I don't think either attraction needs any warnings, but lawyers and stupid guests feel otherwise. Spaceship Earth has been ruined with safety spiels and instructional videos. If someone doesn't know how to ride SSE, then they shouldn't be breeding.

But let's assume the parents and children DO read the warnings. It still wouldn't have helped. The last fatality was due to an undiagnosed heart problem. As far as anyone knew, the boy was perfectly healthy, and had no reason to avoid the ride. It was nobody's fault. What's next? Should Disney conduct MRI scans on every guest as they enter the park? I suppose we could route them over to the Wonders of Life pavilion and scan them there.

I agree with a lot of what you say here. It's almost kind of funny the way we see warnings on almost everything for companies to CYA in case of stupidity that when there actually are serious warnings we don't even think about it. I mean do we really need to be told not to use a hair dryer in the bath tub? It's almost as if people are expecting Disney to distinguish the "real" warnings from the rest. Does the pre-flight video on Mission Space need to include the line "We really, really mean it. If you have these conditions do not ride this ride. You could die." I understand the disney effect, but we also have to be aware of our own limits and if we think it is dangerous to ourselves to take responsibility.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Sat 15, 2006 12:56 am

Jacca5660 wrote:I still stand by my earlier post!!

I agree with most of your follow-up post, but I still don't understand what you objected to in the first place.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Jul Sat 15, 2006 9:51 am

I still don't understand what you objected to in the first place.

I have had on line dealings with the fool before. Not in a good way, maybe some of my original reaction was "knee jerk". It just one of those things where maybe I'm trying to see an ulterior motive where there isn't one. In my experience this man writes nothing that he isn't in some way trying to manipulate a stock!
May be in retrospect I was harsh and reactionary!! I still don't trust him.
P.S. Whem my DW saw who wrote the story she said.."OH NO!!"

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Jul Wed 19, 2006 1:03 am

OK, that makes sense.

Thanks for being honest.