The Spirited 11th Hour ...

Progress.City

Well-Known Member
I've spent the past two or so days looking at maps and satellite imagery of property around DLR and USO. The parallels are so ironic that it's uncanny. For example, in Anaheim, you the area near Angels Stadium is like the area in Orlando near the property in the area that lies between Sea World and core propery of USO. Both Disney and Uni are buying parcels in their respective local areas through third companies very quietly. In a way, Uni has the upper hand because they have enough parking, more hotels, and a water park being built. Disney still needs more parking, hotels, and a water park. Both are gathering land for an eventual third theme park. Both have direct freeway access. Both are near convention center complexes. Both have nighttime entertainment/daytime shopping areas. Both will need internal transit systems in order to support future expansion builds. Both lack intercity and airport transit linkage.

The recent moves by both companies in these respective areas do not reveal any company's long term strategy. For example, Disney's purchase of Carousel Inn will make the properties around the Pumbaa area contiguous to the theme park property, but there has to be more to its vision for the area (other than its immediate plan to demolish it for a street-level walkway). There's something "incomplete" about it that is jarring at me. Maybe they are trying to get the parcels north and south of it as well?

Also, the disconnected parcels of the 420 acres Uni just purchased jars at me as well. They can't leave it all disjoined like that. Could other joining parcels be part of their plan? Could they be possibly negotiating with other land owners at this time, hence the reason why the company has not yet made a formal announcement regarding its acquisition? How does it tie in with the soon-to-be-demolished Wet N Wild property?

I've studied the maps and satellite images of the location for these properties (including Wet N Wild) and noticed they all align on the east side of Universal Boulevard. There would be only a few properties they would need to acquire from USO to near the convention center in order to tie all of it together. I've also noticed the new property would directly tie in to the OCC and planned transit stations in that area, as well as a possible Sea World tie-in.

It's fun predicting these things. My prediction for both DLR and USO is that both companies are negotiating their next moves that will be built around current land acquisitions. What these next moves are is anyone's guess at this point.
 

Progress.City

Well-Known Member
Regarding Bob Weiss,

This is the same person who, as I remember, pitched stories for AK attractions that involved poachers and (for Disney's America) that involved slavery, two very unpleasant subject matters and very questionable material for Disney to be getting involved in. I remember thinking back then that these weren't very "Disney".
 

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
Eisner also understood how to price the parks and resorts fairly instead of price-gouging everyone.
Well, having lived through it ...

WDW's biggest ticket price increases ever were Michael Eisner's first 4 years.

My circle of friends pretty much hated him for it, a hate that didn't dissipate until Disney-MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon both opened in 1989.
 

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
Regarding Bob Weiss,

This is the same person who, as I remember, pitched stories for AK attractions that involved poachers and (for Disney's America) that involved slavery, two very unpleasant subject matters and very questionable material for Disney to be getting involved in. I remember thinking back then that these weren't very "Disney".

Maybe that's a compliment? The slavery thing can never happen, but they should be proud to have someone in charge with a desire to elevate themed storytelling.
 

Mike S

Well-Known Member
Regarding Bob Weiss,

This is the same person who, as I remember, pitched stories for AK attractions that involved poachers and (for Disney's America) that involved slavery, two very unpleasant subject matters and very questionable material for Disney to be getting involved in. I remember thinking back then that these weren't very "Disney".
Go watch the Hall of Presidents and then come back to me, ok?
 

Progress.City

Well-Known Member
Go watch the Hall of Presidents and then come back to me, ok?
I mean these kind of things were the subjects of the stories for the attractions he was proposing. Hall of Presidents is about presidents and not slavery, even though it mentions that it. What weirded me out back then was that he wanted guests to have the "experience" of slaves - or the traumatic encounters of poachers (AK) - for the attractions he was proposing. These are both dark and inglorious, and the experiences of both should not be used as the subject of thrills and/or amusement, I thought at the time. Sure enough, guests at AK agree with me and the poacher story was eventually removed from the attraction at AK. I don't know how the idea of having guests on an experience which follows that of runaway American slaves during the period of the "underground railroad" would have played out. I would imagine that they probably would have toned it down eventually after opening it.

Wasn't he also responsible for the original Alien Encounter being too scary? I loved that attraction, but it's not a "family" MK attraction. Because of the fact that no one back there with any say knew better than putting an attraction like that in the MK, that was eventually replaced with the mild and not-so-scary Stitch.

In my opinion, TZToT was his greatest contribution to company. I long for the days where they will make braven new attractions like that again.
 

Progress.City

Well-Known Member
Maybe that's a compliment? The slavery thing can never happen, but they should be proud to have someone in charge with a desire to elevate themed storytelling.
Hey, despite that's how I felt back then, I still think he could be WDI's best hope. Maybe today's best choice.

However, Micechat is painting a picture of him as being worse than Presler because of cuts he has made concerning a people mover for Star Wars Land and removal of the sky bridge/moving sidewalks from the planned Pumbaa garage at DLR. I don't know enough about it yet to make any judgements. Key questions like "could these elements be added later" and "what will be built in its place" are still not answered.
 

ThemeParkJunkee

Well-Known Member
I bought at 40 so I had it for quite a long time, Here's the thing about my views on TWDC, Do I think the TWDC is going to blow up yes I do, Why do I think that because TWDC management seems to have caught the 'We are Invincible" disease which afflicts some successful companies the major manifestation I see at Disney is Iger refusing to answer questions during earnings calls and Disney's byzantine management structure.

Do I think the underlying businesses are solid yes I do with the exception of ESPN (needs to evolve and realistically it will under new management) and WDI which looks bloated and inefficient.

It is still a solid company but not at this price from what I see. You are echoing my sentiments exactly but I am a little more emotional on my "sell" decisions. I saw a photo of smog in Shanghai. I saw reports that too much of the stock price was attached to expectations for Star Wars and I saw the global picture. I compared my investment with other entertainment companys and reduced my position. The combination of issues and my own "feelings" just said "sell".
 

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Well, having lived through it ...

WDW's biggest ticket price increases ever were Michael Eisner's first 4 years.

My circle of friends pretty much hated him for it, a hate that didn't dissipate until Disney-MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon both opened in 1989.


Eisner took over in 1984 and AllEars.Net show the following increases.
upload_2016-1-27_22-47-31.png
 

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
Hey, despite that's how I felt back then, I still think he could be WDI's best hope. Maybe today's best choice.

However, Micechat is painting a picture of him as being worse than Presler because of cuts he has made concerning a people mover for Star Wars Land and removal of the sky bridge/moving sidewalks from the planned Pumbaa garage at DLR. I don't know enough about it yet to make any judgements. Key questions like "could these elements be added later" and "what will be built in its place" are still not answered.

You mean Chapek? I think you're getting your Bobs mixed up. There are a lot of them floating around (or, bobbing...badum-ching)
 

Captain Neo

Well-Known Member
Neo, Neo ... Neo.

Don't be daft. I have already written why I ... and why any fan of DL and Walt and his beliefs ... should have a big problem with SW going where it is. And it has nothing to do with the moron who approved it, beyond the fact he wanted to make a mark on DL and hadn't been able to in a decade.

One ride in Star Tours is not hacking the RR and TSI and the RoA ... and destroying one of the most idyllic places in the park to fit in a land simply based on a non-Disney IP that Bob was able to acquire. DL's ethos is very clear. There is no place for a fantasy space soap opera land. SW belongs either in a park like DCA (where you just throw anything regardless of fit, which is why Marvel will be there) or, if it is so strong and so popular, than you use it as the basis for a third gate with all the land you currently own (and they are slumlords to plenty of their CMs).

This isn't an Iger vs. Eisner question. It's a "How much faith do we have in the Force?" question for Bob ... and a matter of right and wrong. And almost any old school WED/WDI guy/gal will tell you that SW in DL is a big, big mistake and a fundamental altering of Walt's park for the first time in 60 years.

You mean like how Eisner fundamentally altered the RoA with movie tie ins splash mountain and fantasmic? Or how about how Indiana Jones ("NON Disney IP")cut a big chunk out of the original Jungle Cruise? Give me a break
 

Captain Neo

Well-Known Member
Well, he did look into selling all or part of them. That pesky fact that any entertainment analyst on Wall Street will tell you.

More money? Really? In MDE's last ten years, Disney opened five theme parks across the globe, including a new resort in Hong Kong, a new water park at WDW, a new Cruise Line, countless attractions, parades and entertainment at existing parks. You want me to bring in @ParentsOf4 with pie charts and numbers? And that's nice that you are including a $3 billion tech boondoggle in NGE as part of Iger's accomplishments. You may not have liked what was opened from 1995-2005, but a whole lot more was than what was opened from 2005-2015. How many years do you give someone to show results? A decade isn't enough for you? Because I would have tossed Iger out by 2010-11 based on what was happening at P&R.

And you really think that DIS isn't going to hugely play up an expanded Soarin with new film (borrowed from Shanghai, except for the ending) and an attraction based on Frozen?!?!? Seriously. You wanna go with that?

They aren't going to play it up the same way Eisner/Pressler would have. It will get a post on Disney parks blog and a NEW! Label on park maps but I doubt they will get much else. Certainly nothing of the caliber that Avatar, Star Wars and the overall DHS redo will get.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Regarding Bob Weiss,

This is the same person who, as I remember, pitched stories for AK attractions that involved poachers and (for Disney's America) that involved slavery, two very unpleasant subject matters and very questionable material for Disney to be getting involved in. I remember thinking back then that these weren't very "Disney".
Yes, Walt would never have touched upon poachers in Bambi or slavery in Song of the South. ;)
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Not "politically outspoken"; loud in general.

I know it sounds crazy, but I have seen this happen in other companies. It's a business psychology tactic. Sometimes if two capable people are considered for a position, the one who could make the most noise outside the company gets the job to keep him happy—and quiet.

I'm not saying that's the reason Weis got promoted, and I personally don't think it is. However, Spirit's theory #2 doesn't seem so far-fetched now that I've looked at the man's Twitter account.
The $80 billion Disney Company is about to embark on a massive multi-billion park expansion program. Who to put in charge? What would the considerations in the BoD have looked like:

A) Let us name Bob Weis, he was in charge of Shanghai after all. He also oversaw the both creatively and financially very successful $1.5 billion DCA park makeover program, the template for the upcoming projects in DL and DHS.
B) WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PROMOTE WEIS!! HE KNOWS LIKE, STUFF! EVEN THOUGH EVERYBODY ELSE KNOWS THIS STUFF TOO AND DOES NOT GET PROMOTED! EVEN THOUGH HE WAS RESPONSIBLE HIMSELF FOR THIS STUFF IN SHANGHAI! WHAT IF HE STARTS POSTING ON MESSAGE BOARDS!11!! OUR ENTIRE COMPANY IS COWERING WITH FEAR! HE IS ALSO OUTSPOKEN, SO WE HAVE NO OTHER LOGICAL COURSE OF ACTION BUT TO ELEVATE THIS OUTSPOKEN EMPLOYEE TO PROMINENT PUBLIC POSITION!

One might not think it, reading this website, but the Board of Directors of TWDC is not permanently obsessed with and scarily implementing policy in response to what people (sitting on amazing, dark secrets and ooh! if only we would reveal them!) may or may not post on Twitter, Instagram or message boards.
 

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