Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

[Eddie Sotto]

Trumps plan for the Disney Parks_ send them into bankruptcy then bring them out of bankruptcy then back to bankruptcy then back out and so on and so forth until it's the future.

EPCOT

Every Park Cashes Out Tomorrow!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

The current rumor suggests an unnamed Chinese company (consortium?) to be a 49% owner of the US parks (well, and Disney's share of DLP). I'm not getting why this would be done, if true. Surely the only benefit is raising cash quickly - do they need the money to buy MGM or something?

That's what does not make sense to me, they have money and this only would make life more miserable..Maybe they are being approached with a deal that they can tease and get a stock bump and then drop like a blind date.

 

[RSoxNo1]

If this new investor is held to the same standards that OLC is held to is there really much of a down side to this?

 

[HMF]

If this new investor is held to the same standards that OLC is held to is there really much of a down side to this?

That is a big "IF"

 

[trs518]

Eddie,

Seeing how people have recently mentioned on this post the possability of Disney opening a fifth gate at WDW, what would be a good theme for that park?

I personally don't like the thrill or villian park idea, mostly because they seem to have limited appeal. It would be fun to see a villian-based thrill ride at one of the existing parks, but not a whole park based on either one of them.

Would they do a park based on American history, much like what they had planned to do earlier by Washington DC?

 

[Eddie Sotto]

If this new investor is held to the same standards that OLC is held to is there really much of a down side to this?

There could be. OLC has learned a lot about how to run and maintain a theme park so they have the learning curve behind them. For some reason, Disney and Japanese culture are very well aligned in that they take the mythology of Disney and the replication of its magic very seriously. By nature, Japanese culture tends to have an appreciation for detail. I first noticed this when I saw how many photographs are in guide books of just tiny details. Everything from salad forks to finials. So to me, you can put lots of fences around investor, but if they don't have the passion or love for what Disney is then something will be lost. After all, if you want to be an investor you can buy stock in Disneyland Paris, Oriental land Company or even Disney. It's the expertise and passion behind the operation that really make the park successful. Disney does not own that much of Disneyland Paris and yet the maintenance at times has been unacceptably horrendous. I remember hushed grumblings from OLC that Disney was holding them to an artificially high standard, one that they do not even hold themselves to. This was in the Pressler era and was true. At the time, I was the design director for Tokyo Disneyland and could never admit that we were holding them to a higher standard, but to me that was the standard for Disney. There is a tremendous amount of pride in Japan that surrounds that park. Also, the operating team from Disney was very good at holding them to any kind of shortcuts that they would try to take.

There were times that they would suggest shortcuts and Jim Cora, who was the top man from Disney would never stand for it. He came from the ranks of Walt era Disneyland and knew what the park experience should be. That's why Tokyo Disneyland felt like a time warp back into the early 1970s to me. Everything sparkles and the cast was excited to see you. For everything Tokyo Disneyland lacked in design and warmth was more than made up for by the cast members and their love for Disney. So that's why I feel there's a big difference between Oriental land Company and any other investor.

Jim is retired now, but if I had to elect one person to run the entire parks and resorts it would be him. Jim would never have allowed black tarps and broken figures. He was one of the last of the great park operators.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Eddie,

Seeing how people have recently mentioned on this post the possability of Disney opening a fifth gate at WDW, what would be a good theme for that park?

I personally don't like the thrill or villian park idea, mostly because they seem to have limited appeal. It would be fun to see a villian-based thrill ride at one of the existing parks, but not a whole park based on either one of them.

Would they do a park based on American history, much like what they had planned to do earlier by Washington DC?

I think they should give it to Steve Jobs and let him do something.

 

[CountryBearFan]

I don't really know her and have not heard much. What I have read on message boards is pretty scathing and make her the new enemy. Is it possible that fans need to have someone to hate in management? Rasulo has moved out of that role so there has to be someone out there to attack. So Meg for her apparent lack of charisma will be that person (maybe its justified, but I'm just sayin'). I think it's all good as it says to me they are shaking up the management and trying some new things. I'm not forgetting that Bob Iger did not like what happened under Pressler/Harris and did something about it, so to me I doubt he'd repeat that. Bob also "Greenlit" DCA and that is going well, so I think he invests, then watches and tests his staff, giving them rope. Some use the rope to pull the parks out, others get their neck caught in it. Paris is very different than WDW in some ways so she'll have to get used to that culturally. In light of BTM being patched up, maybe the changes will be good ones at WDW. She no doubt had to explain that tarp thing to someone... I'm an optimist and hope the best for Meg and if she is blowing it, I'm confident that Staggs and others will make another change. She has a tough job and it just got tougher. In my opinion, Bob Iger is making more right moves than wrong ones, but they take time to play out. I'm not one to panic.

Well said.

You really don't think there's anything Pressler-ish or Harriss-ish about Crofton, do you?

I'm trying to be optimistic about this, but it's hard to do with everyone attacking her for no reason and not knowing enough about her to judge, failing to realize that she's not responsible for EVERYTHING that occurs on the property. She doesn't have THAT much power.

And not even the accidents that occurred on the property within the last few years are her fault. It was just coincidental that she was in the position then.

 

[ScoutN]

I think they should give it to Steve Jobs and let him do something.

On the note of the potential park that was to be in Virginia. What was the motive on picking Virginia and why did it fail? I was young at the time and I remember seeing the first article in "The Virginian Pilot" in regards to the park. I don't think I have ever been more ecstatic of a piece of news.

And not even the accidents that occurred on the property within the last few years are her fault. It was just coincidental that she was in the position then.

Accidents are just that, accidents as you know. People lapse in judgement and equipment fails unexpectedly. Human nature of course requires a should to place blame on. They no doubt are heartbreaking.

Little known item on accidents recently is Mach Tower (Moser Drop Tower) at Busch Williamsburg was a matter of days away and a compression component behind a deceleration fin and caused *<10mph impact of the ride vehicle. It failed by pure defect and nothing but. Thankfully it had yet to open to the public or team previews. Just an example of accidents happen

 

[HMF]

I am hearing reports of panic in Glendale.

 

[JustInTime]

I am hearing reports of panic in Glendale.

I have heard that as well.

 

[flavious27]

On the note of the potential park that was to be in Virginia. What was the motive on picking Virginia and why did it fail? I was young at the time and I remember seeing the first article in "The Virginian Pilot" in regards to the park. I don't think I have ever been more ecstatic of a piece of news.

It failed because the locals and the local elites did not want to have development near a civil war battleground and in their general area, but that is exactly what has happened on that site. Why was VA picked, it is closer to the center of the East Coast's population centers and near a large tourist destination.

This concept for a park could be built at a future time, but disney needs to find the right amount of room in the right place with the right local team of supporters. They can try for another area of VA, though there is still opposition today to any development near battlegrounds. There are areas in PA and maybe DE that could be used, though a good amount of the land needed is either protected or might be just a bit away from highways.

 

[flavious27]

I think they should give it to Steve Jobs and let him do something.

Disney already has a team of creative people that design the parks, and really how great of a park could ives and his industrial design team make? Pixar designers would be better suited to designing a park, though you know it takes skill to think in a 360 degree sense when designing.

When you were at wdi, how many of your colleagues worked previously designing consumer electronics?

 

[flavious27]

I am hearing reports of panic in Glendale.

oh, over a reason film release or something else?

 

[flavious27]

I don't really know her and have not heard much. What I have read on message boards is pretty scathing and make her the new enemy. Is it possible that fans need to have someone to hate in management? Rasulo has moved out of that role so there has to be someone out there to attack. So Meg for her apparent lack of charisma will be that person (maybe its justified, but I'm just sayin'). I think it's all good as it says to me they are shaking up the management and trying some new things. I'm not forgetting that Bob Iger did not like what happened under Pressler/Harris and did something about it, so to me I doubt he'd repeat that. Bob also "Greenlit" DCA and that is going well, so I think he invests, then watches and tests his staff, giving them rope. Some use the rope to pull the parks out, others get their neck caught in it. Paris is very different than WDW in some ways so she'll have to get used to that culturally. In light of BTM being patched up, maybe the changes will be good ones at WDW. She no doubt had to explain that tarp thing to someone... I'm an optimist and hope the best for Meg and if she is blowing it, I'm confident that Staggs and others will make another change. She has a tough job and it just got tougher. In my opinion, Bob Iger is making more right moves than wrong ones, but they take time to play out. I'm not one to panic.

Well it is her past work experience and what has resulted at wdw under her control.

 

[flavious27]

The current rumor suggests an unnamed Chinese company (consortium?) to be a 49% owner of the US parks (well, and Disney's share of DLP). I'm not getting why this would be done, if true. Surely the only benefit is raising cash quickly - do they need the money to buy MGM or something?

Some other forum said it was a saudi prince. Really any Chinese company large enough to buy anything from disney, isn't a real company, it is just a company owned by the Chinese government. Also why would they buy out dlp but not also the large stakes disney owns in HKDL and SDL?

 

[AEfx]

Here's a book on the best backlot streets ever. There are some images in this free preview download to give you the idea. Waterfront Street sets are curved for depth EXACTLY the way Main Street Center Streets are done at DL.. Take a look.
http://www.mgmbacklot.info/MGM_Preview.pdf

You are evil. You just added yet another book to my very crowded nightstand.

(To be honest, I hope Apple buys EPCOT).

I think they should give it to Steve Jobs and let him do something.

Oh God, please no. The Disney empire already has one diety (Walt), they don't need another.

If Jobs took over Epcot, when you went to Sunshine Faire and you order a sandwich, you'd pay .73cents for the bread, .28 cents for the mayo, $2.35 for the meat/filling, .37cents for lettuce, and then triple the total (AppleTax). And Apple would decide that you can only put lettuce on sandwiches that contain Chicken, any other sandwich cannot have lettuce (even though many other sandwich shops it's customary to put lettuce on anything you ask). Also, even though many people the world over are just fine with Mayo, you can't get just plain mayo - it must be a special type of mayo that Apple approves of, that has a couple different ingredients that regular Mayo doesn't so they can't be accused of using someone else's mayo.

(No, I actually am NOT an Apple hater - I have an iPhone and an iPad, LOL - but once they get their fingers into something, they try to micro-manage and control it down to the exact detail, and do many things just "because", even when it's standard for everyone else to do so. Say, like the lack of a mini-SD slot on iDevices, which have been standard in phones for a half-decade or so, just so they can sell the one with more memory for $100 more when an SD slot like every other phone has you can just buy a 16GB card for $20). Or their failure at taking over TV - yes, Apple thought we'd all have AppleTV by now and pay iTunes per-show we watch in our living room, LOL.)

Rant over.

If this new investor is held to the same standards that OLC is held to is there really much of a down side to this?

Much of a real downside? As Eddie says, it just seems silly and there shouldn't be a reason for it. Even if they did, as to a *real* downside, maybe not.

However, especially with what's going on right this very minute (where the U.S. is pretty much going to - and some say, we really already have - default on our loans to China, who it's scary most people don't realize that China basically funds our country at the moment and our great-great-grandkids will still be working and paying taxes to pay the Chinese back), it would be terrible for Disney's PR to sell to any non-US entity, but Chinese in particular right now would be a terrible blow.

When you go around the world, you hear about McDonalds, Baywatch, and Disney as the impression they have of American products/America, and there would be some thumpin' going on should Middle America thing that Disney has "sold out" as well (in spite of the fact that we've already sold out the financing of our government to China).

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Disney already has a team of creative people that design the parks, and really how great of a park could ives and his industrial design team make? Pixar designers would be better suited to designing a park, though you know it takes skill to think in a 360 degree sense when designing.

When you were at wdi, how many of your colleagues worked previously designing consumer electronics?

To be honest, part of what I was doing was exactly that. We were trying next Gen in 1998.

 

[CountryBearFan]

Well it is her past work experience and what has resulted at wdw under her control.

What is your response to that reply, Eddie?

Do you think any of WDW's recent missteps are Meg Crofton's fault or not?

Just as how the problems that DL faced during the Pressler/Harriss dark ages were their doing, do you think it's true regarding Crofton's reign over WDW?

 

[Eddie Sotto]

What is your response to that reply, Eddie?

Do you think any of WDW's recent missteps are Meg Crofton's fault or not?

Just as how the problems that DL faced during the Pressler/Harriss dark ages were their doing, do you think it's true regarding Crofton's reign over WDW?

I have no real way of knowing if they are or not. If she is the responsible person in management then, yes, it's in her court to deal with all aspects. I will say that sometimes operators have to meet the revenue goals and fiscal targets given to them by corporate and they end up cutting things because they have to hit a number.