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

[Eddie Sotto]

I have to disagree with you there DL98 was a disaster.

I'm sure that there were lessons learned from that project for all involved from the management on down, some creative, some financial, and some that involve retrofitting ride systems! I look forward to what they will do next.

 

[HMF]

I'm sure that there were lessons learned from that project for all involved from the management on down, some creative, some financial, and some that involve retrofitting ride systems! I look forward to what they will do next.

I have some ideas but I am sure Tony's will be better. I am currently mapping out plans for the Florida Tomorrowland.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I really hope he is still there if/when I get in. He would probably be a great mentor as he mentored under Claude Coats. BTW' Eddie just some advice' avoid micechats new Disney Gallery thread. It is probably one of the most childish things I have ever read.

Now you made me curious! I pretty much just read this thread and skim the "headlines" from time to time. Time is tight. Thanks for the tip.

 

[HMF]

Now you made me curious! I pretty much just read this thread and skim the "headlines" from time to time. Time is tight. Thanks for the tip.

Good luck' I gave up on it because there was so much nitpicking.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

No one I know is as sincerely driven and as knowledgeable about DL as he is. You may not agree with or love everything he does, but he is tireless in his passion to make that park as good as he thinks it should be and fights for that.

Disneyland needs Baxter and I for one am glad he's there. The DL team that works for him is very dedicated and will follow him anywhere.

If he's reading this, hang in there, we need you!

Yes, Disneyland is quite blessed to have those like Baxter, Lasseter, and others that are so passionate about it and are in a position to ensure that it grows and evolves as it should. I just wish that there were similar champions for Walt Disney World.

 

[wdwmagic]

Yes, Disneyland is quite blessed to have those like Baxter, Lasseter, and others that are so passionate about it and are in a position to ensure that it grows and evolves as it should. I just wish that there were similar champions for Walt Disney World.

Eric Jacobson for WDW seems to have that passion, and of course Joe Rohde for AK.

 

[SirGoofy]

Eric Jacobson for WDW seems to have that passion.

Eh, while Jacobson is very, very good, I don't seem him having the level of passion and determination of Baxter.

Lasseter works for both parks wonderfully.

 

[Figment632]

Each park has it's own issues and needs so it's hard to say. I think the high road is to get corporate to adopt a basic philosophy as to what the company's position wants to be on "the future" and it's ultimate role to lead or not. And then slowly inject that strategy into the parks. T'land can even be a promotional tool if its promoting things that are exciting and fresh enough. I think the company at the higher levels has not decided to have a clear mission in this area that we can see, so when they do, it would be great to have the lands slave to that.

They should just build your SCi-Fi City Eddie because it would be spectacular!!!

 

[HMF]

Eric Jacobson for WDW seems to have that passion, and of course Joe Rohde for AK.

Maybe' Eddie can contradict me here but Jacobson seems to be more of a follower than a passionate devoted leader besides the fact that they gave him three parks when everyone else gets one or two.

 

[Iceviper123]

Each park has it's own issues and needs so it's hard to say. I think the high road is to get corporate to adopt a basic philosophy as to what the company's position wants to be on "the future" and it's ultimate role to lead or not. And then slowly inject that strategy into the parks. T'land can even be a promotional tool if its promoting things that are exciting and fresh enough. I think the company at the higher levels has not decided to have a clear mission in this area that we can see, so when they do, it would be great to have the lands slave to that.

Thank you so much for your response.

Im surprised no one asked, but what do you think of the new TTA audio? :lol:

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Thank you so much for your response.

Im surprised no one asked, but what do you think of the new TTA audio? :lol:

I live in Los Angeles, so I don't get out to WDW. Sorry about that.

 

[TP2000]

Eric Jacobson for WDW seems to have that passion, and of course Joe Rohde for AK.

And yet Eric has three parks under his umbrella, and Joe Rohde has one park and a big resort hotel 6,000 miles away in Hawaii. Something tells me that Joe Rohde is focused on his Hawaii project nearly exclusively for the forseeable future. And with not a bulldozer in sight for Animal Kingdom, he's probably happy to have the work. :lol:

It's interesting that DCA has Bob Weis as the Billion Dollar It Boy, and Disneyland has Tony Baxter as the literal connection to Walt's hand picked team from the 20th century.

Why do three parks in WDW have to share one guy, who doesn't even seem to have the stature and celebrity of the others?

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I'm not going to get into critiquing the personal qualifications of the Imagineers versus the sizes of their portfolios. Eric has had those parks for a long time and WDW management is a tough audience. It speaks volumes that he collaborates well with them and has for so long. Not easy at all.

But the way things were viewed years ago was that someone had EPCOT, like Barry Braverman or Orrin Shively. Eric had the property, Studio and MK. I think that's how it was organized. Joe had AK because it was his park and he knows it best. They may have all answered to EJ in some way. Mike West and George Head were in the show quality area so they play into the day to day negotiations of how things happen. All I'm saying is that there are lots more WDI personalities (of all types) in there that report to EJ and it is more complicated that it looks sometimes. It's hard to compare the individuals.

 

[HMF]

I think they should use the DLR approach and have a Creative Lead for each individual park.

 

[SoccerMickey]

Two years ago Tony said at an NFFC event that he feels Disneyland is finally coming out of its dark ages which in my opinion happened up to and after Tomorrowland '98. It would be nice to see WDW being able to say the same thing.
Its really nice for people to come in droves to WDW because it is such a tourist destination from all over the world and while the body count per day is rising too many MBA's take over and not enough creative types. It's the same mentality that put such a sour moratorium on Disney Feature Animation and I am afraid its going to happen again in Florida.

 

[jt04]

Two years ago Tony said at an NFFC event that he feels Disneyland is finally coming out of its dark ages which in my opinion happened up to and after Tomorrowland '98. It would be nice to see WDW being able to say the same thing.
Its really nice for people to come in droves to WDW because it is such a tourist destination from all over the world and while the body count per day is rising too many MBA's take over and not enough creative types. It's the same mentality that put such a sour moratorium on Disney Feature Animation and I am afraid its going to happen again in Florida.

Not as long as Iger/Lasseter are around. See new Fantasyland.

 

[WDW1974]

Very cool news. I had seen that in our Disneyland section.

I'm all for outside vendors if they'd do something like this at WDW's Main Street.

If they did so in Florida, they'd likely bring in Walmart!

 

[WDW1974]

I swear I like Tony more and more every day. I was a little angry with him and Kim Irvine about It's a Small World but their track record before or since have me convinced.

I'm fairly certain the Small World deal was shoved down his throat.

It was something that first was proposed for MK's version almost a decade ago. It didn't come from Irvine or Baxter. I believe the original MK idea came from Fitzgerald.

I wasn't happy to hear they were doing it in Anaheim (although I loved the HKDL version and understood why it was done there) but after finally seeing it a few weeks ago, I have to admit it didn't really bother me ... or take me out of the attraction.

It just wasn't needed ... and was done for the almighty buck and the 'Disney brand'.

 

[WDW1974]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceviper123
Thanks for your excellent posts on the Fantasyland expansion.

What do you think WDI should do to fix Tomorrowland in MK, DL and TDL?
They seem to lack a complete thought.
Unlike the Paris, it has a strong cohesiveness as did the DL in 1998.

Each park has it's own issues and needs so it's hard to say. I think the high road is to get corporate to adopt a basic philosophy as to what the company's position wants to be on "the future" and it's ultimate role to lead or not. And then slowly inject that strategy into the parks. T'land can even be a promotional tool if its promoting things that are exciting and fresh enough. I think the company at the higher levels has not decided to have a clear mission in this area that we can see, so when they do, it would be great to have the lands slave to that.

I don't believe Disney thinks like that. The powers don't sit down and think 'what should our vision of the future be?'

It's also not just a Tomorrowland issue, although that area is always the most problematic.

There's more of a desire to spread 'the Disney brand' and whatever hot properties the company has at a given time. That's how you get High School Musical or Monsters in Tomorrowland. Or cartoon fish at Epcot.

The strict adherence to story, time, place etc ... well, it doesn't exist anymore. The layering ... the details ... they aren't as important as selling Tink hoodies and Jonas Bros CDs.

How many guests believe Disney parks are all about 'toons and little else?
It wasn't that way for decades.

Tomorrowland certainly had a vision in 1971. A bold one. It had a vision in 1994-95 when the land was redone. Now?

And while DLP has the best version going, it has lost a lot of its cohesive narrative over the last few years. As much as I loved the Lion King show, Discoverland was a strange place for it. Now, sadly, they just show classic Mickey tunes inside. And losing their version of Timekeeper for Buzz Lightyear (even if it is a great version where you can't max out the game in the first room if you've been on it or read sites like this) muddied the theme completely. What does a cartoon space toy have to do with the European visionaries of the 19th and early 20th centuries? Then they took Space Mountain and swapped in Mission 2, which may be cool, but also isn't a story fit. The original was perfect. Jules Verne: Earth To the Moon ... doesn't get any better.

Without wasting too much of a sunny Sunday, I'll end on my belief that Disney adheres to story when it is convenient to do so these days. Branding and franchises and always selling merchandise takes precedent over whether things belong in the world they are placed.

 

[WDW1974]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wdwmagic
Eric Jacobson for WDW seems to have that passion, and of course Joe Rohde for AK.

And yet Eric has three parks under his umbrella, and Joe Rohde has one park and a big resort hotel 6,000 miles away in Hawaii. Something tells me that Joe Rohde is focused on his Hawaii project nearly exclusively for the forseeable future. And with not a bulldozer in sight for Animal Kingdom, he's probably happy to have the work. :lol:

It's interesting that DCA has Bob Weis as the Billion Dollar It Boy, and Disneyland has Tony Baxter as the literal connection to Walt's hand picked team from the 20th century.

Why do three parks in WDW have to share one guy, who doesn't even seem to have the stature and celebrity of the others?

It isn't unusual for one Imagineer to have multiple parks in their portfolios. Same as Paris and Tokyo.

Eric has done a lot of great work at WDW ... from being lead designer on Blizzard Beach to the recent top-notch redos of Mansion and HoP. He is talented and he is passionate about his work.

He isn't a 'celebrity' Imagineer a la Tony, but I don't think Imagineers should be judged on how popular they are at fan events or how many Travel Channel infomercials they appear on.

Joe is in Hawaii because nothing is happening in 'his' park in Florida for the forseeable future, he loves the islands and they are close to Disney's projects in China that he will be working on.

I also have never placed Bob Weis in the celebrity Imagineer category. Not after the way he left WDI the first time. I also wonder how long he'll wind up overseeing DCA's makeover once the agreements on Shanghai are signed and site work starts.

As for Tony, I'd expect him to 'retire' when his current contract ends.