Bob Iger at WDW now ... BoD to Follow?

[articos]

Yes, the project most likely will be depreciated over 25 to 40 years, so it will have a relatively small impact on today's bottom line, perhaps $50M to $80M annually. (Obviously, free cash flow will be impacted.) Divide that by a relatively modest (for WDW) 5% bump in annual attendance, and it's pretty easy to imagine how a $2B investment could readily pay for itself in increased hotel, ticket, food, and merchandise sales.

Why hasn't Disney already done this in the recent past?

Because they haven't had to.

Up till a few years ago, the Orlando theme parks had excess capacity. MyMagic+ was about optimizing that pre-existing capacity. Get Guests to preplan their trips so they would be less likely to leave 'The Bubble'. Even though that hasn't materialized, an improving economy, new South American markets, and Harry Potter have drawn millions more to Orlando. WDW's attendance is up double digits since the opening of WWOHP in 2010 and is projected to rise even more in the coming decade. The parks are becoming oppressively overcrowded. In fact, so overcrowded that Disney risks disappointing its current Guests, resulting in decreased return business.

Disney already is taking small steps to address this issue. The New Fantasyland, MK bus terminals, Hub redesign, 3rd Soarin' theater, and 3rd Toy Story Mania track are examples of recent projects designed to improve capacity.

But it isn't enough.

WDW's attendance is horribly lopsided, with MK bursting at the seams even as other parks struggle to maintain consistent attendance throughout the day. Frozen/Maelstrom and what effectively has become a twice-a-year Food & Wine Festival are Disney's attempt to draw more to Epcot. Pandora (and other projects) should help DAK. But DHS is a mess. There is no quick & easy fix for DHS.

After 15 years of low capex investments in Orlando, WDW is in need of a major expansion. Based on historical Disney data, I estimate that Iger has undercapitalized WDW to the tune of about $2.5B since taking charge. WDW desperately needs an infusion of capital and DHS could use all of it.

In recent years, there have been excuses to ignore WDW. Over $1B spent in DLR. Nearly $2B more on 2 new cruise ships. Over $2B spent in China. However, with the Shanghai project winding down, WDW is now front-and-center.

It was one thing to dump profits into stock buybacks when DIS was at $30, $50, or even $70 per share. However, with stock now at a ridiculously high $114 per share, DIS is a poor choice for "investing" company funds. The company will continue to spend billions on repurchases, but the peak years should be behind us until the stock takes a tumble. (And it will tumble during the next recession.)

Right now, Disney needs to find a place to park the roughly $9B it's going to make in net income this year.

Looking up the road, Universal has scored a grand slam not once but twice with Harry Potter. Disney hit its own homerun with Cars Land. Disney has seen that a well-themed and immersive land based on a popular IP can be a clear financial success.

Given its options, investing in Disney's domestic theme parks with a surefire winner like the Star Wars IP is looking like a pretty good choice.

I missed this too. It's dead on.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I would spring for dessert and cocktails.
*1023*

That baked Alaska is the size of a small child. Feeds 8-10 comfortably.

 

[PhotoDave219]

not if the plans were told to just very specific people.
That would be easy to start on "who to remove" to stop the leaks.

Thats why everything is simply speculation at this point.

 

[JenniferS]

Let me pick my jaw up.

^^ Hands down, my favourite post ever! ^^

And now for my least favourite ever. I honestly feel like crying just a little.

No info ... although strong belief that you won't see it again. They only like to use Walt as a character, like Mickey or Tink or Elsa or Buzz or Darth Vader etc ... to sell things. They really don't want you to know he was a man, a visionary, and someone who very likely wouldn't like a lot of what has happened in his absence. They put the attraction in because they needed something cheap that 'honored' Walt for the 2001-02 marketing celebration they chose instead of a 30th anniversary celebration. It made no sense to close it, so it has remained since. But they need that real estate now.

So, my guess is back to the archives goes most of what's in there.

 

[Cesar R M]

That baked Alaska is the size of a small child. Feeds 8-10 comfortably.

Something that could maintain Mr. Ron Swanson I presume?

"But that's a party platter, it serves 12 people"
"I know what I'm about son..."

 

[truecoat]

Well, someone passed me some artwork. It's our worst fears come true. Peek at your own risk.

Spoiler: Star Wars artwork

 

[SirLink]

Who's saying that?
Highly unlikely. It's hard to lie about a budget this size.

Now, if we were crowing about actual attractions...that's where you have to be careful.

So there's conspiracy theories on this now?

Dear lord....

I don't quite understand. Are you suggesting that news was deliberately leaked to myself and, now it would appear, others to make fanbois look at TDO and TWDC leadership in a more positive way?

Not true as my sources go. I can't speak for others. ...But I don't think Disney is upset that a top critic of theirs, such as myself, is spreading positivism either.

I'd love for the people who believe I'm being used by Disney to come here instead of hiding in the Twitverse or wherever.

I'll just state that I vet my sources and their information so much better than any real reporter covering that company today (which is why many folks at Disney cringe when I bring up serious topics that they don't want in the news).

Nah it was from a forum not the usual DISney kind at any rate. Further clarification it seems they followed up with the budget talk is overblown and some other weird info which contradicts the info that has been laid out.

 

[SpaceMountain75]

Something that could maintain Mr. Ron Swanson I presume?

"But that's a party platter, it serves 12 people"
"I know what I'm about son..."

Parks and Rec for the win!

 

[BrerJon]

Question please- what is CP/Interactive hybrid?

You can often spot them outside House of Blues on a Sunday night.

 

[BrerJon]

Folks here need to keep the expectations in check that WDW received somewhere approaching 2 billion, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

The trouble is people here look at $2B and think... well what does that buy you in WDW? Based on recent memory, it buys you MyMagic+ - WiFi, MagicBands and new gate readers and Fastpass machines.

Hard to be excited by that, so you see why people think the number *must* be higher if they're getting new lands and attractions out of it too.

 

[FrankLapidus]

That's so sad. It's one of my favorite attractions in all of WDW.
Very inspirational. I wish it was moved to MSUSA.

Agreed, getting rid of it would be an appalling decision in my opinion. Walt's incredible story and that of the company is one that people should know, its hardly asking a lot to have one attraction on property that explains how WDW came into being in the first place. I've said more than once on here that I feel that those in charge at Disney today have no comprehension of the amazing history and heritage that they have inherited and removing One Man's Dream would only only illustrate that point further for me. For me it would be hugely disrespectful on the part of current management to remove the attraction, something that would leave a particularly bad taste because I am such a fan of the man and company that he created.

 

[BrerJon]

However, Lucasfilm has taken a more... forceful approach with the new Star Wars projects for DHS and DL. They have established a mini-WDI within WDI called the Star Wars Design Studio which is solely devoted to the IP. The group is led by Scott Trowbridge, one of the key designers on IoA, and has been working on these projects for the last three years. One could argue it is more of an extension of Lucasfilm's Theme Parks team than it is a division of WDI more so than WDI's relationship with Pixar. I also suspect we haven't heard anything of substance about SW Land is due to the increased role which Licasfilm has in this project with their infamous secrecy culture.

This is *very* encouraging. If it's a culture of Lucasfilm driving the new park additions, instead of a culture of Disney, we can expect real quality. And Trowbridge is a veteran of Islands Of Adventure, so should "get" exactly what a themed immersive experience can and should be. Let's hope he has the power to say no to the many dumb ideas that no doubt cross his path from the mouse side of things.

 

[BrerJon]

I've said more than once on here that I feel that those in charge at Disney today have no comprehension of the amazing history and heritage that they have inherited and removing One Man's Dream would only only illustrate that point further for me. For me it would be hugely disrespectful on the part of current management to remove the attraction, something that would leave a particularly bad taste because I am such a fan of the man and company that he created.

I bet there's not a single executive in WDW who's even been inside One Man's Dream, let alone watched the movie.

It makes the most sense to move it to Epcot, with the section on the Florida Project expanded and a little history on how Walt's EPCOT dream became EPCOT Center, and what the original purpose of the park was.

 

[Mike S]

This is *very* encouraging. If it's a culture of Lucasfilm driving the new park additions, instead of a culture of Disney, we can expect real quality. And Trowbridge is a veteran of Islands Of Adventure, so should "get" exactly what a themed immersive experience can and should be. Let's hope he has the power to say no to the many dumb ideas that no doubt cross his path from the mouse side of things.

Wasn't he also the lead on Harry Potter? I'm expecting good things. Dare I say, great things.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

I bet there's not a single executive in WDW who's even been inside One Man's Dream, let alone watched the movie.

It makes the most sense to move it to Epcot, with the section on the Florida Project expanded and a little history on how Walt's EPCOT dream became EPCOT Center, and what the original purpose of the park was.

I would greatly miss One Man's Dream if it were to leave permanently. It's always fun to walk through with my grandfather while he reminisces about how much of an impact Walt and Mickey had on his childhood. It will always be one of my fondest memories in WDW. Ahh memories...

 

[FrankLapidus]

I would greatly miss One Man's Dream if it were to leave permanently. It's always fun to walk through with my grandfather while he reminisces about how much of an impact Walt and Mickey had on his childhood. It will always be one of my fondest memories in WDW. Ahh memories...

That's just it, its a story that Disney should be ensuring is passed from one generation to the next. Young people coming to the parks today should know the story, not because it pertains to WDW but because it is genuinely an incredible story about a man who had, and continues to have today, arguably the single biggest impact on popular culture and the entertainment industry through sheer force of will, hard work and creative ingenuity.

Today the company is so vast and the word "Disney" has become such a brand that it can be easy to overlook the history behind it all. Walt's story is one that has fascinated me from the first time I set foot in Magic Kingdom as a child and slowly came to realise that there was so much more to Disney than the animated films I grew up watching and this amazing resort I was experiencing for the first time. The company should be bending over backwards to ensure that their amazing history, and that of the man who started it all, is readily available for the millions of guests at the world's most popular holiday destination to experience and enjoy.

As an aside someone mentioned the cast members at One Man's Dream and I would have to say that in my experience many of them at the attraction over the years, and at the Magic of Animation tour, have been amongst the most knowledgeable and passionate that I have had the pleasure of meeting at WDW. They're people who care about what they do, who were almost always engaging and wanted to talk about their own passion for Disney (and Disney animation at the Magic of Animation). That only made One Man's Dream more enjoyable for me over the years, knowing that these were people who were not just simply doing their job but going above and beyond because they genuinely love what they do.

 

[zooey]

I bet there's not a single executive in WDW who's even been inside One Man's Dream, let alone watched the movie.

It makes the most sense to move it to Epcot, with the section on the Florida Project expanded and a little history on how Walt's EPCOT dream became EPCOT Center, and what the original purpose of the park was.

I think they should move it to Disneyland. Or they should just have two, one on each coast. I'm sad to see it go, but if you really love OMD you should go to the family museum in san Francisco. No matter what happens in the parks the legacy of Walt will be preserved there, at least.

 

[bcoachable]

No info ... although strong belief that you won't see it again. They only like to use Walt as a character, like Mickey or Tink or Elsa or Buzz or Darth Vader etc ... to sell things. They really don't want you to know he was a man, a visionary, and someone who very likely wouldn't like a lot of what has happened in his absence. They put the attraction in because they needed something cheap that 'honored' Walt for the 2001-02 marketing celebration they chose instead of a 30th anniversary celebration. It made no sense to close it, so it has remained since. But they need that real estate now.

So, my guess is back to the archives goes most of what's in there.

Or possibly to the family museum in the Presidio? (asking/hoping)

 

[zooey]

Or possibly to the family museum in the Presidio? (asking/hoping)

Some of the stuff in OMD is recreated, and some is genuine. Like Walts schooldesk, I understand, is not real. The real one is in the hometown museum in Marceline. But of everything, I would hope that the dancing man and Granny Kincades cabin find a new home to be displayed. Those are the best pieces in there, in my opinion. Seems like it could go in the display space in front of Lincoln in Disneyland or (and I'm really armchairing here...) it could go in a new space where tomorrowland noodle station used to be with the walkthrough transitioning from walts beginnings on main street to his futurism in tomorrowland. I could also see it working in Epcot somewhere
I guess we'll see if fan backlash forces TDO to keep in on property someplace, but my guess is they'll just try to quietly close it.

 

[bcoachable]

Or possibly to the family museum in the Presidio? (asking/hoping)

Sorry for the re-hash, just got through reading all the other thoughts on this....
btw, if you are interested in the Parks enough to read this message board, the Family Museum in SFO (that Diane Disney put together for her dad) really is a must for you at some point... I am not ashamed to say I shed a small tear (I never do that) as I saw "The Bench"