FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
They haven't used the female Otter character introduced a few years ago, so I doubt it.
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A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
Maybe Bairstow needs to have a li'l chat with Rolly Crump, one of Walt's Imagineers who is still with us. Rolly tells a story about a meeting he took part in where Walt and some of his staff were discussing the Country Bear Jamboree. One of the guys from merchandising kept pressing Walt to put a t-shirt store outside of the attraction. Walt said no. The merch guy kept pressing it ("T-shirts make a lot of money, Walt"). Finally Walt turned to him and said "Mr._, the tail does not wag the dog!"
In other words, Walt was focused on entertainment, not merchandising. Entertainment was the dog. Merchandising was the tail. Those were Walt's priorities. Walt cared about money, but he didn't care about it for himself. He saw money as a means to do things - like invent the theme park. It's important to remember that Disneyland was a terrible risk, but Walt built it anyway, because he believed in the idea, and the idea was not to make a pile of money. He wanted to build a place where entire families could have fun together. And that's of vital importance, because the real "magic" of Disney is Walt's ideals. That's the Disney difference. And people believe in that even now, and it's the best asset the company has, and that's why it's so upsetting to see those ideals sacrificed to improve the bottom line and please stockholders, to see a merchandise guy in charge of the parks. Walt would despise that, I have no doubt.
It's the most craven type of cynicism that believes that every positive thing we've heard about Walt is just company spin. It's also completely false. To believe that Walt was merely a savvy businessman is conjecture. That he was something more has been verified again and again by people who knew him. It's a pity he still needs defending, and worse that he needs defending from so-called fans on a Disney message board.
Nmoody1
Well-Known Member
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
I don't hate image macros Mike; I just fail to see the point in reinforcing the groupthink that infects a lot of Disney fan boards by dismissing contrary opinions with.
I would agree, though, that it's probably not going to be productive for me to question the actions of a man that a lot of people revere like some kind of god.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Not a god. Just a great man who did great things and by all accounts of those that knew him had a very different way of looking at his business than just money and shareholders.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
First, groupthink is a specific phenomenon related to decision making.
You express dismay that your contrary view is not well received when you are the one claiming that there are no differences; that there is only one possible end and only one actual means of achieving that end. Trying to tie it to an irrational reverence for Walt Disney is just an easy way of trying to avoid the decades of commitment and development to the differences you claim cannot be genuine and truthful.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Heck TFA was nothing more than a Toy Ad - the first trailer showed BB8 and my first thought was a 'Merchandising Movie' because instead of showing something like a battle or the inside of the crashed Superstar Destroyer it showed something which was easily produced as a toy.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
I find it FASCINATING that the whole of corporate america touting that the ONLY duty of a business is to 'Maximize Shareholder Value',
Yet that concept was originated in the mid 1980's by the convicted fraudster Michael Milken aka the 'Junk Bond King' in order to sell below investment grade bonds to finance corporate takeovers.
Speaks to how corporate America's role model is that of a convicted criminal. I'll take dead guy Walt's way of doing business thank you very much.
Yet that concept was originated in the mid 1980's by the convicted fraudster Michael Milken aka the 'Junk Bond King' in order to sell below investment grade bonds to finance corporate takeovers.
Speaks to how corporate America's role model is that of a convicted criminal. I'll take dead guy Walt's way of doing business thank you very much.
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ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Especially the bit about MBWA or 'Management By Walking Around' where Walt EXPECTED his senior leadership to walk the parks regularly
Mike S
Well-Known Member
I remember stories of Eisner walking the parks too.
Really too bad that he did a complete 180 in the end.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Frank Wells was the guy who kept Eisner's worst instincts in check, Also historically Disney has only fired on 'all cylinders' when there was a 'Creative/Finance pair at the helm' Walt/Roy, Walker/Miller, Eisner/Wells are the periods when Disney experienced its greatest successes.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
Jeepers, a Star Wars movie being an expensive toy ad? Unheard of.
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
I'm seeing posts on Facebook regarding a two bus accident at WDW. Any word?
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
RapunzelsWeave
Member
Agreed. I've said it several times before on here, but after reading daily about all the cuts at WDW and the price increases on food/merchandise in the face of overpriced park tickets, I can't justify any future trips until this model stops. The value just isn't there for my family and I -even with the 30% off we got at the Polynesian. Even Disneyland/DCA is more appealing for upcoming years.
I've started to express some of this to a friend of mine, who works in WDW's marketing department (I met them on a media trip via my ex that worked in radio promotions and they got me in to see the Cinderella suite in the castle, which was epic.) But I'm saving a full review for them until after I get back. I feel like they need to hear an honest opinion that isn't filtered by survey questions. I want to share just how frustrating planning this trip has been and how I'm already not as excited as I was the past 6 years for my annual trip.