SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
That is interesting! They probably just had a rash of cancellations due to Hurricane Matthew and this could give a quick boost.
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A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Golden rule applies here 'The guy with the gold makes the rules' Catmull/Lasseter/Perlmutter have the gold.
Catmull/Lasseter/Perlmutter own a not insignificant block of VOTING Disney shares that gives them power, Kennedy fine executive though she is does not she's simply an employee, Therefore the BoD tends to defer to their decisions as they wield enough power through their stock holdings to cause real trouble if they so desired.
If Catmull/Lasseter/Perlmutter combined their votes with Jobs widow - Well there is no larger bloc of TWDC stock on the planet. Why do you think Lucasfilm was bought in an 'all cash' deal it's very simple to prevent the Pixar/Marvel situation where the principles there have voting Disney stock.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Ordinarily I would agree with you but the reality is that Catmull/Lasseter/Perlmutter have voting stock and as such a say in the business, The Lucasfilm unit was an 'all cash' deal to PREVENT Lucasfilm executives from having any meaningful power at the board level through their stock holdings.
So yes Lucasfilm was purchased lock stock and barrel by Disney and as such is merely a BRAND because the executives have no financial power over the BoD.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Are you intentionally ignoring Pixar's sudden love of sequels? The very thing Disney was hell bent on continuing with or without Pixar.
VJ
Well-Known Member
But.. but.. Iger is the mastermind behind all this! He plotted all this from the beginning! You're just a Disney shill!
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Irony...
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Even so, all their divisions report to the same high end executives and board.
The prequels were trash. Lucas didnt have much inspiration there.. toonized Star Wars and pretty much ruined the saga.
The new series was a "back to square 1" with the same feels as the original trilogy (if not an outright copy). I dont think Lucas had much into it.
I still remember reading a website.. where he complained his ideas were not being taken or not accepted...
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Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
"How Bob Iger destroyed the values of the most beloved company and turned it into a souless megacorporation at the mercy of Wall Street"
perfect title!
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
Oooh! I'm not sure how I passed this post over (thanks @Cesar R M ) ....and it's focused on leadership and management.
VJ
Well-Known Member
By Lucasfilm, I was referring to the company, not to George Lucas himself. It's very well known that, aside from Strange Magic, he hasn't been doing much with Lucasfilm nowadays.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Much? More like none at all. After his publicly reported feelings about Episode 7, I doubt they even take his calls anymore (and they are under no obligation whatsoever to do so).
As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I thank the Force for this fact every day.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
Never mind the fact that Lucasfilm's bigwigs are mostly people that worked with and respected George or that after all the rightful criticism that Episode 7 was a lazy retread of the original trilogy that they seem to be emphasizing new and original ideas in projects going forward.
People hate George and the prequels way too damn much.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/marvel-chairman-ike-perlmutter-loses-938955
Ike Perlmutter is being sued by his neighbor due to a dispute that led to Ike posting flyers around their neighborhood that said he was a sex offender. This man controls 2% of the company btw.
Ike Perlmutter is being sued by his neighbor due to a dispute that led to Ike posting flyers around their neighborhood that said he was a sex offender. This man controls 2% of the company btw.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I disagree on the "lazy retread" completely, but regardless I can honestly say I don't hate Lucas - I just recognize that the best of Star Wars were the things he was least involved in, and/or those other people you are talking about (and many others who have been in his shadow under the guise of him "doing it all") are responsible for putting him in the right direction and influencing.
If you've read Rinzler's making of series from the Lucasfilm archives, you really see this in action. The reason the prequels suffered is because for those, he really did take full control and not allow others to help guide him as they did through most of the OT.
In any case, he had run Lucasfilm into the ground. It's only worth on it's own was in the ownership of IP. The only way it was going to survive was going to be if it went back into the Star Wars feature film business - and he had two choices. One, do them himself. Two, sell it to someone else to do. He chose the latter option. So he's hardly the victim here, he could have made the new films any dang way he pleased had he chosen to.
Again, though, after all the poor decisions regarding the prequels on all levels (they are moderately okay films, but could have been masterpieces) as a Star Wars fan I am completely confident he made the right choice.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
It's more like he asked for help from his 80s collaborators and director friends but they were either busy with their own projects or told George he could do it himself.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I was referring more to things, like, other writers. Reading Rinzler's exhaustive accounts of the story meetings you can see how little George's initial outlines/drafts actually made it to the screen as they progressed. This is the opposite of how he wrote the prequels, which was to lock himself in a room and not show anyone until the last possible moment before shooting. It was worst with the final prequel, where it literally was days before they were shooting and no one (cast or crew) had even read it before he finally finished it.
That's just one example. Like a lot of geniuses, you need a strong framework of people around to help channel the flow. It's the difference between a relative mess and brilliance in many cases. A lot of the same can be said for Gene Roddenberry.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Tony may be 'retired', but he is more active then ever now since switching to a part time role.
I think many here would be very surprised to realize just how active he is today.
Contrary to popular belief, he is still very much a employee of the Disney Company and actively partakes in various tasks.
He is quite a busy man these days ...even more so then when he was working full time for WDI.
So although it may appear that he may have 'been so far under the radar' since his departure from his full time position a few years ago, trust me when I say he is still VERY active....and I'm not talking about golfing or cruises like some people his age are typically doing!
He is a busy boy with a calendar full of activities far and near.
This may be why you have yet to receive a response to your request regarding that event appearance.
Don't take his non-response personally, it may just be a case of him not receiving your message.
Speaking from my own personal experiences over the last few years, Tony is a entertaining and very generous man who enjoys conversing with and sharing his passion for the Theme Parks with others.
For someone with his talent and 'celebrity' status within the Theme Park fan community, he is modest and grounded.
I have never seen any evidence of anything otherwise.
He is kind, driven, and definitely has some strong opinions about various matters....several of which we have talked about here on this Forum.
His passion for Disneyland and themed entertainment in general are second to none.
He is a workaholic in some respects because of it, and devotes a LOT of his time to sharing that interest and passion with others.
It comes at a price however, for someone almost 70 years old now...but who is indeed eternally 10..!
So to answer your inquiry, he is doing well.
He is active, in good health, and still has a marvelous and keen insight into what 'works' as far as themed entertainment goes.
He totally 'gets it' on so many levels.
Listening to him explain the 'whys' behind it all is a fascinating insight into how clearly he does understand the principles of staging unique entertainment experiences.
He's a great guy who has done a lot of good, and continues to do so.
And yes, he still wants to write that book of his that everyone has been waiting for!
Pay no mind to that thin little one released last year...unless you want to read a book 'about Tony Baxter' instead of one written 'BY Tony Baxter'.
I know which one I'm waiting to read.....
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Spirited Late Night Musings:
So excited by the upcoming election that I can't sleep!
So, Andrew Kam was hired by Wang Jianlin, who is in the process of wining and dining the Hollywood elite (but I am reasonably certain not Willow Bay Iger's mealticket) right now with all sorts of huge incentives to come and film in the Chinese Mainland. One can only imagine what Wang sees in the former HKDL Managing Director, who truly loved Disney and his role ... and was replaced by EPCOT VP No. 1,321 Sam Lau.
Speaking of China, SDL continues to have 'teething pains' as one WDI type put it. Those pains are not limited to the park as DisneyTown is struggling and tenants are not making enough RMB to cover their onerous lease agreements. BTW, watch as this happens to Disney Springs in the year ahead. To show some goodwill, SDL has centered its first Halloween outside the park in the free shopping and dining zone. Of course, Halloween isn't really much of a thing in China to begin with (Hong Kong is a different animal).
I see folks trying to claim that Rogue One's reshoots were normal and typical. They weren't. And they stem straight from Bob Iger not liking the darker tone. ... Maybe he should have gotten Jar Jar and the Ewoks into this?
Speaking of Star Wars, DLP throwing the damn overlay onto Space Mountain there ... just ... ya know ... cause ...
Yes, I was stating that Pandora is delayed in my brief drive-by of a week ago.
A friend went to TDS today. He wasn't thrilled by Sindbad or its music. I may have to drop him as a friend. ... BTW, 150 minute standby waits for TSMM, which only goes to prove that many Japanese have bad taste in attractions as their American counterparts.
BTW, the next decade looks exceedingly bright for TDR as the OLC has an ambitious plan to both add new things and replace and renew some older.
You may hear, especially at good old Micechat (where Kevin Yee has made a return, a return to the Titanic, but one nonetheless) that TDA is thrilled and attendance is booming. And the resort certainly isn't hurting. But the additional of a strange DCA only seasonal pass (at an absurd price point) only available at Costco and the return to sales of the DL Southern California AP speaks volumes in the other direction. I can also say that I recently spent three days there (and a bit more at DD and the resorts) and I witnessed the slowest day at DL I have seen in over a decade and DCA crowds that made me remember what a busy day at 1.0 felt like. Yes, it was during a heat wave (but they happen all the time now with that liberal myth of global warming) and during the early days of Halloweentime (thankfully, DL has the tact and decency to not have upcharge parties on the Friday BEFORE Labor Day weekend).
Speaking of DL, remember when my buddy 'Retiree' Andy Castro bemoaned (rightfully so) the horrible look of the new Club 33 and the NoS work around there? Remember how WDI and Kim Irvine got blamed? Misplaced. It was an Ops project started by George Kalogridis and pushed forward by Michael Colglazier with no thought beyond making more money. WDI did all it could possibly do, but some of this crap is simply ordered by people above and Imagineers have a choice of doing the best they can or quitting.
Speaking of Imagineers, I love Joe Rohde. Always have. But seeing him (and to a lesser extent Bob Weis) place their political beliefs out on Twitter and Instagram and MySpace and Grindr puts a huge smile on my face. They can attack the Donald and not worry about Legal, yet Cupcake has to go through them for her posts about the latest dessert party! Oh, and wasn't Joe supposed to be fired months ago? I know I read that somewhere.
I realize that some people idolize Tony Baxter, and I believe he is a supremely talented creative and gets Disney Design better than most people alive. But if asked for one word to describe him it would be 'Narcissist.'
Tiffins isn't doing very well at DAK, except for no life lifestylers with too much disability money to spend. A shame as it is a beautiful facility. The menu price points just don't work and it has no crazy reputation like Le Cellier, which somehow can get by with $52 a la carte steaks in a theme park. Drinks at Nomad are also too weak.
But that 20% AP discount is driving up F&B sales at WDW (not shocking considering that most Disney food is priced 25-50% too high).
Let's end this brief post back in China, where UNI continues to learn absolutely nothing from Disney's SDL experience and is making every mistake in the book, with a few extras thrown in for good measure.
OK, one more, since we're talking UNI, Hollywood's Potter and the FJ has 3D glasses. They not only don't add anything, they take away as they constantly are jostled on your face. A very bad idea.
So excited by the upcoming election that I can't sleep!
So, Andrew Kam was hired by Wang Jianlin, who is in the process of wining and dining the Hollywood elite (but I am reasonably certain not Willow Bay Iger's mealticket) right now with all sorts of huge incentives to come and film in the Chinese Mainland. One can only imagine what Wang sees in the former HKDL Managing Director, who truly loved Disney and his role ... and was replaced by EPCOT VP No. 1,321 Sam Lau.
Speaking of China, SDL continues to have 'teething pains' as one WDI type put it. Those pains are not limited to the park as DisneyTown is struggling and tenants are not making enough RMB to cover their onerous lease agreements. BTW, watch as this happens to Disney Springs in the year ahead. To show some goodwill, SDL has centered its first Halloween outside the park in the free shopping and dining zone. Of course, Halloween isn't really much of a thing in China to begin with (Hong Kong is a different animal).
I see folks trying to claim that Rogue One's reshoots were normal and typical. They weren't. And they stem straight from Bob Iger not liking the darker tone. ... Maybe he should have gotten Jar Jar and the Ewoks into this?
Speaking of Star Wars, DLP throwing the damn overlay onto Space Mountain there ... just ... ya know ... cause ...
Yes, I was stating that Pandora is delayed in my brief drive-by of a week ago.
A friend went to TDS today. He wasn't thrilled by Sindbad or its music. I may have to drop him as a friend. ... BTW, 150 minute standby waits for TSMM, which only goes to prove that many Japanese have bad taste in attractions as their American counterparts.
BTW, the next decade looks exceedingly bright for TDR as the OLC has an ambitious plan to both add new things and replace and renew some older.
You may hear, especially at good old Micechat (where Kevin Yee has made a return, a return to the Titanic, but one nonetheless) that TDA is thrilled and attendance is booming. And the resort certainly isn't hurting. But the additional of a strange DCA only seasonal pass (at an absurd price point) only available at Costco and the return to sales of the DL Southern California AP speaks volumes in the other direction. I can also say that I recently spent three days there (and a bit more at DD and the resorts) and I witnessed the slowest day at DL I have seen in over a decade and DCA crowds that made me remember what a busy day at 1.0 felt like. Yes, it was during a heat wave (but they happen all the time now with that liberal myth of global warming) and during the early days of Halloweentime (thankfully, DL has the tact and decency to not have upcharge parties on the Friday BEFORE Labor Day weekend).
Speaking of DL, remember when my buddy 'Retiree' Andy Castro bemoaned (rightfully so) the horrible look of the new Club 33 and the NoS work around there? Remember how WDI and Kim Irvine got blamed? Misplaced. It was an Ops project started by George Kalogridis and pushed forward by Michael Colglazier with no thought beyond making more money. WDI did all it could possibly do, but some of this crap is simply ordered by people above and Imagineers have a choice of doing the best they can or quitting.
Speaking of Imagineers, I love Joe Rohde. Always have. But seeing him (and to a lesser extent Bob Weis) place their political beliefs out on Twitter and Instagram and MySpace and Grindr puts a huge smile on my face. They can attack the Donald and not worry about Legal, yet Cupcake has to go through them for her posts about the latest dessert party! Oh, and wasn't Joe supposed to be fired months ago? I know I read that somewhere.
I realize that some people idolize Tony Baxter, and I believe he is a supremely talented creative and gets Disney Design better than most people alive. But if asked for one word to describe him it would be 'Narcissist.'
Tiffins isn't doing very well at DAK, except for no life lifestylers with too much disability money to spend. A shame as it is a beautiful facility. The menu price points just don't work and it has no crazy reputation like Le Cellier, which somehow can get by with $52 a la carte steaks in a theme park. Drinks at Nomad are also too weak.
But that 20% AP discount is driving up F&B sales at WDW (not shocking considering that most Disney food is priced 25-50% too high).
Let's end this brief post back in China, where UNI continues to learn absolutely nothing from Disney's SDL experience and is making every mistake in the book, with a few extras thrown in for good measure.
OK, one more, since we're talking UNI, Hollywood's Potter and the FJ has 3D glasses. They not only don't add anything, they take away as they constantly are jostled on your face. A very bad idea.
Absimilliard
Well-Known Member
Agreed about the 3-D glasses on Forbidden Journey. I suffered through that garbage on Universal Studios Japan version and it adds NOTHING. Just another useless gimmick.
Escape From Gringott is one "3-D" ride where I don't even bother picking up glasses. The scenery is gorgeous and the ride system nice... So why exactly again did Thierry Coup and Co. at Universal Creative feel the need to darken and hide their nice work with 3D?
On the subject of Halloween in China, here is an amazing story: the ex entertainment director at Ocean Park created Halloween there in 2001. The syllables existed in Mandarin or Cantonese... But had no signification. He gave them a signification, created the concept and now, Ocean Park second best month attendance wise is October. I wrote articles about the park and got plenty of stories like that.
Beside Hong Kong, its starting to spread to Guangzhou and the area around. Chimelong Paradise tried last year an Halloween event and it was not bad to be honest. Funniest reaction: my local friend working her courage throughout the day and at the end asking to do a Maze... She kept hiding behind me and guess what? At the end, she did another maze!
jt04
Well-Known Member
You forgot Iger/Lasseter. And now I'd add Kathleen Kennedy.
PS- Iger has a book deal where he can explain how he rescued TWDC from the post Wells years. Can't wait for that.