A Spirited Perfect Ten

[ford91exploder]

Change of Topics.... from the FAILING TO PAY ATTENTION Department..... The Epcot Starbucks Mugs were pulled. Why? Because they depict monorail purple.

And as we all know, monorail purple was the one involved in a fatal accident.

So clearly someone in management wasnt paying attention here. Maybe they were off at Perkins while it was approved?

http://mynews13.com/content/news/cf...icles/cfn/2015/1/28/disney_starbucks_mug.html

So it was involved in a fatal accident, how many of the public besides the college student's family and the denizens of this board even KNOW that.

Purple is a really POPULAR color these days, Just more corporate 'How it looks' BRAVO-SIERRA

 

[asianway]

So it was involved in a fatal accident, how many of the public besides the college student's family and the denizens of this board even KNOW that.

Purple is a really POPULAR color these days, Just more corporate 'How it looks' BRAVO-SIERRA

Exactly, they had the tarps over the charred wreckage by sunup that day and covered up the recent accident with Lime. By retiring the color you only seek to call attention to it. It wasn't a piece of bloody carpet history pin it was a mug

 

[ford91exploder]

Exactly, they had the tarps over the charred wreckage by sunup that day and covered up the recent accident with Lime. By retiring the color you only seek to call attention to it. It wasn't a piece of bloody carpet history pin it was a mug

I expect that WDW will experience the 'Streisand Effect' over this one, Just should have left it alone.

 

[ford91exploder]

I guess I should have stated that it didn't happen the way the movie suggested. Where one hun took the wall as a invitation to raid the country up until trying to assassinate the emperor only for him to be stopped by mulan upon a rooftop lol.

Well to be fair back then imperial succession was on the Necromonger model - you keep what you kill, So the emperor being in the in the crosshairs of every invader was par for the course. Mulan was FANTASY, The wall and the huns attacking the chinese empire are historical reality.

 

[dstrawn9889]

good on em, they want to remove all images depicting a horrible accident. too bad the moratorium on the monorail purple was not communicated to Starbucks... i liken it to removing pictures of 'that' girlfriend(you know the one, the batshait crazy one)when you break up with them. no one, especially CMs, want to be reminded of that day.

 

[asianway]

good on em, they want to remove all images depicting a horrible accident. too bad the moratorium on the monorail purple was not communicated to Starbucks... i liken it to removing pictures of 'that' girlfriend(you know the one, the batshait crazy one)when you break up with them. no one, especially CMs, want to be reminded of that day.

Hmmm memorial garden at the ttc and maybe a scholarship fund or promotions for leadership to CFO and making everyone feel better?

Tough call

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I expect that WDW will experience the 'Streisand Effect' over this one, Just should have left it alone.

That cracks me up!
So well put!

 

[Magenta Panther]

It could be that Disney has a 34 year head start in developing a reputation as a family vacation destination combined with a clean quality product. I believe that most people would rather have a high quality Star Wars attraction in their Disney park than something like Little Mermaid even though Mermaid is Disney and Star Wars is not.

And I think that a family going to a Disney park would rather see Disney things, especially their old Disney favorites. That's why they go to A DISNEY PARK. Now, I've experienced Star Tours, and I think it's fun, especially after its recent refurb. But you know what? I've been on Toy Story Midway Mania exactly once, and that's because there's always an hour or more wait to ride the thing. Star Tours, however, has always been a walk-on. There have also always been big crowds for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid (the last time I saw it was 2 years ago, and the queue was packed like sardines). I'd be careful speculating, if I were you...

 

[Magenta Panther]

If the most popular meant the best quality than movies like Avatar and Transformers would win best picture Oscars. Generations of people have been going to Disney theme parks and many more will continue to due to force of habit. Disney has a history that Universal parks do not. You still see a portion of the Disney fan base that refuses to even try Universal after all they have done in recent years. That mindset is tough to crack.

WDW built a wonderful foundation and they are currently riding its coattails. If Disney started building theme parks in Florida in the late 80’s or early 90’s when Universal did look at what Disney would have. DHS and AK. Do you think those parks would outdraw USO and IOA? The blueprint for MK’s success was Disneyland, which was designed in the 1950’s. There is no way the current company would build anything like EPCOT. Looking at the creative and box office successes post EPCOT you have to look at TOT, Soarin, and Midway Mania. As nice as they maybe, you can’t convince me they are more impressive than what Universal has done in that same time period.

The so called Disney difference is dead. The service I receive at the competition is roughly the same now. The newer attractions aren’t any more special than what the competition is doing. The only difference is the innovation and brilliance of early Disney still shines through.

I agree with some of your thoughts, but really, especially in that last line, you only echoed what I said. The public is still in love with that old Disney magic, and that magic is so powerful that, old as it is, it continues to pull in generation after generation. That's something the Universal parks, as wonderful as they are, will never have. I've raved about Universal on these boards - I'm very impressed with the park - but there's little there that connects with a person's inner child the way Disney does.

I'm not defending the current Disney administration - in fact, I pretty much despise it - and I agree that that administration leans heavily on public affection for Disney and believes that pixie dust blinds guests to the cost-cutting and cynical cheapness it tries to get away with. But what Walt built was built to last, and it has lasted, and as yet, Universal doesn't have anything - including Potter - that can really compete with it IMO.

I'm just hoping the successor to Iger will have at least some understanding and affection for what made Disney, Disney. I have no idea who that might be, however.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Bob Iger's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad press coverage continues courtesy of ... Alan Horn.

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/a...economics-work-for-smaller-movies-1201416535/
Alan Horn: Hollywood Has to Make the Economics Work for Smaller Movies
This column is part of Variety’s Broken Hollywood feature. For more execs and their opinions on the state of Hollywood, click here.

SEE MORE: From the January 28, 2015 issue of Variety

I’ve long been a believer in the power of tentpoles to drive our business, but there’s a special place in my heart for smart, emotional films on a smaller scale. I think that’s true for all of us who love movies. Great stories come in all sizes, but the economics of the business have made it increasingly difficult for smaller movies to be profitable and, in turn, to get made. Audiences have so many things competing for their time and attention that just having a good movie with big stars from a reputable studio isn’t enough anymore; it’s extremely difficult to break through the noise.

As an industry, we really have to look at how we can reduce the cost of making non-tentpole movies, and it requires action from everybody who believes these pictures deserve to see the light of day, from the studio level to the producers, directors, writers and actors. We have to be innovative about marketing; these movies can’t sustain the same media campaign that they might have had 10 to 15 years ago. We need to build the conversation organically, and we need to find release dates that allow for space to grow with word of mouth.

Some distributors have had success experimenting with alternative distribution models, but as a matter of practice for the industry as a whole, forgoing the all-important theatrical window is not a viable solution. There are stories that deserve to be told, and ultimately it’s on us to be smarter about how we make and market them. When we get it right, the audience is there.

Note: Studios can spend anywhere from $30-60 million to market a film domestically

 

[WDWGuide]

While I'm a huge DCL fan, their failure to attract guests who fear it will be "too Disney" has to be their biggest hurdle.

First post in many years....

I abstained from most things Disney, aside from two "free" one day WDW park visits facilitated by cast member friends, for many years (since around the time Everest opened) because I was still frustrated with the aftermath of the Pressler and late Eisner years characterized by near-zero investment and absolutely shoddy maintenance.

I did take my wife on a surprise 3-day DCL cruise, and was impressed by the fact that it was NOT overly Disneyfied, and we really enjoyed the hell out of that trip. We have since gotten new annual passes and have been impressed with the theming of the new areas (like New Fantasyland), although the new attractions are a bit lackluster (Mermaid comes to mind). Overall, I must say that the appearance of the parks is MUCH nicer than it was during the Pressler years, and all the new construction is something we would have never seen back then, when Dino-Rama was about the best thing they had to offer and Everest was a once-every-10-years treat.

 

[ParentsOf4]

And yet Walt Disney World still eats Universal's lunch when it comes to park attendance. Why is that, I wonder? Well, it's obvious, actually - it's the Disney difference. Magic, enchantment, pixie dust, Walt, whatever...it's what helps keep Disney distinct and apart and above other parks like Universal, Busch Gardens, etc, which are quite nice places with some great attractions - but they're not Disney, and people know it and visit and spend accordingly. Because I beg to differ - most families DO know and DO care. Injecting more Disney into DCA is what saved it; even Iger acknowledges that.

It's not the "Disney Difference" that's keeping WDW's attendance up. It's reliance on BRAND loyalty. It's nostalgia for a WDW that no longer exists.

Please keep in mind that despite hitting a rough patch, McDonald's still sells the most hamburgers in the world.

For decades, General Motors sold the most cars in the world.

Numbers do not make McDonald's the best hamburger or GM the best car.

McDonald's and GM were the leaders in their industries, the stars.

Both relied too much on BRAND (as The Spirit likes to call it) instead of taking care of the products that they sold.

For decades, consumers ran to McDonald's and GM because it was what they were most comfortable with. Both companies counted on brand loyalty. Both companies took the customer for granted.

Both focused on making their executives rich rather than making their customers happy.

Both lost their way.

At one point, both were kings of the world and no one could have imagined it going anywhere other than up.

There's a lesson to be learned, if only Disney executives were paying attention.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

@ParentsOf4 How will present exchange rates effect WDW's business?

 

[ford91exploder]

It's not the "Disney Difference" that's keeping WDW's attendance up. It's reliance on BRAND loyalty. It's nostalgia for a WDW that no longer exists.

Please keep in mind that despite hitting a rough patch, McDonald's still sells the most hamburgers in the world.

For decades, General Motors sold the most cars in the world.

Numbers do not make McDonald's the best hamburger or GM the best car.

McDonald's and GM were the leaders in their industries, the stars.

Both relied too much on BRAND (as The Spirit likes to call it) instead of taking care of the products that they sold.

For decades, consumers ran to McDonald's and GM them because it was what they were most comfortable with. Both companies counted on brand loyalty. Both companies took the customer for granted.

Both focused on making their executives rich rather than making their customers happy.

Both lost their way.

At one point, both were kings of the world and no one could have imagined it going anywhere other than up.

There's a lesson to be learned, if only Disney executives were paying attention.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^

We've seen this hubris over and over again Kodak, GM and McDonalds are only the most recent examples, The executives looting the treasury are symptomatic,

Home Depot ALMOST went out because of this - Bob Nardelli's 220 million paycheck - in the year when HD Lost as I recall $300 million, Minus Bob's paycheck HD would shaved the loss by 2/3.

Once again - Companies performance seems to be inversely related to the size of the CEO's paycheck, Apple's Tim Cook gets 9.2 Million and they had a 18 Billion QUARTERLY PROFIT.

 

[Goofyernmost]

^^^^ THIS ^^^^

We've seen this hubris over and over again Kodak, GM and McDonalds are only the most recent examples, The executives looting the treasury are symptomatic,

Home Depot ALMOST went out because of this - Bob Nardelli's 220 million paycheck - in the year when HD Lost as I recall $300 million, Minus Bob's paycheck HD would shaved the loss by 2/3.

Once again - Companies performance seems to be inversely related to the size of the CEO's paycheck, Apple's Tim Cook gets 9.2 Million and they had a 18 Billion QUARTERLY PROFIT.

Seems like one could live pretty well on 9.2 million as long as they watch their pennies and drive a compact car that gets high mileage.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

It's not the "Disney Difference" that's keeping WDW's attendance up. It's reliance on BRAND loyalty. It's nostalgia for a WDW that no longer exists.

Please keep in mind that despite hitting a rough patch, McDonald's still sells the most hamburgers in the world.

For decades, General Motors sold the most cars in the world.

Numbers do not make McDonald's the best hamburger or GM the best car.

McDonald's and GM were the leaders in their industries, the stars.

Both relied too much on BRAND (as The Spirit likes to call it) instead of taking care of the products that they sold.

For decades, consumers ran to McDonald's and GM them because it was what they were most comfortable with. Both companies counted on brand loyalty. Both companies took the customer for granted.

Both focused on making their executives rich rather than making their customers happy.

Both lost their way.

At one point, both were kings of the world and no one could have imagined it going anywhere other than up.

There's a lesson to be learned, if only Disney executives were paying attention.

GM suffered from dilution of brand.

Let's take it's popular 7 seater SUV line based on it's Lambda platform. When first introduced, it was a God Send for certain nameplates. It was the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and then Saturn Outlook. It gave them something that wasn't shared with Caddy, Chevy or Pontiac. Olds had bit the dust already. It sold so well and at a more profitable price point at these nameplates Chevyy dealers whined to high heaven they didn't have a version, at least that's what I've heard. Saturn got axed, which was a good thing. But, Cheve got the Traverse based on this platform and boom, wham, there's the 27,000 dollar version in the car ads that undercut premium prices the other nameplates were getting. They seem to make the same mistake over and over. Sometimes, each arm can't have it's own version.

The one thing I wanted to see out the auto bailouts was to have seen Jeep torn from it's dead weight breather and Hummer salvaged from GM and merged together. Jeep being the everyman's line and Hummer being the high end but sharing the same bones. This could have made for some great dealership ops with an added in a line of like branded offroad products of ATVs and UTVs and accessories.

That had nothing to do with Disney.

Anywho, This is interesting
http://datatools.urban.org/features/mapping-americas-futures/#map

Shows the growth hotspots, Look at the Houston, San Antonio, Austin areas. Back to that Marvel Park
Outside of a Six Flags a Sea World and some small scale stuff, not much there. Way Underserved.

My home park is Silver Dollar City, as it's the close one being just under two hours away. It's poised to take advantage of the growth here in Northwest Arkansas and KC. Dollywood, perfectly wedged between Charlotte and Atlanta seems a huge winner as well. Disney should explore not full scale parks in these regions but mini resorts with Toystory Land like rides and water parks largely indoors within a resort with added features like stage shows and such. Nothing to compete with the large parks, but a taste to make one hungry for trips to the big dogs. Think Nick in Mall of America with Great Wolf Lodge water stuff only Disneyfied under one roof. Just a Thought.

Disney will suffer in the long run with so many properties. In twenty years, they'll get spun off either out of greed or necessity. I liken it to Sony. Look at it's electronics biz since it went into the media content biz.

On McDonald's, here's a reason

 

[StageFrenzy]

So it was involved in a fatal accident, how many of the public besides the college student's family and the denizens of this board even KNOW that.

Purple is a really POPULAR color these days, Just more corporate 'How it looks' BRAVO-SIERRA

Exactly, they had the tarps over the charred wreckage by sunup that day and covered up the recent accident with Lime. By retiring the color you only seek to call attention to it. It wasn't a piece of bloody carpet history pin it was a mug

Purple is kind of Epcot's color as well..

 

[ford91exploder]

Purple is kind of Epcot's color as well..

That's also true i had not thought of that

 

[PhotoDave219]

It's not the "Disney Difference" that's keeping WDW's attendance up. It's reliance on BRAND loyalty. It's nostalgia for a WDW that no longer exists.

Please keep in mind that despite hitting a rough patch, McDonald's still sells the most hamburgers in the world.

For decades, General Motors sold the most cars in the world.

Numbers do not make McDonald's the best hamburger or GM the best car.

McDonald's and GM were the leaders in their industries, the stars.

Both relied too much on BRAND (as The Spirit likes to call it) instead of taking care of the products that they sold.

For decades, consumers ran to McDonald's and GM because it was what they were most comfortable with. Both companies counted on brand loyalty. Both companies took the customer for granted.

Both focused on making their executives rich rather than making their customers happy.

Both lost their way.

At one point, both were kings of the world and no one could have imagined it going anywhere other than up.

There's a lesson to be learned, if only Disney executives were paying attention.

They will not pay attention until the margins fall apart…

 

[PhotoDave219]

Purple is kind of Epcot's color as well..

I'm not debating that. In fact I would agree with that.

That being said… If I was having a monorail on any consumer product before it goes to press, I would make sure it was neither purple nor pink.