A Spirited Perfect Ten

flynnibus

Premium Member
The nastiness amongst the personalities isn't unknown by anyone reading this thread. There have been lots of empty hypotheticals over the years regarding one of these personalities doing something awful.

For every one poster.. there are probably 50 readers who don't post, nor have they followed along all the time. If someone were harping on the same thing over and over.. you'd have a point.. instead its a parade of participants and repeated examples. Its not as much beating a dead horse, as much as it is shouting and few will listen.
 

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
Six minutes into the Snow White documentary on ABC is infinitely better and more accurate than the PBS doc.

Bonus points for having Snow White authority JB Kaufman as the lead talking head! No Neal Gabler!

Gabler is indeed a tool, but otherwise I thought the PBS film was fine? Not sure why it ruffled everyone's feathers, it was sympathetic, didn't really try to stir any unwarranted resentment (and I can't argue against audio of Walt reporting commies in front of a congressional committee). It was even a bit sentimental. Susan Douglas was barely in it!
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Gabler is indeed a tool, but otherwise I thought the PBS film was fine? Not sure why it ruffled everyone's feathers, it was sympathetic, didn't really try to stir any unwarranted resentment (and I can't argue against audio of Walt reporting commies in front of a congressional committee). It was even a bit sentimental. Susan Douglas was barely in it!
Neal Gabler was the lead historical advisor on the project and the final product feels like a documentary version of his biography. It's not a rabid attack of Walt in the way Schinkel's bio is, but do you think Walt Disney is a "dark soul"?
 

CinematicFusion

Well-Known Member
Got back from Disney World with my family. Few things.
1. Magic band is awesome and worked perfectly. I loved it. My tour guide was one of the ones who brought it to life and said it was miserable getting the system up and running. She said people hated it then....now people love it.
2. Epcot future world seems like a trip back in time to the future of 1982. Land feels dated and so does a few of the rides. Looking at you universe of adventure, imagination. I could go on.
3. World showcase is still a lot of fun but ratatouille will be going there in the next 5 years,like it or not. No way Frozen can handle the demand. Fantasy has arrived in world showcase and it will only grow. Is what it is. Seal was broken with Frozen.
4. Animal kingdom is a beautiful park and it looks like Avatar will take this park over the top.
Night time will be amazing. New nighttime show, avatar world glowing, new boat ride, new flying dragon ride.
Riding expedition Everest at night. The night time safari ride. That park is going to be fun after sunset.
5. Man is DHS crowded. Why so many people at that park? Cool meeting Vader and chewie. New force awakens star tours is fun. 4 days till new Star Wars!!!!!
6. universal was dead last Wednesday. Never seen a major park so quiet. Loved it. Most rides had 5 minute wait times. Both potter e tickets 15-20 minutes. Transformers increased volume as the day moved on. 50 minute wait times. Spider-Man only 5 minutes. Walked right on.
7. New fantasyland is beautiful. Tales with bell was very fun with my 4 year olds. Magic mirror...amazing tech. Loved mine train, perfect ride for my girls who are just over 38 inches. Back car has some kick to it. Rode it twice, wouldn't wait 50 minutes for it. 30 minutes max.
8. What is up with the new boats in pirates getting you soaked on row one. Not cool!
9. Already getting busy at Wilderness lodge villas, lot of work going on there.
All in all, great time at Disney. Moved way to fast.
 

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
Neal Gabler was the lead historical advisor on the project and the final product feels like a documentary version of his biography. It's not a rabid attack of Walt in the way Schinkel's bio is, but do you think Walt Disney is a "dark soul"?

It takes a pretty twisted mind to come up with Bambi.

In all seriousness....those five or some odd years playing with trains would probably suggest otherwise.
 

Smiddimizer

Well-Known Member
3. World showcase is still a lot of fun but ratatouille will be going there in the next 5 years,like it or not. No way Frozen can handle the demand. Fantasy has arrived in world showcase and it will only grow. Is what it is. Seal was broken with Frozen.
.

Unless Frozen falls flat on its face, then the seal may spring back to life with a mighty roar
 

zooey

Well-Known Member
It takes a pretty twisted mind to come up with Bambi.

In all seriousness....those five or some odd years playing with trains would probably suggest otherwise.
Bambi is an adaptation of a book.
Model railroading was a pretty common hobby back then which is why there were others in the studio already doing it, including Ward Kimball who had his own full size private railroad.
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
I spent a fair bit of time going over our discussion of Jim, his past crimes, and his connections to present day Disney and Universal. With a bit of perspective behind it, I think I have a better grip on what Jim and his highest profile defenders were saying. The goal of Jim's post here was to place his crimes in a personal context so that any further discussion of the very valid issues, including whether or not he withheld this information from his employers and Celebration Place/D23, as attacks on the character of a private person. But, Jim is not a private individual to be afforded privacy here, he is and has been a public figure for 25-30 years who actively promotes himself as a Walt Disney Company and entertainment industry expert having written for prominent Disney-centric online publications like Mouse Planet and Laughing Place as well as his current position as an credentialed journalist at the Huffington Post.

Len and Jim's ex, Fabby, have clear financial interests, revenue generated by the podcast and the unofficial guide's reputation and a chunk of Jim Hill Media respectively, to see this story go away. Those posts both advance the narrative established by Jim that any scrutiny of his past crimes are an attack on him as a person. Len specifically greets questions over whether he had known about Jim's past prior to last week with a non answer even suggesting he can speak on behalf of Disney on this matter.

But enough about that, the core of the issue remains; The Walt Disney Company's relationship with social media personalities. For at least the past five years, Jim has chosen to cover Disney by closely hewing to the PR message of the day, no matter the subject. Jim's writing on Universal can be characterized much the same way as well. In exchange, Jim receives generous perks from both Disney and Universal. While most top shelf media organizations receive these freebies/comps as well, writer for these organizations have to explicitly say they received them and many legitimate media organizations refuse them or reimburse these gifts/comps. It is as if Jim's con has changed, only it's a quid pro quo and legal.

However, Jim isn't the only individual who does this with Disney or Universal. Lou Mongello can go on and on about the wonderful time he had at Aulani and how all of his listeners must go and experience it like he did. Whilst he bloviates, he fails to mention that his vacation to Aulani, including airfare, room, and meals, cost $6000-7000 for which he was comped by Disney. And no, having a disclosure statement hidden on your website barely meeting legal compliance is simply not good enough.

The cornerstone of Disney's social media strategy relies upon BRAND advocates to evangelize the company and its various products, be it movies, tv shows, toys and of course theme parks. Lou, Ricky and Jim are at the top of the Disney/Universal BRAND Advocate food chain, they effectively operate with a seal of approval from these companies. Thanks to the access and approval they have received, Jim, Ricky and Lou have been able to cross over to gigs in media as journalists or paid experts; Jim writes for Huffington Post, Ricky at Fox News, and Lou for the local Fox TV affiliate in Central Florida.

This is the central problem with Jim's past and current behavior, he operates as if the ethics of his position do not apply to him. Jim may consider himself a changed man from the man of twenty years ago, but just because his behavior is not illegal does not make it ethical. For a company like Disney with a reputation for protecting its image, the decision to have people like Jim, Ricky and Lou blur the line between compensated BRAND Advocate and Journalist reeks of unethical and dishonest behavior towards their media employers and readers/listeners.
 
Last edited:

lentesta

Premium Member
Len and Jim's ex, Fabby, have clear financial interests, revenue generated by the podcast and the unofficial guide's reputation and a chunk of Jim Hill Media respectively, to see this story go away. Those posts both advance the narrative established by Jim that any scrutiny of his past crimes are an attack on his a person. Len specifically greets questions over whether he had know about Jim's past prior to last week with a non answer even suggesting he can speak on behalf of Disney on this matter.

Please, dear God, let me have a "clear financial interest" in Jim Hill. I would sell shares.

Even for this conspiracy theory you're writing, you don't know what you're talking about.
 
Last edited:

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom