A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

I haven't seen anyone say "Bob Iger had that story pulled and I'm okay with it." The closest thing I've seen is more along the lines of "do we really know that Bob Iger had that story pulled?" It's a question of fact versus question of principle.

I can appreciate that. I know he did. And I think most people looking at it, even without the facts I have, would likely consider it a strong probability.

But take him out of it. Take Willow too (along with her dress!)

Let's just say the HuffPo decided after getting complaints about content IT approved and put up, that they decided to censor it on their own.

Is that OK?

Censorship is wrong no matter who is doing it and what their alleged rationale is.

 

[Frankie The Beer]

Maybe someone has some dirt here on this subject.

In some premium stock news Dreamworks Animation is now a complete sell. One site, a trusted one has it graded as an F value. That's F just like report cards. Pundits are going so far as to say Dreamworks Animation is done. This is pretty sad news because Dreamworks Animation had at one time some of the biggest animated films around, and rivaled Pixar for a bit.

Anyone have any insight into what Katzenburg did wrong beyond speculation?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Let's just say the HuffPo decided after getting complaints about content IT approved and put up, that they decided to censor it on their own.

Is that OK?

Censorship is wrong no matter who is doing it and what their alleged rationale is.

I think this oversimplifies what the entity "HuffPo" actually is. It's not a rational being capable of decision making on its own, but a group of individuals tasked with doing the same. Some individuals decided to post that content and some other individuals with more power decided to take it down. It would be a mischaracterization to frame it as "HuffPo approved the content and then HuffPo took it down." It would be unreasonable to expect those "powerful people" to vet every piece of editorial work that gets published on their website.

Believe me, I'm a big libertarian and believe in free press as much as the next guy, but I don't consider it censorship for an entity to pull its own content.

 

[Nmoody1]

This park SHOULD get built. I've been to a couple of the meetings (as an observer only, a family member is a solicitor involved in some of the property issues).

The planning permission(s) are proceeding apace (that's a S-L-O-W process here) and there is general goodwill. The enormous success of the Harry Potter studio tour here in London and the still BONKERS queues at King's Cross Station (to be photographed with the Platform 9 3/4 wall) have people seeing £££.

Kent is the EXACT right location, too. Not to assume that Americans don't know much about European geography/labour practises, BUT.....this plot of land is less than two hours into England if you cross via the Channel Tunnel, not to mention VERY convenient for the 12 or so million of us who live in Greater London. And seeing that we patronise (in great and frankly baffling numbers) the truly inferior Merlin theme parks (LEGOLAND Windsor and Chessington World of Adventures, to name two)...the Paramount park SHOULD be a licence to print £££.

The land itself is Brownfields...after the rehabilitation of much of the East End for the Olympics, there is a real appetite for gentrifying more and more of Greater London/the Home Counties.

Also, unlike France...people in England are used to working longer hours and by doing so achieving greater productivity. It ain't Japan - but compared to Paris, it is. I live five or so months of every year in France, dealing with the French legal system ...so this is more than just jingoism/casual racism.

And I said this earlier in the thread (but I think it's worth repeating ) - if the STAR TREK section of this park is done at Diagon Alley level...the German guests alone will keep the park in business. Serious Easter Eggs! Can't wait to take my kid! Fingers crossed for decent transport links from King's Cross..

decent links are already in place. its a 2 monute bus ride from Ebbsfleet International which is a 2.05 hr train ride from paris and a 17 minute train ride from st pancras.

crossrail finishes about 7 miles away in abbey wood, i'd bet money on it being extended if plans for the park are approved.

motorway links are already established with the m25 (a horrible motorway) and the a2 also nearby... although links off of these would need to be built - and are included in plans if you want to do a little digging.

other rail links include the commuter line from charring cross with stations at northfleet and swanscombe - both of which would need updating. these are approximately an hour from charring cross or 50 mins from london bridge.

the site was also listed a while ago as one of 3 possible extra thames crossings, although that probably wont happen here now.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Maybe someone has some dirt here on this subject.

In some premium stock news Dreamworks Animation is now a complete sell. One site, a trusted one has it graded as an F value. That's F just like report cards. Pundits are going so far as to say Dreamworks Animation is done. This is pretty sad news because Dreamworks Animation had at one time some of the biggest animated films around, and rivaled Pixar for a bit.

Anyone have any insight into what Katzenburg did wrong beyond speculation?

A bit of a laundry list.

1. Splitting off from DreamWorks Live Action, which was sold to Paramount in the mid-00's. A smaller, less diversified company has greater trouble making it through rough waters, like today.
2. A culture of mini-Katzenbergs pushing for more "edge" while not allowing filmmakers to develop films on their own terms. Not every film needs to be or should be Shrek.
3. Many of those same individuals having minimal backgrounds in animation/film being put in charge of features
4. Substanceless vanity projects for A-Listers; see "The Bee Movie" and "Home".
5. Over exploitation of franchises. See Shrek and Madagascar.
6. Building a studio in India with the idea that the films will be cheaper to produce, only to have subpar product that needs to be redone by Glendale and/or Redwood Shores (RIP PDI)
7. Releasing too many films per year, often 3 per year in the recent past, while not pushing for more diversity in the film slate or focusing on quality. (Side Note: Jorge Guitierez's "Book Of Life" , which was orginally set up at DWA by producer Guillermo Del Toro, was dumped for being too unique.)
8. Not diversifying the company fast enough to please Wall St.

Did I mention "Home" is expected to be another large write down?

I have said a lot of mean, true things in that list. However, that does not mean I don't want to them to make good films and succeed, I do. For better or worse, DWA is very much a Jeffrey Katzenberg operation (which is more than you could say for Iger and Co. btw). The company has Jeffrey's best traits, it takes very good care of its employees through generous benefits and have a good eye for talent. However, it also has his worst traits, not thinking ideas through, again see "Bee Movie" or "Home", being too edgy or indulgent and not letting all that great talent make the movies they want to make and help them make it great.

I really want DreamWorks to succeed and give Disney and Pixar good competition for the long haul, but we may be past the point of no return for DWA.

 

[BrerJon]

I don't give Disney credit for doing what they conditioned me to expect ... just the basics. Upkeep. How do you give them credit for what they did regularly when admission was $15 a day or $35 a day

Yup, this. All those who see a few scrims or fresh paint and see that as Disney doing a bang-up job on maintenance don't seem to realise that in the old days, peeled paint was repainted, broken things were fixed, and bulbs were changed on a daily basis so that every day you went Main Street had 'never looked so good', instead of being left to rot.

Those who only know the WDW of recent years have got used to a certain level of decay, but in the past you never saw that. In the years when Disney was opening new water parks, resorts, and E-tickets every year, the parks also sparkled and were kept in tip-top shape. This idea that Disney should only do one thing at a time is a very recent one.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Yup, this. All those who see a few scrims or fresh paint and see that as Disney doing a bang-up job on maintenance don't seem to realise that in the old days, peeled paint was repainted, broken things were fixed, and bulbs were changed on a daily basis so that every day you went Main Street had 'never looked so good', instead of being left to rot.

Those who only know the WDW of recent years have got used to a certain level of decay, but in the past you never saw that. In the years when Disney was opening new water parks, resorts, and E-tickets every year, the parks also sparkled and were kept in tip-top shape. This idea that Disney should only do one thing at a time is a very recent one.

Do you have photos of the rotting MS USA? I need to make sure it's safe to take my family this summer.

 

[BrerJon]

Do you have photos of the rotting MS USA? I need to make sure it's safe to take my family this summer.

Main Street's had a decent refurb so now looks in fine form, but if you want to see evidence of neglected maintenance just ride Pirates before it goes down.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Main Street's had a decent refurb so now looks in fine form, but if you want to see evidence of neglected maintenance just ride Pirates before it goes down.

So Mainstreet USA has not been left to rot?

 

[PhotoDave219]

So Mainstreet USA has not been left to rot?

It looked fine the last time I was there… they've done some major refurbished all the façades over the past three or four years…

 

[BrerJon]

So Mainstreet USA has not been left to rot?

I'm talking about a few years ago - if you'd visited in 2008 or 2009 it looked nowhere near as fresh as it does now.

 

[ABQ]

That could be interesting, Except I think intellectually Honey Boo Boo would tower over Kim Kardashian... Sort of like the classic Adm Grace Hopper vs Dave Letterman (dave lost BIG TIME Adm Hopper had him speechless)

She deserves a holiday named for her. A genius and a legend, truly. Inventor of the term used oft in NextGen at Disney for sure. "Bug"

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yup, this. All those who see a few scrims or fresh paint and see that as Disney doing a bang-up job on maintenance don't seem to realise that in the old days, peeled paint was repainted, broken things were fixed, and bulbs were changed on a daily basis so that every day you went Main Street had 'never looked so good', instead of being left to rot.

Those who only know the WDW of recent years have got used to a certain level of decay, but in the past you never saw that. In the years when Disney was opening new water parks, resorts, and E-tickets every year, the parks also sparkled and were kept in tip-top shape. This idea that Disney should only do one thing at a time is a very recent one.

Might I just point out that in the past, they weren't old enough to be in decay. Age and exposure are what causes that and with the degree of maintenance that was done, it prevented it from happening earlier then now. Now it needs to be redone because natural elements have taken their toll. It's a simple thing to grasp really. When all of you get a little older you will understand that no matter what you have done, aging will take over and things that were always quite workable are now out for the count. Life happens either with people or inanimate objects, nothing is spared.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I'm talking about a few years ago - if you'd visited in 2008 or 2009 it looked nowhere near as fresh as it does now.

Hmm. Didn't notice it then. But I guess I didnt bring my magnifying glass with me back then.

Edit- I also didn't notice the floors or walls inside the stores on Main Street decaying around me either. I just flat out don't recall this wide spread decay. Are you sure you are not confusing MSUSA with some place like suburban Detroit?

 

[Hakunamatata]

It looked fine the last time I was there… they've done some major refurbished all the façades over the past three or four years…

I could understand some paint roughed up or slightly faded awnings. I was just concerned that it had been neglected to the point that AMC might be considering filming an episode or two of The Walking Dead there.

 

[NearTheEars]

Hmm. Didn't notice it then. But I guess I didnt bring my magnifying glass with me back then.

Edit- I also didn't notice the floors or walls inside the stores on Main Street decaying around me either. I just flat out don't recall this wide spread decay. Are you sure you are not confusing MSUSA with some place like suburban Detroit?

C'mon harping on someone like this is why some folks completely disregard people who come in and say positive things about WDW. You made your point with your first reply.

I'm mostly glass half full about the parks and it's already hard enough to be accepted for that around here.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I could understand some paint roughed up or slightly faded awnings. I was just concerned that it had been neglected to the point that AMC might be considering filming an episode or two of The Walking Dead there.

Main Street looks great for the most part. I sincerely doubt it wouldnt have wasted away in the 5 weeks I've been gone.

Its better than it was in 08 or 09. Things have been fixed and it looks great overall. Probably looks like the best part of the park.

 

[Hakunamatata]

C'mon harping on someone like this is why some folks completely disregard people who come in and say positive things about WDW. You made your point with your first reply.

I'm mostly glass half full about the parks and it's already hard enough to be accepted for that around here.

I can understand your point. I just find it hard to stomach the adolescent drama that tends to get attached with the pointing out of issues with the parks.

 

[TalkingHead]

Lest you wonder why WDW management doesn't need to build E-tickets, check the last ten pages of the Hat thread.

Taking the Hat down is seen as a "victory," like it's TDO turning the corner and restoring the park to its glory days.

Of course, the same things were said when the Wand came down, and you see how much Epcot's improved since then.

I know I'm in the minority, but I would have traded another 10 years of the Hat for new attractions and massive park expansions. Then again, those spotlights on the Chinese Theater are pretty impressive...

 

[Mike S]

Lest you wonder why WDW management doesn't need to build E-tickets, check the last ten pages of the Hat thread.

Taking the Hat down is seen as a "victory," like it's TDO turning the corner and restoring the park to its glory days.

Of course, the same things were said when the Wand came down, and you see how much Epcot's improved since then.

I know I'm in the minority, but I would have traded another 10 years of the Hat for new attractions and massive park expansions. Then again, those spotlights on the Chinese Theater are pretty impressive...

We can't be happy about the hat finally being fully gone and the old view being restored? To me it's still a very good thing however small it is in the big picture of the current condition of the parks.