A Spirited Perfect Ten

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
I was watching America's Funniest Home Videos last night and got a giggle out of a Tom Bergeron crack on Frozen...

It was during a segment where they stop the footage on two videos right before something ridiculous happens and the audience members must decide which one actually breaks.

TB: Okay, I'm going to freeze this right here *pause* because here at any Disney related company, Frozen is very important to us.

Hope this gives your morning a giggle too!

Ouch!, Screamingly funny but somehow I don't think his bosses appreciated it.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
My question (and I've asked it before) is what happens when fatigue sets in? These films are cyclical and VERY pricey to create.

Are people going to want to see Thor 7: *(^&, I dropped the hammer on my foot!!! or Jar Jar Binks Goes to College on Endor or Cars 15: Lightning Goes to Hollywood and Gets Rearended or The Amazing, Awesome and Incredible Spiderman 26: We're rebooting and doing an origin story again?

I just don't see it.

And what else will Disney have? Nothing. Because Iger has made the Studio into a nothing but tentpole deal.

I have no doubt Disney will be doing great with that for the next 2-4 years ... beyond, it gets as hazy as a typical day in Shanghai.
That's the beauty of the Marvel universe. You can go for years and years without ever needing a Thor 7 (I get that you're using hyperbole, but still). Iron Man would have been the most obvious choice for a "Part 4" film, but Marvel doesn't seem to be expressing any appetite to go beyond a trilogy with any individual hero, and I think that's brilliant. The fact that their current slate goes out through 2019 without an Iron Man 4, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, or a number 2 from any of Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, or the Inhumans shows that they're committed to variety. If those films all become trilogies, that's another 18 films without even introducing a new hero and excluding any Avengers titles post Infinity War, enough to carry through 2025 at least.

Another thing to consider is that each franchise within the Marvel Universe feels like its own "thing." Winter Soldier didn't feel like Marvel Cinematic Universe, Part 9. It felt like Cap 2. Guardians didn't feel like Marvel Cinematic Universe, Part 10, it felt like something completely different.

ETA: Contrast this to DC/WB, who have committed their entire universe to the grimdark feel of Batman, he being the only hero they know how to produce and market.

Besides, people have been watching Bond films for 50 years and those films are all the same genre.
 
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lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
It's simple to the CCP the 'Disney' Brand is symbolic of the US, The Chinese DO NOT LIKE the US, They like our money and tech, Viacom is simply selling content not a BRAND or IDEAS.
If China didn't want Disney they wouldn't have stuck around for so long to get a Disneyland of their own. They easily could have built their own version of Tokyo Disneyland with copies of all the best parts from around the world, but they wanted Disney to actually be involved.
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
If China didn't want Disney they wouldn't have stuck around for so long to get a Disneyland of their own. They easily could have built their own version of Tokyo Disneyland with copies of all the best parts from around the world, but they wanted Disney to actually be involved.

I think you should check out the South China Post article @flyerjab so kindly found,

1) SHANGHAI: The towers of Disney’s planned Magic Kingdom in Shanghai are wreathed in scaffolding and mystery after the US entertainment giant pushed back the opening of its first mainland China theme park to 2016. On a tightly guarded, 3.9-square-kilometre site east of China’s commercial hub, a grey turret of the unfinished “Enchanted Storybook Castle” rises into the sky. There is no Disney branding at the main entrance, only a sign reading: “Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone”. [Interesting choice of words. Not Disney resort zone]

CCP got Disney to finance and build the park, Yet Disney branding is absent I think that says all that needs to be said about this project.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I think you should check out the South China Post article @flyerjab so kindly found,

1) SHANGHAI: The towers of Disney’s planned Magic Kingdom in Shanghai are wreathed in scaffolding and mystery after the US entertainment giant pushed back the opening of its first mainland China theme park to 2016. On a tightly guarded, 3.9-square-kilometre site east of China’s commercial hub, a grey turret of the unfinished “Enchanted Storybook Castle” rises into the sky. There is no Disney branding at the main entrance, only a sign reading: “Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone”. [Interesting choice of words. Not Disney resort zone]

CCP got Disney to finance and build the park, Yet Disney branding is absent I think that says all that needs to be said about this project.
The Disneyland Resort is inside the Anaheim Resort District, not the Disney Resort District.

Disney is only paying for the park. A pittance compared to everything that ends up being involved, just ask Osceola County. You keep trying to push this narrative of Disney being suckered into paying for a park but never offer motive beyond "because." It would have been a lot easier and cheaper to just build a park than spend years engaging with Disney. There is no 20 year conspiracy to screw over Disney just for the laughs.
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
They are all over, especially in the Twitverse among ex-MAGICal members who would rather Tweet with people who only agree with them in 140 characters.

There are folks out there who actually believe I am trying to get people to believe I am dating the leader of Germany. No, I am not kidding (apparently, they don't get my affectionate nickname 'Angie M' for my SO!)

These are people who take themselves very seriously.
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
The Disneyland Resort is inside the Anaheim Resort District, not the Disney Resort District.

Disney is only paying for the park. A pittance compared to everything that ends up being involved, just ask Osceola County. You keep trying to push this narrative of Disney being suckered into paying for a park but never offer motive beyond "because." It would have been a lot easier and cheaper to just build a park than spend years engaging with Disney. There is no 20 year conspiracy to screw over Disney just for the laughs.

MDE was offered the SAME deal and turned it down FLAT because TWDC would have little control over the park as it was to be 'China's Park' not SDL,

There is no 'Conspiracy' here it's just that Iger revived a BAD 11 year old proposal and SOLD it as SDL to the unsophisticated who really think that it's going to be Disneyland in Shanghai.

If you were China and YOU wanted a park would you not want the accepted leader in theme parks to design and build it for you and TEACH you how to operate one so that you can build and operate your own in the coming years?

Just another example of executive hubris thinking that 'we are the smartest guys in the room' and we'll pull the wool over the CCP's eyes. Just ask Schwinn how that worked out for THEM...
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
MDE was offered the SAME deal and turned it down FLAT because TWDC would have little control over the park as it was to be 'China's Park' not SDL,

There is no 'Conspiracy' here it's just that Iger revived a BAD 11 year old proposal and SOLD it as SDL to the unsophisticated who really think that it's going to be Disneyland in Shanghai.

If you were China and YOU wanted a park would you not want the accepted leader in theme parks to design and build it for you and TEACH you how to operate one so that you can build and operate your own in the coming years?

Just another example of executive hubris thinking that 'we are the smartest guys in the room' and we'll pull the wool over the CCP's eyes. Just ask Schwinn how that worked out for THEM...
The negotiations for Shnaghai did not end and get revived; they chugged along the whole time. The Shanghai negotiations were a constant specter over the six year development of Hong Kong Disneyland.

If people wanted to know how Disney runs their parks there are plenty of people to hire out there. Or even just send people to work at Hong Kong Disneyland. No need to build a park. Same goes for design, which was still based in California. Walt Disney Inagineering wasn't hosting design classes for the LDI. The only learning opportunity here is construction quality, something hardly unique to Disney.
 

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
Great story. Thanks for putting it up. I read it somewhere (think the South China Morning Post) and forgot to link to it.

Only thing that flat out is false is this eight-hour workers deal. They are largely going 24/7 there. They built barracks (that are not even as luxurious as the Pop Century!) to house the workers. It's laughable that Disney is trying to pin some of the delay on that.

I also find it very interesting that the professor from the Shanghai University is predicting only seven million visitors a year. That is less that every Disney park in the USA, Tokyo, HK and one in Paris. In other words, only the Paris Studios would be attracting fewer visitors. Now, do you believe him or the Disney propaganda that was put out (after they censored that story or Willow Bay did!) a few weeks ago that claims that SDL wiill attract 25 million next year and be the world's top theme park?

What sounds most reasonable to you?

I'm still thinking about 12 million give or take a million, but that is pending more info on the project.

Thanks. I would have thought that this was already in this thread but to my surprise it was not.

Concerning your comment regarding the eight hour work day, I was assuming that the reporter meant that people were to be limited to 8 hour shifts, with three shifts throughout each day, as opposed to having them work longer hours with only 2 shifts per day.

Regarding the number of visitors, I agree with you that there is no way they get only 7 million visitors in year one. The corporate culture for the parks right now is maximizing the number of guests in each park to drive up revenue. I don't see that being any different in Shanghai. Quite the opposite, as I would expect the most highly populated country in the world to achieve some of the highest number of visitors in any Disney park worldwide.

I don't know how much larger the Shanghai park is compared to WDW's MK, but considering Disney stuffed what, about 18 million people last year into the MK in Orlando, that Shanghai would be able to exceed that number IF they wanted to. The only way that they would hold the number back closer to 12 million or less, would be if it were being done strategically. And this is when I start to analyze this in terms of the Disney BRAND. If TWDC doesn't want the image of their BRAND tarnished immediately by overcrowding their new shiny toy they built in China, maybe the crowd levels could be held back at first so that the guest experience was more enjoyable. I always have this vision that major cities in China are incredibly crowded and that if the crowd levels in Shanghai Disneyland were controlled (at first), this could help create the illusion that the park allows for a less stressful, less overcrowded experience - something that I would think the Chinese people would appreciate.

Now obviously, in time the number of park visitors would increase to crank up the revenue. After all, you have to pay for the 5.5 billion you spent to build it. So initially, they might control the number of people allowed in on a daily basis. But overall, I agree more with the point you made. To me, If Iger wants this to be a big part of legacy to the company (aside from the other BRANDS he acquired), then it wouldn't surprise me at all of this park gets stuffed to the gills with visitors.

Time will tell. In the meantime, I intend to keep one eye open for anything else that interests me concerning this subject.
 

michmousefan

Well-Known Member
Has anyone mentioned this yet?

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Mission-Impossible-5-Affecting-Star-Wars-70430.html

Seems like Disney/Iger missed out on something very basic here (again, they only are the world's largest media and entertainment company). Not a big deal in and of itself, but speaks to people not getting the basics covered.
Interesting. MI:5 has a high bar to clear after the great Brad Bird-directed fourth installment, but the new trailer does a pretty good job of whetting the appetite:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/23/8277931/mission-impossible-rogue-nation-trailer
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I know many of you might be feeling like you've just eaten too much Chinese food of late, but what is going on over there is so much more important than a Marvel store at TSFKaDD or Disney closing half of Innoventions (no, I haven't weighed in because I have no idea what they are doing ... well, beyond saving on labor costs) or the new pool at the Poly.

With that in mind, a kind reader/lurker here sent me this: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/12/business/worldbusiness/12disney.html?_r=0

If I were Bob Iger, then I'd have Zenia on the phone with Brooks Barnes trying to scrub this story off the 'net instead of having Willow scrubbing an Op-Ed in the HuffPo. His own words, used against him. His own words, showing he capitulated. His own words, showing he took a bad deal.

Funny thing is I recall being in LA when this story came out and reading it while at the food court at the Beverly Center (no, I don't recall having Chinese ... more likely a cheesesteak!) A decade sure flies by when you get older!
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
I know many of you might be feeling like you've just eaten too much Chinese food of late, but what is going on over there is so much more important than a Marvel store at TSFKaDD or Disney closing half of Innoventions (no, I haven't weighed in because I have no idea what they are doing ... well, beyond saving on labor costs) or the new pool at the Poly.

With that in mind, a kind reader/lurker here sent me this: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/12/business/worldbusiness/12disney.html?_r=0

If I were Bob Iger, then I'd have Zenia on the phone with Brooks Barnes trying to scrub this story off the 'net instead of having Willow scrubbing an Op-Ed in the HuffPo. His own words, used against him. His own words, showing he capitulated. His own words, showing he took a bad deal.

Funny thing is I recall being in LA when this story came out and reading it while at the food court at the Beverly Center (no, I don't recall having Chinese ... more likely a cheesesteak!) A decade sure flies by when you get older!

I find this quote fascinating

In order for us to even consider a park there, we need to be sure we have access to television," Mr. Iger said in an interview at the new, oceanfront Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel here.

And this

If we don't do anything, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse are going to end up there anyway, and we're not going to get anything," he said.

And WHO he was dealing with

If Mr. Iger wants to lobby, however, he could have an opportunity much sooner. Vice President Zeng Qinghong of China, a Politburo member with particular responsibility for propaganda, culture and Hong Kong issues, is scheduled to join Mr. Iger and Mr. Eisner for the ceremony.

Yes this really sounds like a deal where TWDC is in control...
 

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