A Spirited Perfect Ten

[bhg469]

That rib chop looks phenomenal and I'm a big fan of good beef but I discovered in the past year that if you buy a choice prime rib and cook it using the sous vide method, you've got a prime quality taste

No I'm not hosting a wdw steak night until I get a job in tampa I've been hoping for.

 

[Cesar R M]

Well technically Disney didn't even buy Marvel at the time of Iron Man in 2008 - but that's not really the point.

Your logic failed regarding the difference between buying Snow White and buying a current day IP, so now you're trying to imply that what Disney did was more significant with Snow White and others...

But didn't Universal Pictures release Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012? While I didn't really like the film, it was a box-office success and a sequel is planned for next year. So Disney is not the only studio capable of doing a Snow White film.

I think the difference is.. Disney is buying Already proven IP.
That already made tons of money ( see StarWars, Pixar and Marvel).

Buying something back in the 1920's 40's or so.. was more riskier, because these stories weren't that widespread or popular.

 

[Cesar R M]

And Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland...

speaking of alice.. I really liked the weird version in the "Syfy" channel.

This is an entirely different argument than the one you were pursuing earlier. Now we are talking about the motivation behind the purchase...

I'm no Iger apologist. He does seem to be about the money -- because "Disney is a business" - @Cesar R M

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Quality is yet to be seen. It's not operated by Landry's it's going to be operated by Gibson's Restaurant Group which is the owner of the Gibsons Steakhouses in Chicago. If the quality is on par with Gibson's Steakhouse it will be better than Shula's.

You're right, I just saw that. I knew the creative designers behing Rainforest and Trex we're on board and that Landry's already had a Boathouse brand, so I assumed it was Landry's.

Regarding quality of Gibson's over Shula's, I'll take your word on that. I say this as someone with a Culinary degree, almost a decade in the industry and a couple competition wins: I see little differentiation amongst the high-end steakhouses.

 

[WDW1974]

OK, no problem with the cuts of meat talk, but can we move the slavery/Confederate flag being simply Southern pride (it's not, but this isn't the place for it) discussion elsewhere or shall we call in the mods?

Why don't we attack Phil Holmes for a change or take some shots against Lee's boy, Danny Cockerell instead?

 

[WDW1974]

There are some really great airfare deals to Tokyo right now.

The Euro is dropping so Europe is a good value as well. Between the really good exchange rates and DLR’s 60th, this is the year to take a break from WDW.

There are great deals to Hong Kong as well. ... And Europe certainly is the best value it has been for Americans since around 2002.

But people who don't like change will simply keep going to WDW or O-Town in general. If you've done Diagon Ally already there is no reason whatsoever to visit Central Florida in 2015.

 

[WDW1974]

I can never get over how cheap tickets are in Japan. $175 for a 4 day last I checked.

For some perspective, that's what I paid for a four-day ticket at TDR in 2010. Every Disney resort outside the USA is either fairly priced or underpriced.

Funny how that isn't the case at WDW, and to a lesser extent (AP prices excluded) DLR.

 

[WDW1974]

Now that we have that Brony discussion out of our system, let's turn to the ever relevant issue of Disney in China. Earlier this evening, The New Yorker published a thorough profile on Chinese President Xi Xinping. While the piece doesn't touch directly on Shanghai Disneyland, it does offer valuable insight into Xi's worldview and what he wants to accomplish with his cultural policies; a key attribute of which is to curtail the influence of foreign media. A very worthwhile read.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/06/born-red

A great read. Thanks for posting that.

I loved the quote from the Iowa farm family who hosted him for two weeks in 1985. It sorta illustrates that incompetent leaders are not exclusive to the USA by any means.

 

[WDW1974]

That article answers the burning question as to why high ranking Disney officials have not had their photos taken at Shanghai Disneyland.

Yes, too bad Bob Iger wants everyone to think Disney is in control of the CCP's new Disney Resort.

And no one on Wall Street (and they all know, trust this Spirit on that one) seems to think this should be a concern for shareholders going forward.

 

[WDW1974]

No this is not a good environment for Disney just like it is not a good environment for Apple, or Ford, or any other American business. China is an infringement heaven, crappy work conditions and just a bad situation.

It is the the largest untapped market in world economics that is ready to explode. Why every business is willing to take a chance and enter the market. Some are going to be extremely successful some are going to struggle and get taken for a ride.

As a business gamble though this is not a huge risk for Disney. So I am sure they are willing to take the chance and if it hits it will be big.

If not they struggle like they did in Euro and ride it out until it can finally turn the corner.

I am curious as to why you feel this isn't a huge risk for Disney. ... Euro Disney has bled money for most of its existence, yet I don't believe Michael Eisner ever lied to the public and Wall Street (he ll, he even threatened to shutter it on a few occasions ) and he certainly didn't censor opinions of others who understood the difficulties Disney faced in Paris.

So, yeah, I wonder where that optimism of yours flows from.

 

[WDW1974]

Strong Dollar, less international tourists? For the Eurozone a trip to the US has just become 25% more expensive within the last year. Might deter quite some people. Not sure how the exchange rate is with other foreign tourism markets?

Yes, Angie complains about this and I just tell her that she got used to a 40% discount when coming to the USA for starters. I don't believe I have been to Europe once in the last decade when it wasn't like $1.30 for one euro, usually higher.

And those UK blokes really have had it easy. No wonder why working class UKers can take a month in O-Town. Would you agree @marni1971?

But I can't believe the exchange rate has had an effect yet. It might start showing this summer, but many people pay their trips (or the big stuff) way in advance. Remember what a great year 2008 was at WDW? People were losing homes and jobs left and right, but they had paid for (or charged) trips and dadgum (shout out to Bobby Bowden, even though I am almost certain he'll never read this!) they were going to have that one last fling before they fell into the abyss.

 

[WDW1974]

This from 2013
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/report-disney-quietly-ends-marvel-651250

In a nutshell, it claims Disney let all licensing agreements for slots expire. But not sure if something happened post 2013 to conflict with this report.

Yes, that's an old story pushed out after the NYT piece made them have to write something.

I was questioning whether anyone had looked into it or done searches online or simply saw either machines or new lotto games where they live with Marvel or Lucas IP.

Anyone?

 

[WDW1974]

While we're on the subject of Walt (and honestly, I don't have many outlets to say these things so please indulge me for a bit)...

I don't like when people say "Oh, Walt wouldn't like this" or "This isn't what Walt would have done" when they encounter something they don't personally like in the parks. While I'm no pixie-duster (more of an inbetweener), I don't think anyone can truly know without a shadow of a doubt what Walt would have or wouldn't have wanted for his park (and the parks that came after it). I'm not saying there aren't obvious things that Walt wouldn't have wanted (like what he's said in the past, and I seriously doubt he'd enjoy the theme park that was given the name of his biggest project reduced to just a reason to go drink 'til you start fighting with other guests), obviously @WDW1974 and others have made really good points regarding that fact, I just think Walt changed his mind as often as he changed his clothes. Something that may have seemed like a great idea to you five minutes ago would maybe not resonate with him right now, but maybe it'd be shelved away and used later. I dunno, I'm pretty young (going to be 20 on July 12) but I like to think I know a thing or two about Disney and its history, and the man that started it all. Of course I could be wrong, everyone is for some things, these are just my thoughts and I'm open to new opinions.

-VJ

I don't play the WWWD game. Wasted effort. Much of it, we'll never know.

I'm reasonably certain he didn't buy all the land he did to create a giant timeshare resort. I'm reasonably sure he wouldn't have seen the point of selling that land and building Celebration and Golden Oak. I'm reasonably sure that he'd act in a much more ethical way than the people who run what his company has become do.

But I suppose that's just fodder for giant back and forths.

BUT ... It is safe to say that Walt believed in clean maintained environments. It's safe to say that he wouldn't have chosen to run rides to failure, which resulted in deaths and injuries in his park. Heck, considering his background and history, it is reasonable to believe he would have not licenced parks in Japan nor built any in China. I'm fairly certain that he didn't view Cinderella as a franchise and would have barked at anyone who would have suggested a Bambi 2.

Some things you can wonder about, others are pretty safe assumptions and I have talked to people that worked with him closely and even his 'idiot nephew' so I feel I have even more of an idea than some. Take it for what it is worth.

 

[VJ]

I don't play the WWWD game. Wasted effort. Much of it, we'll never know.

I'm reasonably certain he didn't buy all the land he did to create a giant timeshare resort. I'm reasonably sure he wouldn't have seen the point of selling that land and building Celebration and Golden Oak. I'm reasonably sure that he'd act in a much more ethical way than the people who run what his company has become do.

But I suppose that's just fodder for giant back and fronts.

BUT ... It is safe to say that Walt believed in clean maintained environments. It's safe to say that he wouldn't have chosen to run rides to failure, which resulted in deaths and injuries in his park. Heck, considering his background and history, it is reasonable to believe he would have not licenced parks in Japan nor built any in China. I'm fairly certain that he didn't view Cinderella as a franchise and would have barked at anyone who would have suggested a Bambi 2.

Some things you can wonder about, others are pretty safe assumptions and I have talked to people that worked with him closely and even his 'idiot nephew' so I feel I have even more of an idea than some. Take it for what it is worth.

Exactly my mindset!

 

[WDW1974]

I don't really want to start a whole Marvel debate, because it's been done so many times, but just in regards to your example...

- Fans of Spider-Man would not scream bloody murder if Disney changed the character. In fact, there has been a push for a Miles Morales Spider-Man instead of Peter Parker - because it's the same story told for the 3rd time.

- Iron Man was a huge risk. The Avengers was a huge creative risk. Most recently...Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge risk as well. People seem to forget those things when the films are successful.

I'll just say that the Avengers was the closest thing to a sure thing as they come. Fanbois have clamored for team films for years (that's why DC is finally doing it as well). These films are practically assured of a billion at the box office to start.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

speaking of alice.. I really liked the weird version in the "Syfy" channel.

I saw that when it first aired, but I can't remember too much about it. I did like it though.

 

[englanddg]

I'll just say that the Avengers was the closest thing to a sure thing as they come. Fanbois have clamored for team films for years (that's why DC is finally doing it as well). These films are practically assured of a billion at the box office to start.

It may have been a sure thing after years of buildup and back story, but that didn't mean they had to do it well...

They did it well, and that means that if they continue to do it well, they'll keep it a "sure thing".

 

[WDW1974]

The name of the entire company at that time was "Walt Disney Productions".

Amazing what that tiny company could accomplish, yet this HUGE and massively profitable machine has become so afraid of taking risks and even spending money on the basics. The fact Disney has so many fans who are so critical, like many of us here, just shouldn't be. They are in position to do everything right, yet they don't. It is maddening. ...But so is dealing with almost any major US corp today (have I mentioned recently that The Home Depot practices organized fraud? I guess I shouldn't care since I have an extra dishwasher and all, but ...I guess I'm just not as ethically challenged as most top execs.)

 

[Cesar R M]

View attachment 89282

or more like..

 

[WDW1974]

Walt built a huge pile of money for himself and his family. Roy and Walt had a serious falling out over Walt's greed and Roy won the argument.
http://www.joshuakennon.com/wed-ent...holding-company-of-walt-disney/#disqus_thread

is this supposed to lead into the 'Walt was a bad guy and he's no different than Eisner or Iger " debate?

Families fight. Families with major money fight even more. And very little of it ever gets out, even when they go to court against each other as frequently happens.