A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Nubs70]

That's the strangest part. DIS makes up one of the stocks that are part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. You figure that people would be watching this very carefully, with the stock at insane highs and $5B on the line.

Or are these Wall Street wunderkinds just going to sit there and accept that the mouse knows what it's doing when they say so?

They are busy setting up short positions

 

[Cesar R M]

I don't understand why people hate FastPass+, I go to the parks often and have no issue with the system. My only complaint is that The App works best on IOS and I have a strong hatred for that OS.

I suppose you never had a crash, FPS being misplaced or disappearing.
I did.. and its not fun in any way. Specially when the CMS tell you that you can no longer assigns FPs for the day.
Or worse.. when they artificially inflate the waiting times of the normal queue.

 

[Cesar R M]

I'm still not seeing how this is really all that unusual for the Disney of today. We don't see Iger all over the U.S. resorts looking at construction, including his other legacy project at Disney's Animal Kingdom. When it does happen the photos tend to come like a week after the fact and the content is just as lacking. Projects here run slow, late and over budget. The branding strategy is different, but we hate it here so I am still confused as to how it is a huge shortcoming that this park isn't being shoved full of franchises. The majority owner being vocal shouldn't be a shock either. The joint venture is not an SCA (a very peculiar arrangement pretty much unique to France) and the Government of Hong Kong had also stopped playing the fool. Even the Oriental Land Company, with its 100% ownership, has pushed back against Disney's say for the past decade. I can only be shocked if I ignore everything else going on with Disney's theme parks.

Well, Iger loves to showoff in events even if the attractions weren't opening yet. Mine Train anyone?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Following up on what @Tigger1988 said, I can confirm that Walt's name has been mostly dropped from the Tomorrowland movie. That bit of dialogue from the Japenese trailer explaining how he was a member of Ultra Plus is not there.

Movie starts out very strong, but loses momentum and the climax feels rushed into. Not sure how much was removed from the final cut. It has several nice moments, but the sum is lesser than its parts. Not terrible, but not great either.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Given that "Tomorrowland" opens wide tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to post the excellent BBC documentary on the making of DLP's Space Mountain "Shoot for the Moon".

 

[PhotoDave219]

So if there are just tons of people in Shanghai just waiting to queue up for anything, why are we supposed to believe that the Disney park there will fail?

That's a good question.

Alas, there's a world of Difference between a retail location and a hundred-dollar a day theme park and resort.

There's a lot at stake here. This is something Iger can't mess up. Disney is the stranger in a strange land. It's a different culture, with different rules. Completely different ways of doing business. The typical Disney business arrogance that is cultivated within The walls of Glendale suggest that Disney may not be entering China correctly. What we witnessed this weekend? Double edged sword. Either Iger is capitulating to the Chinese to show respect and to avoid ruffling feathers, letting the Chinese take the spotlight....

OR....

The Chinese are telling Iger what to do in order for Disney to do Business in their country.

Either way, with Iger being shut out shows Wall Street that he has little to say about what goes on with Disney in China.

This is about the long term viability of Disney and their viability outside the borders of the U.S.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Following up on what @Tigger1988 said, I can confirm that Walt's name has been mostly dropped from the Tomorrowland movie. That bit of dialogue from the Japenese trailer explaining how he was a member of Ultra Plus is not there.

Movie starts out very strong, but loses momentum and the climax feels rushed into. Not sure how much was removed from the final cut. It has several nice moments, but the sum is lesser than its parts. Not terrible, but not great either.

Hey hey hey. The Movie hasn't even opened yet.

 

[Cesar R M]

It's not hard to drawn a crowd anywhere in China. They still have queues at the Apple Store at the IFC in Hong Kong.

You can't draw any conclusions beyond there are many people in Shanghai and every major Chinese metro area.

I think the real question would be.. HOW MANY WERE ACTUALLY SHOPPING and not just watching (out of pure curiosity)?

 

[Cesar R M]

IT JUST WONT STOP!!!
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/reese-witherspoon-cast-disney-tinker-bell-1201502898/

how old is Whiterspoon anyway? she looks old and I dont think she fits

 

[Phil12]

That's a good question.

Alas, there's a world of Difference between a retail location and a hundred-dollar a day theme park and resort.

There's a lot at stake here. This is something Iger can't mess up. Disney is the stranger in a strange land. It's a different culture, with different rules. Completely different ways of doing business. The typical Disney business arrogance that is cultivated within The walls of Glendale suggest that Disney may not be entering China correctly. What we witnessed this weekend? Double edged sword. Either Iger is capitulating to the Chinese to show respect and to avoid ruffling feathers, letting the Chinese take the spotlight....

OR....

The Chinese are telling Iger what to do in order for Disney to do Business in their country.

Either way, with Iger being shut out shows Wall Street that he has little to say about what goes on with Disney in China.

This is about the long term viability of Disney and their viability outside the borders of the U.S.

Flynnibus wondered why I used KFC as an example and he linked to a Harvard Business Review article that answers your question:

"Execution of the strategy turned on a fluke of corporate ownership. With a closely involved parent, KFC China might not have been free to pursue its homegrown strategy. But the chain was then a unit of PepsiCo, which took a hands-off approach—it was more concerned with beating Coca-Cola than with selling fried chicken. As long as KFC China’s financial results were good, PepsiCo was happy. Su (who joined KFC China in 1989) created a knowledgeable, motivated top management team, hiring ethnic Chinese and painting a scenario they could believe in: The company they would build would make China a better place."

I think the same is true of Disney. They're taking a hands off approach. As long as the financial results are good, TWDC will be happy. If the financial results don't meet expectations then TWDC will exert more control.

https://hbr.org/2011/11/kfcs-radical-approach-to-china

 

[Cody5294]

I really liked Tomorrowland. It felt like I was on a adventure with these characters. Not as good as Cinderella, but still a good movie

 

[1023]

how old is Whiterspoon anyway? she looks old and I dont think she fits

Well....It' doesn't say she's Tink specifically....Maybe it's like a memoir type thing where "old and busted" Tink looks back on her life when she was the "new hotness". She is also producing it...so maybe that's why she's in it as something...

She was born in 76... Bi-Centennial year baby....

*1023*

ETA: I actually like Reese...but I'm an older guy...so age appropriate....

 

[Cesar R M]

I feel dirty sticking up for Mr. Phil, but opening up "dozens of restaurants per year" in a nation the size of China doesn't really sound like rapid expansion to me.

It sounds like a TWDC press release we would chuckle at here if they said they were rapidly expanding the parks in the last decade.

I think the issue was the comparison of many more stores per year vs the US.

 

[Cesar R M]

Following up on what @Tigger1988 said, I can confirm that Walt's name has been mostly dropped from the Tomorrowland movie. That bit of dialogue from the Japenese trailer explaining how he was a member of Ultra Plus is not there.

Movie starts out very strong, but loses momentum and the climax feels rushed into. Not sure how much was removed from the final cut. It has several nice moments, but the sum is lesser than its parts. Not terrible, but not great either.

I hope there will be a director's cut or unrated version with everything there as it should have been.
I hate when companies cut down a lot just "because we do not like it based on XXX feeling or XXX religion or XXX thing".

 

[PhotoDave219]

how old is Whiterspoon anyway? she looks old and I dont think she fits

She can come cry on my shoulder.

 

[1023]

She can come cry on my shoulder.

Hey...I didn't say I'd kick her out of bed for eating crackers....

*1023*

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hey...I didn't say I'd kick her out of bed for eating crackers....

*1023*

It's not crackers I'd want her to eat.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

It's not crackers I'd want her to eat.

 

[PhotoDave219]

It's popcorn

 

[BrianLo]

Hong Kong is so blissfully uncrowded the vast majority of the time. What could that resort possibly have to gain from FP+?

The other problem is Hong Kong has a grand total of two (yes two) attractions with FP. That would be a pretty significant financial outlay just to get the rest of their attractions on board a FP+ scheme.

Despite basically having one FP option (since Space has a single riders line anyways), Pooh always has a ton of availability and long, long standby lines. I can waltz up, get a Pooh return fast pass, grab a snack and probably make it on the ride before the stand-by crowd.

I really think the guests at that park just don't get FP as it is so woefully under-utilized. FP+ just wouldn't be worth the effort, other than to get on Autotopia easier.