A Spirited Perfect Ten

[AEfx]

Bob Iger's 'failure' as a CEO is in following the thinking prevalent in many of today's boardrooms. If the best Iger can do with $40 billion in cash is stuff it in company stock, then Disney needs a more visionary CEO.

To answer your question, yes, I do think a visionary CEO would do things differently.

Yes, in a perfect world, that would be fabulous - but as your source cites, this is simply how corporate America functions in 2015. It would be wonderful if we could live in that kind of idealistic world - but no matter how "visionary" the CEO is, there is unfortunately a board and stockholders to please.

I honestly don't think that kind of idealism would have been tolerated by either - as much as you and I would like it to be different in terms of park spending, a "visionary" simply wouldn't have been hired.

Come on...you know this, Mr. Numbers Guy, LOL - you can't ground the discussion in economic realities and pure statistics and then put it on some mythical savoir figure who somehow would have come in and done what Iger has done in saving the company financially and still spend lavishly on the parks.

Like I said, this is not a reality that I like - but it's a reality, nontheless.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Well, that's what happens when you put people without a clue as to how theme parks work in charge.

But why then were the capacity increases approved at Soarin' and Toy Story if they're going to go ahead and screw it up at Frozenstrom.

 

[AEfx]

Igor does force his creative hand when there is straying from the franchise mandate.

Such as?

 

[Mike S]

But why then were the capacity increases approved at Soarin' and Toy Story if they're going to go ahead and screw it up at Frozenstrom.

Disney Logic. It doesn't make sense most of the time.

 

[SJN1279]

Disney Logic. It doesn't make sense most of the time.

From the sound of it, Frozen will have a similar capacity to Test Track and Splash Mountain. I guess we'll know in 2016.

 

[sshindel]

Such as?

I think Ant Man is an example. What I had read when Edgar Wright left the project he had been working on for 7+ years was that Disney/Marvel were forcing changes to ensure it tied into the MCU more than he had envisioned.

If that was Iger, or other execs though I have no idea.

 

[PhotoDave219]

But why then were the capacity increases approved at Soarin' and Toy Story if they're going to go ahead and screw it up at Frozenstrom.

Exactly! Left hand does t know what the right hand does as well.

 

[Figment2005]

From the sound of it, Frozen will have a similar capacity to Test Track and Splash Mountain. I guess we'll know in 2016.

Would using a smaller form factor vehicle help with the capacity. The Maelstrom boats were quite massive outside of the seating area. If they chose a smaller design, with similar amount of seating, would that not allow more boats on the attraction, and in turn increase the capacity?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Such as?

The original narrative of World of Color is the most well known example.

 

[Mike S]

From the sound of it, Frozen will have a similar capacity to Test Track and Splash Mountain. I guess we'll know in 2016.

Since when does Splash and TT have an hourly capacity of 900 - 1000?

 

[AEfx]

I think Ant Man is an example. What I had read when Edgar Wright left the project he had been working on for 7+ years was that Disney/Marvel were forcing changes to ensure it tied into the MCU more than he had envisioned.

If that was Iger, or other execs though I have no idea.

Well that's just it - we don't know where that decision came from. Marvel, like Lucasfilm, is largely run as their own entity. I have real doubts that Iger gives script notes.

And to be honest - I would have made the same decision myself. Marvel has shown they are willing to take risks, clearly, simply by making an Ant Man film in the first place. Of course they are going to want it tied to the MCU to guarantee it's success.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Since when does Splash and TT have an hourly capacity of 900 - 1000?

Since Diagon Alley was a universally panned bomb.

 

[AEfx]

The original narrative of World of Color is the most well known example.

According to the NYT who asked him about it in a profile that called him a "blockbuster CEO", he said:

“Ninety-five percent of the decisions made at the company are made by other people,” he says. “But this is a big show, and I felt opportunities were being lost.”

Given that we had to go back to 2010 for that one, I think his statement is pretty accurate.

 

[AEfx]

Would using a smaller form factor vehicle help with the capacity. The Maelstrom boats were quite massive outside of the seating area. If they chose a smaller design, with similar amount of seating, would that not allow more boats on the attraction, and in turn increase the capacity?

Thing is, you literally are talking feet and inches here.

If they went to that massive expense, it's possible it could shave a few seconds off here or there - but not enough to make a significant difference. Someone like @marni1971 would know much more than I - but I'd also assume that such a change could also have an unexpected affect on a great many other things like safety and such (as the ride was designed for the larger vehicles).

 

[lazyboy97o]

Would using a smaller form factor vehicle help with the capacity. The Maelstrom boats were quite massive outside of the seating area. If they chose a smaller design, with similar amount of seating, would that not allow more boats on the attraction, and in turn increase the capacity?

No, because it is not safe to get boats significantly closer to the switches and drop. Slowing the ride to a crawl to make it safer would just annoy people, even if it did more completely fill the space.

 

[Absimilliard]

Lengthening the ride has no effect on capacity. My understanding on the bottlenecks are load/unload and the reverse track switches. I wouldn't be surprised if the track switches are removed if that winds up improving capacity as perhaps that was a greater bottleneck than load/unload.

It will probably sound unrelated, but have a look at this flume ride. Chiapas opened last year and pay attention to the track switches. Intamin also manufactured this one, so I wonder if WDI spent the time and money, could they update the track switches so they move as fast on Maelstrom as those? The first track switch is at 1:15.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

My question is how to you feel about Pixar? Being a huge fan of both Marvel and Lucasfilm, I'm all for the acquisitions made, but I can understand purists that think that it's somehow different than "Walt's Disney".

Pixar though, more than any other part of the company in the last 2-3 decades has shown that inventive and imaginative spirit that gets typically associated with the Golden Years of Disney. They made their own characters, told their own stories (the vast VAST majority amazingly well), and held up the banner for the Disney Spirit IMO better than Disney Co did themselves for many years.

I applaud all of their IP purchases mainly because I enjoy them all greatly, and Disney's purchase is pretty much the reason I get to enjoy them continuously. Again, I understand the case against Marvel and Lucasfilm, but don't hear much about the Pixar deal, so I was curious to know your thoughts.

PIXAR and Disney have been joined at the hip since PIXAR's beginning. I have always considered Woody and Buzz canon.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It will probably sound unrelated, but have a look at this flume ride. Chiapas opened last year and pay attention to the track switches. Intamin also manufactured this one, so I wonder if WDI spent the time and money, could they update the track switches so they move as fast on Maelstrom as those? The first track switch is at 1:15.

Fast switches would still require moving boats more quickly after the drop and fast loading.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I absolutely agree and that's my point - because we are parks focused, folks want to think he's doing a terrible job in general when every indicator is otherwise (primarily the film business as we have been discussing).

That said, while the buck stops at the CEO, of course, do you really think that any other business person really would be doing things differently?

I hate admitting that. I really do. Like I said, I wish they threw all financial sense out the door and built the parks of our fantasies. It kills me that we don't. But after the failure of DAK, under Eisner's reign (and before 9/11 can be blamed), wouldn't any business person be doing Wall Street pleasing things like dumping money into stock buy-backs and not building more things when the belief at the time (which nearly every "expert" on this board agreed on until we had to admit otherwise watching Universal) was that the market was "saturated"?

Iger totally hasn't been great for the parks. But I just can't see any other business person doing otherwise. His attention was focused on the financial problems, of which the parks aren't part of. If we weren't fans of this specific aspect of the company, would we really argue that pulling back investment on something already wildly popular when previous investments have not increased that bottom line is a mistake?

First of all, real analysts saw the problems for what they were and didn't have survey massage therapists telling them how brilliant they were.

The leadership team we have now were the brain child of Eisner during his worst period. And we are still reaping their "Magic™".

Eisner fancied himself a creative. Iger has dillusions. He doesn't understand creatives. He just views them as bought and paid for underlings. And he has no respect for their talents or the skills that they bring to the table. Why should he? He can buy more. He is not a visionary. He buys them.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Would using a smaller form factor vehicle help with the capacity. The Maelstrom boats were quite massive outside of the seating area. If they chose a smaller design, with similar amount of seating, would that not allow more boats on the attraction, and in turn increase the capacity?

No effect at all. I trust @Lee when he says there isn't anything that can be done.

The only thing that will cycle boats faster is getting guests in & out of their seats faster. And even that not swing it that far. It's not like iasw or potc where they Don't have to keep the boats spaced apart. There's only so many boats they can cycle through and have on the ride at any given moment. For Malestrom? That meant 900-1000/hour.