A Spirited Perfect Ten

[wdisney9000]

What kind of jaw dropping foolish thing is that to say. The brand or the Disney company has nothing to do with that kind of logic. It is what thoughtful and precise people would say about any unfinished situation. If I had a half a lifetime to go back and see just how foolish so many opinions have been about what was going to happen involving Disney related things on this board alone it would be mind boggling. Calling someone an "apologist", which is stupid to begin with, or a "pixie duster" is a poor replacement for actually having a counter argument that is anything other than opinion.

If you think that the common rebuttal of "lets wait and see" is ridiculous, take a minute to contemplate how ridiculous condemning something before it gets finished can be and how equally tedious it is. There could be a T-shirt for that as well. It would read... My mind is made up... don't confuse me with facts.

I am not the smartest man on the planet, but, life has taught me one thing. If you have the time to analyze and second guess the decisions of others and are that much smarter then any of them, how in the hell do you have time to spend on a discussion board. The real leaders of the country really don't have the time for that. If nothing else they are busy counting their money.

"Lets wait and see" is not a common rebuttal, it has become a constant rebuttal for some people and I never said it was "ridiculous" so please dont put words in my mouth. The company continues to over hype, then under deliver (in WDW). If someone points that out, they are labelled as hating Disney, or an old school purist who cant let go of the past and realize that Disney is a business. You call those valid counter arguments? If you think my post in which I made a joke about t-shirts for fanbois was my lack of having a counter argument then your just selectively quoting a wisecrack I made in an effort to complain about complainers.

Now we have $800 m unaccounted for and evidence of corruption in Shanghai along with Willow Bay scrubbing a negative article about her husbands company. As @WDW1974 said , whatever excuse the company tells people to believe will be sufficient enough for many. Just like when they over hype and under deliver on an attraction but they used enough buzz words to make your head spin, or attribute profits to NGE that were nothing more than budget cuts and upcharge events. If Disney says it, some people believe w/o question. Whoever the fall guy/gal is, that will be where the corruption stopped as far as most people will be concerned. Anybody who knows better or questions it will be labelled a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist.

At least the media who refuses to touch the story is most likely compensated in some form.
But hey, Mrs Fickley-Baker said that paying $60 for cupcakes and a seat for Wishes will be a great way to make 'memories' with my family! Disney does care! Even though last year it was only $35...dont need a graph from @ParentsOf4 to figure out that it WAS NOT an uptick in prices for cupcake ingredients that caused that price hike.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Saturday Night Link (with musings added):

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-tourist-blogs-disney-seaworld-money-20150411-story.html

So, THIS is what counts as hard-hitting coverage of the Lifestylers and their effect on the way the O-Town theme park companies operate ... just effing amazing.

She focuses it on Sea World since they are the smallest and easiest target, especially nowadays.

She let's Mongello get away with the never getting anything from Disney line without asking 'So, Lou, you've never had bar tabs wiped away for you and your entourage?'' ... without asking ''So, Lou, when you went on the DCL Dream media cruise, you paid for that?'' ... without asking ''So Lou, Disney didn't fly you to Aulani and give you free accommodations for almost a week? And they've never flied you to Anaheim, right?'' ... without asking ''So, Lou, you don't purposely avoid negative news about Disney because that might harm your relationship?''

C'mon, did this woman even pass high school journalism 101?

Worst of all, she based the entire story on what she picks up on her Twit Feed. That's why a cast of characters from Robert Niles (yes, once a real journalist), Jim Hill (a pretend journalist), Michael Tassin (a former member here and elsewhere), Eric Davis (same thing) and, of course, Mongello and Brigante get in as whoring royalty.

Want to know why you don't get in-depth stories on everything from CMs struggling to feed families to Reedy Creek's dealings with the state and taxpayer money to, yes, anything about the Shanghai Disneyland debacle? It's because that story likely took her two hours to research and write. Maybe three if she had to wait on an email response. And it can't in anyway harm her or the Sentinel with any of the O-Town companies.

Just a tepid piece that claims to look into the role of bloggers in today's media landscape amongst O-Town's Big Three that fails across the board.

That's not how journalism is supposed to work. Not at all.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Old Time MAGIC Musing:

You know that you're striking somewhere when a former troll here with the initials JT (who was rumored to be a psycho ex-Imagineer who currently holds a low level position with UNI Creative) pops up on the DIS Boards today and immediately goes to a thread there about the subject of China and Bob Iger and goes on the attack against -- yours truly ... it does make a Spirit wonder whether the psycho actually is the same person.

With their moderation, I'm wondering how long it will take before he's gone from there ...

BTW, if you choose to read over there, please don't bring the posts over here. The individual was banned from this community for a reason and let's respect that.

 

[Rteetz]

Spirited Old Time MAGIC Musing:

You know that you're striking somewhere when a former troll here with the initials JT (who was rumored to be a psycho ex-Imagineer who currently holds a low level position with UNI Creative) pops up on the DIS Boards today and immediately goes to a thread there about the subject of China and Bob Iger and goes on the attack against -- yours truly ... it does make a Spirit wonder whether the psycho actually is the same person.

With their moderation, I'm wondering how long it will take before he's gone from there ...

BTW, if you choose to read over there, please don't bring the posts over here. The individual was banned from this community for a reason and let's respect that.

That makes sense now

 

[wm49rs]

Spirited Old Time MAGIC Musing:

You know that you're striking somewhere when a former troll here with the initials JT (who was rumored to be a psycho ex-Imagineer who currently holds a low level position with UNI Creative) pops up on the DIS Boards today and immediately goes to a thread there about the subject of China and Bob Iger and goes on the attack against -- yours truly ... it does make a Spirit wonder whether the psycho actually is the same person.

With their moderation, I'm wondering how long it will take before he's gone from there ...

BTW, if you choose to read over there, please don't bring the posts over here. The individual was banned from this community for a reason and let's respect that.

I guess Intercot and his (lack of) book sales wasn't enough to keep the King of the Truly Thick busy enough....

 

[Section106]

My other issue with all of this is the $800 million. Everyone keeps spouting off this number, but Disney is contributing only $344 million of that as per their 43% stake in the venture. The Shendi Group is contributing $456 million of the total. This has been reported ad nauseam in many articles so it is disingenuous for people to act like Disney is paying out the entire sum. Well, they wouldn't have as much to say if they reported it correctly.

What I don't understand is if the missing money is somehow a bribe then isn't the 100% state owned Shendi group also involved in the bribe? If the money has gone to pay off someone then the Chinese gov't is paying off someone. I can't see how anyone could claim that Iger has conspired with the Chinese gov't to bribe someone in the Chinese gov't.

And how can the 800 million be tied to the recently arrested official? If he received that money then it means that the Chinese gov't gave it to him. None of the bribery assertions makes any sense given that the Chinese themselves supplied 57% of the funds.

 

[Phil12]

Think of it this way, what if those seemingly unrelated events all turn out to be related? It would be one heck of story. Mr Spirit isn't putting this stuff out there for profit. He seems to have done a good bit of digging on his own. Imagine what a reporter with considerable resources at his/her disposal could do.

It's a magical question.

And I agree that it would be very interesting for a news reporter to discover Spirit's sources and investigate the matter. Right now we got nothin'.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Spirited Old Time MAGIC Musing:

You know that you're striking somewhere when a former troll here with the initials JT (who was rumored to be a psycho ex-Imagineer who currently holds a low level position with UNI Creative) pops up on the DIS Boards today and immediately goes to a thread there about the subject of China and Bob Iger and goes on the attack against -- yours truly ... it does make a Spirit wonder whether the psycho actually is the same person.

With their moderation, I'm wondering how long it will take before he's gone from there ...

BTW, if you choose to read over there, please don't bring the posts over here. The individual was banned from this community for a reason and let's respect that.

Wait, he got banned? I had him on ignore.....

 

[wm49rs]

Wait, he got banned? I had him on ignore.....

He was "encouraged" to leave. But his original according by is still open, as are the two he's made since then....

 

[Phil12]

What I don't understand is if the missing money is somehow a bribe then isn't the 100% state owned Shendi group also involved in the bribe? If the money has gone to pay off someone then the Chinese gov't is paying off someone. I can't see how anyone could claim that Iger has conspired with the Chinese gov't to bribe someone in the Chinese gov't.

And how can the 800 million be tied to the recently arrested official? If he received that money then it means that the Chinese gov't gave it to him. None of the bribery assertions makes any sense given that the Chinese themselves supplied 57% of the funds.

Graft and corruption is rampant in Chinese business. It would amaze me if Walmart, Disney, Kraft Foods or any other major western company was able to conduct business in China without getting involved at some level.

 

[clsteve]

It seems like everytime news comes out on this situation, there are people who want to put on their Mouse Ears and explain it all away. You can't.

I will repeat again, that whatever narrative you choose to believe there are serious questions that need to be asked and answered. No matter what your feelings on this subject may be. Who goes around proudly wearing their ignorance and crowing online about it? Your answer is I don't know, I don't care and I'll wait for Disney to tell me whatever they want to tell me, and I'll believe whatever they say.

Wow, I'm constantly amazed by how much we're become an "instant news" society.

It's been what - barely 2 months since the Snyder article and the censoring? Inside of 2 months, actually, yet they still want immediate resolution and sources for (your) info.......

It takes time to gather the quantifiable facts that can turn an (insightful) op-ed into an investigative story, or to disprove the premise of the piece.Inside of 2 months, yet things keep popping up with surprising regularity for such a short time. You would expect the WSJ's and others would wait until they were 110% sure what they had was bullet proof.

The good news is, Disney's coming close to the point of having to answer some of the outstanding issues with their own clarifications - like SDL progress, estimated opening dates, what actually were those recently invested in additional rides and attractions , etc.

Add in the graft implications and charges against someone they worked very closely with, the Q&A's for the next several quarters might get very interesting. At least they'll be an indicator of how many legs this thing is growing.....

There's just one thing I was wondering about those graft charges for the #2 (ex) head honcho after reading that excellent New Yorker article someone posted (apologies for not remembering who - traveling and tough to get time to look back):

That article tweaked something - is there any chance that's a specific "shot across Disney's bow" from Xie, just as a reminder who's the boss, who's really calling the shots, and get back in line...? It would seem to fit his style and the timing is perfect as they get closer to project completion.....

 

[lazyboy97o]

It would be nice if they restored the paddle wheel and smokestacks. You know, to make it actually look like a riverboat again. Or is that asking too much?

Every overall aerial image of Disney Springs that I have seen includes the smokestacks on the boat. We're well past the stage were the stage of concept art. It could just be that someone early on decided to put them into the model, but it could also be more.

 

[Goofyernmost]

"Lets wait and see" is the most common rebuttal these days to any criticism of "the brand". It should seriously just be printed on t-shirts so all the Disney apologists can proudly wear their favorite war cry across their chest.

If the Trader Sams shirts are selling out at $54.99 a piece, it should be no problem moving a few thousand of these babies. Maybe throw in a "New Carpet Monorail" hand towel to boot.

"Lets wait and see" is not a common rebuttal, it has become a constant rebuttal for some people and I never said it was "ridiculous" so please dont put words in my mouth. The company continues to over hype, then under deliver (in WDW). If someone points that out, they are labelled as hating Disney, or an old school purist who cant let go of the past and realize that Disney is a business. You call those valid counter arguments? If you think my post in which I made a joke about t-shirts for fanbois was my lack of having a counter argument then your just selectively quoting a wisecrack I made in an effort to complain about complainers.

Now we have $800 m unaccounted for and evidence of corruption in Shanghai along with Willow Bay scrubbing a negative article about her husbands company. As @WDW1974 said , whatever excuse the company tells people to believe will be sufficient enough for many. Just like when they over hype and under deliver on an attraction but they used enough buzz words to make your head spin, or attribute profits to NGE that were nothing more than budget cuts and upcharge events. If Disney says it, some people believe w/o question. Whoever the fall guy/gal is, that will be where the corruption stopped as far as most people will be concerned. Anybody who knows better or questions it will be labelled a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist.

At least the media who refuses to touch the story is most likely compensated in some form.
But hey, Mrs Fickley-Baker said that paying $60 for cupcakes and a seat for Wishes will be a great way to make 'memories' with my family! Disney does care! Even though last year it was only $35...dont need a graph from @ParentsOf4 to figure out that it WAS NOT an uptick in prices for cupcake ingredients that caused that price hike.

OK, you make a post (top one) that is dripping with sarcasm and imply that people that go with the "let's wait and see" idea are somehow a lower form of life then those of you that jump on every negative bandwagon that passes by as a way that you can display your displeasure at the way Disney is run. But, you are right, you didn't call anyone ridiculous with those exact words. Whether you like it or not... you said it with as much certainty as the word itself.

On your second point it may be run worse then any company in the world, but, how it is run is not any of our business unless we own stock and are, on paper, owners of the company. Then you might have some say in what happens, were 800 million went and so on, but, isn't this a silly place to express your displeasure. Especially when all anyone has for evidence is circumstantial at best and rumor at its worst. Isn't directing these questions directly to the BOD the way to go with that? Isn't removing your ownership an obligation when you feel that strongly that the company is indulging in unethical business practices.

One point that you are absolutely correct about though is your sentence.. "Even though last year it was only $35...dont need a graphto figure out that it WAS NOT an uptick in prices for cupcake ingredients that caused that price hike." You are correct, it comes under another old economic reality called the law of supply and demand. As long as people are willing to pay it, there is nothing unethical about it. This is not a situation where if they don't pay it they will possibly have some catastrophic results, it is completely voluntary and any one of you that operated a for profit business would do exactly the same thing if it worked for you. Oh, wait, I just uttered one of those other foolish, T-shirt phrases. Oops! However, no matter how much you folks wish to live in your world of fantasy Disney became a business the very same day it went public.

 

[bhg469]

Since this seems to be a recurring thing here, I want to clarify that my love of In-N-Out is based upon the totality of the circumstances: it's a very good burger at an inexpensive price prepared by friendly employees who are well-paid by a company that understands corporate responsibility. I admire and respect In-N-Out as a company as much as I like their burgers. I don't claim their burgers are the best on the planet--but I do think they are the best value for money. (A Double-Double is $3.60...that's cheaper than a Big Mac, let alone one of the other gourmet burger places, where prices typically start around $8.)

I guess I should have assumed that about the Disney Channel. In a way, that's unfortunate. The rest of the world really needs to be exposed to the greatness that is Dog with a Blog.

My point about Cinderella is exactly the one that you made. That audience probably isn't familiar with the animated versions of any of these stories, so perhaps the live action versions are a way to bring that Disney IP (I realize most of these stories are not actually Disney IP, but perception is reality, and they have become de facto Disney IP over time, I think). I don't know if that's even remotely the case, but it wouldn't be a bad idea...

Hey now, my Grog Grotto review will change the world. Okay, not at all. However, I don't think it's fair to begrudge the disinterest of others on this Shanghai story. It fascinates me, but I don't blame those who don't care. For many people--intelligent people--Disney is an escape. Likewise, the places where Disney is discussed online are escapes.

Obviously, there is danger in living in a fantasy world full-time (you point this out with regularity when it comes to certain fans), but everyone enjoys their own varieties of escapist entertainment. That doesn't necessarily make them dense or focused on the "wrong things," just interested in certain topics for different purposes. I like the "heavy" as well as the light-hearted sides of things when it comes to Disney, but I can appreciate that many others only want one or the other.

My name is Rob and I like dog with a blog! This is truly my wife's doing..

It's writing is cheese but it's truly a show for dog people. If big bang theory can be considered good, dog with a blog is IMO better!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

While Robert Downey Jr. and company are doing a presser on the Disney lot right now, I thought I would point out something Avengers related. I happened to be at Wawa the other day and I noticed this when I was in the check out line.

Avengers themed Doritos.
I also found Avengers Dr.Pepper online as well.

What I find interesting about these Avengers themed powdered corn chips and carbonated corn syrup is that Disney, supposedly across all BRANDS, has come out firmly against licensing its IP for use on junk food.
http://adage.com/article/news/disney-limit-character-licensing-healthful-foods/112534/
http://reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8540WP20120605?irpc=932
I know the following is an excerpt from a Brooksie article, but bear with me here.

http://nytimes.com/2012/06/05/busin...y-to-restrict-advertising.html?referrer=&_r=0
Food companies have vociferously fought government regulation on advertising, saying they can take steps on their own. Disney acknowledged it would most likely lose some advertising revenue — it declined to say how much — but said that the benefits outweighed the downside. (Disney Channel does not currently accept traditional ads, although a range of promotions and sponsorships are allowed; other channels like Disney XD are supported by commercials.)

Disney’s ad restrictions, which will not take effect until 2015 because of long-term contracts with advertisers, will apply to any programming aimed at children under 12, which includes popular live-action programs as well as cartoons.

At the same time these Doritos line the shelves of America's convience stores and supermarkets, Disney has sought to play down that they have done this in their PR.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/3...s-including-avengers-age-of-ultron-spider-man
All of these programs will be supported by a corporate-wide interest in fostering an active and healthy lifestyle for kids by building an extensive roster of new partners in nutritious foods and sporting goods. Under Armour, Sage Fruit, Conagra granola bars, Crunchpak and Chobani are some of the latest offerings for consumers; more collaboration in these categories is expected to roll out during the year.

In addition, Marvel cartoons are taking a more prominent position on Disney XD, a channel which will be implementing a ban on advertising for junk food. From the same press release.

Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron program captures the popularity of the overall Avengers team as well as distinguishing the core characters in fresh new ways. Marvel is working closely with licensees and top brands – such as Hasbro, LEGO, Hot Wheels, Funko and more – to develop innovative products that expand the storytelling of the franchise and with key retailers to create unique retail programs tied to the highly anticipated film. Through 2015 and beyond, Marvel’s campaigns focuses beyond movie events, with an eye toward new animation on Disney XD and a new MarvelKids.com microsite where kids can regularly interact with the characters and experience new content.

Spider-Man is leaping to new heights thanks to the animated success of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors airing on Disney XD. Introducing a full team of spider-themed Super Hero personalities in the series including Agent Venom, Iron Spider, Spider-Girl and Spider-Man 2099, the franchise extension offers new opportunities for retail and licensees. In an effort to support Spider-Man in a variety of categories, 2015 will mark a dedicated focus on action sports and fashion forward apparel for fans of all ages. The plans will help pave the way for the iconic webslinger to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe following a new deal with Sony.

The astronomical success of the first Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyfilm is just the beginning for this popular franchise. Following the film’s success, Marvel is building a long-term strategy, starting with the new animated TV series set to debut on Disney XD later this year. Marvel is also expanding the franchise’s licensing program with both current licensees – who are extending their existing lines – and a number of new partners.

I am absolutely for Disney not putting its IP on junk food, I always smile when I see Mickey and Mater on packaging in the produce department, no longer putting its characters in Happy Meals, or allowing junk food to be advertised to children; its one of the few good things Bob Iger has done for the BRAND during his tenure. However, much like the Star Wars and Marvel slots and lottery tickets, it is hypocritical to continue to put these extremely popular characters on junk food while claiming to be promoting a healthy lifestyle. It could be argued that Disney/Marvel are in the clear because these products are not directly aimed at children, but if you were a kid, wouldn't you want Captain America or Iron Man in your lunchbox? Why are Thor and Hulk different from Donald Duck and Buzz Lighthyear? I'm sure we could all agree Marvel skews older than Disney, but why is it ok for Marvel to get a free pass when the other BRANDS are under so much scrutiny?

 

[Cesar R M]

They have to satisfy us Haunted Mansion fanboys on the east coast too

they will probably tell you to "book a flight to disneyland".

 

[Cesar R M]

I'm curious... How does one move something from an "unsourced unattributed allegation" to something you'd accept as credible without citation or naming a source you'd accept?

Are you holding out for a secret recording of a phone conversation?

or Hoffa's body with the conversation inside one of his pockets.

 

[Cesar R M]

I sure hope so. Remember what TDO did with the bride in the attic - she looks completely out of place in the Mansion because she doesn't match the character designs of the other ghosts. She looks too realistic. And not that scary or convincing if you ask me.

at WDW, that part is the most scary imho.

 

[Cesar R M]

He only gave a crap about it starting in 2007 when WDI came in and finally got to do some cleaning, some fixing and some plussing.

Today's Pirates is largely what Mansion used to be under Phil's 'leadership'.

to resume.. the guy was just an ahole cutting everything and waiting for his bonuses?

 

[Cesar R M]

And people say you're not polite! That's literally the nicest thing you could say in response to someone bragging that they called a zoo to investigate a Disney internet rumor.

I would have imagined someone pushing this image macro on him, lol!: