Yup, time for a bit of a summer special as Bob 'Chappie' Chapek -- the dude who heads Disney P&R, better known for his amazing ability to sell all things Marvel and make Ike 'I really don't like Bob Iger' Perlmutter a fan -- has been making all Florida based Disney execs VERY nervous with his well-known bias toward the way TDA runs its house.
And the first up to feel the heat is none other than our old, old, old pal Phil Holmes. You may remember him as the longtime VP of the MK as it truly reached new lows in his decade-plus leadership role. He was moved over to the Star Wars Construction Park (the one with no real name, identity or attractions) last year and is currently on a tour of the Anaheim parks, as well as WDI, to see why it is that they consistently do things better than their swamp-based-brethren.
Phil's itinerary has him first at DCA to look at Hyperion Theater and its new Frozen musical (I hear Olaf is great), the lousy Bob Iger IP homage known as World of Color, the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and then looking at nearly everything at Disneyland. He's also spending time in Glendale to get an overview of Disneyland's Star Wars Experience plans since that land opens first. No, WDW's version remains solidly 18-24 months minimally behind DL's version.
But Phil will be getting a complete rundown by Imagineering on WDW's SWE plans and, as well as Disneyland Entertainment's plans to massively upgrade and freshen Fantasmic when it returns (mid?) next summer. This is part of a strategy direct from Chappie as Chapek favors the Anaheim way of doing things and according to someone with direct knowledge ''thinks the WDW operation has gotten sloppy and lazy and their execs need to spend more time in California to learn how the DLR is managed and operated. It's a message that is hard to swallow for many WDW folks, but Chapek is unrelenting and has made it clear he thinks Anaheim is doing it better. Phil Holmes is only the first in a series of WDW execs who will be making a pilgrimage to Anaheim soon.''
This really is major news because typically WDW execs simply don't visit their SoCal kewler cousins. From what I've been told, WDW execs are not handling this news any better than the typical blogger who doesn't make the cut for one of Dr. Blondie's patented Cupcake Soirees.
Phil MAY well be on scene for some much bigger news to drop regarding the future of DLR's President as well. It does appear that Mary Niven's quite amazing climb from being the only major Cynthia Harriss era survivor to Queen of the Kingdom appears about to become official.
If so, that obviously means the end of Michael Colglazier's tenure as DLR Prez. One largely met with a collective yawn by those who work for him and with him and the paying Guests.
At least he won't have to freak out every time someone leaks a story about turning the ToT into a cheap Marvel attraction (get in your rides by Labor Day to be safe, closing day looks to be 9/12 for reopening May of 2017) or a reporter looks at public documents and realizes that DL is adding another resort hotel or has bought additional property etc.
A few other DLR tidbits:
Parks on the left coast have also been very uncrowded this summer. Since there haven't been massive shootings, possibly with terrorist ties, or killer gator attacks on property, and since DLR doesn't have very large Brazilian or British tourist bases, one must wonder if Disney has finally hit the ceiling on what US consumers can or are willing to pay for a day (or more) of MAGIC.
No decision has been made on just how many years the 'Season' of the Force will run, but TDA planners are running up against a major deadline for deciding internally whether to remove the wildly popular Hyperspace Mountain overlay for the typical fall Ghost Galaxy overlay (think about that WDW fans as you always get the same experiences year after stale year ... no matter what my Lifestyler friends/Disney addicts will have you believe). Since GG is a major selling point of DL's Halloweentime event, planners are working up alternate cheap entertainment to toss in the park if management decides the Force will remain in Tomorrowland.
Other Spirited morsels:
Don't know if any of you paid attention last week to Herb Allen's mogul conference in Sun Valley, but "the oddly waifish man of anaemic personality" AKA Tom Staggs not only showed up for the event, but arrived with Disney execs, including the head of ESPN. One can only wonder if there was some sort of not so subtle message to Bob ... you know ... a "Have a MAGICal Day!" message from both his current and former execs.
Michael Eisner was there and told a few folks that he felt slighted for not getting a shout-out (and likely an official invite) from Disney on the Shanghai opening. He was not shy about telling others that Bob still made a mistake by not getting a media penetration deal in exchange for the park (at least off the record, naturally).
SDL appears to be on solid footing, but is not attracting the spectacular attendance or interest that Disney hoped for. Way too early to draw any conclusions beyond you really don't want to be in China in summer (unless your name is Dakota!)
At least things will remain consistent with Steven Spielberg and his very odd relationship with Disney as The BFG is turning into another disaster for Disney, and one they anticipated and helped bring about. Having 87 tent poles a year leaves little room for films that need space and time (and not commenting on merits of this one as I haven't seen it). But just like Disney let The Good Dinosaur and Alice Through the Looking Glass fail so that "more important to Bob's ego" films like The Force Awakens, Zootopia, Jungle Book, Cap America Civil War and Finding Dory could make their billions, the same is true of this movie that has no buzz at all. Disney does have hopes for Pete's Dragon, but certainly does't care about it like a Moana or a Rogue One. It's all about making sacrifices.
So Rose and Crown is following Le Cellier, Chefs de France and Crystal Palace (and whomever else I'm leaving out) with an all-day, screw the Guests, menu. That is how you increase revenue despite filling fewer tables and serving fewer people. Disney still doesn't fundamentally get this strategy can only last so long.
Oh, and I saw my friend
@WDWFigment is at WDW again and was commenting on Ample Hills Creamery and how great it is. Sorry, but $11 ice cream cones are absurd. I better be getting a special from a fanboi on the side with that. Don't care how good it is. No ice cream is that good ... and this is a fundamental issue so many don't get. It's like Disney has out kicked its coverage to use a football analogy.
As to WDW and O-Town crowds, relatively speaking, this reminds me an awful lot of 2008. The economy had long crashed, credit markets were dry, homes were being lost, the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind was happening and ... I took my usual visit to WDW in late October, after spending months in China, and the parks were packed. It seemed like business as usual because those trips were paid for, those credit cards that were going to go unpaid were going to go unpaid and those houses were going to be lost. People were having a bang before the bust. I returned to WDW in February of 2009 and it was a ghost town. Trips in July (including over the 4th) and December followed and the parks were, by O-Town standards, dead. Just a prediction but I think 2016 is the last bang before the next bust for a lot of people. And you can't keep having jobless recoveries as they are an oxymoron.
Sooner or later, the disastrous business model employed by WDW Co. will come home to roost and all the new timeshares they can build won't make a bit of a difference. I wonder what Disney Springs will look like when half of those new tenants are gone within 18 months of opening.
Anyway, just wanted to drop in with the WDW exec being schooled on the left coast news. May be around for a bit, but I am on holiday and don't necessarily expect me to respond or be back.
