Oh god not this argument again.
First of all, no it wasn't.
Second of all, that's irrelevant. What Disneyland did in 1955 is entirely unrelated to completely valid points about what they should do now. You're just trying to use some kind of weird appeal to authority fallacy, where if Walt did it then we should stop complaining, basically trying to dismiss criticism against the IP mandate. But Walt nor Disneyland are perfect so really it doesn't matter what either did 70 years ago.
It matters to me, especially when we are specifically talking about individual likes or dislikes. and it was true. I don't care if someone dislikes something as long as it's for the right, truthful reason. IP's rank up there with the most useless and incorrect thoughts that ever existed. I only brought up the retail space as an "also" topic. I never said it had anything to do with the IP topic. My pet peeve with that subject is that everything ever created is an IP unless a computer came up with it on it's own. So the constant concern about it is just beyond my ability to just let it go because YOU don't like the discussion.
Disney had an era of retail stores on Main Street. It still has them but not outside retail, just Disney's. Everything in the original was either direct from a movie, be it live action or animated or had the name of some outside business attached. It had synergy and connection to something. WDW was almost a carbon copy of Disneyland, but by then the only thing new was not there until a few years later when Space Mtn., Pirates and Haunted mansion was an original Disney creation. That was the first real change in and both shared the era of Omni-movers continued that through the more original creations shown in EPCOT.
EPCOT was the first, after the original DL to be created from scratch. It didn't rely on Disney movies or animation, but even then relied on the money and influence of outside sponsorship... from the original DL, but story lines were new. That concept, as well meaning as it was, also was a short lived success but within a decade had lost it's charm and became a festival of drunks lands and they eventually had to basically downsize while adding "IP's" to try and breath some life into the place and that helped.
All that was followed by DHS which needed the support of MGM movies to even have anything to see. Talk about your IP's. MGM was one of the biggest. The whole park relied on MGM, Star Wars, TV shows (all IP's). It has new life now because of Toy Story Land (Pixar) and Star Wars Land (Lucas) but now they own both so therefore it is the thing that everyone wanted. A good source owned and operated by TWDC but even what Disney creates using it or any thing else is an IP.
Then "Oh Lordy" Omni Movers became yesterdays technology and tears start to fall because of screens. All screens did was expand the ability to create immersive shows and stay current. Due to the fact that Disney owns about 90% of all the entertainment venues worth having EVERYTHING IS NOW AN IP. And even though what we get now is an owned Disney brain tank of now Disney IP's. It is no longer someone else's idea it is Disney's.
Some of the things have stayed in that Disney will welcome a sponsor with open arms but it isn't the same world it once was and those pots of gold are much harder to find. So, I'm sorry that you don't like to hear about the thought that the IP's might be a plus, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be there. Without them WDW would be a huge hotel resort with no other use.
