Bob Iger: "‘We’ve got some pretty exciting things that we’ll be announcing over the next few months"

[stevehousse]

Wouldn't they just use busses like at WDW. That area seems like its only a few blocks down the road...

 

[doctornick]

This is taken from the Disney and More website. Disney owns the two plots in red. The smaller one to the north is currently cast parking and is eventually slated to be a guest parking structure. The larger plot is currently cast parking and the Toy Story guest parking lot and would become the third gate. To the left of the larger lot is the Anaheim Convention Center. In between the two lots is the Garden Walk mall. It has struggled ever since opening and I'm pretty sure it was recently sold again. To my knowledge it was not Disney that bought it. Too bad because as you can see it would be a very nice piece of land linking area they already own. I'm sure the owners also thought that and demanded a hefty price.

It is rumored that Disney owns other land in the area as well under assumed names.

photo credit http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-third-gate-for-disneyland-anaheim-yes.html

If they use the (majority of the) current parking lots for a third gate, do they have other space available for more parking? Where would it be?

 

[Admiral01]

Everything I read showed Disney looking to expand their theme park business to new sites.. even before the EPCOT concept.. so I don't necessarily buy this idea that the Magic Kingdom had to be forced into the Florida Project. The site selection process would have been entirely different if the property wasn't intended to support the company's ambition to expand their theme park business.

I agree with you to a certain extent. I don't doubt Disney would have expanded the theme park business. My point is that it wasn't what he wanted to do at that time in the Florida Project. Florida was for E.P.C.O.T. A theme park may have eventually followed, but it wouldn't have been first, and I bet it wouldn't have been a Disneyland East. I can't say that for sure though. All I can say for sure is that Walt Disney didn't originally plan to have Disneyland East, until the board told him he had to do that first to secure funding for his city.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Everything I read showed Disney looking to expand their theme park business to new sites.. even before the EPCOT concept.. so I don't necessarily buy this idea that the Magic Kingdom had to be forced into the Florida Project. The site selection process would have been entirely different if the property wasn't intended to support the company's ambition to expand their theme park business.

But the known projects were not another Disneyland. There was the Mineral King Ski Resort and the St. Louis urban entertainment complex, but not another Disneyland. (Due to so many conflicting statements I am not sold that there was genuine desire by anybody of signifigance to build a Disneyland East at Flushing Meadows.) Before the EPCOT film gets made, Walt was even quoted as saying that in Florida they would do something like a theme park but not another Disneyland. In my mind it was the less risky second Disneyland that was pushed on Walt.

 

[Clever Name]

This might help explain his intentions:

 

[Ignohippo]

This is enlightening because we are agreeing on more and more! You're right that Jobs had decided that he wouldn't deal with Eisner but he came to that decision before 2002. Jobs was unhappy with the original movie deal and wanted to renegotiate. I think that could have happened except for the Toy Story 2 fiasco.

As you know, Toy Story 2 was originally slated to be a direct to video project but Disney decided (late in the game) to make it a theatrical release. Jobs felt that Toy Story 2 should go towards the Pixar contract commitment. But as we also know, since it was a sequel, it didn't count toward fulfillment of the original contract. It probably would have been for the best had Eisner cut Jobs some slack on that part of the deal. However, Eisner decided to hold Jobs to the original contract largely because of the intractable attitude and behavior exhibited by Jobs.

That enraged Jobs and he decided not to enter into any more real negotiations with Eisner. From that point on, every offer from Jobs to continue doing business with Disney was completely untenable.

And how as Jobs wrong here? Pixar was now delivering a full-fledged theatrical release at Disney's request. Why wouldn't it count towards their deal? Because it was a sequel? The same amount of time and resources go into making a sequel as they do an original film.

TS2 would go on to make TWDCo billions. Jobs was absolutely right to be ed.

 

[Ignohippo]

Buying Pixar was about getting John Lasseter back into the company.

Oh no, according to Clever Name, Lasseter was forced on Disney by the ruthless Steve Jobs.

Ha.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I will be providing updates on my level of arousal commensurate with said announcements and similar time frames.

 

[flynnibus]

Well the other property concepts were different beasts from Disneyland. The St.Louis project was basically an indoor Frontierland based around the Louisiana Purchase featuring a New Orleans Square and an old St. Louis as the primary setting with attractions based on the Lewis and Clark expedition, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. And over in his hometown of Marceline, Walt wanted to repurpose the old family farm into a "Living History Farm"-type attraction.

Yes, but they were still theme park projects. Walt wasn't opposed to doing more theme parks, he just wanted to do them on his/Disney's terms. And they knew the Florida project would include more theme parks.

 

[The Mom]

Some posts are getting close to violating forum rules - please tone it down a bit. Thank you.

 

[flynnibus]

I agree with you to a certain extent. I don't doubt Disney would have expanded the theme park business. My point is that it wasn't what he wanted to do at that time in the Florida Project. Florida was for E.P.C.O.T. A theme park may have eventually followed, but it wouldn't have been first, and I bet it wouldn't have been a Disneyland East. I can't say that for sure though. All I can say for sure is that Walt Disney didn't originally plan to have Disneyland East, until the board told him he had to do that first to secure funding for his city.

I think there is merit to the point of 'which do we build first', and if it would have been a DL clone... but they knew all along it had theme park elements. It would have altered the entire site selection process otherwise. The willingness and desire to expand the theme park elements had been there for many years. I have no doubt by this time tho that EPCOT was the only portion Walt was dedicating his energy towards... but it's not like 'here's florida project, and at the last minute before they make the pitch film, they just throw DL up in the corner'.

I think it was more like
Walt: (pitch about EPCOT and new utopia)
Roy: Right, but we need the theme park to make this attractive to investors... everyone wants to invest in a DL.. it's a sure hit. EPCOT? That's not such an easy sell...
Walt: Ok, do whatever you want over there... meanwhile, I'll be building EPCOT
(they go off, select the FL site, and secure the framework)

Then Walt dies... And Roy takes what they know (the Theme Park) and makes that first order of business to ensure the project stays viable.

I think the original comments made it sound like the theme park, and copying DL was done against Walt's intentions... I think it was just Walt wasn't interested in putting his energy in that area. He knew the clock was ticking, and he was putting all his energy towards the EPCOT concept.

Just like at the studio - just because Walt wasn't engaged anymore it did not mean they were making animated films without his consent or against his will... he just decided that wasn't where he wanted to spend his energy and delegated the bulk of the work to people he trusted. Similar here... the theme park portion just wasn't the challenge that drove him and so he wouldn't waste his limited time on it.

 

[flynnibus]

Before the EPCOT film gets made, Walt was even quoted as saying that in Florida they would do something like a theme park but not another Disneyland. In my mind it was the less risky second Disneyland that was pushed on Walt.

I agree the final path of just 'improving upon' DL probably wasn't his intention - but he knew they would be doing theme park(s). The location, the climate, the accessibility, etc.. all were considerations for operating a theme park in the east. All along they knew they were trying to tap the potential of the east coast population. The '..but not another Disneyland' is one of those loaded types of responses. When you know the scope of what he was envisioning... of course its not just another DL.. land locked by cheap motels, etc.

 

[flynnibus]

What about the "strawberry fields" area that they allegedly own? Is that the parking area? I really don't think that land is a sufficient size to build a park on unless they somehow scoop up garden walk as well

The majority of that (but not the entire thing) is what is now the Toy Story Lot.. added when the Carsland DCA expansion took up more of the old (Timon I think..) parking lots.

That property sits right on Harbor... it's the other lots they own to the east of the current DL plot that are more disjointed.

 

[marni1971]

If they use the (majority of the) current parking lots for a third gate, do they have other space available for more parking? Where would it be?

A second or third garage.

 

[Goofyernmost]

This might help explain his intentions:

About at 13:30 they start to get clear about what came first. Now it is possible that Walt was holding back his real intent, but, he sure made public the fact that MK was going to be established and was thought about before any mention of EPCOT came into public acknowledgement. That should end the argument of original plans and what Disney considered important to the success of this project.

 

[Travel Junkie]

What about the "strawberry fields" area that they allegedly own? Is that the parking area? I really don't think that land is a sufficient size to build a park on unless they somehow scoop up garden walk as well

The "Strawberry fields" is the Toy Story lot. That lot is bigger than the footprint of DCA so it is big enough for a 3rd gate. The problems are getting people to and from that park and the residentail housing sitting right next door create a noise pollution issue.

 

[Computer Magic]

See the rules of governance for the Disney BoD as reaffirmed in 1998 to wit:

"The Board reaffirms its retirement policy for directors, first adopted in 1974. This policy provides for the retirement of directors at age 72, or age 75 in the case of former Chief Executive Officers of the Company."

http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/cr_governance_timeline.html

After a struggle with CEO Michael Eisner, Roy Disney's influence began to wane as more executives friendly to Eisner were appointed to high posts. When the board of directors rejected Disney's request for an extension of his term as board member.

The bottom line, Eisner wanted Roy E gone and he used his age to get it. BoD makes changes to policy all the time.

 

[Captain Neo]

Just to be clear if Pixar walked every rival studio was lined up to make a deal the only reason jobs was reluctant is because he was trying to help Lasseter and Catmull preserve the integrity of their previous films like toy story.

Roy knew the company needed Pixar and its people to remain relevant so he worked with them to take down a common enemy and iger was smart enough to play both sides and then jump on the winning team at the end.

I mean hell even Narnia got picked up by fox after walden media had a fight with Disney

 

[Clever Name]

And how as Jobs wrong here? Pixar was now delivering a full-fledged theatrical release at Disney's request. Why wouldn't it count towards their deal? Because it was a sequel? The same amount of time and resources go into making a sequel as they do an original film.

TS2 would go on to make TWDCo billions. Jobs was absolutely right to be ed.

Under the terms of the agreement that Pixar had with Disney, sequels did not count toward fulfillment of the contract. Direct to video releases were not counted as well.

 

[Magenta Panther]

He didn't need to, he just needed to sit tight and wait for Eisner's outsized ego and arrogance to seal his downfall at Disney.

Jobs met with Roy E. Disney in 2002 and told him that he would never agree to another deal while Eisner was in charge. They had to meet in secret because of Eisner's paranoia; I'm sure you're aware that by this point anyone within Disney who spoke to Roy had to report the details of the conversation back to Eisner and he was forcing the removal of board members like Andrea Van de Kamp who dared to speak against him. Jobs and Roy were pretty much in agreement that Eisner had to go.

Its worth noting that Roy and Stanley Gold were surprised at the terms that Pixar had wanted in a new deal with Disney but Eisner could have prevented that if he had done a deal earlier. He didn't and so the Pixar hits began to mount up (Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo) along with Disney animation's failures (Treasure Planet, Atlantis), leading Pixar to want more because they recognised their worth to TWDC. The only person who couldn't see this was Michael Eisner. While 'Treasure Planet' had been written off and cost the company millions, 'Finding Nemo' had earned nearly a billion dollars and been nominated for four Academy Awards.

Jobs told Dick Cook that he was breaking off negotiations with Disney and then called Roy, telling him that Disney and Pixar were logical partners but a deal was not possible while Eisner was in charge. Roy promised that the two companies would do a deal once "the Wicked Witch is dead" and so all Jobs and Pixar had to do was wait for the ouster of Michael Eisner and then they would get everything that they wanted and more. Eisner's arrogance played straight into the hands of SaveDisney and the breakdown of the relationship with Pixar only accelerated his removal.

You can take all the snide little digs at Jobs and Roy that you want, when all is said and done who played their hand the best and came out of this situation smelling of roses: them or Michael Eisner?

Very concise and well-written! APPLAUSE!!!