Bob Iger at WDW now ... BoD to Follow?

[Captain Neo]

I doubt Epcot is getting anything more than a new Soarin' film

 

[jt04]

I doubt Epcot is getting anything more than a new Soarin' film

And Frozen.

 

[1023]

I doubt Epcot is getting anything more than a new Soarin' film

Then you'd be wrong.

*1023*

 

[Captain Neo]

And Frozen.

Right but I meant from the new budget

Then you'd be wrong.

*1023*

oh be quiet you dont know anything

*1138*

 

[Blairnicol]

@ford91exploder "resident curmudgeon" fits you extremely well...I think that every time I read your posts.

Back to topic at hand...I do wonder what the survival chances of Fantasmic! (edited to correct auto-correct ) are...it's on the opposite side of the park from everything getting the axe & newer than Illuminations, but I can't help but think they would want a new night show to go with their (mostly new) DHS? Something with a Pixar & SW presence? Maybe they will go the way of DL & not do it every night?

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

great place to visit btw..

a must for any fan

Agreed.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Right but I meant from the new budget

The new Soarin' film was already in production before this new budget.

 

[Mike S]

great place to visit btw..

a must for any fan

It's on my list. Just recently crossed off the site of the 1964 World's Fair.

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

It's on my list. Just recently crossed off the site of the 1964 World's Fair.

You should visit. The SF area in general is just an animator's paradise. Check out Pixar while you are there if you can.

Not exactly "right there" but not far.

 

[Blairnicol]

Fantasmic!* is actually older than IllumiNations. It hasn't been stated or reveled what, if any, changes will be made to the show. Though some enhancements would certainly be welcome.

hmph-I think I always register it as older bc I saw it first. Took a while for the parentals to register the value of Epcot when I was a kiddo. And auto-correct is a sneaky SOB....

 

[Mike S]

You should visit. The SF area in general is just an animator's paradise. Check out Pixar while you are there if you can.

Not exactly "right there" but not far.

That's on my list as well It'll happen the next time I go to California.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Does Kathleen Kennedy have a say in the Star Wars land like Rowlings with PotterLand and Cameron with AvatarLand? It would be nice if she had that written in her LucasFilm contract that she has a creative say in what is built. She seems to have a passion for the LucasFilm properties and wants them treated fairly.

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

Does Kathleen Kennedy have a say in the Star Wars land like Rowlings with PotterLand and Cameron with AvatarLand? It would be nice if she had that written in her LucasFilm contract that she has a creative say in what is built. She seems to have a passion for the LucasFilm properties and wants them treated fairly.

Theming benefits from hands on intervention by IP creatives. With Disney, timing not so much....see AK Pandora.

 

[Captain Neo]

Does Kathleen Kennedy have a say in the Star Wars land like Rowlings with PotterLand and Cameron with AvatarLand? It would be nice if she had that written in her LucasFilm contract that she has a creative say in what is built. She seems to have a passion for the LucasFilm properties and wants them treated fairly.

Yes WDI will work with Kennedy and Lucasfilm in much the same way Pixar theme park projects go through Pixar's park liaison and John Lasseter & co. I think Lucasfilm even hired a theme park liaison of their own last year. Lucas film has been involved with this project from the very beginning.

 

[PhotoDave219]

One thing we can look at (in retrospect) is Capex spending as a percentage of net income which @ParentsOf4 does with some regularity on this board. I don't even bother to "do the math" anymore since he does it for me when annual reports come out. Unfortunately, TWDC includes its Cruise Line in the "Parks and Resorts" category along with the international parks. It will be interesting to see the reports in the coming years. I still haven't sold my DIS stock. I'm a "buy and hold" kind of person. Holding this particular investment has been a good idea despite my personal disappointment in the Parks portion. They are just so HUGE in terms of the entertainment industry in general. I will be paying far more attention to the numbers from now on. Thanks to @ParentsOf4 and @PhotoDave219 for doing my "due diligence". Time to quit being lazy. ThemeParkJunkee (accountant) needs to step up her game I think.

I'd stay in for the long haul. Any drop from CapEx will be offset by a spike from the Lucasfilm segment... but I'm just a random guy on a message board. Alas there no way in hell I sell before Ep7. Between box office and merchandising? Dios mio....

Thanks tho.

 

[PhotoDave219]

The longstanding complaint here is that DHS needed more than the DCA makeover to get up to snuff, and from all accounts they approved it.

Thats what we all seem to be hearing.

Whats a couple of Billion between friends, AmIright?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Does Kathleen Kennedy have a say in the Star Wars land like Rowlings with PotterLand and Cameron with AvatarLand? It would be nice if she had that written in her LucasFilm contract that she has a creative say in what is built. She seems to have a passion for the LucasFilm properties and wants them treated fairly.

Yes. Like Pixar, Lucasfilm has a theme parks division which oversees the use of its characters, stories and settings in the parks as a means of quality control. This is not to say garbage doesn't get through, but it is a check on P&R and WDI.
However, Lucasfilm has taken a more... forceful approach with the new Star Wars projects for DHS and DL. They have established a mini-WDI within WDI called the Star Wars Design Studio which is solely devoted to the IP. The group is led by Scott Trowbridge, one of the key designers on IoA, and has been working on these projects for the last three years. One could argue it is more of an extension of Lucasfilm's Theme Parks team than it is a division of WDI more so than WDI's relationship with Pixar. I also suspect we haven't heard anything of substance about SW Land is due to the increased role which Licasfilm has in this project with their infamous culture of secrecy.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OK, so @ParentsOf4 REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted me to read this gem of his (it is), which I had previously missed. So, here I am ... you now owe me a lunch!



And that was easy ... because I agree with the whole damn thing. I don't have to even comment further except to say that the guy gets it (we all sorta knew that!)

Now, how about a lovely lunch on the water at the Boathouse (with alcohol included of course)?

Hell, I'd make an appearance for that lunch.....

 

[lazyboy97o]

Is it really a good thing that we have come to expect Disney projects to cost such sums? There would be more incentive to invest in the parks if the returns were better, something directly impacted by Disney's high costs of getting anything done.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Journalism in the "lifestyle" genres has largely gone to pay-to-play with advertisers. Reporters can't make a living by actually reporting news unless the publisher (print, web, or otherwise) is on board with the story. The insiders in these areas posting on the web generally have a day job that is not threatened by revealing their knowledge, which is part of what makes them so popular. Hence why I go to forums like this for my news rather than any of the official Disney sites.

NO KIDDING!