EPCOT had a brief resurgence when George Kalogridis was able to wrest the Milennium celebration from being MK-focused to EPCOT-focused and the park did quite well in 1999-2000, which was enough to get him the biggest job (then) of his career.
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Bob Iger at WDW now ... BoD to Follow?
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
EPCOT had a brief resurgence when George Kalogridis was able to wrest the Milennium celebration from being MK-focused to EPCOT-focused and the park did quite well in 1999-2000, which was enough to get him the biggest job (then) of his career.
Not my line. A far better writer than I penned those ... I think they upset Tom so much that he's turned to steroids to bulk up (and, no, I am not kidding!)
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
Tom as in the future CEO?
From me?
If and when I have the entire picture (or most of it) and am able to spread it, then ... I think at this point, I might pick five of you regulars here at random (but people who don't know me so as to not be described as friends or minions) and send them the info with the ability to know it, but not spread it beyond vague statements. Then, when it happens, you can all chime in with your dated notes showing that I did have it.
I'm sorta tired of the whole fan community at this point. The arguing of facts. The passive aggressive BS. The not believing anything bad ... and then refusing to believe anything good. It wasn't all that long ago that I drank with a 'Celebrity Imagineer' at the DLH and he said that ''WDW fans get what they deserve.'' Sadly, that has largely been the case.
DisneyWall-E
Well-Known Member
That's a lot of pressure for 5 randoms. Do you think they could handle it? No, I do not want to be one of the chosen.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
I was already corrected.
I'm sure there was a tipping point. I'm not privy to every move these very big business leaders make. I know they were prepared to spend a large sum on WDW upgrades in 2008 and then the economy crashed and they got very gun shy. It's part of why they decided to dump $2 billion and counting (and we'll never know the final real cost) on NGE. So, no, I don't think they all were in denial (some folks certainly were -- Rasulo and Staggs being two). If you ever got George K in a weak moment (say surround him with some cute 20-something CPers from Iowa and Nebraska!), I think he would have said that WDW was largely a mess when he left for Paris in 2006 and much more of a mess when he returned from Anaheim in 2012/2013.
But I don't think it was any one thing, as you could likely surmise. It was a combo deal over many years. And it will still take many years to make things better. I truly think it will be 2021 before WDW is about where it needs to be.
TalkingHead
Well-Known Member
Honestly, why would you bother? Your fans would continue to be incredulous and claim the dated notes were Photoshopped.
You called the Hogwarts Express and the Potter expansion going into USF years before it opened (in addition to other stuff). Track record speaks for itself.
Not anymore.
But on the subject of Disney bags, they never really die or run out ... they get stuffed in a warehouse somewhere on property. The local Disney outlet in SoFla has been using DLR's last original bags (they were the same as WDW, but said DL on them ... castle may have been different or just a generic one, can't recall) of late and this week was using the WoD bags used only in the three stores at WDW, DLR and NYC.
I am reasonably certain those 1980s paper bags still exist on property somewhere. Disney throws nothing out.
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
I think this is what bothers me the most about all this. When I think of how old I'll be before I get to see any real (dare I say Spirited) improvements to the parks I loved, it just really annoys the heck out of me. I still have days left on my last 10 day non-expiring tickets that we bought several years ago - hope they'll still be good in 2021.
Iger's legacy is all about two things: 1.) his acquisitions; 2.) 'opening' China.
WDW isn't even a blip on that radar and, even after all this stuff gets done (when he's gone), it still won't change a thing. Maybe it will turn into Chapie's Legacy, even though he has had about .008% influence on what is happening.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Question: how many acres does Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain cover? Good example of two excellent rides done right with good theming. Hopefully DHS has something like this going for it in the Pixar section along with meet and greets for children, and several C - D rides. I would live Disney to do something with UP. Could they use the same technology as Star Tours?
englanddg
One Little Spark...
They take up about 4.5 acres combined, including ride buildings and queues.
StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
Crappy movie?
1023
Provocateur, Rancanteur, Plaisanter, du Jour
StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
I am aware, consensus is he is a mystery at the moment correct?
No, we can't. Some of us look at things beyond simply what he has done for the stock. We look at the real health of numerous business units. We look at how things were when he came in and how they'll be when he leaves.
Growing the DCL was a no-brainer. It was being seriously discussed by MDE in 2003. One could argue that both he and then Iger waited too long to pull the trigger ... and that Bob just made the same mistake again.
Pixar was never going anywhere but Disney. I've said it before, but the fact it was done by Iger speaks more to a toxic relationship between Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner than anything else. A lot of folks want to saint SJ because they couldn't imagine their lives without their Apple toys. I don't have them. And I have no affinity for the man. I cringe when I hear him compared to Walt Disney. Anyway, point being here is that Iger was like Ronald Reagan when the Iranian hostage crisis ended (the Iranians hated Jimmy Carter and wanted to embarrass and humiliate him, so they waited until Reagan was Prez and released them). Talk to anyone with ANY knowledge of the situation. Pixar had no legit other suitors and they weren't going it alone.
Marvel, despite not being a good fit and having odd and constraining deals with Sony and Fox and UNI, has been a great financial deal for Disney, no doubt.
And Lucas likely will be as well, although that is jumping to conclusions.
Oh, and you can admire someone's business acumen when spending other people's money, but still 'hate' the person behind the persona for who he really is.
You are more than welcome to start a 'Bob Iger is GOD ... Only Better!' thread. But so long as I'm posting here, I'm going to express my strong opinion that Bob has as many cons as pros.
1023
Provocateur, Rancanteur, Plaisanter, du Jour
Thoughtful in a reserved way. Plodding and deliberate. Not really a visionary but very comfortable in the "Parks" so to speak. He will likely not make it long enough to sit in the big chair. But one could hope.
*1023*