Bye Bye Mickey...Disney is Ready for the New Generation (Yahoo Finance Article)

[Black Pearl]

Title of article is cringe worthy.

Sometimes the guys throwing Walt's name around in quotes like those seem to use it like a careless marketing buzzword.

I imagine a guy saying something like :
"We took the castle in magic kingdom down because Walt was always a forward thinking guy. We thought, what would be more forward then a new way to experience the wonders of WDW than a premium parking garage that could place you literally in the center of the magic when you get out?"

 

[The Empress Lilly]

And that's when it was stupidly positioned against the juggernaut that was Avatar. And then the following year, Winnie the Pooh was mysteriously put up against Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2... both experienced a soft box office debut, but still had pretty solid numbers. Both were very well reviewed. Does that tell you that the market doesn't want hand-drawn animation, or does it tell you that Disney seemed to try and sabotage these films by giving them (pooh!) release dates?

I'm tired of the argument that the medium determines box office success/audience interest. Crap CGI films are a dime a dozen and many are thoroughly rejected by audiences. They're interested in strong story, characters, and art. I don't think it matters so much whether it's rendered by a computer or drawn. They have different looks, sure, but ultimately it's the subject matter, story, and marketing (let's keep in mind Disney has consistently, almost intentionally, squashed some of its films through [pooh!] marketing) that drives audiences to these animated films.

Yes. And for another thing, the more CGI takes over, the more hand drawn will stand out. It will become a medium that exudes classic style and quality. Warm, classy, 'special'.

Shame Disney does not understand this. TWDC is always trying to hard to remain 'relevant'. If only because everybody, everybody - just look at the opening video of this thread - is always asking what Disney is doing to stay 'relevant'. They've been asking that for fifty years now. Meanwhile, classic Disney quality always is and remains timeless, and everything aimed at being hip, edgy or relevant is a dud that only becomes more painful to watch as times go by.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Title of article is cringe worthy.

Sometimes the guys throwing Walt's name around in quotes like those seem to use it like a careless marketing buzzword.

I imagine a guy saying something like :
"We took the castle in magic kingdom down because Walt was always a forward thinking guy. We thought, what would be more forward then a new way to experience the wonders of WDW than a premium parking garage that could place you literally in the center of the magic when you get out?"

For bleedin's sake don't give them any ideas laddie!

 

[Did Knee]

"We took the castle in magic kingdom down because Walt was always a forward thinking guy. We thought, what would be more forward then a new way to experience the wonders of WDW than a premium parking garage that could place you literally in the center of the magic when you get out?"

OOH! We could put a DVC in there too with it's own meet and greet and deluxe gift shop!

 

[Darth Sidious]

I'm not reading the whole thread but Captain America is not going to be in Walt Disney World unless its on a shirt at the store.

 

[rioriz]

Didn't read the article but Iger is a good business man but like Eisner his usefulness is drying up. Now the company is thriving $ wise we need someone more innovative as Eisner was park wise.

 

[FettFan]

Hand drawn animation don't sell anymore, its a dodo bird. Everything, even Mickey and the gang has all gone CGI because that's what people want.

Disagree. POORLY DONE hand drawn animation is a dodo. But when hand drawn animation is done right, there is a market for it. See: Miyazaki

Besides if hand drawn animation were truly dead, there would not be the current round of naysaying against against the seemingly John K. inspired new Mickey shorts.

In the end what I'm trying to say is that there is room for both cgi and hand drawn at Disney. Paperman proved that.

 

[jensenrick]

"Bob Iger is Walt Disney re-created," says Brian Sozzi of Belus Capital Advisors. "He's re-imagined the company to position it for the longer term. It's about making it cool again."

There are your cringe-worthy quotes of the day.

If Bob Iger is Walt Disney re-created, oh, nevermind, how can you even get beyond that statement?....

Cringe-worthy is so right! I almost couldn't go past statement, but I had to see how twisted it gets. And then we get this gem "Disney's fabled Imagineers. This development arm of Disney has been tasked by Iger to constantly refresh its brand and define trends instead of reacting to them."

REALLY? Let me get this straight and simple- Iger told the Imagineers to refresh the brand and define trends, and they did so. Well, how EXCITING! Uh . . . when did this happen exactly? Because I must have missed it. What new trend has Imagineering defined lately? Or refreshed the brand for that matter? Do they mean that spanking new Little Mermaid attraction? Gosh, that's a corker, ain't it? Hardly a "new trend" being defined though. Hmmm.

 

[Future Guy]

Is this supposed to be a news article or an opinion piece? Because the author gushes over the awesomeness of Bob Iger in much the same way North Korean state media does over Kim Jong Un.

 

[muteki]

And that's when it was stupidly positioned against the juggernaut that was Avatar. And then the following year, Winnie the Pooh was mysteriously put up against Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2... both experienced a soft box office debut, but still had pretty solid numbers. Both were very well reviewed. Does that tell you that the market doesn't want hand-drawn animation, or does it tell you that Disney seemed to try and sabotage these films by giving them (pooh!) release dates?

I'm tired of the argument that the medium determines box office success/audience interest. Crap CGI films are a dime a dozen and many are thoroughly rejected by audiences. They're interested in strong story, characters, and art. I don't think it matters so much whether it's rendered by a computer or drawn. They have different looks, sure, but ultimately it's the subject matter, story, and marketing (let's keep in mind Disney has consistently, almost intentionally, squashed some of its films through [pooh!] marketing) that drives audiences to these animated films.

Agree, a crap film is a crap film regardless of medium. Same for a good film.

 

[Clowd Nyne]

I should also mention that I hate what they've done to Mickey as well. The new programming of him is terrible. He wasn't supposed to be a strictly toddler focused character. They've dumbed him down so much, maybe they should just get rid of him. What happen to the sophisticated, sneaky, and somewhat mischievous mouse that we all loved?

Watch the new mickey shorts. Not your toddler's Mickey Mouse!

 

[FrankLapidus]

"Bob Iger is Walt Disney re-created," says Brian Sozzi of Belus Capital Advisors. "He's re-imagined the company to position it for the longer term. It's about making it cool again."

This embarrassing statement made me want to vomit a little bit. Very few people will ever come anywhere close to achieving what Walt Disney did, Bob Iger is certainly, unquestionably not one of them.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Let WDI have 2 billion and tell them to create some great attractions and see what happens. I guarantee we get timeless attractions that draw huge numbers.

I don't think creativity at Imagineering is the issue, but I do think there are issues there. I think there is likely too much politicking going on. I believe there is a focus on "safe" projects that are easy to pitch (in many cases this works out well like Cars Land). I also believe that the spending is obscene, and is a large reason why new attractions aren't added more often.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

I for one wouldn't mind seeing Marvel characters in Hollywood Studios. It's even got a section themed to New York. It's BEGGING for Marvel characters!

I understand with keeping the company fresh and the need for new ideas, but Disney has become the empire that it is because of nostalgia. Parents have passed that nostalgia and that love they've had for Disney on to their kids. In a society where everything is about sex and violence it is the one thing that parents can share with their kids.

Yes, I believe there's a balance needed here.

"Bob Iger is Walt Disney re-created," says Brian Sozzi of Belus Capital Advisors. "He's re-imagined the company to position it for the longer term. It's about making it cool again."

There are your cringe-worthy quotes of the day. It's only fitting that a guy who's business it is to only be concerned about his and his clients' wealth in terms of Disney as a financial asset would make a statement like that. Many of us would argue that inevitably, many of these purchases go could go south, or rather, not have high returns if Disney runs them into the ground whether it's too many consumer goods with the same characters or things like the MARVEL films having run their course with just too many superhero films.

If Bob Iger is Walt Disney re-created, oh, nevermind, how can you even get beyond that statement?....

Okay, I don't hate Bob Iger the way others do but I would never go so far as to say he's "Walt Disney re-created."

 

[weedles]

I didnt see this posted so my apologies if it already was. Cap't America is going to Disney cruise line.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/08/captain-america-coming-to-the-disney-magic/

 

[tirian]

—Yet it dominates TV animation and classic DVDs still outperform releases from other studios.

Maybe it comes down to story, not animation style? The glut of failed CG kiddie movies proves that CG doesn't guarantee success. Even Pixar has finally lost its streak.

Hand drawn animation don't sell anymore, its a dodo bird. Everything, even Mickey and the gang has all gone CGI because that's what people want.

The Yeti don't bother me. I saw it when it worked, I saw it in disco mode, I saw it when he wasn't even there, its still a fun ride.


Jimmy Thick- Meh?

 

[luv]

I always chuckle at the negative chatter concerning change at Disney. Hardcore Disney fans that are anti-change seem to forget that one of the characteristics that made Walt so great is that he was was a pioneer and was well known for his forward thinking. Walt never stayed in the same place long.

I am just as nostalgic as the next person and am disheartened when I hear that TDO is either removing or modifying one of my beloved rides from childhood. But then I remind myself that if Walt was still around, he would have definitely changed things by now and would have thought of something better and greater.

Walt was never one for being tied down to one idea. He was constantly changing and rethinking things. Heck, look at the differences between Disneyland and Disney World from a planning perspective. He learned from his mistakes at Disneyland and changed things for the better at Disney World. I wonder what his third "MK" park would have looked like, or if EPCOT would have really looked like his earlier model.

I am not always thrilled about change that is based on generating revenue at the expense of quality but that sometimes is the corporate mentality. However, at the same time, if Disney did not keep itself on its toes and keep expanding or moving into new and untouched markets/ventures, the company could and would eventually become stale and could ultimately hurt the vision and company we all love so dearly.

And that's my two cents, thanks for reading.

Walt also cared about his company and his parks. He'd have kept them clean, well-maintained and kept the staff friendly. He knew those things were important. He also knew that quality outs. Everyone with any sense knows that.

When you skimp on quality, you're going to pay the price for that. It will look good at first, but will drive you into the ground later.

Later is something the people in charge don't care about because they care about how much money they can make for themselves right now. That company isn't their baby. It's their job. And they're making money doing it now.

Later will be someone else's headache.

But later always shows up. The chickens do come home, lol.

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

Walt also cared about his company and his parks. He'd have kept them clean, well-maintained and kept the staff friendly. He knew those things were important. He also knew that quality outs. Everyone with any sense knows that.

When you skimp on quality, you're going to pay the price for that. It will look good at first, but will drive you into the ground later.

Later is something the people in charge don't care about because they care about how much money they can make for themselves right now. That company isn't their baby. It's their job. And they're making money doing it now.

Later will be someone else's headache.

But later always shows up. The chickens do come home, lol.

It is few and far in between when most people don't find friendly staff at the parks and resorts as well as the parks being kept up and well maintained. Think about all of the hours and abuse that both the rides and attractions take at the Disney Parks. Do things break down, of course they do. Should an entire ride be shut down due to 5-10% of the attraction malfunctioning (I'm thinking Splash Mountain here), depends on the issue but it probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Needless to say all, think about all the gripes and complaints you would hear about shutting down the ride because of malfunctioning animatronics in the closing scene. The overall quality at Disney still exists, but most folks either don't know or tend to ignore what it takes to keep everything running smoothly 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As far as the "later" not being cared about or an employee not caring and treating it like their "baby". Look around you, most people in most positions don't necessarily have the "ownership mentality" you are thinking about. Should we hold Disney to a higher standard, I think that depends on your own work ethic. If you don't necessarily have an "ownership mentality" in the daily work you do why or how can you hold that person to the same standard. As for my opinion, I do tend to believe that most Disney CM's have that ownership mentality and that's why Disney World continues to be far and above the leader in Amusement Park Entertainment.

 

[flavious27]

Meh, nothing really new listed in the article. Also disney won't be able to bring any marvel ip into wdw under the current agreement, unless Iger is sending the roberts a huge chunk of change.