Rumor Bye Bye (Tiki) Birdies?

zakattack99

zakattack99

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
ford91exploder said:
We go as children and eventually bring our chikdren to the park to experience the wonder we felt.
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Honestly going to WDW has become a right of passage. Parents with children now experienced WDW at it's peaks in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and want those same experiences for their children. This is a great thing however does WDW live up to what it was then now? I think we have seen in the last decade and even recently management having the additude that it does not matter what we do or what we charge people will still come. But how long can that last are the children today having the same "moments of wonder" that are driving their parents or is this just a big fancy theme park let me get my phone out to tweet or whatever about it? What is Disney doing today to inspire those parents of tommorrow?

It just seems to me that the Disney of the 90s spent energy and money creating experience and culture that fostered return guests building a nostalgia that fostered generational returns, and they marketed the crap out of that (and quite successfully imo). Then we got to the mid-2000s to today and they basicly made a full 180. Seems short sighted no long term strategy. They market yearly with abstract commercials not really tugging at the heart strings of years past. All we get is some pictures of kids a fireworks shot and prices of the latest deal. It's very sad honestly.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
zakattack99 said:
Honestly going to WDW has become a right of passage. Parents with children now experienced WDW at it's peaks in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and want those same experiences for their children. This is a great thing however does WDW live up to what it was then now? I think we have seen in the last decade and even recently management having the additude that it does not matter what we do or what we charge people will still come. But how long can that last are the children today having the same "moments of wonder" that are driving their parents or is this just a big fancy theme park let me get my phone out to tweet or whatever about it? What is Disney doing today to inspire those parents of tommorrow?

It just seems to me that the Disney of the 90s spent energy and money creating experience and culture that fostered return guests building a nostalgia that fostered generational returns, and they marketed the crap out of that (and quite successfully imo). Then we got to the mid-2000s to today and they basicly made a full 180. Seems short sighted no long term strategy. They market yearly with abstract commercials not really tugging at the heart strings of years past. All we get is some pictures of kids a fireworks shot and prices of the latest deal. It's very sad honestly.
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The fact that WDW is nowhere near where it was in the 70,80,90's is the basis for the 'Doom and Gloom' brigades complaints. Compound that with current TWDC manangements attitude that theme parks are 'stupid entertainment for stupid people' and TWDC's focus on Wall St as their customer you have a toxic brew which results in the constant downgrade of the park experience in the US parks.

Contrast that to the ad in question. The ad was all about the girls relation to the park as a fun place to be in all stages of life from wide eyed toddler. To young girl where we saw the ONLY character interaction but character was NOT the focus of the segment. To high school girls hanging out in front of IASW where she meets boy and the inevitable progression takes place. This ad is not about characters or upcharge experiences.

Its about a girl's relation to a place where she finds joy in multiple forms over the years.

That concept more than anything else is the at the core of what has been lost at WDW.

We've gone from creating joyful and uplifting experiences to 'meeting characters' and thats a huge difference
 
SpaceMountain77

SpaceMountain77

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
The same reason why it wasn't very popular in Anaheim. ... Country music is very much centered on the American SE and MW regions. Sure, people all over enjoy it, but not like people in Georgia or Tennessee or North Carolina or Mississippi or etc ... states that send a lot of people to WDW.

On the other hand, tiki culture is part of the SoCal lifestyle and has been for decades. In FLA? Not really ...
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Yesterday, I was at Magic Kingdom and had the opportunity to visit the Country Bear Jamboree, followed by Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, as an experimental psychologist, I understand the importance of multiple observations, at various times and dates. It is not my intent to generalize, but share one observation.

While visiting the Country Bear Jamboree, the theater was about two-thirds full during the 3:00pm hour. Guests clapped, whistled, and laughed at the jokes. When the show ended, we visited Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, which played to a full house. All designated electric vehicle and wheelchair spaces were taken, so additional vehicles were positioned near the door. During the show, guests watched, but were unresponsive. When instructed to stand, no one stood up to face the door.

To me, as noted by @WDW1974 , the Country Bear Jamboree is more engaging to guests because it is more relatable. It is not uncommon to hear Ol' Slew Foot in a honky tonk or BBQ restaurant.
 
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GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
ford91exploder said:
The fact that WDW is nowhere near where it was in the 70,80,90's is the basis for the 'Doom and Gloom' brigades complaints. Compound that with current TWDC manangements attitude that theme parks are 'stupid entertainment for stupid people' and TWDC's focus on Wall St as their customer you have a toxic brew which results in the constant downgrade of the park experience in the US parks.

Contrast that to the ad in question. The ad was all about the girls relation to the park as a fun place to be in all stages of life from wide eyed toddler. To young girl where we saw the ONLY character interaction but character was NOT the focus of the segment. To high school girls hanging out in front of IASW where she meets boy and the inevitable progression takes place. This ad is not about characters or upcharge experiences.

Its about a girl's relation to a place where she finds joy in multiple forms over the years.

That concept more than anything else is the at the core of what has been lost at WDW.

We've gone from creating joyful and uplifting experiences to 'meeting characters' and thats a huge difference
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Not trying to rain on your parade but in the one 25th anniversary commercial posted here the punch line of the whole ad was the little girl learning to walk as she heads over to meet Mickey Mouse. It's a really cute commercial and very effective advertising for the target demo (parents with young children) but sorta punches a hole in the argument that characters were not part of the experience in the "golden era" or that the parks were not advertised for kids or families.

I will be the first to admit that there are lots of issues with WDW today. Some are a product of the times and some are a result of poor management. The growth of popularity of the meet and greet is a combo of the 2. If they were not so popular then management wouldn't keep adding them, but they are for some people and they are cheap so it's an easy thing to add. I don't find waiting in long lines to meet a teenager dressed in a costume to be an enjoyable part of my day, but I've done it if my kids really wanted to and every time I have it's not just kids waiting...there are plenty of adults without children standing in those lines too.
 
Communicore

Communicore

Well-Known Member
Actually now that I think about it, I am glad that this would be gone. Give it the Horizons treatment and add a second Aladdin ride.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
Communicore said:
Actually now that I think about it, I am glad that this would be gone. Give it the Horizons treatment and add a second Aladdin ride.
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It's not a huge theater so there wouldn't be room for a very large ride...unless you meant a second Aladdin spinner. That would fit.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
GoofGoof said:
Not trying to rain on your parade but in the one 25th anniversary commercial posted here the punch line of the whole ad was the little girl learning to walk as she heads over to meet Mickey Mouse. It's a really cute commercial and very effective advertising for the target demo (parents with young children) but sorta punches a hole in the argument that characters were not part of the experience in the "golden era" or that the parks were not advertised for kids or families.

I will be the first to admit that there are lots of issues with WDW today. Some are a product of the times and some are a result of poor management. The growth of popularity of the meet and greet is a combo of the 2. If they were not so popular then management wouldn't keep adding them, but they are for some people and they are cheap so it's an easy thing to add. I don't find waiting in long lines to meet a teenager dressed in a costume to be an enjoyable part of my day, but I've done it if my kids really wanted to and every time I have it's not just kids waiting...there are plenty of adults without children standing in those lines too.
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Even the Anime ad showed Cinderella as a side view but her face was not visible only her dress.

The ads for the 25'th I think were perfectly appropriate for 'classic Disney' and Characters have been from Day One at DL part of the Disney experience but not the Alpha and Omega of the experience

That said my issues are with TODAY'S advertisements which push Foamhead Characters as the PRIMARY focus of a WDW visit. We've all waited in line for characters because the kids or others want a photo with them, I personally hate having my picture taken so ...
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GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
ford91exploder said:
Even the Anime ad showed Cinderella as a side view but her face was not visible only her dress.

The ads for the 25'th I think were perfectly appropriate for 'classic Disney' and Characters have been from Day One at DL part of the Disney experience but not the Alpha and Omega of the experience

That said my issues are with TODAY'S advertisements which push Foamhead Characters as the PRIMARY focus of a WDW visit. We've all waited in line for characters because the kids or others want a photo with them, I personally hate having my picture taken so ...
-
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Well the Pandora adds don't focus on characters;)

I hear what you are saying, but like it or not the character meet and greets are a much bigger part of the experience these days for a lot of people that visit WDW so it's not surprising that they focus more on them in the ads. Disney may have issues with focusing on creative content these days but they still know how to pimp out their IP.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
GoofGoof said:
Well the Pandora adds don't focus on characters;)

I hear what you are saying, but like it or not the character meet and greets are a much bigger part of the experience these days for a lot of people that visit WDW so it's not surprising that they focus more on them in the ads. Disney may have issues with focusing on creative content these days but they still know how to pimp out their IP.
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Do they?

I find the old 'Mr Six' ads for Six Flags to be more memorable than anything that Disney has produced in the last decade. With the possible cringeworthy exception of the 'Seven Dwarfs in Da 'hood' ad when they announced 7DMT the overwhelming feeling is Disney is just mailing it in.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
ford91exploder said:
Do they?

I find the old 'Mr Six' ads for Six Flags to be more memorable than anything that Disney has produced in the last decade. With the possible cringeworthy exception of the 'Seven Dwarfs in Da 'hood' ad when they announced 7DMT the overwhelming feeling is Disney is just mailing it in.
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The ads worked well for the target audience. The dancing guy for Six Flags may have been more memorable but did it sell park tickets? Six Flags also has a different target demo and wanted to appear "hip" for teens and young adults. When you turn on Disney Channel and see the way they market the parks it's done quite well (again for that target demo). FLE was heavily marketed there and at least based on available public info it worked. There was a bump in attendance even though many people here felt the expansion lacked substance. Disney is still world class in marketing their products...except online. Their websites are just embarrassing.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Seabasealpha1 said:
Why the heck don't they just come up with a new Tiki Room show that's not gimmicky, doesn't involve an IP overlay, and keeps with the original spirit of the attraction without detracting from the intent? It shouldn't be that hard.

(there, I feel better.)
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ABSOLUTELY! a new show, updated new effects, updated audio... they could make it a lot of fun...bring the magic back!
 
PorterRedkey

PorterRedkey

Well-Known Member
RSoxNo1 said:
I'm the exact opposite I didn't like the Lion King show at MK at all and thoroughly enjoy PhilharMagic and the current lion king show at DAK.
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I agree, but 3D/4D movies are as cool as they were when PhilharMagic opened. PhilharMagic could be replaced by a ride or show and I would be okay... for a Meet N Greet, NEVER!
 

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