Sadly, no. Disney might never find its voice again and that's what concerns us former pixiedusters the most.
I spent decades thinking Walt Disney World was the most "magical" place in the world, I truly did.
Until a few years ago, I still felt that way. But I also knew something that most did not. I knew from an insider what corporate Disney would become under Bob Iger. That it would be turned into a soulless conglomerate with massive profits and soaring stock prices. That the customer came second, a very distant second, to shareholder equity and corporate leadership's stock options.
Still, I did not want to believe. I grew up adoring Walt Disney World. Was Iger really that much different than Eisner?
Eisner, for all his many faults, still cared. Still believed in the product. Still believed in Imagineering. Still believed that Walt Disney World needed to build, to expand, to add. To explore new ideas. To reward customer loyalty. Eisner still believed that the Disney brand meant something special.
Not Iger.
Iger has no vision. Iger is a numbers guy, a bookkeeper running a multibillion dollar corporation. He could be the head of any of massive money-making institution. Iger has no passion for the product, for the parks. They are just numbers to him, nothing more.
After years of skyrocketing prices, stagnation, quality cuts, miserly pays increases for Cast Members, and rounds of layoffs because Disney's billions in profits were not enough, I've come to realize that my source was all too accurate. That MyMagic+ was nothing more than a poorly conceived money grab created by those who spent as little times as possible in the theme parks they run, a waste of corporate funds that could have been used to build so much more.
I've come to realize that Iger is the epitome of what's wrong with corporate America today. Charge customers more for less. Take advantage of fan loyalty, of the brand name. Allow the product to grow stale. Squeeze employees while simultaneously cashing in on multi-million dollar stock options and attending the latest $1,000 per plate "benefit" for whatever politician or social cause was in vogue at the moment.
I fear that like so much of America, the Walt Disney World that I grew up loving might be gone forever.
