Cuts coming to every area of parks and resorts - thanks to Shanghai and Paris

[Alejandro]

Seems to me that the use of screens and digital projection has been derided fairly frequently on these boards, yet you are extolling their virtues. As guests, we need to decide what we really want.

Oh I love animatronics and minatures above all, but some good, well-used digital projections can make a huge difference and actually enhance them, make good use of the tools, not excessive use of tools just because you have them.

 

[Sonconato]

Just saw this on CNN Money. After reading this, it seems more cuts could follow.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/09/investing/disney-earnings-espn-star-wars/index.html?iid=hp-grid-dom.

 

[Cesar R M]

Tomorrowland...future world. It's all the same.

one is imaginary and the other is tech scifi?

 

[Cesar R M]

Just saw this on CNN Money. After reading this, it seems more cuts could follow.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/09/investing/disney-earnings-espn-star-wars/index.html?iid=hp-grid-dom.

dear god.. more???

This is something I cannot fathom...
"Analysts are expecting a profit increase of 13% from the same period last year."
yet "But investors remain concerned about the health of ESPN."
Investors are having ridiculous overinflated expectations and are forcing Iger and co to make them happy and destroy the foundation (aka cutting their gold duck to the bone) ?

 

[Alejandro]

dear god.. more???

This is something I cannot fathom...
"Analysts are expecting a profit increase of 13% from the same period last year."
yet "But investors remain concerned about the health of ESPN."
Investors are having ridiculous overinflated expectations and are forcing Iger and co to make them happy and destroy the foundation (aka cutting their gold duck to the bone) ?

Wall Street is brutal, analysts place unrealistic expectations for stocks, and that eventually eats into the core business.
Disney did set themselves up a little for this, Shanghai was supposed to be open, so was Frozen, (edit: so was RoL) and the pressure upon the studios is HUGE (imagine being single handedly responsible for all the big summer blockbusters).
If Shanghai is not a massive success, this will keep going, and the Stateside parks, even with record attendance, will suffer more.
I admit, I am a bit upset they can build something like PoTC in Shanghai and not spend anything to fix up Imagination!

 

[Andrew C]

one is imaginary and the other is tech scifi?

Which one is which??

 

[Goofyernmost]

Wall Street is brutal, analysts place unrealistic expectations for stocks, and that eventually eats into the core business.
Disney did set themselves up a little for this, Shanghai was supposed to be open, so was Frozen, (edit: so was RoL) and the pressure upon the studios is HUGE (imagine being single handedly responsible for all the big summer blockbusters).
If Shanghai is not a massive success, this will keep going, and the Stateside parks, even with record attendance, will suffer more.
I admit, I am a bit upset they can build something like PoTC in Shanghai and not spend anything to fix up Imagination!

They could build it here, but, they had a problem trying to talk China into paying part of the costs. The Chinese Government couldn't find a way to justify building something here in the states. Go figure!

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Seems to me that the use of screens and digital projection has been derided fairly frequently on these boards, yet you are extolling their virtues. As guests, we need to decide what we really want.

I don't think anybody has ever had a problem with projection mapping effects being added to attractions. When done well, they can add a lot to the experience.

Most people have an issue with attractions which rely almost entirely on screens (I.E.: Midway Mania!, Rat ride in Paris). Attractions which use a nice mix of projections and physical sets/figures aren't generally an issue. Shanghai's Pan looks absolutely incredible.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

By time TDO is done cutting TSL we will be lucky to have fake shrubbery hiding the wheels of the leased mobile carnival rides. And the BRAND advocates will call it Disneys greatest thing ever

You really love hyperbole, don't you?

 

[ford91exploder]

You really love hyperbole, don't you?

As a matter of fact I do, The reality is TSL is built around flat 'off the shelf' rides with minimal customization, So what's left to cut in that case you are left with permascape and what minimal theming exists at the existing TSL's hence my comment.

 

[ford91exploder]

dear god.. more???

This is something I cannot fathom...
"Analysts are expecting a profit increase of 13% from the same period last year."
yet "But investors remain concerned about the health of ESPN."
Investors are having ridiculous overinflated expectations and are forcing Iger and co to make them happy and destroy the foundation (aka cutting their gold duck to the bone) ?

Yup that's the Wall St mentality in a paragraph.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Wall Street is brutal, analysts place unrealistic expectations for stocks, and that eventually eats into the core business.
Disney did set themselves up a little for this, Shanghai was supposed to be open, so was Frozen, (edit: so was RoL) and the pressure upon the studios is HUGE (imagine being single handedly responsible for all the big summer blockbusters).
If Shanghai is not a massive success, this will keep going, and the Stateside parks, even with record attendance, will suffer more.
I admit, I am a bit upset they can build something like PoTC in Shanghai and not spend anything to fix up Imagination!

It'd be interesting to see what happened to Tomorrowland in the early 1990s happen to DHS.. They get about 1/2 way through and just quit. So you end up with a mediocre Slinky coaster going through part of the backlot and that's it.

 

[TubaGeek]

... The reality is TSL is built around flat 'off the shelf' rides with minimal customization, So what's left to cut in that case you are left with permascape and what minimal theming exists at the existing TSL's hence my comment.

I wish I could "Like" this twice.

 

[cwoms197]

I'm afraid things will get a lot worse before they come close to getting better. I fully expect to see things like splash mountain of 2010-2012 and pirates of the caribean type issues coming up again and much for frequent. It's gonna take low attendance and money loss to get the parks back to the way they used to be. And sadly I don't think we will ever see it the way it once was.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm afraid things will get a lot worse before they come close to getting better. I fully expect to see things like splash mountain of 2010-2012 and pirates of the caribean type issues coming up again and much for frequent. It's gonna take low attendance and money loss to get the parks back to the way they used to be. And sadly I don't think we will ever see it the way it once was.

No not unless the P&R division is sold to someone who cares OLC or Hershend or even Shendi come to mind immediately

 

[ford91exploder]

It'd be interesting to see what happened to Tomorrowland in the early 1990s happen to DHS.. They get about 1/2 way through and just quit. So you end up with a mediocre Slinky coaster going through part of the backlot and that's it.

And what happened at WDW Tomorrowland was a direct result of the poor financial performance at DLP. Interesting how a senior member of the Eisner team is repeating history for those who were not there for the first go-round.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I'm afraid things will get a lot worse before they come close to getting better. I fully expect to see things like splash mountain of 2010-2012 and pirates of the caribean type issues coming up again and much for frequent. It's gonna take low attendance and money loss to get the parks back to the way they used to be. And sadly I don't think we will ever see it the way it once was.

Unfortunately, I think you're right. It's going to take a situation where their attendance numbers fall fairly steadily, year over year, for them to think, "Oh, crap - we have to get these people back!"

That's a whole different attitude than, "We can do whatever we want... They'll come anyway."

I felt a bit bad with the DHS - Slinky Coaster (and that's it) analogy but, geez, you can look in Tomorrowland at MK and see where they just stopped, literally 1/2 way through. It's stark in it's contrast.

 

[Alejandro]

I don't think anybody has ever had a problem with projection mapping effects being added to attractions. When done well, they can add a lot to the experience.

Most people have an issue with attractions which rely almost entirely on screens (I.E.: Midway Mania!, Rat ride in Paris). Attractions which use a nice mix of projections and physical sets/figures aren't generally an issue. Shanghai's Pan looks absolutely incredible.

My thoughts exactly, the Pan ride is a prime example, some of those small things could be added to the existing Pan rides, and I would not mind seeing some very very smart of it applied to things like Spaceship Earth, heck, Imagination needs a redo so bad....

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Daaaang. Finally saw a full ride through video of Shanghai's Pirates. Absolutely mind blowing. I can't imagine in person. Now THAT'S screen-based attraction done right.

 

[Mike S]

Daaaang. Finally saw a full ride through video of Shanghai's Pirates. Absolutely mind blowing. I can't imagine in person. Now THAT'S screen-based attraction done right.

Nemo and Gran Fiesta being the key examples of screens done wrong, lol.