Disney CEO Bob Iger says there has never been a better time to be a Disney fan

[TalkingHead]

Despite all the doom and gloom around here, I think there really HASN'T been a better time to be a Disney fan than right now. Even looking through the rose-colored glasses of moustalgia (see what I did there?), we have so much to enjoy that previous generations of Disney fans could only dream of (and many who've been here a long time actually DID dream of)!

Disney+: On-demand HD streaming of (almost) every beloved Disney film and TV series anywhere you go. If you grew up renting these on worn-out VHS cassettes or clicking through "Disney DVD FastPlay," you know how amazing this is.

Animation: With not just one, but two world-class studios cranking out feature-length animated films, there's always something relatively new to watch. And despite the lackluster response of recent releases, the broad diversity of fans is more likely than ever to find something that appeals to them.

Series: Even if you're a purist who doesn't count Star Wars, Marvel, or Fox properties, Disney is cranking out new series to feed D+ demand. Most of these are of higher quality and broader appeal than the teen-focused scripted sitcoms many of us remember from The Disney Channel.

Merchandise: I mean, somebody is buying all the limited-edition popcorn buckets. While there's a TON of cheap Disney merchandise out there (I mean, seriously–who needs a Mickey toilet brush holder?), there's also some pretty cool stuff out there (this Mickey waffle iron is cheaper than Mickey waffles for three at Sleepy Hollow).

Parks: Of course, the most controversial here, and I understand why. Disrepair, skyrocketing prices, fewer amenities, and generic resort refurbs have all added up. But, with few exceptions, "stagnant" is not a word I would use to describe the parks today. They are experimenting (Genie, Interactive scavenger hunts, Starcruiser, Avengers Campus), updating (Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, GotG), and thinking about future expansions (blue sky stuff from D23). We could always focus on the Yeti, shuttered Stitch, or DL's abandoned PeopleMover tracks, but the Railroads and Monorails are open in every park, and a day at the parks (if you can afford it) is STILL one of the best places on the plant to be.

Laughable but I could imagine a lot of people under the age of 30 having this line of thought.

One could counter that the better days included annual additions to the parks, rides as well as live entertainment, both of which were available to day guests without asking them to jump through hoops; network TV specials that built demand by marketing those new attractions; regular theatrical re-releases of animated classics that made seeing the movies a generational ritual; a weekly network series that put a spotlight on the company’s entertainment library (and reached more people than a D+ series today); not to mention cable specials that gave a look behind the scenes in Burbank and Anaheim; the Disney Magazine; a robust record label with LPs and CDs…

And that’s not even getting into the wider range of entertainment the Studios produced, the parks and resorts all having 20+ years less wear and tear, more affordable prices…

 

[_caleb]

GotG and Tron costs were spread out over 3 and 5 years to control annual spend. They could have built those in 1 year if they wanted.

My point was that those attractions were crazy expensive (spread out or otherwise).

Things need to be under construction right now, in every park, and I’m not talking about replacing existing attractions or a water area. They need attractions and shows to handle capacity yesterday but they sit on their hands way too much to just sucker pixie dusters into paying extra for the same things, experiences, and hours they used to experience at no additional cost than before and that along with crowds they can’t control (because of lack of things and ways to spread them out), genie+, park reservations frustrations, ride maintenance, etc etc is why things are trending the wrong way for the guest experience

Or what?

I mean, I would prefer all these things, too! But the negative reviews and low investor confidence don't seem to be keeping people away from the parks. Are you saying bad parks experience will eventually catch up with them?

 

[GhostHost1000]

My point was that those attractions were crazy expensive (spread out or otherwise).

Or what?

I mean, I would prefer all these things, too! But the negative reviews and low investor confidence don't seem to be keeping people away from the parks. Are you saying bad parks experience will eventually catch up with them?

Yes I am. If things stay as they are or continue to trend the wrong direction after all the Covid return to normal trips then crowds will not remain the same. People are not going to return as often as they have before. The cost and frustration of a Disney parks trip is more than ever before. There are more dvc resales than ever before as well and that’s telling, even though I know some of them vacation differently, it’s still a telling sign of the times

The costs were crazy expensive because Disney's project expense to build anything are insanely out of control. Not saying it’s not a costly build, I’m saying if Universal or Sea World had built those, it would have been much less

 

[_caleb]

I'm not arguing, I'm just saying you could see things from a different perspective.

Laughable but I could imagine a lot of people under the age of 30 having this line of thought.

Sure. If you don't have anything but old YouTube videos to compare it to.

One could counter that the better days included annual additions to the parks,

Not sure what era you're referring to, but there weren't really annual additions to the parks, unless you're counting things like meet-and-greets, parades, or the Disney Wedding Pavilion.

rides as well as live entertainment, both of which were available to day guests without asking them to jump through hoops;

I mean, we may have had fewer hoops, but there weren't there still hoops: FastPass, Early Morning Magic, finger scans, ADRs, etc.?

network TV specials that built demand by marketing those new attractions;

I bet your parents may have had a different opinion about these! But these days we have endless Disney-related fan content on YouTube.

regular theatrical re-releases of animated classics that made seeing the movies a generational ritual;

We can watch all those movies at home whenever we want, on far better equipment than they used to have at the cinema.

a weekly network series that put a spotlight on the company’s entertainment library (and reached more people than a D+ series today);

More people at once, maybe. But it sounds like you miss broadcast TV more than the Wonderful World of Disney (which is on D+).

not to mention cable specials that gave a look behind the scenes in Burbank and Anaheim; the Disney Magazine; a robust record label with LPs and CDs…

I loved these as a kid. Which is why the Imagineering Story and other behing-the-scenes and making-of docs I can watch anytime on D+ are so awesome.

And that’s not even getting into the wider range of entertainment the Studios produced, the parks and resorts all having 20+ years less wear and tear, more affordable prices…

The parks did seem to be much cleaner back then, didn't they?

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I'm not arguing, I'm just saying you could see things from a different perspective.

Sure. If you don't have anything but old YouTube videos to compare it to.

Not sure what era you're referring to, but there weren't really annual additions to the parks, unless you're counting things like meet-and-greets, parades, or the Disney Wedding Pavilion.

I mean, we may have had fewer hoops, but there weren't there still hoops: FastPass, Early Morning Magic, finger scans, ADRs, etc.?

I bet your parents may have had a different opinion about these! But these days we have endless Disney-related fan content on YouTube.

We can watch all those movies at home whenever we want, on far better equipment than they used to have at the cinema.

More people at once, maybe. But it sounds like you miss broadcast TV more than the Wonderful World of Disney (which is on D+).

I loved these as a kid. Which is why the Imagineering Story and other behing-the-scenes and making-of docs I can watch anytime on D+ are so awesome.

The parks did seem to be much cleaner back then, didn't they?

This ALWAYS gets mentioned…my wife and I were there December 9-15th…the parks were clean, bathrooms were clean, no overflowing garbage cans…all these accusations, but no time stamped pictures/evidence…hmmm

 

[TalkingHead]

I mean, we may have had fewer hoops, but there weren't there still hoops: FastPass, Early Morning Magic, finger scans, ADRs, etc.?

Genie+ vs. finger scans at the park turnstiles. Yes, those things are the same.

 

[_caleb]

Genie+ vs. finger scans at the park turnstiles. Yes, those things are the same.

Would it be possible to engage in discussion without snark and argument?

I’m saying it’s like technology, when my mother used to ask me to program the VCR clock so it wasn’t always flashing 12:00.

Those things seemed like a bigger deal back then than they seem to us today. Heck, even getting information about the parks pre-internet was a bucket of hoops to jump through.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Would it be possible to engage in discussion without snark and argument?

I’m saying it’s like technology, when my mother used to ask me to program the VCR clock so it wasn’t always flashing 12:00.

Those things seemed like a bigger deal back then than they seem to us today. Heck, even getting information about the parks pre-internet was a bucket of hoops to jump through.

Pre-internet most could go to the parks and enjoy it without this level of stress, frustration, and planning though too

 

[_caleb]

Pre-internet most could go to the parks and enjoy it without this level of stress, frustration, and planning though too

Yes. I miss those days!

We still missed out. We just didn’t know how much we missed out on. Because guests all have access to unlimited information, fewer people want to meander from ride to ride in a leisurely fashion. Nobody wants to go to TSI because it seems like a “waste” of ride time.

But Disney didn’t so much create this as adjust and respond to it. (Poorly, IMO.)

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I wonder if Iger has a plan in the new year to get Disney back to its days as more of a brand than a corporation of brands?

 

[JoeCamel]

I wonder if Iger has a plan in the new year to get Disney back to its days as more of a brand than a corporation of brands?

Considering he created a bunch of it I'd say chances are slim.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Considering he created a bunch of it I'd say chances are slim.

Very slim

 

[Elijah Abrams]

Considering he created a bunch of it I'd say chances are slim.

That means Disney has a lot of brands like Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Frozen, Encanto, The Owl House, etc.

 

[JoeCamel]

That means Disney has a lot of brands like Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Frozen, Encanto, The Owl House, etc.

Those are IPs

 

[Skibum1970]

Considering he created a bunch of it I'd say chances are slim.

I still firmly believe that we won't see any impacts in the parks. They are profitable and will be business as usual. So, Iger will probably focus on the underperforming segments, including Disney+ and any network divisions. He has to stabilize the stock price and, hopefully, get it to start going back up, but, most importantly, not going down anymore. As you said, Iger has added brands and probably likes diversified offerings instead of relying on just one or two segments. Trying to do all of this in the two year window he has while also proving better at picking the next CEO is going to take some doing.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

Yes. Say something nice or I'll raise the price of churros.

Christine McCarthy, is that you?

 

[HauntedPirate]

Would it be possible to engage in discussion without snark and argument?

I’m saying it’s like technology, when my mother used to ask me to program the VCR clock so it wasn’t always flashing 12:00.

Those things seemed like a bigger deal back then than they seem to us today. Heck, even getting information about the parks pre-internet was a bucket of hoops to jump through.

Not really. Buy the latest Birnbaum’s. Done.

 

[matt9112]

I don't think Disney is going to buy comcast.
I was just pointing out that Disney's worth is 160 billion as a company.

Comcast is 151. Only a nine billion difference.

Comcast's CEO recently said Disney could buy them out of Hulu next year if they wanted to for 9 billion. Just a funny observation.

I doubt disney has the stomach for more debt atm……

 

[_caleb]

Not really. Buy the latest Birnbaum’s. Done.

And how was a first-time visitor to the parks in 1989 supposed to know to buy Birnbaums and not the "Official Guide," (like we did), which made every attraction sound like a must-do?

I grew up going to Disneyland. So when I visited WDW for the first time as a middle-schooler, I thought I knew what I was doing. I did not. Even back then, there were a lot of little things that required extra insight––ADRs (back then, we never needed them at DL), the resort bus system had a bunch of flags to decipher, we could not find a place that served breakfast, and it was really difficult to even get a sense of what all the options were for things to do during days not spent at the parks (we didn't know you could visit other resorts–let alone "pool hop")!

Again, if you grew up going to WDW pre-internet, I'm sure it didn't feel overwhelming. But it did to us, and we were huge parks fans.

My point is that "navigating WDW is too complicated" is not a new problem introduced by MDE.

 

[GhostHost1000]

And how was a first-time visitor to the parks in 1989 supposed to know to buy Birnbaums and not the "Official Guide," (like we did), which made every attraction sound like a must-do?

I grew up going to Disneyland. So when I visited WDW for the first time as a middle-schooler, I thought I knew what I was doing. I did not. Even back then, there were a lot of little things that required extra insight––ADRs (back then, we never needed them at DL), the resort bus system had a bunch of flags to decipher, we could not find a place that served breakfast, and it was really difficult to even get a sense of what all the options were for things to do during days not spent at the parks (we didn't know you could visit other resorts–let alone "pool hop")!

Again, if you grew up going to WDW pre-internet, I'm sure it didn't feel overwhelming. But it did to us, and we were huge parks fans.

My point is that "navigating WDW is too complicated" is not a new problem introduced by MDE.

Navigating hasn’t changed as much as just planning and experiencing the parks attractions which has become way more complicated than it should be