News Disney CFO Christine McCarthy says Disney will continue to focus on existing intellectual property for new park investments

[BlakeW39]

Is this one of the central spine attractions? Because aside from the spine all of the lands are IP based.

Yep, the dueling coaster in the hub.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Honestly it amazes me that anyone would even blink an eye that this would be the standard practice.

Leave aside all the business reasons for doing this, ROI for multi million dollar expenditures on new rides. The need to be able to cross market/merchandise. The fact that its Disney IP that seperates it from other parks (you can ride a roller coaster anywhere, but you can only take your daughters to see Elsa at Disney.)

Hasn't this been going on for decades or more?

Yes. This is the hallmark of the "Disney Difference". It's the brand. Disneyland's opening "weanie" was Sleeping Beauty castle, an advertisement for a film that wasn't released until four years later. This isn't anything new.

This has been going on for years, I don't see how/why people would get twisted about it now.

It's giving people a new thing to complain about. Blame the IP!!!

 

[aladdin2007]

This isn't what she's saying. She's saying they're going to continue to leverage Disney+ and IP into the theme parks.

This post is short-sighted.

This isn't true. Their primary purpose was to remove SotS and further the Disney Princess franchise by plugging in Tiana.

Research and data is how a company remains successful and continue to innovate.

I am in no way a Disney apologist, but this post is a short-sighted take like many on here that believe the parks are Disney's only business, they're not. They are Disney's most profitable business, and it only makes sense to continue to leverage your other business segments into the theme parks. It's just business.

I kindly disagree with all your responses, way more going on here than what you stated. but we can agree to disagree.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wouldn’t put much stock in what Chrissy says anyway

She’s gonna get decked soon

 

[Disstevefan1]

The problem is, IP that polls well on Disney+ comes into the parks replacing existing attractions that, perhaps, are original non-IP attractions.

Thats doubly bad. Existing attraction ruined by IP AND no additional attraction.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I kindly disagree with all your responses, way more going on here than what you stated. but we can agree to disagree.

It's a discussion board, I would love to hear what you believe "the more" going on here is.

To me this is simple Business 101.

Disney has been leveraging and infusing IPs as advertisements for their media franchises since the inception of Disney parks. There's no reason why they shouldn't.

They're not attempting to alienate anyone, that would just be bad business.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

I wouldn’t put much stock in what Chrissy says anyway

She’s gonna get decked soon

I wonder why she's even discussing any of this.

 

[JD80]

I don't the anger or people crying about less creativity. Disney as a company is constantly creating new stories and new IP. Some of it's good some of it's not so good. As a company why would want to invest a tremendous amount of money on an attraction/ride only for the IP to be unpopular because it's never been tested.

I find it perfectly fine for Disney to create content in movies/tv/streaming and if it becomes a hit, use that as a platform to further grow the IP in the parks.

It just makes sense.

 

[Tha Realest]

I don't the anger or people crying about less creativity. Disney as a company is constantly creating new stories and new IP. Some of it's good some of it's not so good. As a company why would want to invest a tremendous amount of money on an attraction/ride only for the IP to be unpopular because it's never been tested.

I find it perfectly fine for Disney to create content in movies/tv/streaming and if it becomes a hit, use that as a platform to further grow the IP in the parks.

It just makes sense.

Again, I don’t like it but see the wisdom in it.

It just belies the notion they’re this great creative storytelling engine when said decisions are based, ultimately, on data-mining.

 

[BlakeW39]

I’ve been saying it for years. IP works in the right place and in moderation. There was always a balance between IP and originality. Without the latter there would be no Jungle Cruise. No POTC. No BTM. No HM. No Space Mountain. No Horizons. No SSE. No Journey into Imagination (ironically). And so on.

The suits of todays company can’t see beyond their next quarterly. They’re floundering. And it shows.

Definitely. IP has a time and a place, and that time and place isn't "anytime and everywhere." Without original attractions you can't have compelling parks and attractions like what you saw being developed pre-Iger.

Honestly it amazes me that anyone would even blink an eye that this would be the standard practice.

This has been going on for years, I don't see how/why people would get twisted about it now.

Erm....no it hasn't. Disney saying they want to integrate x IP into the parks is one thing. Disney saying they they have no interest in original ideas or attractions is another. The former has always been industry standard, yes. The latter...hasn't? The IP mandate is a new thing and that's why people complain about it. Especially because now it comes at the cost of both classic attractions being replaced with usually inferior ones, and the parks' thematic cores being compromised for the purpose of brand and syngery. Which no, was not the case pre-Iger.

 

[JD80]

Again, I don’t like it but see the wisdom in it.

It just belies the notion they’re this great creative storytelling engine when said decisions are based, ultimately, on data-mining.

They aren't creating stories based on data mining. They are basing further support of IP on data mining. Simply put - do a lot of people like this character? Yes because people have this show on repeat in their homes.

What would you rather have them do?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wonder why she's even discussing any of this.

Random, huh?

I’m sure it’s not so she can scapegoated for things later and was ordered to…

Nah

 

[BlakeW39]

I don't the anger or people crying about less creativity. Disney as a company is constantly creating new stories and new IP. Some of it's good some of it's not so good. As a company why would want to invest a tremendous amount of money on an attraction/ride only for the IP to be unpopular because it's never been tested.

I find it perfectly fine for Disney to create content in movies/tv/streaming and if it becomes a hit, use that as a platform to further grow the IP in the parks.

It just makes sense.

Lol, TWDC is not creative. The company is comprised of many divisions and they create new IP in exactly two of them. WDAS and Pixar. And both their critical and financial success in those divisions has declined recently. Expansion of the company during the Iger years has also exclusively involved annexing already existint companies rather than creating new divisions. To the point where some divisions have even been combined (parks....) resulting in fewer home grown divisions overall.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Lol, TWDC is not creative.

When did IP become such a dirty word? In simple terms it is the “creative content” and who it belongs to. Im so sick of this Disney is not creative narrative. While some of these examples may be poor storytelling, you can’t argue they’re not new and creative. Onward, Luca, Soul, Strange World, Encanto, Rays and the Last Dragon, Elemental, Wish, all new ideas.

 

[wdwmagic]

On an related note, the other comments in the WDWMAGIC article discuss the extension of Disney+ past movie streaming, didn’t those plans die with that new part of the company that was dissolved?

I'm not sure what the status of the tis, but it's clear that they did, and still do, see Disney+ more than just streaming. I think in the future we will see it act as your Disney hub to all areas of the company.

 

[Tha Realest]

They aren't creating stories based on data mining. They are basing further support of IP on data mining. Simply put - do a lot of people like this character? Yes because people have this show on repeat in their homes.

What would you rather have them do?

I get the financial aspects of this. Given the tremendous development costs I don’t think there’s an easily alternative.

I suggested it’s antithetical to the notion they like to brag about as expert storytellers when their creative process (at least in the parks - unclear on the movie/series side) is premised on on data mining. In that sense ChatGPT is more creative than WDI.

 

[JustInTime]

There is so much they haven’t used that I’m okay with this. But I do miss the days of original attractions.

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

That's what I thought happened.

So long, imaginative and original Disney parks of yesteryear. It was an honor to know and experience you. Hopefully the new "build what resonates with fans based on our streaming platform" parks don't insult your memory too badly.

It’s now, build whatever is popular on Twitter for a day

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

shes another one that needs to be ousted simple as that. So the parks are going to be for disney plus subscribers only, that's essentially what she's saying. This company is so short sighted now and the way they alienate their guests outright. This was the whole purpose of taking splash mountain away, other than political reasons it was simply to change it into a disney plus commercial attraction. Its just going to keep getting worse from here. Bunch of data obsessed idiots. But nothing will change as long as the parks are packed and people keep forking out money to them, I know its hard not to were all guilty, but were reaching the point if not already there that its time to start keeping the wallet from disney.

I have nothing to prove it…but I bet you’re a lot closer to the target here than you’ll be given credit for

 

[BlakeW39]

When did IP become such a dirty word? In simple terms it is the “creative content” and who it belongs to. Im so sick of this Disney is not creative narrative. While some of these examples may be poor storytelling, you can’t argue they’re not new and creative. Onward, Luca, Soul, Strange World, Encanto, Rays and the Last Dragon, Elemental, Wish, all new ideas.

Respectfully, they aren't, at least not compared to what they were in the past. They objectively create fewer new corporate divisions than they did in the past. New IP makes up a much smaller percentage of their overall business model than it did in the past. Yes they create SOME things. But fewer things compared to in the past. Particularly when it comes to the parks, which is what this forum is about. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as rude or blunt but TWDC, and really the entertainment industry as a whole right now, is kind of a creative draught and is really focused on exploiting existing brands as opposed to inventing new ones.