Disney CFO Jay Rasulo to resign end of June 2015

[WondersOfLife]

The passion against Rasulo, Iger, Staggs, and execs at large comes from being emotional about the company.

Unfortunately, emotions and capitalism don't mix well (Apple Inc. aside).

Everything changed when it went from Walt Disney Productions, to the Walt Disney Company.

This is now the biggest media company, in the biggest capitalist economy, in the world.

Capitalism is about making profits. Disney makes huge profits.

I'm the first to be nostalgic for everything Walt believed, built, dreamed and created. But this isn't Walt's company anymore. And we aren't going back to Disney 1955.

The sooner one comes to accept the reality the current company operates in, the less painful on the heart it will be to get excited about it's future. I'm excited for the future of the Walt Disney Company, while at the same time knowing it will never be the same as it once was. Because it simply can't be.

Best post I've ever read on this site!

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Iger was pressured to do something with DCA by the city of Anaheim. Who knows what the park would be like had the city not intervened.

Can you possibly explain what pressure Anaheim was able to apply and why?

Nope, but I'm sure @lazyboy97o can.

You made the statement as a matter of fact, providing no proof of anything. Then when asked for anything, you defer to someone else? How can you possibly think that Disney, who many here say doesn't care about us anymore, cares one whit what Anaheim wants? Anaheim needs Disney. Disney doesn't need Anaheim.

 

[asianway]

You made the statement as a matter of fact, providing no proof of anything. Then when asked for anything, you defer to someone else? How can you possibly think that Disney, who many here say doesn't care about us anymore, cares one whit what Anaheim wants? Anaheim needs Disney. Disney doesn't need Anaheim.

It's not quite like a sports team that can pack up and leave. Disney needs to work with the city, especially if they ever want to expand

 

[spacemt354]

You made the statement as a matter of fact, providing no proof of anything. Then when asked for anything, you defer to someone else? How can you possibly think that Disney, who many here say doesn't care about us anymore, cares one whit what Anaheim wants? Anaheim needs Disney. Disney doesn't need Anaheim.

It's more of a two way street relationship. SoCal residents take great pride in the Disneyland Resort, but are demanding critics when things aren't up to par.

DCA 1.0 was met with poor reviews out of the gate, and stumbled to give locals, who make up good chuck of the annual guests, a reason to visit a park based on their own state, in their own state.

DCA 2.0 was a mixture of managerial intervention on the side of Disney, who saw the lack of attendance (2004 TEA for DCA was only 5.6 M guests) but also influenced by the starkly negative reviews coming from the locals. Something needed to be done.

That seems to be what's happening at DHS today, but the reason I feel it's not happening quicker is because people aren't showing their displeasure in the attendance numbers like with DCA. Since DHS still racks in 10.3 M in 2014, slightly increasing every year, compared to Universal Studios 8.2 M and IOA 8.1 M, Disney feels they can take their time.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You made the statement as a matter of fact, providing no proof of anything. Then when asked for anything, you defer to someone else? How can you possibly think that Disney, who many here say doesn't care about us anymore, cares one whit what Anaheim wants? Anaheim needs Disney. Disney doesn't need Anaheim.

First of all, when did I ever say in that post "Disney needs Anaheim," sir? Never. Don't put words in my mouth. But since YOU said that, I would definitely say they need each other.

Second of all, why does it matter if I defer to someone else/another source who can explain the matter more? Like it's abnormal to do that. I can tell you the Titanic sank in 1912 but best believe I will send one somewhere else for more info because I don't know the whole story.

Third of all, Anaheim and Disney have a relationship with each other and yes, Disney sometimes has to meet with the city of Anaheim before making decisions. The streetcar Disney wants is a prime example of that, as well as racking up more land and any kind of other expansions. I don't see why that's so hard to believe without written document.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

It's more of a two way street relationship. SoCal residents take great pride in the Disneyland Resort, but are demanding critics when things aren't up to par.

DCA 1.0 was met with poor reviews out of the gate, and stumbled to give locals, who make up good chuck of the annual guests, a reason to visit a park based on their own state, in their own state.

DCA 2.0 was a mixture of managerial intervention on the side of Disney, who saw the lack of attendance (2004 TEA for DCA was only 5.6 M guests) but also influenced by the starkly negative reviews coming from the locals. Something needed to be done.

That seems to be what's happening at DHS today, but the reason I feel it's not happening quicker is because people aren't showing their displeasure in the attendance numbers like with DCA. Since DHS still racks in 10.3 M in 2014, slightly increasing every year, compared to Universal Studios 8.2 M and IOA 8.1 M, Disney feels they can take their time.

She claimed that the city of Anaheim pressured Iger into a billion dollar makeover of DCA. Not the fans. I don't believe it for a second.

 

[asianway]

He claimed that the city of Anaheim pressured Iger into a billion dollar makeover of DCA. Not the fans. I don't believe it for a second.

He's a she and her name isn't Caitlyn

 

[LuvtheGoof]

First of all, when did I ever say in that post "Disney needs Anaheim," sir? Never. Don't put words in my mouth. But since YOU said that, I would definitely say they need each other.

Second of all, why does it matter if I defer to someone else/another source who can explain the matter more? Like it's abnormal to do that. I can tell you the Titanic sank in 1912 but best believe I will send one somewhere else for more info because I don't know the whole story.

Third of all, Anaheim and Disney have a relationship with each other and yes, Disney sometimes has to meet with the city of Anaheim before making decisions. The streetcar Disney wants is a prime example of that, as well as racking up more land and any kind of other expansions. I don't see why that's so hard to believe without written document.

You claimed that the city of Anaheim pressured Iger into spending a billion dollars to makeover DCA. I asked for some sort of proof, since you were the person making the statement. The Titanic sinking is a matter of public record. The city pressuring Disney into spending tons of money is NOT, so I'm asking for proof. What is so hard for you to understand? Do you think the city was losing truckloads of money because Disney didn't do DCA right the first time? What other incentive could Anaheim possibly have to "pressure" Disney to do something? Why would Anaheim give a crap about DCA, since DLR as a whole was still doing quite well?

The FANS cared and spoke up about it all over the place, and I think that is where the incentive came from.

And if that's the case, why isn't Orlando pressuring Disney to do something with HS and EPCOT? According to some, they are in just as bad, if not worse, shape than DCA was.

I will agree that on some levels, they do need each other, but I think Disney has the upper hand in almost any negotiation.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

He's a she and her name isn't Caitlyn

Sorry, my bad! Apologies to @raven24.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You claimed that the city of Anaheim pressured Iger into spending a billion dollars to makeover DCA. I asked for some sort of proof, since you were the person making the statement. The Titanic sinking is a matter of public record. The city pressuring Disney into spending tons of money is NOT, so I'm asking for proof. What is so hard for you to understand? Do you think the city was losing truckloads of money because Disney didn't do DCA right the first time? What other incentive could Anaheim possibly have to "pressure" Disney to do something? Why would Anaheim give a crap about DCA, since DLR as a whole was still doing quite well?

The FANS cared and spoke up about it all over the place, and I think that is where the incentive came from.

And if that's the case, why isn't Orlando pressuring Disney to do something with HS and EPCOT? According to some, they are in just as bad, if not worse, shape than DCA was.

I will agree that on some levels, they do need each other, but I think Disney has the upper hand in almost any negotiation.

I've already spoken about Disney and Anaheim's relationship, so I'm not going to do that again.

Yes, the fans hated DCA, but if it was really the fans that got the billion dollar makeover happening and not the city of Anaheim (seriously...fans vs. an entire city), why did it take 6 years for Disney to decide the makeover was happening? When the DL fans truly make a significant impact and when change is met, it doesn't take 6 years. When Mermaid opened, DLR fans complained about Ariel's hair looking like soft-served ice cream, and it was changed a year later, as well as the CGI animation in the ride, which was also complained about. When it was clear the night parade Light Magic just wouldn't do for the fans, the parade's run ended 4 or 5 months after its debut. Six years? No. It wasn't just the fans. At this point, I couldn't care less if you believe that or not.

You're really comparing DCA's situation to that of DHS' and Epcot's? Are those two parks not pulling in healthy numbers, for the most part? Unlike the California parks, people will continue to visit the Florida parks, even in their current states, because of the demographics. A lot of WDW's visitation comes from international visitors, no? Those parks will see some pretty good numbers, given their guest demographics. The DLR, on the other hand, doesn't see many international tourists, which I'm sure you know already. DCA was in horrible shape and seeing significantly low numbers. The park was initially supposed to even out Disneyland's attendance. It failed to do that from the beginning, so yeah, some changes had to be made. There's really no comparison.

Disney doesn't always have the upper hand. If they did, the streetcar would be here already, as well as other things, like a space for a new parking lot. You're underestimating Anaheim's influence.

 

[TsWade2]

I say good riddance. That guy is a greedy miser!