Disney Imagineering Testing Dragon

[WED Purist]

My wife asked me why I come on these boards, and I used to have a reason. I don't anymore. May you all get out of Disney whatever you wish.

 

[cupanudles]

 

[awesomeinabox]

My wife asked me why I come on these boards, and I used to have a reason. I don't anymore. May you all get out of Disney whatever you wish.

WOAH don't let a bunch of doom and gloomers rain on your parade. If I did I would have been outta here ages ago.
People are all upset, trust me I am pretty upset about this whole situation, some deal with it by voicing their opinions and taking jabs at TDO in general, others choose to single out specific users whose ideas conflict with theirs. It happens, go read some of the posts about delicious food and great trip reports and it will reassure your love of the boards. Let the excitement of PTRs and things keep you in the loop, I am sure you have something fantastic to add and that there are people out there that want to hear it. Just so happens Dragon folks want to breathe fire at ya today.

 

[GoofGoof]

I am not a doom and gloomer at all. This just plain sucks. No other way to spin it.

 

[dreamscometrue]

But if you only had one chance...why do it at all.
No point in doing something like that once...

That's what she said! No wait, wrong forum.

 

[nicknick553]

I have reliable sources in RCFD (they were in charge of it because of the pyro) that have told me they are planning on doing something else with it.

 

[GoofGoof]

I have reliable sources in RCFD (they were in charge of it because of the pyro) that have told me they are planning on doing something else with it.

At WDW or another park?

 

[nicknick553]

It will stay at WDW.

 

[The Duck]

Yep.
"But mommy....you said there would be a dragon! Waaaaaahhhhh!"
"I know dear. Let's go to City Hall and yell at the plaid behind the counter. Maybe they'll give us something for our disappointment."

I hope that happens.

That's one of the reasons POTC was built at WDW. Of course, that was when management actually gave a damn about the guests experience.

 

[WDW1974]

The event had regular press types too. Everyone keeps harping on the bloggers but this was for all their invited media

True, but the blogging ranks have invaded everything and Disney caters to them versus traditional media (REAL media) unless it's the real big boys.

The Miami Herald had a piece in last Sunday's paper. On the cover was a photo of Dumbo by non other than Tom Bricker. The quotes of the story were from largely from Len Testa. That concerns me.

Then I'd harp on the fact that Disney is increasingly treating its fan bloggers like legitimate press and media sources when they're not.

I posted a wonderful interview with the late (great!) WDW publicist Dave Herbst, who passed away recently, from January when he very much stated this. Bloggers are not real media. Podcasters are not real media. Adding social to the media doesn't change anything. They are fans untrained in media who are thrilled to be walking around with a credential and given free trips, invites to parties and swag.

They don't conduct themselves like professional journalists/broadcasters in any way. (No, not all ... but most!)

Here's some tweets from tonight:

From Scarlett Litton, a researcher for TouringPlans.com
Scarlett Litton ‏@scarlettashley1
OH MY GOD THEY (BLANKING) BROUGHT OUT DUMBO! I'M SHAKING. HOLY SH&*.

Yes, I changed the word in the parenthetical and the last word. Sounds like someone I'd want to be associated with if I was the WDW Co ... of course, a few tweets before Crazy Gary Buchanan is chatting her up about finally meeting and looking forward to seeing her in the future.

How about a bigger fish? Let's fry good old Ricky Brigante for pearls like:

Ricky Brigante, Host ‏@InsideTheMagic

Phil Holmes and Chris Beatty both name Enchanted Tales with Belle as their favorite parts of #NewFantasyland


Phil Holmes emphasized to me the new Tangled area of Fantasyland will be a place to relax and have the park’a most beautiful bathrooms.

All PR ... you get a chance to interview the MK VP and you don't ask about Splash Mountain's recent 'rock slide'? ... Ok, too controversial ... how about asking whether any new major projects will be built in the next five years? Still too tough? How about something about when will a new parade debut?

He offers nothing at all.

Bathroom talk. That's perfect because most of these social media parasites need to be flushed.

 

[WDW1974]

Right that's my confusion on this. They used their blog geared toward guests to promote the whole dragon thing. It just makes zero sense to then use him for a media/press event only.

Especially considering how much time and money went into this thing. ... and for what? To remind guests that dragons exist up I-4 at IOA?

 

[WDW1974]

Showing it off to media isn't a problem.

Not showing it to guests is the fail.
It's kinda like Lucky or the Muppet thing. Why publicize something 99.999999% of guests won't ever see.

Well, I saw the Muppet Mobile Lab ... had to travel all the way to Hong Kong to do so, but I was willing!
Oh, and saw Lucky too, only had to fly to LA for that.

See, the problem is you people don't travel enough like some of us one percenters!

 

[WDW1974]

Yep.
"But mommy....you said there would be a dragon! Waaaaaahhhhh!"
"I know dear. Let's go to City Hall and yell at the plaid behind the counter. Maybe they'll give us something for our disappointment."

I hope that happens.

I would settle for dinner at Bongos myself.

 

[WDW1974]

Nah...I don't think there's much if that going on at all.
Most people are fairly impressed with the dragon and think it should be a regular nighttime show in FL.
They are annoyed because that isn't the case.

And I don't think anyone is jealous of the mommy bloggers. Most just wish such a thing didn't exist in the first place.

No sour grapes.

I couldn't care less about seeing an ultralight pretending to be a dragon. I lived through Skyleidescope and Surprise in the Sky.

As to the mommy bloggers, so long as the social media consultants like Josh Hallet continue to push the idea that Mommies are the only folks who matter because they plan all the trips and control the money (I need to talk to my Spirited Mommy if that is the case!), we're all screwed. And, yes, I wish they didn't exist.

I'm wondering who the group was that Disney had in last week for previews and put up at the Grand Flo with all the perks. Any CMs know?

From what I've been told, this event largely placed 'important' media at DAK Lodge and the Poly with lesser media at AoA (to showcase it, I'm sure) with the celebs mostly at the BW, what few there were.

 

[WDW1974]

I disagree. It was an amazing thing to watch, and if you could do it once why wouldn't you?

Because the only people who knew it was happening and could watch it were invited guests of a very exclusive private party.

 

[flynnibus]

But it is not like the mainstream press will be keeping up to date with the Parks blog - which speaks at the online community.

The blog covers lots of things the guests will never get to experience themselves - their participation will be limited to admiring it via the internet. I don't think that's reason to NOT cover something.

By having all the online presence - Disney has set the table for those media folks to direct people right to Disney's doorstep. 'Why put all this production value in Mr Media? Just link to this great stuff I've already put online for you...'

 

[flynnibus]

I didn't mean the online community that was invited to the MK. I meant the viewers of the viral videos, the tumblr account, blog posts, Tweets, etc.

Why promote the dragon to those people?

Because those people have an audience.. and they will lead that audience to Disney's online presence.

 

[janoimagine]

From Scarlett Litton, a researcher for TouringPlans.com
Scarlett Litton ‏@scarlettashley1
OH MY GOD THEY (BLANKING) BROUGHT OUT DUMBO! I'M SHAKING. HOLY SH&*.

Yes, I changed the word in the parenthetical and the last word. Sounds like someone I'd want to be associated with if I was the WDW Co ... of course, a few tweets before Crazy Gary Buchanan is chatting her up about finally meeting and looking forward to seeing her in the future.

How about a bigger fish? Let's fry good old Ricky Brigante for pearls like:

Ricky Brigante, Host ‏@InsideTheMagic

Phil Holmes and Chris Beatty both name Enchanted Tales with Belle as their favorite parts of #NewFantasyland


Phil Holmes emphasized to me the new Tangled area of Fantasyland will be a place to relax and have the park’a most beautiful bathrooms.

Wow ... I don't even know where to begin.

This is exactly why most sane people treat social media as the joke that it is. Seriously ... dropping an F-Bomb in a Disney tweet? Scarlett, drop the 24oz LeFou's Brew and Lamb Shank, go back to what ever hole you crawled out of in Bakersfield and find some class ... I have used that word on several select occasions, but not when addressing the public ... and not in an online forum that surrounds a family brand.

How long do you think it will take before the public or Disney wakes up and see's these people for the ten cent millionare's that they really are?

The problem is (and from your background 74' I believe you have hinted you work / worked in advertising, so I think you'll get what I mean by this) the general public is a bunch of sheep that soak crap like this up and in turn this fuels mediocrity and ignorance and justifies Disney's philosophy that this is the way to manage the Orlando property and it's 'guests'.

But how can we as what I would call the Tier 1 consumers change this mindset? Is it even possible anymore?

 

[marni1971]

I disagree. It was an amazing thing to watch, and if you could do it once why wouldn't you?

Because it wasn't built for this and seems to have been brought in by Marketing in an attempt to drum up some support towards the second biggest expansion in the MKs history?

 

[xdan0920]

I'm not in marketing. I don't agree with marketing, and I don't like what they've done with the company. I understand what they did here.

Has anyone here ever read the parable of the sour grapes?

We get it, you like the parable of the sour grapes....