Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
The VP of Animal Kingdom is now Disneyland's new president.
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Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
The VP of Animal Kingdom is now Disneyland's new president.
Eddie Sotto
Premium Member
Mike Colglaser, DL's new prexy is a great guy and I have worked for him in the past. He will be very good for the park.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
Any new applications received at Sotto Studios?
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
This makes me feel slightly better. I don't understand why they can't just pull people from Anaheim for leadership positions.
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
Eddie- who do you think are the "3rd generation" Imagineers that will continue Tony's tradition of greatly immersive attractions?
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
He seems to be very personable, and he will probably get to know DL on a more personal level than past presidents, but I think the big question is what he is tasked with doing.
Given that he was in middle of Avatarland's conceptualization, which is in development limbo, I kinda think his job is just to be a Disneyland caretaker, versus work on any great expansion.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
That's exactly why a lot of Disneyland fans aren't at ease with him being our new president. Avatar Land. I will be happy to see him in the parks... I just want him to take care of the park.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Meh - I think that's a red herring (avatar). We know Avatar was a top down thing.. so you can't hang the concept on him. And the park president role has been described as an operational role - not a creative one. So something like Avatar which hasn't seemed to make it outside the halls of WDI much.. I can't imagine there being much Avatar-stink on Mike C at all.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I'm just nervous. George K was cool, but the CM parties were canceled during his term. I don't want things like that to happen. Hopefully Michael will make a good president.
asianway
Well-Known Member
You should be more concerned about the entertainment cuts at AK and what that may mean.
I'd like to think it was due to AK not meeting attendance numbers & something needed to give which shouldn't be a problem at DL
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
Seems like he was publicly linked to Avatarland per the press release:
"For the last several years, Colglazier has served as head of Disney’s Animal Kingdom where he has been instrumental in the planning and development of an Avatar-themed land. He brings more than two decades of wide-ranging experience to his new role at the Disneyland Resort, including leadership positions in Operations, Global Development, Operations Strategy and Technology and Strategic Planning."
Sometimes management likes to involved in the creative side of things, such as DCA Eisner.
Of course, it goes without asking, if he was "instrumental" in the "planning and development of an Avatar-themed land", why is he being shipped to Anaheim? Maybe they want to have a fresh look at Avatarland before construction theoretically begins, maybe he was head butting with James Cameron over issues, who knows?
If a well done Avatarland actually comes to fruition, then I'd be more positive that he can get the ball rolling on needed projects in Disneyland.
flynnibus
Premium Member
When writing PR... the marketing folks need something to fill the bio with.
disney fan 13
Well-Known Member
And the fact that Headliner attractions such as Dinosaur and Everest are maintained terribly.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
I bet that is part of why George left, canceling the Christmas party has been a big blow to morale among rank and file castmembers, you can often see this when you visit the park. And now they force Baxter into retirement.
The upper brass/WDI is way too self-conscious. I guess it was humbling all of the criticism they took over DCA 1.0. Being mocked on the Simpsons and around the internet for how cheap it was, I think that with the success of Carsland they feel they don't need to deal with criticism anymore and they kick out Tony Baxter as he had made some small criticisms of late.
flynnibus
Premium Member
George left the same way the last 2 people left before him.. at the end of their 3 year cycle.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Entertainment cuts? Oh lord... If any of that happens, a lot of people aren't going to be happy. UGH.
Yeah, that wasn't right at all. I used to be a CM and the Christmas parties were probably the best part of being a CM. A tradition, now gone. Thanks a lot, George. Taking away something special like that.
Did Tony leave on his own terms? Do we know specifics like that? I don't think Disney wants to take a chance like that... The criticism part. You've got a lot of guests at Disneyland that are a little nuts and will raise hell over stuff like that. If Disney tries anything fast like they did in the 90's and early 2000's, people will be angry and it would probably be in the LA Times. I'm sure Disney doesn't want that.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
The rumors are that he wasn't pleased with this new . . . relationship. There's a Jim Hill article about this event, and I'm sure we'll learn more over the following months:
http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...e-imagineer-to-becoming-a-wdi-consultant.aspx
Consultants are just folks hired for their opinion, obviously WDI isn't going to give Tony a major E-Ticket/land to work on all by himself, so I think its pretty much 'game over' as far as fans every seeing anything with a lot of Tony Baxter influence.
BlueSkyDriveBy
Well-Known Member
Really? Wow. For some reason, I don't see Tony in the director's chair.
And now that Tony's letter and Bruce's memo have made their way around the net, I'd like to know what you think of them. Anything to glean from between the lines?
BTW... do you have any idea if Tony has a non-compete for the next few years?
Any likelihood of him working elsewhere when not doing the advisor thing in Glendale?
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
Here's Tony's official letter to WDI:
AN OPEN LETTER TO FELLOW IMAGINEERS
Decades ago, Imagineering had the bold notion to start the 21st century 18 years early by unveiling the "future" at Epcot in 1982. This positive look at tomorrow had a numbing effect on the bleak vistas depicted in George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984. As a kid beginning my career at Disneyland in the mid 1960s, both of these "futures" were far off from a universe where Disneyland was the only Disney park, Mr. Lincoln was a state of the art attraction, and everything operated under Walt Disney's guidance.
Today, while there is a new set of "futures" to explore, the time has come for me to evolve my role at Walt Disney Imagineering. Beginning this February, I will be transitioning to a position as a part time advisor. While I will not be here on a regular basis, I will continue to be available to any and all of you as needs arise. Though my time will be limited, my passion for the magic WDI creates will be just as strong.
Since early last year, I have been thinking about what I would say to all of you when this time arrived. It has been a wondrous 47 years spanning the opening of Walt Disney World to Big Thunder and Star Tours from Epcot's original Journey into Imagination to Disneyland Paris and Indiana Jones. The Imagineers I have known and shared these times with have provided invaluable experiences not to be found anywhere else on earth.
As one of the lucky second-generation Imagineers, I had the unique opportunity to experience firsthand the core philosophies of our company. I was fortunate enough to work with Claude Coats, Marc Davis, John Hench and the many others who built this industry alongside Walt Disney. I was able to soak up their wisdom and partner with them on creative projects. I have passed forward many of their key philosophies, and as our culture and scope have evolved, I have tried to balance my support of these foundations, with the business of charting "what's next." Now the 21st century brings a new reality for the first time, the younger generation is master of the key technologies driving the future. While upcoming generations deal with tech tools that are evolving almost daily, many of Disney's keystone philosophies remain stable and relevant. These philosophies help define our creative edge to a world that is eager for aspirational content. With no particular order, here are five that continue to inspire me, and I think you may find useful in shaping "creative futures" for the years to come.
Creating Lasting Experiences Legendary Imagineer Marc Davis once said, "We don't really have a story with a beginning, an end or a plot It's more a series of experiences building up to a climax." Guests still want to be astonished, and our best attractions deliver that wow factor with visions and emotions. I always start with the notion that it is the 20th repeat ride, not the first that is the most important. Park experiences are by nature less able to focus on linear stories and tangible feelings than motion pictures. Unlike a movie, what separates an OK attraction from a great one is that people find themselves "in" the great ones. They have been taken to a place they couldn't have imagined without Disney. How intriguingly we craft the level of guest engagement has direct bearing on desire for an umpteenth ride down the same track.
In Fantasyland, a simple line of dialogue heralds the beginning of one of the most aspirational ride experiences ever created; "Come on everybody here we go!" After riding Peter Pan, futurist Ray Bradbury was moved to write; "Walt, I'll be eternally grateful that you made it possible for me to sail from a child's window, out over moonlit London in a galleon on its way to the stars!" Despite the fact that by today's standards Peter Pan's technology is dated, its mystique has remained unwavering. The WDI challenge is finding ways to ensure today's more sophisticated experiences have similar intangible qualities that provide groundwork for lasting appeal.
Sincerity One of Walt Disney's ways of overcoming what sophisticates tended to see as corny or sentimental was his absolute belief in sincerity. Defending Disney's signature animation style in the movie Cinderella, Walt expressed what is to me a true hallmark of the Disney difference: "You have to believe in the honesty of Cinderella's world, or you will not believe in the magic as it unfolds around her either." The power of sincerity to win over an audience is "front and center" in the new Cars Land. Here, a truly believable environment fuses with the fantastic to give rise to new reality.
Valuable Mental Real Estate Awhile back there was talk about the elusive "Disney Difference." What the "difference" is may be open to various interpretations, but I see it centered on cultivating "Valuable Mental Real Estate." Since the early days at the studio, Disney has excelled in focusing diverse talents on plussing core ideas. Enhanced value stems from something as simple as the emotional appeal of Epcot's Figment character in comparison to hundreds of other generic dragons. When the whole team undertakes a mission to make "our dragon" stand out in every way, mental real estate values go up.
At Imagineering, where we must deal with equal parts of controlled insanity and disciplined evaluation, this can be complicated. Years ago, who else could have come up with the crazy idea for Flying Saucers and then make the concept work! (Sort of). Piloting flying saucers is every kid's dream, and in spite of the ride's technical shortcomings, people will forever recall the Flying Saucers as an E ticket. This rides aspirational, "bucket list", once-in-a-lifetime intrigue, more than made up for any less than stellar performance.
Disney Hallmark Values Current culture and the structure of our company are vastly different from the time when I began my career. Yet within that dynamic, hallmark values continue to add major appeal to today's more socially sensitive content. Disney's feature Beauty and the Beast shared many hallmarks with its ancestor Snow White, but it spoke to a vastly different audience with a finer tuned voice. Likewise, the more recent Tangled fuses traditional Disney values with relevancy aimed at a new generation.
Beyond the WDI walls, Pixar and Marvel achieve a consistency of success in their fast paced arenas. Each Pixar team is confident enough in their individual productions to freely reach out and tap into links that insure Pixar's hallmark differentiators are a part of every project. Marvel has taken a different route, tasking individual creative teams to bridge their storylines under an overarching and epic saga. Regardless of the diversity of deliverables, hallmark values are key to all Disney entities, and everyone needs to be alert to where they reside, and how and why to fuse them to the DNA of a project.
Mentoring At both ends of a career one of the most important working relationships is achieved through mentoring. When you are in your 20s and 30s it critical to find a mentor you can admire and trust. What proved most valuable for me was a mentoring partnership that skipped a full generation. A wide age gap creates a cross-generational opportunity for two-way learning. A young mentee sees a mentor's still bright light as support for his or her own growing visibility, and the gap vanquishes the sense of competition. In a complementary way, a mentor's satisfaction is fueled by the growing knowledge and skills transferred to their younger partner. My mentor was Imagineering legend Claude Coats, nearly four decades my senior. For Pixar director Pete Docter, his mentors were animation giants Joe Grant and Ollie Johnson. Pete and I absorbed as much knowledge as we possibly could during a period of growth in our careers. I would like to think our esteemed mentors also drew inspiration from our curiosity and unexplored visions!
A mentorship is not a few hours of counseling every so often; it is pulling together on real projects, with business/creative goals and knowledge gains to be made by both sides. This is the partnership I had with Claude Coats, and we remained lifetime friends because of our shared working time together.
Going Forward No company is perfect, and like any other corporation Disney has its own politics and challenges. We are artists, engineers, managers, filmmakers and musicians. But our company is unique; there is no place like it on earth. We are lucky. At the end of the day, it is my hope that this letter will add to the special culture that I have been privileged to grow in. I see the probability for that happening in my interactions with younger Imagineers like Michel, Josh, Zach, Dylan, Laura, Manuel, Vanessa and Brandon, which are beyond rewarding to me. At a time when "unlearning" is as critical as "learning," it's important to listen to the way these people think and enjoy the things they do. Creativity I have mined from their game-changing perspectives, now effectively influences my own design process. I hope that when their careers peak some decades from now, they will look back on our time together as I value the time I was able to spend with Claude Coats.
And now it comes down to the point at hand. I am not suggesting that I could be a mentor to you all, but that said, you should all have someone you can turn to in this manner. I do hope to be available to help support your ideas, give advice or even join a team whenever appropriate. My role will be one of supporting your visions in the best way I can, and encouraging you to maintain and build upon this already special place. I will have availability, and if you would like my assistance in any way, please e-mail Bruce Vaughn's office to request my time.
This is not a goodbye, but hopefully a letter of introduction to the many of you that I have not yet had the chance to meet personally
Tony Baxter
Feb. 1, 2013
I very much like how one piece of advice is that "guests still want to be astonished".
Excellent remark regarding re-rideability,
separates an OK attraction from a great one is that people find themselves "in" the great ones. They have been taken to a place they couldn't have imagined without Disney. How intriguingly we craft the level of guest engagement has direct bearing on desire for an umpteenth ride down the same track.
And how he points out that Peter Pan has that magical quality that leads guests to invest 40 minutes to ride this attraction for the fiftieth time:
Despite the fact that by today's standards Peter Pan's technology is dated, its mystique has remained unwavering. The WDI challenge is finding ways to ensure today's more sophisticated experiences have similar intangible qualities that provide groundwork for lasting appeal.
Really, really sad day. I hope that the culture changes at WDI, and that they do find a big project for Tony as obviously he still really engaged in the process and obviously is still motivated to design great things. How old was Walt when he started planning Epcot? Hope Pixar/Lasseter make use of Tony for Pixar stuff in the parks.
AN OPEN LETTER TO FELLOW IMAGINEERS
Decades ago, Imagineering had the bold notion to start the 21st century 18 years early by unveiling the "future" at Epcot in 1982. This positive look at tomorrow had a numbing effect on the bleak vistas depicted in George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984. As a kid beginning my career at Disneyland in the mid 1960s, both of these "futures" were far off from a universe where Disneyland was the only Disney park, Mr. Lincoln was a state of the art attraction, and everything operated under Walt Disney's guidance.
Today, while there is a new set of "futures" to explore, the time has come for me to evolve my role at Walt Disney Imagineering. Beginning this February, I will be transitioning to a position as a part time advisor. While I will not be here on a regular basis, I will continue to be available to any and all of you as needs arise. Though my time will be limited, my passion for the magic WDI creates will be just as strong.
Since early last year, I have been thinking about what I would say to all of you when this time arrived. It has been a wondrous 47 years spanning the opening of Walt Disney World to Big Thunder and Star Tours from Epcot's original Journey into Imagination to Disneyland Paris and Indiana Jones. The Imagineers I have known and shared these times with have provided invaluable experiences not to be found anywhere else on earth.
As one of the lucky second-generation Imagineers, I had the unique opportunity to experience firsthand the core philosophies of our company. I was fortunate enough to work with Claude Coats, Marc Davis, John Hench and the many others who built this industry alongside Walt Disney. I was able to soak up their wisdom and partner with them on creative projects. I have passed forward many of their key philosophies, and as our culture and scope have evolved, I have tried to balance my support of these foundations, with the business of charting "what's next." Now the 21st century brings a new reality for the first time, the younger generation is master of the key technologies driving the future. While upcoming generations deal with tech tools that are evolving almost daily, many of Disney's keystone philosophies remain stable and relevant. These philosophies help define our creative edge to a world that is eager for aspirational content. With no particular order, here are five that continue to inspire me, and I think you may find useful in shaping "creative futures" for the years to come.
Creating Lasting Experiences Legendary Imagineer Marc Davis once said, "We don't really have a story with a beginning, an end or a plot It's more a series of experiences building up to a climax." Guests still want to be astonished, and our best attractions deliver that wow factor with visions and emotions. I always start with the notion that it is the 20th repeat ride, not the first that is the most important. Park experiences are by nature less able to focus on linear stories and tangible feelings than motion pictures. Unlike a movie, what separates an OK attraction from a great one is that people find themselves "in" the great ones. They have been taken to a place they couldn't have imagined without Disney. How intriguingly we craft the level of guest engagement has direct bearing on desire for an umpteenth ride down the same track.
In Fantasyland, a simple line of dialogue heralds the beginning of one of the most aspirational ride experiences ever created; "Come on everybody here we go!" After riding Peter Pan, futurist Ray Bradbury was moved to write; "Walt, I'll be eternally grateful that you made it possible for me to sail from a child's window, out over moonlit London in a galleon on its way to the stars!" Despite the fact that by today's standards Peter Pan's technology is dated, its mystique has remained unwavering. The WDI challenge is finding ways to ensure today's more sophisticated experiences have similar intangible qualities that provide groundwork for lasting appeal.
Sincerity One of Walt Disney's ways of overcoming what sophisticates tended to see as corny or sentimental was his absolute belief in sincerity. Defending Disney's signature animation style in the movie Cinderella, Walt expressed what is to me a true hallmark of the Disney difference: "You have to believe in the honesty of Cinderella's world, or you will not believe in the magic as it unfolds around her either." The power of sincerity to win over an audience is "front and center" in the new Cars Land. Here, a truly believable environment fuses with the fantastic to give rise to new reality.
Valuable Mental Real Estate Awhile back there was talk about the elusive "Disney Difference." What the "difference" is may be open to various interpretations, but I see it centered on cultivating "Valuable Mental Real Estate." Since the early days at the studio, Disney has excelled in focusing diverse talents on plussing core ideas. Enhanced value stems from something as simple as the emotional appeal of Epcot's Figment character in comparison to hundreds of other generic dragons. When the whole team undertakes a mission to make "our dragon" stand out in every way, mental real estate values go up.
At Imagineering, where we must deal with equal parts of controlled insanity and disciplined evaluation, this can be complicated. Years ago, who else could have come up with the crazy idea for Flying Saucers and then make the concept work! (Sort of). Piloting flying saucers is every kid's dream, and in spite of the ride's technical shortcomings, people will forever recall the Flying Saucers as an E ticket. This rides aspirational, "bucket list", once-in-a-lifetime intrigue, more than made up for any less than stellar performance.
Disney Hallmark Values Current culture and the structure of our company are vastly different from the time when I began my career. Yet within that dynamic, hallmark values continue to add major appeal to today's more socially sensitive content. Disney's feature Beauty and the Beast shared many hallmarks with its ancestor Snow White, but it spoke to a vastly different audience with a finer tuned voice. Likewise, the more recent Tangled fuses traditional Disney values with relevancy aimed at a new generation.
Beyond the WDI walls, Pixar and Marvel achieve a consistency of success in their fast paced arenas. Each Pixar team is confident enough in their individual productions to freely reach out and tap into links that insure Pixar's hallmark differentiators are a part of every project. Marvel has taken a different route, tasking individual creative teams to bridge their storylines under an overarching and epic saga. Regardless of the diversity of deliverables, hallmark values are key to all Disney entities, and everyone needs to be alert to where they reside, and how and why to fuse them to the DNA of a project.
Mentoring At both ends of a career one of the most important working relationships is achieved through mentoring. When you are in your 20s and 30s it critical to find a mentor you can admire and trust. What proved most valuable for me was a mentoring partnership that skipped a full generation. A wide age gap creates a cross-generational opportunity for two-way learning. A young mentee sees a mentor's still bright light as support for his or her own growing visibility, and the gap vanquishes the sense of competition. In a complementary way, a mentor's satisfaction is fueled by the growing knowledge and skills transferred to their younger partner. My mentor was Imagineering legend Claude Coats, nearly four decades my senior. For Pixar director Pete Docter, his mentors were animation giants Joe Grant and Ollie Johnson. Pete and I absorbed as much knowledge as we possibly could during a period of growth in our careers. I would like to think our esteemed mentors also drew inspiration from our curiosity and unexplored visions!
A mentorship is not a few hours of counseling every so often; it is pulling together on real projects, with business/creative goals and knowledge gains to be made by both sides. This is the partnership I had with Claude Coats, and we remained lifetime friends because of our shared working time together.
Going Forward No company is perfect, and like any other corporation Disney has its own politics and challenges. We are artists, engineers, managers, filmmakers and musicians. But our company is unique; there is no place like it on earth. We are lucky. At the end of the day, it is my hope that this letter will add to the special culture that I have been privileged to grow in. I see the probability for that happening in my interactions with younger Imagineers like Michel, Josh, Zach, Dylan, Laura, Manuel, Vanessa and Brandon, which are beyond rewarding to me. At a time when "unlearning" is as critical as "learning," it's important to listen to the way these people think and enjoy the things they do. Creativity I have mined from their game-changing perspectives, now effectively influences my own design process. I hope that when their careers peak some decades from now, they will look back on our time together as I value the time I was able to spend with Claude Coats.
And now it comes down to the point at hand. I am not suggesting that I could be a mentor to you all, but that said, you should all have someone you can turn to in this manner. I do hope to be available to help support your ideas, give advice or even join a team whenever appropriate. My role will be one of supporting your visions in the best way I can, and encouraging you to maintain and build upon this already special place. I will have availability, and if you would like my assistance in any way, please e-mail Bruce Vaughn's office to request my time.
This is not a goodbye, but hopefully a letter of introduction to the many of you that I have not yet had the chance to meet personally
Tony Baxter
Feb. 1, 2013
I very much like how one piece of advice is that "guests still want to be astonished".
Excellent remark regarding re-rideability,
separates an OK attraction from a great one is that people find themselves "in" the great ones. They have been taken to a place they couldn't have imagined without Disney. How intriguingly we craft the level of guest engagement has direct bearing on desire for an umpteenth ride down the same track.
And how he points out that Peter Pan has that magical quality that leads guests to invest 40 minutes to ride this attraction for the fiftieth time:
Despite the fact that by today's standards Peter Pan's technology is dated, its mystique has remained unwavering. The WDI challenge is finding ways to ensure today's more sophisticated experiences have similar intangible qualities that provide groundwork for lasting appeal.
Really, really sad day. I hope that the culture changes at WDI, and that they do find a big project for Tony as obviously he still really engaged in the process and obviously is still motivated to design great things. How old was Walt when he started planning Epcot? Hope Pixar/Lasseter make use of Tony for Pixar stuff in the parks.
BlueSkyDriveBy
Well-Known Member
Truthfully, I just don't see this happening. After reading Tony's letter and Bruce's memo, I now agree with others that Tony's new part-time advisor role is simply Disney's attempt to appease the fans who don't want to see him go. I believe that Tony's future role at Disney will be virtually non-existent.
I have no doubt that somewhere in the southland this weekend, there'll be a small gathering to celebrate Tony's long-awaited departure. The Usual Suspects will be in attendance, drinking, laughing, and rejoicing, as if their professional troubles were now far, far behind them.