JeffH said:
"one big reason 2003 was a good movie season for Disney - Pixar."
No, Disney's box office win was SO BIG in 2003 that almost the entire take that Pixar's lone movie provided was the gap between 1 and 2. When I figured it out, without Nemo, Disney would have been just 2nd, barely...although Eisner stated that they still would have won.
And if you check the box office wins for the decade before, Disney won most years including (I believe) a string of 7 out of 8 years. Pixar only produces 1 movie every 18 months and has only made 5 movies to date.
The Pixar/Disney partnership isn't over until Pixar actually signs with another company...until then it's just negotiation time.
Now THIS year, they are tanking bad...nothing is hitting, and no sleepers have emerged...the Incredibles take will certainly help turn around Disney's box-office this year and may be Disney's ONLY hit.
"He has lost his way cut creativity for high return sequels, cut rides at theme parks""
What creativity has been cut?
There's been plenty of creativity in their movies...where was the creativity in the 'originals' that Walt made? The stories were already there, he just made them into 'high-tech' movies (the 3D technology of the time).
and theme parks like Animal Kingdom and Disney Seas, and Soaring, Test Track and Mission Space.
What rides have been cut? Disney added a WHOLE NEW PARK at WDW recently and several new great attractions. They've also added new parks in Paris, Tokeo, and California, in the last 5 years. All these parks are very different and filled with creativity and new rides.
If we are referring to the 'seasonal' attractions at WDW, this is just a matter of supply and demand, plain and simply and to expect Disney to simply throw money away keeping a ride 'spinning' just for a handfull of people when they could be spending it elsewhere is irresponsible. These cutbacks of less popular attractions help finance the earlier arrival of Fire Mountain or Villian's Mountain or the addition of yet more (and more appreciated) magic elsewhere in the parks.
First let me say Welcome to the boards!!
Second Whew... I was thinking about your first post for about 3 hours at work and I have to say you brought up some very good points in your MANY points listed.
But I have trouble with the fact you seem to have forgot many things!
The once hard to find characters are now everywhere, and you can now sit down and enjoy a scrumptious meal with them.
Yes at $20 a head for Adults and $15( I think) for Kids. A family of 4 is looking at $70 for just BREAKFAST!! Yes it is cool, but not very magical!
And in the last year alone, the magic at the Magic Kingdom has been cranked up with the morning welcome, where the mayor and main street dancers greet guests from the train station, the characters then ride the train into the station, and a family officially open the park with a flurry of pixie dust. The streets are now filled with characters ALL DAY and the main street singers ride the horse trolly down the street several times a day stopping along the way to perform. There are 3 very different character meals to enjoy. Philharmagic is an amazing addition to Fantasyland, finally making up for the loss of the Mickey Mouse Revue. Pirates of the Caribean has new 'Disney' meaning after the ultra-success of the film. Then the days ends with the most spectacular (and innovative) fireworks display ever (much better than the previous ones). And if you look back after you leave you may spot Mickey up on the train station waving good-bye and wishing you a good night.
Innovation, ideas, originality? We've seen a lot of that in the last 5-10 years under Mr. Eisner...
The morning welcome is not new, maybe the format is new to WDW, but they were doing this at DL in the 1990's. Also the parks were open earlier, and all the rides were open! Plus the parks were cleaned and painted the night before to enchance your visit!
Wishes is very delightful, and an excellent addition to the night time experience at WDW! Being forced out of the park as soon as the last shell explodes is not! The CROWD of exiting down Main Street is dangerous and IMHO a slap to the guest who have just spent thier hard earned dollars to visit the park. I notice you wrote in your profile that you go quite often to WDW. I am lucky to go about every other month. Some people save for a couple of years or more and this is how they are rewarded for all the hardwork!
I again ask where is the magic in this....Oh yeah they cut the closing hours also!
Under Eisner, Disney won many box-office crowns (including 2003), creating and creating associations with many new Disney icons (Muppets, Pixar). Under Eisner the animation department flourished and expanded way beyond the single unit in California. The single animation a year was joined by 1, then 2. Unfortunately 3D animation began to catch the interest of the viewing public and the interest for 2D animation no longer justified financially the 4 year commitment of time and money to create them, so the expansion that Eisner pioneered had to be cut back to what it once was while Disney reinvents itself into the 3D animation market. This is not Eisner's fault, the viewing public's tastes have simply changed (for now).
IMHO the reason the 2d faultered was the cut backs in the writing and development! I feel if Nemo was released in 2d it still would have done well, because it is a good story, not just because it was 3D. Yes the 3d enhances the story, and gives it a cutting edge look, but Nemo would not have flopped if 2d!
Mission Space, Test Track and Star Tours were firsts of their kinds. There's nothing like Fantasmic or Rock and Roller Coaster (or the soon to replaced Alien Encounter). The Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland (Dinosaur at WDW) and Buzz Lightyear were the precursers to Spiderman and MiB at Universal.
Walt would have salivated over the technology involved in these and the Reflections of Earth globe, the construction of the Tree of Life.
And in the works, the new Everest, the proven auto stunt show, and Stitch Escape, and another innovative attraction, Soaring over California.
They are all original, but if they are not kept up, why build them! How many times a day does Test Track break down??
I fell Mission space is great, but not as good as it could have been! Not for the money spent or for the loss of Horizon!
I believe Star Tours was pre Eisner!
I also feel the loss of the Diamond Horseshoe revue for Goofy, was not a step forward! And was always LIVE!
Indy is also a break down problem and has not run a FULL show in a while as far as AA and effects are concerened!
Sure there has been some hits and good ideas, but many fumbles also.
Soaring is a great ride, a definite not miss in your 4 HOURS in DCA!
What about Rocket Rodds at DL.. That was developed under Eisner, flopped and screwed up the Peoplemover for ever being ran again! Sorry not a TECH RIDE, but a classic lost for good!
DLP looks to be beautiful..but is hurting big time for $$$$ How come you did not mention the Studios in Paris in your list??? It sucks! Thats why!
Tokyo is a Disney park in name but not in management style... They have an Idea of how a park is to be run and how rides are to be developed! Money is spent and the rides are built to full potential! Do a search of Pooh in Tokyo and see what WDW and DL should have built!
What rides have been cut? Disney added a WHOLE NEW PARK at WDW recently and several new great attractions. They've also added new parks in Paris, Tokeo, and California, in the last 5 years. All these parks are very different and filled with creativity and new rides.
Rides cut are you serious?? well lets see just at MK...20k, Skyway, toad, canoes, keel boats, omnibus and fire engine on mainstreet, COP is seasonal ,Timekeeper and so on. Yes many were replaced, but not all, and sometimes not with a higher quality product! Also the FEEL of the parks have been cut! They just don't look or feel as happy as they once were.. and this has taken place over the last 10 years or more! Maybe it is because many CM's live at or below poverty levels! But Eisner has done very well, even giving himself a raise this year, how about the CM's???
If
we are referring to the 'seasonal' attractions at WDW, this is just a matter of supply and demand, plain and simply and to expect Disney to simply throw money away keeping a ride 'spinning' just for a handfull of people when they could be spending it elsewhere is irresponsible. These cutbacks of less popular attractions help finance the earlier arrival of Fire Mountain or Villian's Mountain or the addition of yet more (and more appreciated) magic elsewhere in the parks.
Just say COP! This is one of the last rides that actually have Walt's touch! They already screwed up Tiki room,also in the last decade! If they spent some money and cleaned up COP, updated the AA it would be a HIT! It has been running quite regular during the Stitch rehab and it has had been reported on these boards to have been SPINNING quite full! How much can this ride cost to run?? Not enough to fund a new ride or park! And it is VERY APPRECIATED by many,myself included.
I can see you are very impressed with the Technological developments in the last couple of decades, Yes, maybe Walt would have salivated to have and use it, but I don't think he would have ever let the parks slip into the shape they are in. I feel you are more into the TECH and not the history. Walt would have kept the parks affordable for the working guy. He valued the experience over the profit, and did quite well with this recipe. Walt paid off Disneyland very fast. Eisner is having trouble paying off DLP 10 years later. I wonder if and when DLP will be paid off. Disney is starting to become out of reach for many, and that is who Walt built Disneyland for to start with. Disney has lost its cleancut Americana look, for flash and a quick buck! Thats the biggest development in the last couple of decades, good or bad! Well bad ,no matter how you can justify it!
