Great article by Robert Iger in Vanity Fair

deWild

Well-Known Member
Correction - Iger didn't buy the Muppets. Michael Eisner committed that blunder. And, as I recall, one of the first things Iger did as CEO was go to the Muppets division and pretty much fire everybody.

*sigh*...I had such high hopes for him then... ;)

BUT seriously...wouldn't it be nice if some interviewer would ask Iger intelligent questions, such as, WHY the Yeti AA in Everest remains broken, why Iger is such a contemptuous cheapwad that he just put a strobe light on it, why he keeps cutting corners on new attractions, why he invests gobs of money on attractions that are based on his acquisitions while being content with letting a very popular DISNEY-CREATED/ADAPTED IP-based ride like Peter Pan's Flight remain, technically speaking, in the 1960's? Why refurbs on rides like the Tower of Terror are almost always half-assed? Why he has such disdain for American parkgoers that new rides are cut to the bone while Tokyo Disneyland plusses its attractions with such largesse and splendor that Walt himself would swoon? Etc., etc. ...

What an egregious puff piece that article is. Guess Iger thought he needed one after the shockingly tepid response his Star Wars lands are getting...
You want someone to ask intelligent questions, yet the first one you would ask the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company is why the hell an animatronic is still not functioning up to your standards? Do you really think he would give a rip?

Iger is a businessman. He doesn’t report to us, he reports to the shareholders and the board, and according to the stock price over the last 10 years it’s pretty apparent that he’s done his job. Quite well, actually.
 

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
You want someone to ask intelligent questions, yet the first one you would ask the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company is why the hell an animatronic is still not functioning up to your standards? Do you really think he would give a rip?

Iger is a businessman. He doesn’t report to us, he reports to the shareholders and the board, and according to the stock price over the last 10 years it’s pretty apparent that he’s done his job. Quite well, actually.

My standards for AAs are, I think, in line with everybody else's standards...that the damn things WORK. If that's not YOUR standard, then you're the odd man out here.

Iger's REAL clients are moviegoers, TV viewers, shoppers, and park-goers. And if they decide they don't like the product, they won't buy, and that's what's happening so far to Galaxy's Edge in BOTH parks. Iger's price-gouging and cost-cutting might please stockholders, but customers don't appreciate it and that's going to bite him in the butt someday, if it isn't happening already. If there are poor sales, stock prices fall, and shareholders sell their investments. If you really believe that Iger shouldn't "give a rip" for poor show, then why in hell are you on a Disney Park board for park enthusiasts? Why would you be happy with the idea that Iger "doesn't give a rip" for low standards in park attractions? Do you really feel happy that he's letting Walt's standards fade while jacking up attendance prices? Don't you feel like a sucker for supporting such cynical, greedy manipulations of the public's affection for a legacy that Iger apparently doesn't "give a rip" about, except to grossly exploit it?

If not, you do you. Spend your dollars for broken effects and cheap plastic fish glued to walls. Enjoy!
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
If you really believe that Iger shouldn't "give a rip" for poor show, then why in hell are you on a Disney Park board for park enthusiasts? Why would you be happy with the idea that Iger "doesn't give a rip" for low standards in park attractions? Do you really feel happy that he's letting Walt's standards fade while jacking up attendance prices?

That’s been answered many times. Shareholders are happy because Disney is making money. ;)
 

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
n[/QUOTE]
then why in hell are you on a Disney Park board for park enthusiasts?
Respectfully, there seem to be (2) different groups in this forum who share passionate opinions to say the least who support the current executives and their duties and the group that does not support them. I will leave it at that. Both groups hopefully have a great time vacationing in the happiest place on earth! 😃
 
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Stripes

Well-Known Member
I am looking forward to reading this.
412285
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
Respectfully, there seem to be (2) different groups in this forum who share passionate opinions to say the least who support the current executives and their duties and the group that does not support them. I will leave it at that. Both groups hopefully have a great time vacationing in the happiest place on earth! 😃

Also, many people suddenly joined within the last few days and have spent their time strangely defending and praising said execs from any form of criticism or unhappiness.

Furthermore, there’s definitely a third group of people who support some policies, don’t support others, praise what’s great, and point out poor choices. They discuss it on a fan forum because it’s a hobby or part of their industry. They’re neither Doom-and-Gloomers nor Pixie Dusters. I know because I’m in the third group, and I think most people are.

Not everybody lives in a kindergarten-style world of “absolutely love” or “hate and despise.”

We probably all enjoy vacationing in the happiest place on earth (DL) or the most magical place on earth (WDW)—or their similar places around the earth.
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
"Strangely"? He made my life better. Nothing wrong with that. 😎

Good God, Iger’s not Jesus. :D

I do understand what you’re saying though. Like I said in my first post on page 1, his tenure has been successful largely because he allowed division-specific experts to operate those areas. Lasseter, Fiege, Rasulo, and even Staggs did a good job for years, and Iger trusted them to do it, making him — indeed — a good leader.

But that style of leadership depends on trusting the right people, and Chapek, Kennedy, and the entire films/TV divisions (except Marvel) have been making questionable choices.

I won’t deny my stock portfolio has been happy too. :)

(Btw, in my mind, I imagine this as a super-chill conversation with no tension whatsoever, and I hope you read it that way too.)
 
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Mouse Trap

Well-Known Member
Good God, Iger’s not Jesus. :D

I do understand what you’re saying though. Like I said in my first post on page 1, his tenure has been successful largely because he allowed division-specific experts to operate those areas. Lasseter, Fiege, Rasulo, and even Staggs did a good job for years, and Iger trusted them to do it, making him — indeed — a good leader.

But that style of leadership depends on trusting the right people, and Chapek, Kennedy, and the entire films/TV divisions (except Marvel) have been making questionable choices.

I won’t deny my stock portfolio has been happy too. :)

(Btw, in my mind, I imagine this as a super-chill conversation with no tension whatsoever, and I hope you read it that way too.)

These is no bigger and more lucrative beast in film + tv than Disney. They have their missteps (like every entertainment co does), but Disney's success at the box office cannot be questioned. For any misstep or error you point out, another studio or network has done similar if not worse. Everyone smart in entertainment right now wants Disney on their side.
 

deWild

Well-Known Member
My standards for AAs are, I think, in line with everybody else's standards...that the damn things WORK. If that's not YOUR standard, then you're the odd man out here.

Iger's REAL clients are moviegoers, TV viewers, shoppers, and park-goers. And if they decide they don't like the product, they won't buy, and that's what's happening so far to Galaxy's Edge in BOTH parks. Iger's price-gouging and cost-cutting might please stockholders, but customers don't appreciate it and that's going to bite him in the butt someday, if it isn't happening already. If there are poor sales, stock prices fall, and shareholders sell their investments. If you really believe that Iger shouldn't "give a rip" for poor show, then why in hell are you on a Disney Park board for park enthusiasts? Why would you be happy with the idea that Iger "doesn't give a rip" for low standards in park attractions? Do you really feel happy that he's letting Walt's standards fade while jacking up attendance prices? Don't you feel like a sucker for supporting such cynical, greedy manipulations of the public's affection for a legacy that Iger apparently doesn't "give a rip" about, except to grossly exploit it?

If not, you do you. Spend your dollars for broken effects and cheap plastic fish glued to walls. Enjoy!
I don’t think I ever stated I believe he shouldn’t give a rip, you assumed that. What I’m telling you is that he probably could care less, he has a company to run. If you think Walt wouldn’t appeal to the shareholders in today’s world, you’re wrong. He was a businessman at the end of the day, too.

Also, if your theme park experience is truly impacted by the functionality of an animatronic that you see for maybe a split second, then that’s a you problem. Get over it. You do understand that since the Yeti is built into the structure of the mountain, they would have to close the attraction and take the top portion of the mountain out to fix this, right? Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but I thought the torque from the yeti’s motion was cracking the foundations. For one of the park’s biggest draws, that is an absolutely asinine request. There was a post earlier that said blame Chapek and Kalogridis, or anyone that directly oversees the poor show you want fixed. Blame them. But anyone with some sense of business logic would tell you they wouldn’t fix the yeti either.
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
I don’t think I ever stated I believe he shouldn’t give a rip, you assumed that. What I’m telling you is that he probably could care less, he has a company to run. If you think Walt wouldn’t appeal to the shareholders in today’s world, you’re wrong. He was a businessman at the end of the day, too.

Also, if your theme park experience is truly impacted by the functionality of an animatronic that you see for maybe a split second, then that’s a you problem. Get over it. You do understand that since the Yeti is built into the structure of the mountain, they would have to close the attraction and take the top portion of the mountain out to fix this, right? Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but I thought the torque from the yeti’s motion was cracking the foundations. For one of the park’s biggest draws, that is an absolutely asinine request. There was a post earlier that said blame Chapek and Kalogridis, or anyone that directly oversees the poor show you want fixed. Blame them. But anyone with some sense of business logic would tell you they wouldn’t fix the yeti either.
The Yeti's own movement is ripping his shoulder joint apart. The foundation is fine. They don't need to remove part of the mountain, nor do they need to damage the mountain to remove him.
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
I am looking forward to reading this.
View attachment 412285

Obviously a Photoshopped image. Everyone who's read my posts over the years already knows that Iger's "book" about leadership is actually just two index cards. Unless he's now upped it to three index cards due to the Fox acquisition. Here's a free preview:

"Buy stuff"
"Buy more stuff"
"Marketing, branding, merchandise, synergy"

I don't want to give too much away for free, since I already covered half of the content right there, and I'm assuming Bob still thinks people want to know about his "leadership skills". :hilarious:
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
I don’t think I ever stated I believe he shouldn’t give a rip, you assumed that. What I’m telling you is that he probably could care less, he has a company to run. If you think Walt wouldn’t appeal to the shareholders in today’s world, you’re wrong. He was a businessman at the end of the day, too.

Also, if your theme park experience is truly impacted by the functionality of an animatronic that you see for maybe a split second, then that’s a you problem. Get over it. You do understand that since the Yeti is built into the structure of the mountain, they would have to close the attraction and take the top portion of the mountain out to fix this, right? Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but I thought the torque from the yeti’s motion was cracking the foundations. For one of the park’s biggest draws, that is an absolutely asinine request. There was a post earlier that said blame Chapek and Kalogridis, or anyone that directly oversees the poor show you want fixed. Blame them. But anyone with some sense of business logic would tell you they wouldn’t fix the yeti either.

The yeti could be fixed off-hours, without ride closure. It's been said many, many times over the past few years. TDO simply doesn't care enough to fix it.
 

n2hifi

Active Member
If you think Walt wouldn’t appeal to the shareholders in today’s world, you’re wrong. He was a businessman at the end of the day, too.

Do some more research on Walt. He was not known for making good financial decisions or listening to what anyone told him to do, in fact sometimes quite the opposite. It was the people around him that protected him from himself. Lucky for us many of those risks paid off, but shareholders don't like that kind of risk so I would never expect the company to be run that way. I don't think anyone with a passion for Walt's ideals would be allowed to run the company. Shareholders wouldn't have it.

P.S. One of my favorite books is "How to be like Walt". Very inspiring.
 

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