I think it's good that many people aren't bothered by this stuff. And I really believe you that you're fine with it. But you might want to acknowledge that some others are more tuned in (for better or worse) to the overall theme of the parks being worn away. The constant movie IP and shops make me feel I'm less of a guest and more of a walking wallet. This guest *is* worse off for the IP injection, even if you're not. And I am not a rabid crazy fan or whatever.
Maybe it's a little bit like ads that get flashed at you from a phone or whatever. For some people, it's just like, "Just ignore them unless you're interested in the product. Who cares?" But for others, constant advertising is very unpleasant. Different sensibilities. It seems the park is over time aiming towards people like you (who aren't bothered) and less to people like me (who are). So I guess you probably "win."
I'll just clarify a few things because I believe that we agree on more points than not:
1. Like you, I am not questioning anybody's emotions. I don't deny that the people who say they are upset about IPs actually are
2. I also very much see the value of theming in parks. However, I feel this is a completely separate discussion - whether a ride is IP-based says nothing about whether it is thematically appropriate (e.g. Space Mountain and Peter Pan's Flight would be equally out of place in Frontierland).
3. I do believe it is imperative for Disney to keep its guests' needs in mind. For
any business to be successful, it must consider its customers. If the majority of Disney guests were made to feel uncomfortable by IPs or gift shops, I would advocate that Disney change its practices, despite the fact that I'm not personally harmed by them. However, I do believe it to be a small minority of guests that is actually disturbed by these tendencies (these boards are not a representative sample), and, from Disney's perspective, their needs are far outweighed by those who stand to benefit. Therefore, Disney's behavior is
reflective of its customers' desires, not
dismissive of them.
4. The fact that these decisions make you feel like a "walking wallet" is
precisely what I was referring to when I said this backlash is stemming from an underlying aversion towards profit-motivated decisions. So it's not that IPs or gift shops are actually making the parks inherently
worse per se, but rather that they are triggering these negative sentiments.
and not so much of constant movie IP overload and Marvel/Star Wars expansion - although it is their time right now to actually invest on those properties. Maybe there will be a harmonious balance. The IPs are cool and I am not so bothered, but I also fear that it will be more excessive than it already is, and I'm more so all for Disney creating original-Disney attractions and experiences. Even better, I hope Disney invests a little more time on approving new and original ideas and narratives that are specific to a ride (i.e. Haunted Mansion, Phantom Manor, stuff like that).
