Or people seem to forget that the biggest game in the world would be perfect for a ride. MINECRAFT!
This is a funny, and sort of strange comparison to make. Part of what made Minecraft such a hit, was the sense of exploration and adventure, which for a long time, was something that Disney parks also tried to replicate. Walt Disney's personal minecraft would have been exploring the marshes and streams around Missouri, something he would later try to replicate with Tom Sawyer Island. So there are definitely some parallels.
On the other hand, there is still this fundamental shift in thinking that kids would rather seek out those interactive games and even watch videos about those games, than play outside themselves. The biggest threat to the existence of a theme park, is home entertainment, and video games are right there on that front.
I don't think Iger would've made Turning Red be streaming-only, for example, and that he would've stayed committed to more theatrical exclusivity, even for Mulan, and insisted on delaying it more and more until it could possibly turn a profit in the box office. Iger wouldn't have done the centralizing under Kareem Daniel, either.
A couple hit pieces ago, it was revealed that Iger was really the perpetrator of some of Chapek's later reorganization moves:
Conceptually, Chapek’s idea actually isn’t all that different from what Iger had begun to put in place with the organization of Disney+.
If Disney wanted investors to see its burgeoning streaming service as the growth engine in a digital-first world, Iger realized he needed to centralize power around Disney+.
While Chapek didn’t consult Iger about his October 2020 reorganization, he did cite many of the same principles that Kyncl and Iger discussed in 2018.
Iger did try to consolidate power under Kevin Mayer and that just didn't seem to work out for him.
Maybe Iger really did think Chapek was it, rather than just purposefully setting him up.
Tin foil territory here, but I don't think Iger was ready to give it up, whether he really thought Chapek was ready or not. Whether he really thought he was ready or not.
There was a lot of early speculation and worries over the management/power shuffles in support of Disney+. That those battles were going to be ugly and brutal and Iger just didn't want to tarnish his legacy over them or just didn't have the stomach for them in his old age.
The precipice though was knowing that things had to change for Disney+, and realizing that and the succession troubles Disney has always had, the board finally pushed to get him to step down. They gave him what he had asked for before (an internal candidate coming from parks), allowed him to stay on as a "creative executive" for awhile longer, and got him to finally agree to step down.
Certainly seems to fit the idea that Iger is the one feeding the rumor mills here with news of 'secret' parties and phone calls. That Iger is the one promoting this whole 'Iger isn't even returning his calls' narrative that seems like it shouldn't even be all that important if the guy is retired anyway. Would I expect Bob Iger to still be running Disney via proxy rather than just spending his days golfing or on a yacht somewhere? The whole thing seems strange.
If Chapek does end up out by February without a contract extension, would Kareem Daniel be forced out, too?
February is a long time off.... but generally it's unlikely they will give up on Chapek (or Kareem Daniel).
If what I said above is true, then it makes sense that the board is backing Chapek here. If it was the board's decision to hire Chapek and make those uncomfortable changes, they will stand by him and by extension those changes he made.
And the key to this is, the success of Disney+. As long as Disney+ is working, and the new organizational structure is working, Chapek can stick around. Of course assuming there aren't continuing PR disasters.
Without wizarding…they don’t bring in Cameron…
I know it seems weird maybe to some, but what if Avatar really is the next big thing? Disney already has the IP and already a presence in the parks.
The "stone ages" worked a lot better than the fancy computer system IMO, and you see that in other places in park experiences these days. Of course, I came out of the "stone age" and into the modern world, whereas it sounds like you went back in time, so the difference makes sense.
It really depends on a variety of factors, including scale. At Cedar Fair, their parks are fairly small, so it's easier to do things on paper. At Disney? Not so much. It might seem like an unnecessary hassle, but Disney's labor team has been hit with so many class action lawsuits over missed breaks and lunches, and all the complaints of favoritism and improper scheduling practices ... CDS isn't perfect and for sure some of these can still be issues, but it's better than nothing.
