Interview with Bob Iger about the Parks

[lazyboy97o]

all great points conno
seems pretty simple to understand
Execution of a land is what gets people to return to your parks and we can enjoy Pandora or Frontierland equally

Projects are not chosen or approved based on the quality of their storytelling and experience.

 

[SirLink]

Have you attended a board meeting or read the minutes? The board reviews specific projects and debates the merits of projects. They are heavily influenced by Iger but they absolutely do play a role in the focus of new developments, including whether to focus on IP or not. It may not be their specific focus, but they absolutely have a say and discuss such things.

I really think you misunderstand Chapek's role, as well. These are hundreds-of-millions to billion dollar projects now. For that kind of money, Iger and the board are the final decision makers.

Have you? The Board does not review specifics of individual projects for the parks. There was no debate as to whether SWL was wise to add to DL/DCA/new park. They were given a total price for adding SWL to domestic parks. They voted to approve the capex. No debate as to whether its a good idea, why Parks is the cash cow of the Disney company.

Chapek gets presented proposals he decides on what to present to the Board, but he could present anything for approval of cap ex and it would happen., which was the main points. They don't scrutinize to the extent you think for the parks.

 

[SirLink]

Was Mystic Manor and Big Griz Mountain not Iger?

Yes with the local government demanding new things.

 

[jaxonp]

YEP. And it's hard to call Runaway Railway an "IP" attraction.... Mickey is about as Disney as it gets.... and it's replacing an attraction that was 100% IP (Great Movie Ride...)

also Roaring Rapids at Shanghai and allowing Soarin to be built at WDW and Shanghai without an IP added.

 

[jaxonp]

Yes with the local government demanding new things.

Well that local government has gone soft because everything being built at HK right now is Marvel and Frozen so...

 

[jaxonp]

It's ridiculous to think that Disney isn't going to build attractions and lands based on Star Wars & Marvel. That would be a massive business mistake and would remove a CEO from his post. What CEO would hold Marvel and Lucasfilm in their hand and do nothing with it in favor of building original attractions before utilizing those assests?

 

[SirLink]

Well that local government has gone soft because everything being built at HK right now is Marvel and Frozen so...

The chinese like Marvel though ?

 

[monothingie]

Many of you are too young to remember what it was like before Iger, but he has invested far more (and employed far more creative people) than any other CEO in the history of Disney (including Walt, and I suspect even when adjusted for inflation) all aimed at delivering the most mind-blowing experiences imaginable with the highest per-attraction budgets ever. We are talking many BILLION dollars all around the world. The result has been that Disney is more popular (and profitable) than ever, which is, in turn, driving even more investment. We are in the golden age... enjoy it while it lasts.

I don’t know if this is fair assessment. 9/11 gutted development at Disney under Eisner. There were massive plans in the works that never saw the light of day because of the travel downturn in the decade after. In all fairness, Iger was very tone deaf to any of this until the competition started making tremendous gains as a result of his initial complacency. We can disagree about his character and leadership style, but while he has done a lot of good, there is also a lot of negative things that has resulted, and you can see that in the corporate culture and how they view the gue$t$.

 

[twebber55]

Projects are not chosen or approved based on the quality of their storytelling and experience.

i totally agree
projects are chosen for a wide variety of reasons

 

[jaxonp]

The chinese like Marvel though ?

The Iron Man Experiance is usually one of the busiest things in a quiet park. Space Mountain and Pan seem to be the only things that have longer waits some days.

 

[jaxonp]

HIGHLY doubt the HK government is dictating whether to use IP or not... They just want to win and be better than Shanghai.

This in a nutshell. They should feel that way too. HKDL is a much more beautiful park. Shanghai is a giant concrete mess.

 

[SirLink]

BTW, if you really want to learn how it works, research some old interviews with Michael Eisner. He discusses the process of having the board specifically approve Everest.

He's also known to respond to people who message him on Instagram and Twitter...

I only iterate what I get told by folks in various positions around the company. Do I care? Not really. But I see you work at celebration plaza astroturfing this site

 

[BoarderPhreak]

i totally agree
projects are chosen for a wide variety of reasons

Let's be honest, ROI is probably #1. Not saying that's bad necessarily.

 

[Indy_UK]

the MK and Epcot happened long before Uni so this argument doesn't hold up.

I think we're just coming at this from different angles then

I wish someone would ask: “hey bob, what happens in 10 years when no one cares about Star Wars and frozen? And the budget isn’t gonna be there to rip it out and start from scratch?”

And his answer will be, 'Not my problem anymore as I'm going for Presidency'

I do also want to thank people for this interesting thread. I know a lot of people won't agree on stuff but this has been one of the more Interesting debates I've had on this forum

 

[Indy_UK]

And then Universal opened up the runaway hit themed land of the 2010's and changed both their game and Disney's.

And then did it again with Diagon Alley, proving they had the goods to keep it coming if they wanted. Disney had to change course.

Even AFTER that, Disney STILL toyed with the idea of Star Wars Land being a simple overlay of Echo Lake. That we're getting what we're getting instead of that is a testament to the fact that they know they can't get away with playing this one safe if they want to assert their creative dominance with the park-going public.

For the first time in history there are significant numbers of people who unabashedly prefer Universal's product over Disney's. "Catching up" doesn't mean Universal is suddenly making more money than Disney, it means Universal is making them look bad and they're working to get ahead of it. Context clues. Epcot and MK being built first have nothing to do with it.

Spot on Sir, thank You. Put better than I could of

 

[TwilightZone]

Balance, even 70/30 balance is all I'm asking for. The only non-IP addition under Iger has been Rivers of Light.

That isnt the only non IP attraction.
There isn't many, but to say that's the only one is wrong.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think we're just coming at this from different angles then



And his answer will be, 'Not my problem anymore as I'm going for Presidency'

I do also want to thank people for this interesting thread. I know a lot of people won't agree on stuff but this has been one of the more Interesting debates I've had on this forum

Exactly...and that was something even Eisner usually understood. The long view is what has allowed the various magic kingdoms to plow through good times and bads. It’s what sets them apart. To not build for that model erodes what makes them great.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That isnt the only non IP attraction.
There isn't many, but to say that's the only one is wrong.

What others?

And how about the non-IP conversions to IP?

There really isn’t an argument here about iger and what he does and doesn’t do

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Check bioreconstruct. WDW is about 90 days or so behind DL.

I just saw it...there is a ton of simple rock work to be done.

So I’ll pass on the helicopter fly over Internet fodder...for at least a week or so

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Star Wars will never not be popular. Potter should be more of a concern for Uni.

Star Wars is being ripped apart piece by piece. I’ll not debate though...get your popcorn. It’s being steered to marginal