Interview with Bob Iger about the Parks

TwilightZone

TwilightZone

Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
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
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Not counting outside America stuff and Everest (even though, I personally do count outside America stuff, many people here don't for some reason):
1. soarin over the world
2. rivers of light
3. miss adventure falls
4. space restaurant (arguable)
5. mission space new non barf mode green mission (arguable)
 
Oddysey

Oddysey

Well-Known Member
tigerlight said:
He wasn't talking about Everest as it would have been stupid of him to say that, and the man is anything but stupid. The words weren't eloquent for a lot of reasons, chief among them the fact that they were confusing.

As for knowing about Everest, he absolutely does. Theme parks are the LARGEST source of profit for Disney. This is why he's invested so heavily in them. They are the gift that keeps on giving even when movies fail. I promise you Iger knows the theme of Everest and a whole lot more about it... not because he necessarily loves theme parks the way you do, but because theme parks are a massive part of his job.
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Do we disagree somewhere? I indicated to the OP that Iger was not likely talking about Everest and said he "may" not know the theme if asked. Indicating that I am uncertain to his knowledge of the theming behind an individual attraction located in one of Disney's many parks. Could Iger know the intricacies of the theming around EE? Sure he could, and now with your promise, I know for certain that he does.
 
B

Bleed0range

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
Frozen is an overlay. I think it gets an MK or DL attraction depending on reception of the next movie. OLC seems all in. Are you also second guessing them?

Star Wars will never not be popular. Potter should be more of a concern for Uni.
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Another thing about SW land is it takes place on a planet OUTSIDE of the movies so it can continue to exist regardless of whether movies are coming out or not. People will always love Star Wars in some fashion.

When I was 5 I didn’t know Star Tours was an IP but I was really engulfed in the ride and the story of it. I hadn’t even seen the movie yet.

You guys are fighting over IP is worse than original idea but that isn’t necessarily true. Depends on the quality of the world and rides.

Nobody is saying the Marvel themed stuff at Universal is uninteresting a decade + later. I doubt Harry Potter is going anywhere for 20 years at least.

Toy Story is forever going to be popular just like Snow White is still popular and we have a roller coaster themed around it at the MK. It was the first feature length animated CG movie and Snow White was the first feature length animated feature so they both are historically important also.

I feel like you guys are just looking to complain or something. I’ve been quite excited about the new additions. And the whole thing with Universal is called competition and it’s healthy. Otherwise Disney might not be improving the parks as much as they are.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
One thing being overlooked, I think, is the general attitude of Hollywood these days. I have friends in the biz, and nobody but nobody wants original stuff right now. All they want are reboots and sequels - because the IP ownership is there, there's lower risk than with something totally new and there's a presumably built-in fanbase. Read: easy, lower risk money.

This came up recently; the top ten highest grossing films and all that. Count 'em, five - are sequels.

In Disney's case, they have tons of IP, either original or acquired. They would be crazy not to leverage it - especially in today's environment.

That said, I stand by my loathing of IP for IP's sake.
 
monothingie

monothingie

Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.
Premium Member
tigerlight said:
It wasn't 9/11 it was Disneyland Paris that caused Eisner to become very very cautious in terms of capital expenses. Eisner was great for 10 years but after that (and after his business partner Frank Wells died) he became very focused on self-preservation (retaining his own job - he's even said this) and that meant extremely conservative decision making, less risk taking, etc.

What Iger really deserves credit for is risk taking. He has made big risky decision after big risky decision. He's put it on the line because if these decision fail, then he fails. For guys like him it's not about the money anymore as they are already beyond rich, it's about the reputation and the place in history. Rather than taking the "safe" approach he has chosen to invest crazy amounts of cash and the result has been that average people (like most of us) get to experience the imagineer's absolutely most outrageous ideas.... IT DIDN'T HAVE TO TURN OUT THIS WAY.... Instead of Flight of Passage you could have had a lightly themed spinner with Banshees flying around you on strings, etc...
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SWGE is not a risky venture. It is basically a down payment on a cash machine. Iger was very risk averse. He was forced to expand because of what the competition was doing . Potter was eating Disney’s lunch for the first time and they were too slow to respond.

Eisner get the bad rap for DLP and CA but there was the commitment to at least build a foot print. DAK was a good start and The stuff planned for EPCOT that never happened was bold.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
embracejg said:
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but could it be that IP has always the main focus within Disney parks and the hardcore curmudgeons are choosing to selectively block that out because they’re glorifying the Disney parks of their youth?

These changes aren’t made just to spite people.
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I don't think anyone's annoyed at IP in the parks per se. You're right; Disney's always been about that. I think what gets people's ire is when it's crammed where it needn't be crammed, like in say an overlay. Good example is El Rio del Tiempo. The Three Caballeros didn't add anything, arguably. Frozen Ever After is a touchier subject. Look, clearly Maelstrom needed desperate help. But was a (more extensive) overlay the solution? Obviously Disney did it to cash in on the Frozen craze, and this was a good fit to do it. Where we're at today is every new thing is IP-based. Maybe it's a passing wave, long overdue. Maybe it's the way it's going to be from now on. Time will tell.
 
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Bleed0range

Well-Known Member
BoarderPhreak said:
I don't think anyone's annoyed at IP in the parks per se. You're right; Disney's always been about that. I think what gets people's ire is when it's crammed where it needn't be crammed, like in say an overlay. Good example is El Rio del Tiempo. The Three Caballeros didn't add anything, arguably. Frozen Ever After is a touchier subject. Look, clearly Maelstrom needed desperate help. But was a (more extensive) overlay the solution? Obviously Disney did it to cash in on the Frozen craze, and this was a good fit to do it. Where we're at today is every new thing is IP-based. Maybe it's a passing wave, long overdue. Maybe it's the way it's going to be from now on. Time will tell.
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Expedition Everest is only a little over a decade old and one of the most popular rides at WDW. I’m not sure how it can be seen as only IP related things are going to be added from here on out just because that’s what they’re doing right now.

Before AK, CA, etc., they opened Hollywood Studios as MGM and incorporated a lot of IP like Indiana Jones and Star Wars. They used other people’s IP like TZ and it is very popular also.

I don’t think any of this is end times for originality at Disney.
 
BoarderPhreak

BoarderPhreak

Well-Known Member
Bleed0range said:
...I don’t think any of this is end times for originality at Disney.
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Oh, I don't either. Case in point; look at what they did with the Avatar concept. Sure, the roots are in the movie, as are the rides - but the surrounding land is pure imagination (and done beautifully). But I do suspect after they've done a wave of IP that they might hit some lower hanging fruit.
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
TwilightZone said:
Not counting outside America stuff and Everest (even though, I personally do count outside America stuff, many people here don't for some reason):
1. soarin over the world

New movie on an existing cloned ride?

2. rivers of light

Yeah...about that...

3. miss adventure falls

Ok...but I’m not sure IP in water parks is the next “big thing”

4. space restaurant (arguable)

Ok...that’s ok. Probably talking “attractions” though

5. mission space new non barf mode green mission (arguable)
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Again...it was there and they turned the spinner off
 

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