Is new leadership needed at this point?

S

shambolicdefending

Well-Known Member
George Lucas on a Bench said:
I don't even know what Pixar Fest is.
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I think this pretty well sums it up:
Pixar-Fest-Food-Guide-33.jpg
 
George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
975. Pointless Overhyped Stroller Ban

I hesitated to include this because it seems to be more the fault of guests all around. Guests who bring massive baby strollers into the parks, expectations from guests who despise them when Disney announces size limits. What happened was Disney made a series of bizarre bans in one swift announcement, including smoking and large strollers, if you can call them that. This obviously excited many people. Check out the former smoking lounge behind Big Thunder full of empty benches, by the way. The official explanation by some PR idiot was that they ran out of room for smokers.

Anyway, as it turned out, they were really only banning the most ludicrously oversized wagons that are trendy only with ridiculous upper class white people. The acceptable baby stroller dimensions (which you can see in large boxes marked on the ground at DLR entrances) are still roughly the size of a FIAT. I would consider this a complete failure.
 
General Hux

General Hux

Member
egg said:
...you don’t see Jedi Mickey and Darth Goofy and crew anymore. At a certain point, taking your IP too seriously reduces the enjoyment of it and hurts the profitability of the business. Oh maybe like Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge! But back to my first point...

Their last original mobile game happened to be their last really successful mobile game. Their last original rides happened to be some of their most successful rides. Their last original princess movie happened to be their most successful. Okay you get the point. Bob Iger is killing fun and originality for some manic geeky focus on IP that doesn’t have proven results.
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They needed to take the middle path with Galaxy's Edge. Not as far as Darth Mickey walking around, but on the other end not throwing full weight into the idea of a single location land (which does not appear in any of the films) based on the new series. Fans like Star Wars based on the Original Trilogy. Period. Everything else, including the Prequels and the new stuff, is a sort of fan service to flesh out that Original love the fans have.
What they should have done is keep it serious, make it immersive, but have Batu (for the new trillogy characters) be just one section of the land, say the "hub" of it. Then have a few entrances to other mini lands based on Tatooine (must), Hoth, Cloud City, Dagobah, Endor, etc. The entrances could be pathways winding past a visual sight break that the interior looks like a starship (M. Falcon, Vaders shuttle, etc), so it's like you are traveling to that planet (cue sound and lighting effects as you walk through these mini a-ticket walk through attractions). In those mini lands, all the characters could meet fans... Yoda, Ewoks, Vader, Lando, the Emperor... LUKE, han, Leia. Each land could also have mini shows that reenact cool scenes from the films... Obi VS. Vader, Yoda training Luke, Darth Maul vs. Qui Gon, Jabba story time in the palace... endless possibilities.
For the main ride, it could be a trackless ride that takes you through all the lands, retelling the whole story... like the Great Movie Ride but with more of a POTC immersion level.
A second ride could be the trench run on the death star similar to the ride system of flight of passage.

This is what I (as a super SW fan) wanted.
This is what would have made the opening of GE bigger than Harry Potter, Cars, and Pandora combined.
This is what would have made Disney the most money.

7 years ago this idea would have been inconceivable, because hey, Disney would have to spend billions of dollars on this and come on...
But now they DID spend billions of dollars on a Star Wars land, and the only thing that is inconceivable is how they $#@^&! it up this bad!

It is literally comparable to if Universal had created Harry Potter land based on the Fantastic Beasts movies. No Harry, no Hermione, No Ron, no Hogwarts, but all your "favorite" (*cough*) stuff from their newest and least loved elements of the IP.
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
General Hux said:
They needed to take the middle path with Galaxy's Edge. Not as far as Darth Mickey walking around, but on the other end not throwing full weight into the idea of a single location land (which does not appear in any of the films) based on the new series. Fans like Star Wars based on the Original Trilogy. Period. Everything else, including the Prequels and the new stuff, is a sort of fan service to flesh out that Original love the fans have.
What they should have done is keep it serious, make it immersive, but have Batu (for the new trillogy characters) be just one section of the land, say the "hub" of it. Then have a few entrances to other mini lands based on Tatooine (must), Hoth, Cloud City, Dagobah, Endor, etc. The entrances could be pathways winding past a visual sight break that the interior looks like a starship (M. Falcon, Vaders shuttle, etc), so it's like you are traveling to that planet (cue sound and lighting effects as you walk through these mini a-ticket walk through attractions). In those mini lands, all the characters could meet fans... Yoda, Ewoks, Vader, Lando, the Emperor... LUKE, han, Leia. Each land could also have mini shows that reenact cool scenes from the films... Obi VS. Vader, Yoda training Luke, Darth Maul vs. Qui Gon, Jabba story time in the palace... endless possibilities.
For the main ride, it could be a trackless ride that takes you through all the lands, retelling the whole story... like the Great Movie Ride but with more of a POTC immersion level.
A second ride could be the trench run on the death star similar to the ride system of flight of passage.

This is what I (as a super SW fan) wanted.
This is what would have made the opening of GE bigger than Harry Potter, Cars, and Pandora combined.
This is what would have made Disney the most money.

7 years ago this idea would have been inconceivable, because hey, Disney would have to spend billions of dollars on this and come on...
But now they DID spend billions of dollars on a Star Wars land, and the only thing that is inconceivable is how they $#@^&! it up this bad!

It is literally comparable to if Universal had created Harry Potter land based on the Fantastic Beasts movies. No Harry, no Hermione, No Ron, no Hogwarts, but all your favorite stuff from their newest and least loved elements of the IP.
Click to expand...

Yes that land sounds amazing!!!! The idea of a dark ride traveling through the different areas would be really awesome.... like I’m imagining a peoplemover meets Omni-mover ride. So it travels with views of the outside of the lands peoplemover style (which also adds kinectic energy to the land) and then goes inside show buildings.

I don’t mind the new stuff being in the land... I just want to see the old stuff too. The characters I think of when I think of Star Wars ha.
 
RobWDW1971

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
TrainChasers said:
Yes that land sounds amazing!!!! The idea of a dark ride traveling through the different areas would be really awesome.... like I’m imagining a peoplemover meets Omni-mover ride. So it travels with views of the outside of the lands peoplemover style (which also adds kinectic energy to the land) and then goes inside show buildings.

I don’t mind the new stuff being in the land... I just want to see the old stuff too. The characters I think of when I think of Star Wars ha.
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The idea they based the land on the belief anybody cares about Kylo Ren tells you all you need to know.
 
Mr. Moderate

Mr. Moderate

Well-Known Member
George Lucas on a Bench said:
I tried to stay off the doom-and-gloom boat for as long as I could, but at this point it's the last lifeboat off this sinking ship.

Let's just review some of the facts here and feel free to contribute your own as we make a case against the current Disney management. Obviously, we specialize in Disneyland here, but wherever else the company may be failing, I'd be interested to learn.

1. Galaxy Edge Flops

At this point, it's a flop. People didn't turn up for it. Many of those who did ended up disappointed or just baffled. I think we logically went in expecting what Disney was promising with this "immersive" shtick. I guess we know better at this point. Obviously, all entertainment was cut from the land aside from very underwhelming characters who already appeared in Tomorrowland. There were no aliens, droids or that bounty hunter guy giving you crap if you crashed the Millennium Falcon. They don't even have music playing in there. It's a big desolate depressing middle eastern town in a canyon that doesn't have any of the qualities that people love about Star Wars. A big themed strip mall of overpriced nerdchandise with a disastrous ride that never opened and one disappointing simulator screen ride that no one is realistically ranking among the other real E Tickets at Disneyland.

2. The parks are dead

No one could have predicted that the parks would be dead for weeks in the summertime with seemingly record low attendance. CMs went from being prepared for Disneyland to reach capacity to having all their hours cut. A virtual queue for Galaxy Edge was invented and never used after the first day, when it wasn't even necessary.

3. Bizarre "Pop-Up Store" in Main Street theater

Yeah, I never go in here either, but the obviously strange decision to begin selling merchandise in this minor attraction in the most classic area of Disneyland rubbed many people the wrong way. In a seemingly unprecedented move, Disney responded to the backlash on social media and not only removed the merchandise, but added benches inside. With so much overpriced merchandise cluttering up so much of DLR as it is (Including much of Galaxy Edge), did they really need to shoehorn a store into this little theater? Obviously not. For many, that decision is reason enough to fire the people in charge.

4. Everything is overpriced and getting more expensive

I'm adding this one even though absurdly high prices have been the norm at theme parks and anywhere you go for a while now. I bring my own Tab and vegan sandwiches into the park because everything is so ludicrously overpriced. I did, however, recently eat at DLR and my overpriced meal was served on a tiny plate for toddlers with a pathetic portion while my fountain Diet Coke sloshed out all over the place because they don't even have lids. Terrible.

5. Cheap overlays and spinners

This one really ticks people off. Admittedly, I defend Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they did a decent job with it considering they were tasked with transforming the Tower of Terror into a funnybook movie space tower and it's perhaps a guilty pleasure. But something like Pixar Pier is impossible to defend. The Incredicoaster is such a pathetic crappy overlay. DLR has been getting absolutely screwed. DCA is like all spinning rides in the back. What the frig?

6. Poor response to Jerry Springer scene in Toontown

I hesitated to include this one. It's more bad press for DLR this month, a sad unfortunate incident. I don't blame the CMs for how they responded because I believe it's how they were trained. This is the problem. Their response isn't good enough. This goes back to whoever is calling the shots. DL should be a safe place, not somewhere guests intervene while women are being beaten up in the middle of a walkway. As it's been pointed out in the original thread which was closed like so many elevated transport rides in Tomorrowland, what if something worse were to happen? I guess we should just pray it doesn't.
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I really like the points you made as a former huge Disney fan who loved going to parks, I'm sad to see the direction of the parks are going. It's way too over priced and I had enough. I sold both my DVC contracts, didn't renew my AP's and if I go back again, it will be years from now and not on a regular basis like I once did.
 
General Hux

General Hux

Member
RobWDW1971 said:
The idea they based the land on the belief anybody cares about Kylo Ren tells you all you need to know.
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I do like the new stuff, and I like Kylo. But most SW fans like the Original characters, locations, and themes best. I just cannot understand why Disney didn't go for the 'best of both worlds" approach and include everything. Then when I take my kids, my son can stop and watch the Kylo Ren show, and I can continue on to see the Boba Fett show in Jabbas Palace. Oh wait, I don't hate Kylo, and my son like Boba Fett too, so we would go to both! More money for Iger's shareholders gladly given from my wallet!
Instead, they force-feed their new Disneyfied Star Wars IP exclusively, which is not only bad for their business but is a slap in the face to the fans. It would be as if they made a new movie where Luke Skywalker is a coward, Han Solo is a deadbeat dad, and both of them die in pointless ways simply to give a pseudo-dramatic moment for their new characters to play off of. Of course, they would never do that... oh wait.
 
B

BeentoallDParks

Active Member
KBLovesDisney said:
Is Galaxy's Edge really not doing that well?
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The biggest reason Galaxy’s Edge has moderate attendance is Disneyland overplanned and blocked most AP types for the summer. They went too far, and they scared people away in doing it. The situation may be different at WDW, which depends much less on APs for its daily attendance goals. Also, everyone now realizes the biggest ride hasn’t even opened yet, so a chuntk of people are waiting until that’s ready. So... no really a “flop.” More like attendance throttling that was miscalibrated but might right itself once everything settles. And the situation for WDW May be different since so many of its visitors don’t have the option of coming back in two weeks instead; more guests plan months ahead and fly in.
 
Janir

Janir

Well-Known Member
Nirya said:
The talk about Disney needing a creative person near the top of the food chain had me thinking of who I would put in that spot, and honestly I keep falling back on Kevin Feige. Personally, I would hate it because it would mean someone else would be overseeing the day to day at Marvel, but it’s hard to argue with his track record. Feige started with Marvel not having access to their A-list heroes (Spider-man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four), so he took the B and C tier and turned them into a multi-billion dollar behemoth. And I don’t think people realize how difficult that task was with some of the choices; characters like Dr. Strange and Black Panther had a cult following at best, while the Guardians straight-up had one of the smallest Marvel fan bases you can have while still being relevant. And yet Guardians is now looking at it’s 3rd movie, Dr. Strange landed one of the most in-demand actors in its lead role, and Black Panther was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

While I think Marvel has had some missteps (the TV division has never been particularly strong outside Agents of Shield, and the Netflix series were average to terrible), it’s easy to look past them when looking at the totality of their success. Feige got Marvel Studios to the point where Sony came to them to make a deal so that they could fix Spider-man. And when Disney bought Fox, Feige was smart enough to recognize that they shouldn’t rush new X-Men movies into production, but wait awhile. That’s excellent brand management, and exactly what Disney needs at this point.
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You're right. Disney really needs a creative person at the top looking at not just the bottom line but the creative picture. Walt and Roy Disney being family, Walt could actually deal with the creative while Roy make it work and told Walt when it wouldn't and Walt listened to him. And When Walt had a strong idea, Roy listened to Walt. IT's hard to replicate that particular dynamic now, but a CEO for Disney needs to at least SEE the creative as well as the business.

I think Kevin Feige might be that right combination of creative and bottom line. The Disney board should start grooming Feige to eventually take over. He's shown the smarts in managing Marvel brand as you said and that type of insight into what the brand consumer base will and won't tolerate is a key missing component of Disney today.
 
Janir

Janir

Well-Known Member
General Hux said:
as if they made a new movie where Luke Skywalker is a coward, Han Solo is a deadbeat dad, and both of them die in pointless ways
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This made me laugh and now I won't be able to stop thinking of the new movies with out thinking of them in this way.
Heck Solo being the dead beat dad, in yesterday's Star Wars Chewie would have beat his a-- for leaving Leia and Ben.
 

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