Jim Hill Media

[ChrisFL]

People are bashing Jim Hill for rumors that don't happen and I've seen other rumors sites suffer the same...

The problem with rumors that even if it was the lead imagineer giving away information, it STILL doesn't mean that a project won't be canned by upper management at the last minute or even past then (see Legendary Years as a prime example)

So we can sit here and complain but these people still have more to go on with inside sources than most of us, all we can do is read and make up our own minds.

As for the Night Kingdom project, Lou Mongello from wdwradio.com apparently will be sharing more of his knowledge on next week's show and has said this week that he's pretty sure (as I am) that this project IS happening.

 

[wannab@dis]

He runs a ... expertly-written website.

Of all the things I've ever read or heard about Jim Hill... that's not one! :lookaroun

 

[raven]

According to Jim there's a new park in the work over at the Disneyland Resort and it's going in the employee parkinglot. They are also supposed to be building mega coasters over the who property including the hotels and Downtown Disney.

This is the everyday "life according to Jim."

 

[askmike1]

If you want to find some tidbits about Disney's past, JHM is the place to go. If you are looking for the latest information, completed articles, rumors presented as rumors, professional editing of the articles and facts presented as facts..... it is not the place to go. Basically, read it if you wish, just take what he presents as facts (and "confirmed" rumors by unnamed sources) with a grain of salt.

 

[Disneyfanman]

I have always enjoyed him. His historical stuff is great. He presents rumors as rumors. But he sure makes a lot of people nuts........as all popular editorial writers do. Anybody remember Mike Riko from the Chicago Sun Times? He made people CRAZY! But he sure was entertaining. Not that Jim Hill is in the same league, but my point is that Jim presents entertainment on the web that's keeps people reading and talking. Good for him.

 

[JennyTablina]

Jim aint a bad guy IMO, a lot of his articles, specially the Disney history articles are pretty good. It's always nice to see what he manages to dig up. I would of never known what the Disney Decade planned or about the development of some of the films otherwise. Plus his Scrooge U series of Night before Christmas adaptions was interesting to read.

On the flip side, I did stop reading the site for a while because Jim had a period, post Pixar buyout, of being real negitive about John Lassetters new position at Disney and Pixar in general. Not that I'm against criticism against Pixar (theres a little too much of the new attractions being Pixar related in Disney) But when the guys going on about how Cars was going to be a flop and looking at Lassetters decision to go a step back on Meet the Robinsons in a negitive light. It seems a tad unbalanced.

Not to mention his dreamworks articles which sound like pure advertising sometimes :lookaroun

Dont like the Night Kingdom idea, hoping that this idea is just an early concept that'll be trashed really. Also was glad Disney Quest didnt close as he was suggesting.Though I suppose maybe Disneys just testing the waters through him

 

[unkadug]

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/member.php?u=45691

 

[Nosmo King]

He runs a well-established, expertly-written website. He freely shares his own opinions, and invites comment and diverging options. He reports news and opinions from a network of current and former theme park employees.

He gets bashed by several readers of this website; I'm sincerely not sure why.

Like many readers of wdwmagic.com, he often discusses closed attractions and Disney history in great and accurate detail. To me, that seems evidence of a genuine love of Disney and since his words and website are free to all, I'm not sure the drumbeat of criticism and derisive use of icons is deserved or even appropriate.

I say give the guy a little respect or ignore him if it bothers you that some reporting and predictions prove false. I have been around the Walt Disney Company long enough to know that any plan is uncertain until long after the first shovel of dirt is turned. Example: the resort they started to build east of Bonnet Creek Golf Courses. They had put in a steel and concrete bridge and roadway, then stopped construction after 9/11. Simularly, all those buildings at Pop Century. And the resort they started to build on Bay Lake. How about 25% of Michael Eisner's "Disney Decade"... was he an unreliable reporter, lacking in knowledge?

My suggestion would be to close this thread or move it to another forum. This is not news or a rumor. It is backstabbing gossip.

Hi, Jim Hill! Thanks for stopping by wdwmagic.com!

 

[MousDad]

I agree with most of the sentiments here.

Yes, his homespun writing style is very annoying.

Yes, his historical pieces are good. His older, multi-part series on various attractions are outstanding. You can find those on his archives.

I've noticed the past several months that both he and Al seem to have run dry on the rumor stream. In fact, one or both of them (I don't remember which) predicted this several months ago, citing a clamp-down on leaked info by the new administration.

I may be wrong, but I think alot of the hate for Hill stems from 2 areas: 1) His perceived anti-anything-Pixar columns over the past few years, and 2) the infamous expulsion from DL incident. I myself know little about the latter, just have read alot of reaction to it.

 

[aj_steig]

I've never read anything by Jim Hill and for a while I thought he was the guy that created the Muppets. Then I remembered that's not correct.....:lol:

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL:I think you were thinking of Jim Henson. That's funny, because for a split second when I first noticed his name, I thought the same thing!

 

[DisneyJoe]

I think he is Canadian...

He's from New Hampshire.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I think most folks here have the gist of JHM captured.

A viable source of comprehensive Disney history Yes
An ongoing source of interesting rumors Yes
A bit of an ego as an internet "celebrity" Yes
A writing style that can taint otherwise interesting news Yes
Periodic indications that there is an axe to grind Yes
A resource I regularly visit (taken with a grain of salt) Yes

 

[raven]

Dont like the Night Kingdom idea, hoping that this idea is just an early concept that'll be trashed really.

Idea? He sounds as if it's a green-lit project:

"Disney's Night Kingdom" is the Mouse's long overdue response to SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. And -- yes -- the Mouse is actually going to build this $520 million project. Current plans call for this niche park to officially throw open its doors in October of 2011, just in time for the start of Walt Disney World's 40th anniversary celebration...

Disney's Night Kingdom's operating hours will be 4 p.m. to midnight (5 p.m. to 1 a.m. during daylight savings time)...

Have you ever dreamed of acting like Indiana Jones and riding a zip line over a pool full of hungry crocodiles? Or hand-feeding a hippopotamus? Well, here you can...

And once you've had your fill of adventures, why not grab a gourmet meal at one of the park's two highly themed eateries? Or -- better yet -- find a seat inside of Night Kingdom's centrally located main theater. Where you'll then be dazzled by a state-of-the-art stage show which will be produced by Disney Theatrical and feature top Broadway talent.

I know, I know. A lot of you may have trouble wrapping your heads around a Disney theme park that's as distinctly different as DNK is going to be...

Another thing that you need to be aware of here is that the Mouse also plans on making DNK available to convention groups. So WDW's newest theme park could wind up being sold out for weeks, if not months in advance. Which is why -- if you really want to visit Disney's Night Kingdom -- advance reservations will definitely be recommended...

So there you have it, folks. Disney World's next theme park will NOT be Villains themed and/or loaded with lots of coasters. But -- rather -- it will be an intimate, natural environment that then offers you the chance to have lots of personalized, hands-on, once-in-a-lifetime adventures."​

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_h...e-the-disney-theme-park-going-experience.aspx


Hmm, let me see. It seems that I posted a "wish" in a thread while back about wanting to see a nightime park for adult. And 2 days later Jim took my "wish" as official news and embellished on it.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?p=2728876#post2728876

Only 2 days later did his article on this topic appear.

If only I had that power.

But then the original article had a question posed by someone who links back to a WDWMagic thread listing all of these items BEFORE his article.

So it seems that we can make up many crazy ideas on these threads and they will, with a little pixie dust, magically become "official" news.

...but that's nothing new. It's been that case for years.

 

[Mr Bill]

75% of his articles are interesting (namely, the historically based ones).

25% of his articles are pure fantasy presented as fact.

100% of his articles are written in a manner that makes me want to throw my copy of Elements of Style at him. Hard.

Well put!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

He's from New Hampshire.

Almost the same thing
:lol:

 

[ChrisFL]

Idea? He sounds as if it's a green-lit project:

I've heard from a few inside sources that it HAS been green-lit....BEFORE Jim Hill got wind of it.

 

[WDWFigment]

I think most folks here have the gist of JHM captured.

A viable source of comprehensive Disney history Yes
An ongoing source of interesting rumors Yes
A bit of an ego as an internet "celebrity" Yes
A writing style that can taint otherwise interesting news Yes
Periodic indications that there is an axe to grind Yes
A resource I regularly visit (taken with a grain of salt) Yes

Well put. I don't mind his writing style, it may not be stylistically perfect, but neither was Dickens (jeez, I just compared Jim Hill to Dickens :brick. I overlook the style just like I overlook the crazy anti-Pixar sentiment and the off-the-wall rumors. Funny how a mind can discern fact from rumor and fiction, rather than just helplessly following...

I'm surprised Enderkari hasn't chimed in yet with his sentiment that anyone who likes Jim Hill or Al Lutz has no credibility. Usually he jumps at the chance to bash any of their ilk (which is a bit ironic). Maybe he hasn't checked the boards yet today...

 

[Chape19714]

Well, I for one don't like the fact that some people take everything he says and blows it out of proportion, just like he writes the stories. I personally don't read the site anymore(although I have, to be fair), but I find it incredibally ironic that someone who likes and respects the Disney Quality so much that he was asked to leave Disneyland for giving his own guided tours, which is against policy, and puts a hole in the quality level Disney thrives for. It's also interesting how very few of his fans know that, yet it was on msnbc for a brief moment (granted, a very slow news day).

So I think it's no good, and how could somebody thrown out of Disney have Inside information, he can't even stay as a guest?! I realize he has sources, but I'd like to know how he got them, and who they are.

 

[marni1971]

After spending some time with him at Epcot, introduced by a mutual friend, and chatting via email, Jim seems to be a rather nice person.

Just my t'penth worth :wave:

 

[Tim G]

After spending some time with him at Epcot, introduced by a mutual friend, and chatting via email, Jim seems to be a rather nice person.
Just my t'penth worth :wave:

Hopefully you didn't meet his wife as well... :lookaroun