NY Times: Bob Iger Effectively Back As CEO

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not just 10 years... how much really happened in the 90s to US parks?

The wdw complex doubled in size from 1989 to 1998...for all intents and purposes...

I get it...Eisner needed to go...but there were some bad economic situations and patterns shifted also. People give Iger to much credit for just putting the screws to the place and spending the majority of his “investment” in a park buried in mainland China that was never a good idea and now is proven so.

 

[peter11435]

Not just 10 years... how much really happened in the 90s to US parks?

A lot actually.

 

[bryanfze55]

A lot actually.

Such as? Killing World of Motion? Journey into Imagination 1.0? Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? 20K Leagues?

People can talk about Iger destroying things at WDW, but that started under Eisner.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Why? He hasn't really done much for the parks other than mandate unnecessary IP integration that the imagineers at best sometimes make it work (Ex: Pandora) and at worst are forced to destroy park sightlines and integrity (Epcot).

 

[bryanfze55]

The wdw complex doubled in size from 1989 to 1998...for all intents and purposes...

I get it...Eisner needed to go...but there were some bad economic situations and patterns shifted also. People give Iger to much credit for just putting the screws to the place and spending the majority of his “investment” in a park buried in mainland China that was never a good idea and now is proven so.

It doubled in size in terms of parks, but there were roughly 7 or 8 rides between those two parks at the turn of the century, right? Isn’t that part of the problem? Spreading attractions across four parks means WDW has under built parks compared to Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It doubled in size in terms of parks, but there were roughly 7 or 8 rides between those two parks at the turn of the century, right? Isn’t that part of the problem? Spreading attractions across four parks means WDW has under built parks compared to Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.

A problem Iger spent billions of dollars trying to maintain instead of just building new attractions.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Like create a monopoly instead of developing content of their own?

 

[Magenta Panther]

Losing 30 million a day! And borrowed 6 billion!? Wow.

And again, spent none of it fixing a broken ride (broken for YEARS) in Animal Kingdom...

Anyway, this is hilarious. I'd like to see Iger get out of this one. Spending company capital on acquisitions it didn't need, cutting corners at the American parks (which didn't begin to cover the debt, just cheat the customer out of an equitable vacation experience while raising prices)...this is too good. And I too wonder why he (initially) got out when he did. Could his good buddies in China have tipped him off about what was coming...? (NO! I will NOT be a conspiracy theorist! I will NOT be a conspiracy theorist!)

 

[bryanfze55]

A problem Iger spent billions of dollars trying to maintain instead of just building new attractions.

I would mostly agree with that, though Hollywood Studios has more than double the rides it did when Iger took over. It’s still too few, of course.

I just find the nostalgia for Eisner to be laughable. I think what people are truly nostalgic for are lower prices and fewer crowds.

 

[peter11435]

Such as? Killing World of Motion? Journey into Imagination 1.0? Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? 20K Leagues?

People can talk about Iger destroying things at WDW, but that started under Eisner.

At WDW they built an entire theme park, a water park, an entertainment complex, a dozen resorts and multiple attractions in every park. Not to mention a cruise line and the start of the massive Disneyland resort expansion and several additions to Disneyland. Sure some things closed, they always have. But the 90’s were a period of rapid expansion for parks and resorts.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Such as? Killing World of Motion? Journey into Imagination 1.0? Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? 20K Leagues?

People can talk about Iger destroying things at WDW, but that started under Eisner.

I’m not one for removal...like at all...

But did you actually ride the things you listed?
I can understand the need to replace those things...even if I can’t totally agree with the results.

 

[Lilofan]

I would mostly agree with that, though Hollywood Studios has more than double the rides it did when Iger took over. It’s still too few, of course.

I just find the nostalgia for Eisner to be laughable. I think what people are truly nostalgic for are lower prices and fewer crowds.

The stock price was generally flat during parts of the Eisner era. If you bought in the early to mid 2000s and just let it sit there to present time ( a hiccup in the last month though) during the Iger time, the returns are much better.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Bob Iger is the least innovative or creative CEO of any company.

He basically made The Walt Disney Company a distribution company selling other people's work instead of investing in what the company was pretty much known for... pioneering Innovation (audio animatronics, animation, theme parks, general tech)

 

[Magenta Panther]

The stock price was generally flat during parts of the Eisner era. If you bought in the early to mid 2000s and just let it sit there to present time ( a hiccup in the last month though) during the Iger time, the returns are much better.

Walt didn't give two hoots about stocks and stockholders. He cared about quality, innovation, and plussing. He invested company capital in order to create new things. Iger cares only about stock and stockholders. He invested company capital in acquisitions. Walt created a bedrock of quality. Iger's created a bedrock of debt. Whose contributions will stand the test of time? The answer is "duh".

 

[bryanfze55]

At WDW they built an entire theme park, a water park, an entertainment complex, a dozen resorts and multiple attractions in every park. Not to mention a cruise line and the start of the massive Disneyland resort expansion and several additions to Disneyland. Sure some things closed, they always have. But the 90’s were a period of rapid expansion for parks and resorts.

Fair enough. I was mostly just talking about the parks themselves - not resorts, water parks, Disney Springs, certainly not cruise lines.

 

[Horizons '83]

Walt didn't give two hoots about stocks and stockholders. He cared about quality, innovation, and plussing. He invested company capital in order to create new things. Iger cares only about stock and stockholders. He invested company capital in acquisitions. Walt created a bedrock of quality. Iger's created a bedrock of debt. Whose contributions will stand the test of time? The answer is "duh".

I think that is why Eisner and Wells worked so well in the early years, the #2 is just as important as the #1. Walt and Roy were a perfect balance as well. Roy had to keep Walt in check, remember that. I think your fooling yourself if you think that Iger only thinks of stockholders but it would be irresponsible for him not to place them high in the food chain.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

Walt didn't give two hoots about stocks and stockholders. He cared about quality, innovation, and plussing. He invested company capital in order to create new things. Iger cares only about stock and stockholders. He invested company capital in acquisitions. Walt created a bedrock of quality. Iger's created a bedrock of debt. Whose contributions will stand the test of time? The answer is "duh".

To be fair, the company under Walt was often under financial stress that would not be tolerated in today's instant gratification market. Of course he was right, quality does win out eventually. Unfortunately, I don't think the patience is there among today's shareholders, especially the large volume of baby boomers understandably looking to retire now or in the very near future.

EDIT: added the word "understandably" as I didn't want the remark to come across as a generational attack.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

I think that is why Eisner and Wells worked so well in the early years, the #2 is just as important as the #1. Walt and Roy were a perfect balance as well. Roy had to keep Walt in check, remember that. I think your fooling yourself if you think that Iger only thinks of stockholders but it would be irresponsible for him not to place them high in the food chain.

Yep, even Roy told Walt no sometimes. He is probably the reason the company didn't become an obscure footnote in Hollywood history.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Yep, even Roy told Walt no sometimes. He is probably the reason the company didn't become an obscure footnote in Hollywood history.

And yet Roy once said: "My brother made me a millionaire. Why wouldn't I want to help him?"

 

[bryanfze55]

I’m not one for removal...like at all...

But did you actually ride the things you listed?
I can understand the need to replace those things...even if I can’t totally agree with the results.

I’ve ridden Mr. Toad and the Subs at Disneyland. Mr. Toad is outdated, but it’s a classic dark ride. I see no issue with their continued inclusion in the park. As for Journey 1.0, people wax poetic about that ride. Why did it have to be replaced with an inferior version? World of Motion, I never rode it, but it does seem to have been a significant part of the Epcot everyone loved.

I’m not understanding this need to replace rides. If anything, expand upon them but keep the originals. Why couldn’t Eisner keep Mr. Toad AND build Winnie the Pooh? Why couldn’t Eisner keep Horizons AND add Mission: Space separately? I haven’t liked it when Iger did things like this (ex. Replacing Snow White’s Adventures with 7DMT, replacing GMR with MMRR). And I will call him on that. But this is an attitude that began under Eisner - not Iger. We should be adding capacity, not replacing serviceable rides. This is something everyone agrees with.

Why are Eisner’s worst decisions more lauded than Iger’s best decisions?

Because prices were lower, and crowds were lower, and we’re nostalgic by nature...

That is the end all, be all.