On layoffs, very bad attendance, and Iger's legacy being one of disgrace

[ToTBellHop]

People seem to accept mediocrity in their lives, jobs and vacations.

I do not accept Country Bear Jamboree.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

If WDW has been declining since the 1990s how does one explain the increasing levels of attendance year after year?

I'm really not sure what point you think you're making. A decline in park upkeep and park attendance don't often correllate. Except perhaps for more discerning locals and longtime fans who pay more attention. Usually it takes a massively popular park like Disney developing a very public reputation for being dangerous (like Disneyland in the late 90s and early 00s) that causes people to avoid it over upkeep reasons.

There are a lot of other products and media out there that have declined in quality (sometimes it can even be objectively measured) but continue to increase in sales. McDonalds is an example, never "good" but definitely became more disgusting yet more popular over time. There's also the success of poorly reviewed but financially successful movie franchises such as Twilight and Transformers. Each Star Wars trilogy is also worse than the previous gen, but each trilogy is more financially successful than the last.

Generally the Disney parks have continually increased in attendance over the years due to both intensive marketing as well as the company's cultural legacy as a whole (not just the parks, but the movies and other things) growing over time. A lot of early Disney films such as Pinocchio and Fantasia didn't do well financially on their first release but grew more and more popular as time went on.

 

[tanc]

Tokyo Disneyland is the supreme example apparently of how to run the Disney parks. The CM's do so much extra and the maintenance is superb.

Maybe Disney needs to fly out and meet with OLC for a lesson on how to upkeep a theme park.

 

[Lilofan]

I'm really not sure what point you think you're making. A decline in park upkeep and park attendance don't often correllate. Except perhaps for more discerning locals and longtime fans who pay more attention. Usually it takes a massively popular park like Disney developing a very public reputation for being dangerous (like Disneyland in the late 90s and early 00s) that causes people to avoid it over upkeep reasons.

There are a lot of other products and media out there that have declined in quality (sometimes it can even be objectively measured) but continue to increase in sales. McDonalds is an example, never "good" but definitely became more disgusting yet more popular over time. There's also the success of poorly reviewed but financially successful movie franchises such as Twilight and Transformers. Each Star Wars trilogy is also worse than the previous gen, but each trilogy is more financially successful than the last.

Generally the Disney parks have continually increased in attendance over the years due to both intensive marketing as well as the company's cultural legacy as a whole (not just the parks, but the movies and other things) growing over time. A lot of early Disney films such as Pinocchio and Fantasia didn't do well financially on their first release but grew more and more popular as time went on.

My point is clear. You say the parks are declining. Common logic is that attendance should also. It's not. Not until Covid.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

People seem to accept mediocrity in their lives, jobs and vacations.

They’re just stealing oxygen from the rest of us...I expect mediocrity at the dollar store, mcds , but not WDW, DCL, Etc.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Tokyo Disneyland is the supreme example apparently of how to run the Disney parks. The CM's do so much extra and the maintenance is superb.

Maybe Disney needs to fly out and meet with OLC for a lesson on how to upkeep a theme park.

The Japanese have a completely different concept of “quality” compared to the rest of the world.

 

[Lilofan]

Tokyo Disneyland is the supreme example apparently of how to run the Disney parks. The CM's do so much extra and the maintenance is superb.

Maybe Disney needs to fly out and meet with OLC for a lesson on how to upkeep a theme park.

The Japanese work ethic and respect towards others are light years ahead of us in America.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

I do not accept Country Bear Jamboree.

Hey, stop that. Big Al is classic and in no way mediocre. He’s worth the price of admission for me! “And a great big puddle..” come on sing it with me.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

My point is clear. You say the parks are declining. Common logic is that attendance should also. It's not. Not until Covid.

I addressed your "point". Park upkeep can decline but still increase in attendance, these two things are not always (or even usually) correlated. I gave you ample other analogies outside of theme parks where this is the case. It has generally taken either safety concerns or economic woes (or both) for WDW and DL attendance to decline.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

Hey, stop that. Big Al is classic and in no way mediocre. He’s worth the price of admission for me! “And a great big puddle..” come on sing it with me.

This is where we don’t agree, again.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

This is where we don’t agree, again.

It’s all good. We know everyone doesn’t have good taste.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

Teachers with tenure have a sweet deal. It's like pulling teeth to get the poor performing ones fired.

And that's one of the saddest truths ever...it's the most frustrating part of being an admin.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Hey, stop that. Big Al is classic and in no way mediocre. He’s worth the price of admission for me! “And a great big puddle..” come on sing it with me.

I refuse to let my preferences exclude my kids from anything at Disney, so we took them to CBJ last Christmas Week (all the lines were long anyway...). They loved it. I now question all of my parenting choices.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

I refuse to let my preferences exclude my kids from anything at Disney, so we took them to CBJ last Christmas Week (all the lines were long anyway...). They loved it. I now question all of my parenting choices.

You obviously have very smart kids.

 

[yeti]

You can't layoff enough people in WDI. The place needs to be shut down and padlocked. Then after a period of time, you bring it back to life. With new people, with new dreams. And without this tired bunch of talentless hacks.

Not sure if you’re using hyperbole but I think there is a lot of talent at WDI it would be a shame to lose. In fact it’s the only department where I’m truly afraid of the effects of layoffs...technical issues aside Rise of the Resistance is widely considered a masterpiece that demonstrates what WDI can accomplish without gratuitous corporate meddling. Ditto Pirates in Shanghai. The rides they’re designing for Tokyo also look great. Not saying there aren’t any talentless hacks at imagineering, but at least some of the rank and file imagineers are truly talented and have created ingenious visual effects lately.

 

[Brer Panther]

Or they don't do them.

Hopefully that's the case for the Splash Mountain rethemes.

So basically the TLDR version of this mess- Iger and Chapek represent tracks A and B respectively of Mr Toad's Wild Ride.

Now I'm imagining a dark ride called "Mr. Bob's Wild Ride" - a whirlwind trip through Bob Iger's rein as CEO.

Crud, now I honestly want somebody to design that ride.

Seriously, I'm grateful for any hope that at least the WDW PATF overlay might be scrapped. Perhaps someday (with more a more sensible and competent TWDC and WDI behind the wheel) they can revisit a PATF ride. But it deserves a new location that doesn't come at the expense of an existing classic.

I agree with every word of this.

I do not accept Country Bear Jamboree.

Neither do Iger and Chapek, I'm guessing. After all, it doesn't have an IP attached to it!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Neither do Iger and Chapek, I'm guessing. After all, it doesn't have an IP attached to it!

I found a new home for Brer Rabbit!

 

[pheneix]

*logs in*

“Oh, 27 pages”

*walks away from monitor*

I’ll be back to add more later on.

 

[WDW Pro]

*logs in*

“Oh, 27 pages”

*walks away from monitor*

I’ll be back to add more later on.

You've also made quite a splash in the news articles and YouTube bloggers I'm told.

 

[brb1006]

Actually I’m on my way out. I’ll be back again next year!

No don't leave us, althought I would love to hear your thoughts on how WDW is going to handle their 50th Anniversary (if the pandemic is finally over if we're lucky).