Slash and Burn ...

[lightboy]

I would like to put my 2 cents in...

And say this is an amazing post. And I don't think anyone needs to argue it. I agree 100%.

Please realize boys and girls...Disney makes budget cuts to lower their bottom line. They KNOW guests just like you will continue coming to the park. I like to call it...

Riding on the Heritage.

The lower the product knowing that it will be years before the guests that enjoy Disney World everyday realize it and guests stop coming. Then when the notice the decline, they bump back up the offerings.

Very Real Example:

New Years Eve. Magic Kingdom puts perhaps a DJ or two in the Park to entertain a sold out park. They use to do more. By why should they put Top 40 stars doing concerts in the park again? They will sell out the park anyway.

***
Point being...very real cuts are happening. The product is and will continue to go down. Just so stocks hold steady because shareholders see profits stable. But the way those profits hold steady, is because they are cutting all "extras" and enhancements, laying off cast members, and getting rid of entertainment offerings (which do not generate revenue).

It'll be awhile before posts like this hit home to many people and realize that Disney DOES not put as much back into their theme parks as other parks in the area. And it's sad.

 

[tirian]

Yeah, it would make sense to me. Wasn't the original HM in Disneyland originally in Fantasyland? I thought it was there during one of the many "reorientations" of the lands there.

No, never. It was always in New Orleans Square. In fact, NOS operated for years with POTC before the Mansion finally opened.

The original plans for DL did call for a "haunted house" near a church cemetery on Main Street. When Walt chose to make Main Street a clean, crisp area, the church cemetery and its haunted house were dropped. The church itself was obviously never built either, because it was considered tacky to build a church facade in a theme park. Besides, what were they going to sell in there? Bible T-shirts?

 

[DisneyMusician2]

No, never. It was always in New Orleans Square. In fact, NOS operated for years with POTC before the Mansion finally opened.

The original plans for DL did call for a "haunted house" near a church cemetery on Main Street. When Walt chose to make Main Street a clean, crisp area, the church cemetery and its haunted house were dropped. The church itself was obviously never built either, because it was considered tacky to build a church facade in a theme park. Besides, what were they going to sell in there? Bible T-shirts?

My mistake. Thanks!:animwink:

Mickey on the cross? That could get messy. Or perhaps Mickey dressed in the Pope hat?

Or would Donald be closer, because his English sounds closer to Latin?

:lolSorry if you weren't amused, no offense intended!)

 

[agent86]

Yeah, it would make sense to me. Wasn't the original HM in Disneyland originally in Fantasyland? I thought it was there during one of the many "reorientations" of the lands there.

Perhaps you're thinking of Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[EpcotServo]

Haunted Mansion belongs in Fantasyland at TDL because Japanese ghost stories are often Fantasy morality tales rather than real world scary stories.

 

[agent86]

I have to thread drift for just a second.

My wife and I were lucky enough to attend the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 World Premier. So it was a great time, and we were able to meet all sorts of celebrities and had a great night. Well, after the movie was shown, they kept part of DL open for the Premier attendees. But not too many people stayed. Maybe a couple hundred. So we were loving it... Going on ride after ride... A perfect end to a memorable night.

So we walked into the HM's stretching room. We were the only ones in there. And just as they were going to close the door, in walked John Lasseter and his wife and kids. So. There we stood, riding probably THE most classic Disney attraction, with the closest thing to Walt as we've ever known. It was surreal, to say the least.

Obviously, I spent the entire ride doing nothing but watching him out of the corner of my eye. The whole way through the ride, from stretching room to the ballroom to the hitchiking ghosts, he was INTO the ride. Talking to his kids, pointing, smiling... Exactly how I pictured Walt was when he rode attractions. Call me crazy, but I don't think Iger or Greer (who I also met and was a decent guy) do that. I just don't see them "getting" it like that.

Anway, we talked to him for a bit afterward, and took a picture, etc... And he seemed like a really good guy. When we walked away from the HM, I told my wife that I felt pretty comfortable with him making the calls.

End of thread drift. Sorry. Had to tell that story.

Wow, what an awesome story! I'm very impressed (almost as impressed as WDW1974 wishes everyone was with him for referring to John Lasseter as simply "John"! :lol: Yeah, I'm sure those two go way back (or so he'd love for us to think). )

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Haunted Mansion belongs in Fantasyland at TDL because Japanese ghost stories are often Fantasy morality tales rather than real world scary stories.

That would make some sense... Considering they have a New Orleans area of the park they could have put it in... Similar to DL's.

 

[EpcotServo]

I have to thread drift for just a second.

My wife and I were lucky enough to attend the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 World Premier. So it was a great time, and we were able to meet all sorts of celebrities and had a great night. Well, after the movie was shown, they kept part of DL open for the Premier attendees. But not too many people stayed. Maybe a couple hundred. So we were loving it... Going on ride after ride... A perfect end to a memorable night.

So we walked into the HM's stretching room. We were the only ones in there. And just as they were going to close the door, in walked John Lasseter and his wife and kids. So. There we stood, riding probably THE most classic Disney attraction, with the closest thing to Walt as we've ever known. It was surreal, to say the least.

Obviously, I spent the entire ride doing nothing but watching him out of the corner of my eye. The whole way through the ride, from stretching room to the ballroom to the hitchiking ghosts, he was INTO the ride. Talking to his kids, pointing, smiling... Exactly how I pictured Walt was when he rode attractions. Call me crazy, but I don't think Iger or Greer (who I also met and was a decent guy) do that. I just don't see them "getting" it like that.

Anway, we talked to him for a bit afterward, and took a picture, etc... And he seemed like a really good guy. When we walked away from the HM, I told my wife that I felt pretty comfortable with him making the calls.

End of thread drift. Sorry. Had to tell that story.

Awesome story!
:sohappy:

I would die.

("What should I thank him for first? Toy Story? PIXAR? Imagineering? Bringing over the Miyazaki films? CAN NOT COMPUTE! Systems overload!"
*Servo Explodes scanners-style*)

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Wow, what an awesome story! I'm very impressed (almost as impressed as WDW1974 wishes everyone was with him for referring to John Lasseter as simply "John"! :lol: Yeah, I'm sure those two go way back (or so he'd love for us to think). )

Thanks. That whole night was just surreal. We were waiting in line to walk the red carpet, and I literally turned around and standing behind me was Tony Baxter. He almost seemed surprised I knew who he was. So we walked the carpet with him. I got yelled at by Janice Dickenson, asked Joey Fatone why he was following me (jokingly) and watched Natalie Maines daughter while my wife went to the bathroom with her. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Doesn't even cover my interactions with the people from the movie, and the Cheetah Girls (who I think were kinda upset that I didn't know who they were!!).

At the end of the night I looked at my wife and said "What the heck just happened???"

Disney got a well thought out thank you letter from me the following Monday, that's for sure.

 

[MousDad]

I have to thread drift for just a second.

My wife and I were lucky enough to attend the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 World Premier. So it was a great time, and we were able to meet all sorts of celebrities and had a great night. Well, after the movie was shown, they kept part of DL open for the Premier attendees. But not too many people stayed. Maybe a couple hundred. So we were loving it... Going on ride after ride... A perfect end to a memorable night.

So we walked into the HM's stretching room. We were the only ones in there. And just as they were going to close the door, in walked John Lasseter and his wife and kids. So. There we stood, riding probably THE most classic Disney attraction, with the closest thing to Walt as we've ever known. It was surreal, to say the least.

Obviously, I spent the entire ride doing nothing but watching him out of the corner of my eye. The whole way through the ride, from stretching room to the ballroom to the hitchiking ghosts, he was INTO the ride. Talking to his kids, pointing, smiling... Exactly how I pictured Walt was when he rode attractions. Call me crazy, but I don't think Iger or Greer (who I also met and was a decent guy) do that. I just don't see them "getting" it like that.

Anway, we talked to him for a bit afterward, and took a picture, etc... And he seemed like a really good guy. When we walked away from the HM, I told my wife that I felt pretty comfortable with him making the calls.

End of thread drift. Sorry. Had to tell that story.

:sohappy:

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Awesome story!
:sohappy:

I would die.

("What should I thank him for first? Toy Story? PIXAR? Imagineering? Bringing over the Miyazaki films? CAN NOT COMPUTE! Systems overload!"
*Servo Explodes scanners-style*)

Yeah, I was doing that same thing the whole ride through the HM. I don't remember by exact wording, but I said something like "Mr. Lasseter, my wife and I are obviously big fans of what you do, and think it's great that someone that started as a Jungle Cruise skipper has done what you've done."

Then there was a little small talk about where we were from, and about his kids, etc. Then I said something like "You know, you've got HUGE shoes to fill... But we know you'll do a great job."

He was gracious, and I just really think he "gets" it. Which is great. I just hope he doesn't forget about WDW (there's my attempt to bring my post back to relevance to the thread :lol.

EDIT TO ADD: I uploaded some of the pics from the Premiere. They're at

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/album.php?albumid=432

 

[WDWFigment]

Well, you've been a long-time regular, so that makes perfect sense.

Very, very few in that category will ever be Kool Aid drinkers (AKA WDW is perfect and never been more magical folks!)

That's why WalMarting is so insidious. It conditions guests to a new normal ... a lesser quality one.

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it. WalMarting is a term that refers to Wal-Mart's practice of globalization. While Wal-Mart is known for cheap products, the term itself is not one that means "cheapening". If you're just using it as a concise term for anything Disney does that you don't like, that's your prerogative, but that's not the term's actual definition (and while it may be your prerogative, I think an intelligent person should never be content in misusing a word--that's just laziness).

I'm not asserting that the homogenized and degradative practices you discuss are not abhorrent and something that weakens the product. I largely agree with the substance of your opinions on the topic, but I see this as one of the many ways in which your abrassive form detracts from your message (thinly veiled allusions to politics, subtle knocks on other posters, your habit of pointing out that you have a life outside of the forum as if to insinuate that others don't, and your repeated name-dropping are some other examples). If you really care so much about WDW, perhaps you should drop these characteristics from your posts, as they make you less than endearing to many, which results in those who would otherwise be your supporters not taking your message seriously. Now, you can just call those people ignorant for not reading your posts for what they are--information--but it seems to me that we need as many supporters as we can get for bringing attention to the current state of WDW. :shrug:

I think maybe you're just referring to current poor practices of WDW, no matter what their basis, as "Walmarting" because of the strong negative connotation with the term. As I've indicated previously, I hate many of these practices too, I just don't like the idea of using a term that doesn't really apply simply to elicit a certain feeling out of readers, based upon their conceptions of the term.

A concise, yet more apt given the circumstances, term for the current practices of WDW would be McDonaldization.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it. WalMarting is a term that refers to Wal-Mart's practice of globalization. While Wal-Mart is known for cheap products, the term itself is not one that means "cheapening". If you're just using it as a concise term for anything Disney does that you don't like, that's your prerogative, but that's not the term's actual definition (and while it may be your prerogative, I think an intelligent person should never be content in misusing a word--that's just laziness).

I'm not asserting that the homogenized and degradative practices you discuss are not abhorrent and something that weakens the product. I largely agree with the substance of your opinions on the topic, but I see this as one of the many ways in which your abrassive form detracts from your message (thinly veiled allusions to politics, subtle knocks on other posters, your habit of pointing out that you have a life outside of the forum as if to insinuate that others don't, and your repeated name-dropping are some other examples). If you really care so much about WDW, perhaps you should drop these characteristics from your posts, as they make you less than endearing to many, which results in those who would otherwise be your supporters not taking your message seriously. Now, you can just call those people ignorant for not reading your posts for what they are--information--but it seems to me that we need as many supporters as we can get for bringing attention to the current state of WDW. :shrug:

I think maybe you're just referring to current poor practices of WDW, no matter what their basis, as "Walmarting" because of the strong negative connotation with the term. As I've indicated previously, I hate many of these practices too, I just don't like the idea of using a term that doesn't really apply simply to elicit a certain feeling out of readers, based upon their conceptions of the term.

A concise, yet more apt given the circumstances, term for the current practices of WDW would be McDonaldization.

:ROFLOL:

 

[imagineer boy]

John is an amazingly talented individual.

He is absolutely the closest thing to Walt at TWDC today, bar none.

But he's not the type of person equipped to be No. 1 or 2 at a media behemoth ... just wouldn't work ... wouldn't sell on Wall Street ... and he wouldn't want it either.

Perhaps if Lasseter was in charge of all creative operations of the WDC with someone else in charge of financial operations who understands the Disney vision and doesn't cut corners. That would be an amazing combination.

You know... It really didn't bother me that the HM was in Fantasyland at TDL. I guess to me it made a bit of sense. Ghosts inhabiting a mansion. Fantasy.

It was a little odd to have Dumbo out front... But overall I didn't think the HM felt out of place. Surprisingly.

I agree, but I wish they'd taken more liberties to make it look like a haunted European castle or manor house rather than a carbon copy of WDW's Colonial Dutch manor house.

 

[agent86]

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it. WalMarting is a term that refers to Wal-Mart's practice of globalization. While Wal-Mart is known for cheap products, the term itself is not one that means "cheapening". If you're just using it as a concise term for anything Disney does that you don't like, that's your prerogative, but that's not the term's actual definition (and while it may be your prerogative, I think an intelligent person should never be content in misusing a word--that's just laziness).

I'm not asserting that the homogenized and degradative practices you discuss are not abhorrent and something that weakens the product. I largely agree with the substance of your opinions on the topic, but I see this as one of the many ways in which your abrassive form detracts from your message (thinly veiled allusions to politics, subtle knocks on other posters, your habit of pointing out that you have a life outside of the forum as if to insinuate that others don't, and your repeated name-dropping are some other examples). If you really care so much about WDW, perhaps you should drop these characteristics from your posts, as they make you less than endearing to many, which results in those who would otherwise be your supporters not taking your message seriously. Now, you can just call those people ignorant for not reading your posts for what they are--information--but it seems to me that we need as many supporters as we can get for bringing attention to the current state of WDW. :shrug:

I think maybe you're just referring to current poor practices of WDW, no matter what their basis, as "Walmarting" because of the strong negative connotation with the term. As I've indicated previously, I hate many of these practices too, I just don't like the idea of using a term that doesn't really apply simply to elicit a certain feeling out of readers, based upon their conceptions of the term.

A concise, yet more apt given the circumstances, term for the current practices of WDW would be McDonaldization.

Excellent post! I suspect the real reason he overuses the term Wal-Marting is because he knows it ruffles feathers.

 

[One Lil Spark]

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it. WalMarting is a term that refers to Wal-Mart's practice of globalization. While Wal-Mart is known for cheap products, the term itself is not one that means "cheapening". If you're just using it as a concise term for anything Disney does that you don't like, that's your prerogative, but that's not the term's actual definition (and while it may be your prerogative, I think an intelligent person should never be content in misusing a word--that's just laziness).

I'm not asserting that the homogenized and degradative practices you discuss are not abhorrent and something that weakens the product. I largely agree with the substance of your opinions on the topic, but I see this as one of the many ways in which your abrassive form detracts from your message (thinly veiled allusions to politics, subtle knocks on other posters, your habit of pointing out that you have a life outside of the forum as if to insinuate that others don't, and your repeated name-dropping are some other examples). If you really care so much about WDW, perhaps you should drop these characteristics from your posts, as they make you less than endearing to many, which results in those who would otherwise be your supporters not taking your message seriously. Now, you can just call those people ignorant for not reading your posts for what they are--information--but it seems to me that we need as many supporters as we can get for bringing attention to the current state of WDW. :shrug:

I think maybe you're just referring to current poor practices of WDW, no matter what their basis, as "Walmarting" because of the strong negative connotation with the term. As I've indicated previously, I hate many of these practices too, I just don't like the idea of using a term that doesn't really apply simply to elicit a certain feeling out of readers, based upon their conceptions of the term.

A concise, yet more apt given the circumstances, term for the current practices of WDW would be McDonaldization.

Very elloquently said!

 

[MousDad]

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it.

Case in point: Admission prices get raised, entertainment offerings get cut.

That can't be Walmarting - Walmart lowers prices while lowering quality.

Call it what it really is, highway robbery. But we all know we're getting our pants sucked dry when we go to WDW. That's no revelation or anything.

 

[tirian]

Awesome story!
:sohappy:

I would die.

("What should I thank him for first? Toy Story? PIXAR? Imagineering? Bringing over the Miyazaki films? CAN NOT COMPUTE! Systems overload!"
*Servo Explodes scanners-style*)

:lol:

 

[EpcotServo]

Thanks. That whole night was just surreal. We were waiting in line to walk the red carpet, and I literally turned around and standing behind me was Tony Baxter. He almost seemed surprised I knew who he was. So we walked the carpet with him. I got yelled at by Janice Dickenson, asked Joey Fatone why he was following me (jokingly) and watched Natalie Maines daughter while my wife went to the bathroom with her. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Doesn't even cover my interactions with the people from the movie, and the Cheetah Girls (who I think were kinda upset that I didn't know who they were!!).

At the end of the night I looked at my wife and said "What the heck just happened???"

Disney got a well thought out thank you letter from me the following Monday, that's for sure.

Is it like Highlander? Can I cut your head off and have all those awesome encounters for myself? Because I'm seriously considering it.

:lol:

 

[ttalovebug]

WalMarting seems to be a popular buzz-word with you, but most of the time you're misuing it. WalMarting is a term that refers to Wal-Mart's practice of globalization. While Wal-Mart is known for cheap products, the term itself is not one that means "cheapening". If you're just using it as a concise term for anything Disney does that you don't like, that's your prerogative, but that's not the term's actual definition (and while it may be your prerogative, I think an intelligent person should never be content in misusing a word--that's just laziness).

I'm not asserting that the homogenized and degradative practices you discuss are not abhorrent and something that weakens the product. I largely agree with the substance of your opinions on the topic, but I see this as one of the many ways in which your abrassive form detracts from your message (thinly veiled allusions to politics, subtle knocks on other posters, your habit of pointing out that you have a life outside of the forum as if to insinuate that others don't, and your repeated name-dropping are some other examples). If you really care so much about WDW, perhaps you should drop these characteristics from your posts, as they make you less than endearing to many, which results in those who would otherwise be your supporters not taking your message seriously. Now, you can just call those people ignorant for not reading your posts for what they are--information--but it seems to me that we need as many supporters as we can get for bringing attention to the current state of WDW. :shrug:

I think maybe you're just referring to current poor practices of WDW, no matter what their basis, as "Walmarting" because of the strong negative connotation with the term. As I've indicated previously, I hate many of these practices too, I just don't like the idea of using a term that doesn't really apply simply to elicit a certain feeling out of readers, based upon their conceptions of the term.

A concise, yet more apt given the circumstances, term for the current practices of WDW would be McDonaldization.

Thank you. :lol: :sohappy: