Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

[jt04]

Interesting side topic: What are the dynamics at work with Avatarland if the idea really is Iger's? I mean I would think if it was his idea, couldn't he just say spend the money, make it great, and it will be my creative legacy? Is it because some fans don't like the idea? I hope not. I really think Disney theme parks are at their best when they don't give a crap about what the fans want, they make the awesome thing and then dare you not to like it. For this reason, I'm against surveys about future attractions (surveys where you can mention that the food and whatnot isn't as good are a different story). If you could go back in time and usher in the internet era 15 years earlier, would Splash get built? It's not based on a strong franchise. It's based on a franchise many consider racist. Would they see a lot of fans have problems with the idea and pull the plug? Another possibility is that they will spend a bajillion dollars on it and our insiders have gotten wrong info, but based on my "magic" time that seems unlikely.

I would guess Avatar was in case something like LOTR or Star Wars could not be secured.

And it is always dangerous to underestimate Cameron. Including the future of Avatar. Perhaps Iger just knows what he is doing.

 

[CDavid]

Perhaps Iger just knows what he is doing.

Where the parks are concerned, at least, I find it far easier to believe he doesn't have a clue.

 

[Tom]

Where the parks are concerned, at least, I find it far easier to believe he doesn't have a clue.

I agree. Iger is "Corporate America" and is so out of touch with TWDC's foundation, it's sad.

 

[jt04]

Where the parks are concerned, at least, I find it far easier to believe he doesn't have a clue.

Well Carsland and BVS say otherwise. The success of the Shanghai project will be his legacy though. Just as Paris is his predecessor's legacy. And I still have hope for Disney Paris. They are moving, however slowly, in the right direction.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

When you hear of Disney being a target of a hostile takeover or WDW being sold-off in chunks it should cause you to think twice. Because that is exactly where things were headed. Iger stopped all that. He did what he had to do to secure the future of an iconic American company. And he has secured enough intellectual properties to ensure adequate content well into the future.

Basically he saved the company.

Um, it was Iger who was CEO when Disney was considering selling off the P&R division. But you just go on ahead makin' stuff up

 

[jt04]

I agree. Iger is "Corporate America" and is so out of touch with TWDC's foundation, it's sad.

Again, there might not even be a Disney if not for Iger. And I do not recall the Disney family complaining about the job Iger is doing with Walt Disney's legacy.

 

[jt04]

Um, it was Iger who was CEO when Disney was considering selling off the P&R division. But you just go on ahead makin' stuff up

Proof please.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Proof please.

I'll call Bob right now.

 

[jt04]

I'll call Bob right now.

Put it on conference.

 

[Tom]

Again, there might not even be a Disney if not for Iger. And I do not recall the Disney family complaining about the job Iger is doing with Walt Disney's legacy.

Other than the stockholders, I don't hear a lot of praise either.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I'll call Bob right now.

Sorry, I won't be answering my phone. It's Sunday and I'm alternating between playing golf and counting my money. Tomorrow I will focus in again on either saving the company or destroying it, depending on my mood. All of us business kings need a day off like everyone else. You just don't understand the pressure I'm under. I just barely have enough money to carry me through the rest of my life and I have race horses that need oats.

 

[jt04]

Other than the stockholders, I don't hear a lot of praise either.

He has stuck to the bread and butter issues and not sought the publicity that might come with opening a 5th gate at WDW or a third gate at DL. Very disciplined. This will be to the benefit of all in the long term.

Kind of like the old phrase, "work before pleasure".

Example. TWDC had to have the money to buy out Lucas before they could consider making an Episode VII. See how it works?

 

[jt04]

Sorry, I won't be answering my phone. It's Sunday and I'm alternating between playing golf and counting my money. Tomorrow I will focus in again on either saving the company or destroying it, depending on my mood. All of us business kings need a day off like everyone else. You just don't understand the pressure I'm under. I just barely have enough money to carry me through the rest of my life and I have race horses that need oats.

I guess when you do not have truth on your side you must resort to the lowest forms of sarcasm. Sad. You are better than this.

 

[lego606]

I guess when you do not have truth on your side you must resort to the lowest forms of sarcasm. Sad. You are better than this.

There are some posts on that other Disney forum that sometimes has a lot of gumballs about this issue.

 

[jt04]

There are some posts on that other Disney forum that sometimes has a lot of gumballs about this issue.

Last thought.

Almost everyone comments that CEO's no longer look beyond the next quarter. Almost every decision Iger makes seems to be with the next decade, or two, or three in mind. I know most can't see that because they have been manipulated into NOT even being capable of seeing it. But it is true.

I am not saying he does not concern himself with the current situation but he is also very apparently concerned about the WDC long term.

Until next time......

 

[lazyboy97o]

When you hear of Disney being a target of a hostile takeover or WDW being sold-off in chunks it should cause you to think twice. Because that is exactly where things were headed. Iger stopped all that. He did what he had to do to secure the future of an iconic American company. And he has secured enough intellectual properties to ensure adequate content well into the future.

Basically he saved the company.

He had to secure the financial viability of the company first. Every other consideration was a distant second. Now they can begin to afford all the fun bells and whistles. Any other strategy had a good chance of failing. The company was in a very precarious position with plenty of sharks circling about smelling blood.

Some of those sharks still linger in the area. The can't get over how close they were to bringing down the house Walt built.

Some of them even post here regularly.

IMO

The Company was not loosing its financial viability at the end of Eisner's term. The issue was far more about a damage to the brand and the recognition that future success of being hurt by current policies which have remain mostly unchanged but been delayed by acquisitions. The whole reason Comcast had to look at doing a hostile takeover (Do you know what a hostile takeover is and that it can happen to any public company?) is because Disney had the financial viability to out-right deny their acquisition/merger proposals. A company in the financial troubles you claim would of had to at least consider such an offer.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Put it on conference.

It's really a matter of putting 2 and 2 together. There was a well leaked meeting at WDW where the board and execs discussed selling P&R with potential investors, an event discussed on here multiple times. It fits perfectly into Iger's MO for better or worse, and I'm not saying either way. He's worked very hard to get away from creating and get into the far more profitable licensing game. Acquiring content houses like Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm take a huge load off of Disney to create original content on its own. 2015 already has two ready-made billion dollar tentpoles with Finding Dory, Avengers 2 and Star Wars VII - all Disney has to do is churn out Pirates V and maybe a pity release for WDAS.

New parks attractions? Only if they're based on a proven franchise. (Oz isn't looking good y'all - it'll barely crack $500 mil worldwide)

Selling the parks would allow the US parks to be a royalty generating machine while the risk is passed off to someone else, already an arrangement in place for the foreign resorts (some more than others).

As guests, we might actually win in that scenario, as Disney may contractually obligate the new owners to uphold standards they themselves won't get close to anymore (this is the arrangement with OLC for TDR). And ain't nobody can tell me WDW is up to TDR's par; anyone who says so is truly delusional. The only reason TDR is as shimmering as it is is because WDC holds a contract over their heads. The hypocrisy is that they don't hold the same standards to themselves.

If they sold the parks tomorrow, I'd be stoked.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The only reason TDR is as shimmering as it is is because WDC holds a contract over their heads. The hypocrisy is that they don't hold the same standards to themselves.

It is a factor in how The Walt Disney Company conducts themselves, sometimes to the ire of the Oriental Land Company, but it is not the only factor. Culture plays a significant role as well.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Almost everyone comments that CEO's no longer look beyond the next quarter. Almost every decision Iger makes seems to be with the next decade, or two, or three in mind. I know most can't see that because they have been manipulated into NOT even being capable of seeing it. But it is true.

I am not saying he does not concern himself with the current situation but he is also very apparently concerned about the WDC long term.

Acquisitions are largely focused on driving short-term growth, which often is tied directly to CEO compensation. A CEO frequently buys other companies because they are unable to grow their own business. It's one of the reasons large conglomerates become increasingly inefficient. Smaller, agile companies are taken over by inefficient behemoths that cannot even properly run their own affairs.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

As much as I hate reading books (or at least ones that don't have interest to me), there was one book I read two-three summer ago called "Work In Progress: Risking Failure, Surviving Success" which was a great memoir of Eisner's talking about how failure is a part of success to go along with many other topics in the novel. Here's a video of Michael talking about why it's okay to fail and should not be treated like a corporate death sentence: