Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

[Funmeister]

IMHO...It'll come. Just waiting on the right people to come and usher it in.

But.....who? "Right people" as in management? or stockholders (Bass Family years ago?)

 

[WDW1974]

As I might have mentioned, I was just at DLP. I just LOVE the fact that Tony's masterpiece attraction, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad sits on the island space in Frontierland. That gem won't be going anywhere- and is a great testimony to his talent. I'd even dare to say that DLP's version of this attraction is better than Expedition:Everest!

It is MUCH better than EE ... and, unlike many other attractions when I was there last May, BTMRR was in tip-top show shape. That attraction is one of my favorites world-wide.

 

[WDW1974]

What do they mean by "ride your monorail"? On a serious note, did Mr.Baxter ever have a chance at having creative input on the makeup/attractions on DL Shanghai? They probably wouldn't have given him permission to do so anyway.

Edit: Wait a minute, never mind, I get the reference

Glad I don't have to 'splain that one. ... No, to answer the question, Tony has pretty much been limited to DL (just the one park, not the resort) for the past decade-plus. He has had no input in any of the other parks/resorts.

What a waste ... what a waste ...

 

[JLW11Hi]

I never wound up seeing Cars 2 (only Pixar film I haven't seen as soon as it came out), although I absolutely loved Cars. ... Brave was troubled, but wound up being a solid film. But I do think Pixar needs to really have a mega-hit again. Not sure that this prequel will do it. Then again, I hated the concept for Monsters Inc and wound up enjoying that quite a bit.

You are missing nothing by skipping Cars 2. It is the only truly bad film the studio ever made. I will say I am very intrigued and excited to hear that Teddy Newton is slated to direct one of their upcoming films!

That said, other great attractions are coming to UNI that have nothing to do with J.K. Rowling starting with Transformers. I am not willing to say everything UNI will add in the next five years will be great, but I do think they're largely aiming to be great and that makes you more likely to hit the target.

That is good to hear. A lot of IOA looks kind of outdated to me compared to the sheer level of detail at Wizarding World. Even Spiderman, an attraction that I love (especially with the nifty film upgrade) deserves a good rehab in its queue and surrounding area to be anywhere near the level of quality of Potter.

Edit: Sorry I couldn't find a way to tie this into Tony Baxter or Next Gen...

 

[WDW1974]

Well, I'm not sure how many people on this board are in a position to say he has enough wealth and doesn't need to cash out. Again, I respectfully disagree that a CEO wouldn't trim positions in his company when he has taken a 45%...yes, 45% gain in that position. Where else are you going to get a return like that? Owning roughly 1.25 million shares of a company is no small holding, and I don't think someone would hang on to that many shares if he truly believed the ship was taking on water.

You know I agree with you on most things, but I think this point may be a little off.

We can go back and forth and I know you're not trying to have one of those (that be what troll rrrrr for!) ... but my position is simply that a CEO (and one who had made over $100 million in the last three years alone) has no business taking the money and running so to speak. This isn't a casino (why people view Wall Street that way now, I find very scary) and you show faith in the company that if you leave that money in the company, you'll be able to take that OR MORE out later.

Pulling stock as soon as you can isn't a sign of belief in the long term health of the company you lead.

 

[stlphil]

Believe it or not, but absolutely more guests might come if there were compelling reasons. Before the Fantasyland project (as modest as it may be) opened, someone who visited in 1998 or 2001 or 2004 would have had very little to see that wasn't the same old stale product. MK has huge expansion areas available that haven't been developed and that doesn't include areas already developed but largely being unused or underused.

Fantasyland was all about adding more capacity because many guests weren't able to hit that sweet spot of NINE attractions (yes, that really is true!) in a MK day (now, on most of my Spirited visits, I can easily do that in 90 minutes).

The MK is woefully short of attraction capacity, so it always feels packed. It isn't, no matter what you choose to believe. But lack of attractions, FP (which puts people on walkways instead of in queues) and shuttering entertainment, dining and retail locales have all resulted in lower capacity. It stands to reason if you added 3-4 major attractions, 1-2 minor ones and new entertainment that capacity would go way up.

This is so true, and anyone who doesn't believe it should just go to Disneyland. Disneyland has (or had, until the opening of Carsland) nearly the attendance of MK, yet didn't feel nearly as crowded despite being only 2/3 the size. But what it does have is a lot more attractions, and fewer FP attractions. In fact the whole Disneyland resort is better tuned for capacity since DL+DCA have nearly as many attractions as all four parks at WDW (at least in sheer numbers). And despite this, George reportedly was pushing for further capacity improvements at DL (at least before Carsland opened, not sure about recently).

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I will say I am very intrigued and excited to hear that Teddy Newton is slated to direct one of their upcoming films!

Me too, I'm a big Teddy Newton fan and am interested in what he does. I personally think their pipeline after MU will be very, very strong.
2014- The Good Dinosaur - Bob Peterson and Pete Sohn
2015- The Inside Out - Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
2015- Unknown film
2016- Finding Nemo 2 (Why are you so cruel???)
2016- Dia de los Muertos - Lee Unkrich
??? Teddy Newton film

and WDAS has some interesting films in the hopper, but they keep their cards VERY close to vest. @WDW1974 may know more.

 

[WDW1974]

Okay, that post right there answers so many of my questions, or sheds light on the backstory I'd been looking for, that I feel I owe you a drink WDW1974. How about a Carthay Manhattan with the nifty ice sphere?

That sounds very good. I had two meals at Carthay in September, but no alcohol was consumed (saved that for Trader Sam's). We'll have to get together when I'm out west again (likely not before summer). You've intrigued me since my days on LP.com.

Thank you for that information, it's most enlightening for those of us trying to follow along here in the peanut gallery.

Thanks for appreciating it. I do aim to try and 'splain things when I have some knowledge.

 

[WDW1974]

Marty kinda sold out. Went to the dark side. Covered his own .
(I'm not judging him, really...)

Marty is a great guy. I have personal reasons for saying that beyond professional.

BUT ... @Lee is right ... there was a time in the late 90s when things were so toxic and the DCA plans were approved and Marty could have gone into Michael's office either alone or with a WDI contingent (Tony would have led the pack) and said ''you just can't do this. this is going to fail tremendously and cost this company so much in image and money.''

Marty decided staying at WDI as long as he could (and he'd still be Ambassador if they would have paid him) beat staying true to his gut and principles.

I am not saying that to judge him as there have been times when I've made the wrong choice for selfish reasons. But that is what he did ...and, unlike Tony, he had no Pixie Dust in his eyes. He knew things weren't going to get better under Iger.

 

[WDW1974]

In all honesty, Do you think it's possible that the change Tony was hoping for will eventually come or is the future of the Company completely doomed? In essence how screwed are we?

IMHO...It'll come. Just waiting on the right people to come and usher it in.

Everything turns if you give it enough time ... and if you don't kill it first.

I tend to agree with my hillbilly pal. The thing is these folks are not gonna be at Disney in five years let alone ten. It's hard to take the bad news when that's all that seems to come and when all it takes is any fan to see that you don't take a talent like Tony (compare him to a Super Bowl MVP) and make him third or fourth string because you don't like the fact that he represents all the company did right and you know you and your current organization happen to be the polar opposite.

 

[Belowthesurface]

Baxter
Delaney
Edwards

Gone. Nothing gets better.

Jacobson
Vaughn
Fitzgerald

Still here, nothing gets better.

 

[HMF]

Everything turns if you give it enough time ... and if you don't kill it first.

I tend to agree with my hillbilly pal. The thing is these folks are not gonna be at Disney in five years let alone ten. It's hard to take the bad news when that's all that seems to come and when all it takes is any fan to see that you don't take a talent like Tony (compare him to a Super Bowl MVP) and make him third or fourth string because you don't like the fact that he represents all the company did right and you know you and your current organization happen to be the polar opposite.

So there is hope for spirited change after all?

 

[Belowthesurface]

Anybody who can defend WDIs continued abuse of talent and free fall into crap attractions, should be banned from ever saying the name Disney.

The powers at WDI should be ashamed of themselves everyday and forever remember that they led to the downfall of one of the most amazing and creative companies ever created.

However, I could be wrong. Maybe one day my children will be praising the music of Stitch's Great Escape or be inspired by the stirring narration of Judy Dench. Maybe my kids will take comfort in the brilliant, simplistic design of having a pin station be the focal point of EPCOT and Studios.

I can't wait to read the fond memories of watching Disney Channel Rocks perform in front of temporary scaffolding set up in front of a giant hat.

Perhaps I will someday understand the value and engineering hardships of cloning an attraction for one coast and not have its effects working unless executives are coming down for 1 day previews.

When can I expect bloggers to praise the design and necessity of the Bay Lake Tower?

Yesterland.com is going to have great future articles on the DVC expansion of the Grand Floridian and how it's design and look defined a generation.

When can we begin to comprehend the atmosphere and unique value of giant stroller parking lots?

 

[WDW1974]

Wait.....what,now?
Not sure what that means...but it has an air of ewww about it...

I'm not the only one ... some of this stuff is scary ... but you just want to tell your friends and neighbors and the world via MAGIC:

(was about to place the latest fanboi pickup line used on me here and thought again ... remind me to tell you!)

 

[WDW1974]

So there is hope for spirited change after all?

As long as I am breathing ... there sure as (blank) is!

 

[WDW1974]

Anybody who can defend WDIs continued abuse of talent and free fall into crap attractions, should be banned from ever saying the name Disney.

The powers at WDI should be ashamed of themselves everyday and forever remember that they led to the downfall of one of the most amazing and creative companies ever created.

However, I could be wrong. Maybe one day my children will be praising the music of Stitch's Great Escape or be inspired by the stirring narration of Judy Dench. Maybe my kids will take comfort in the brilliant, simplistic design of having a pin station be the focal point of EPCOT and Studios.

I can't wait to read the fond memories of watching Disney Channel Rocks perform in front of temporary scaffolding set up in front of a giant hat.

Perhaps I will someday understand the value and engineering hardships of cloning an attraction for one coast and not have its effects working unless executives are coming down for 1 day previews.

When can I expect bloggers to praise the design and necessity of the Bay Lake Tower?

Yesterland.com is going to have great future articles on the DVC expansion of the Grand Floridian and how it's design and look defined a generation.

When can we begin to comprehend the atmosphere and unique value of giant stroller parking lots?

We need to hang out again ... love the post (even if it is sad!)

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

You're ridiculously wrong about that. Of course Imagineers are fans-- or else they wouldn't have this job. They do spend personal time in the parks, enjoying themselves. I love your authoritative tone that's based on pure fantasy.

Funny, but the other Imagineers like Fitz aren't members of Carolwood or DAC (if they began at DL like Tony did) or NFFC/DFC, nor do they willingly attend events with these organizations unless they're handsomely rewarded for it. Tony attends for free, of course, because he's one of us. That's what I meant by "fan."

 

[Belowthesurface]

Funny, but the other Imagineers like Fitz aren't members of Carolwood or DAC (if they began at DL like Tony did) or NFFC/DFC, nor do they willingly attend events with these organizations unless they're handsomely rewarded for it. Tony attends for free, of course, because he's one of us. That's what I meant by "fan."

I spoke to Tony a couple years ago and he does refer to himself as a fan.

The others should know better than to mingle with the fans. If someone ain't offering them money or a chance to sit at the big boy table, they won't bother caring. Typical butt kissers looking out for themselves and the interest of no one.

 

[ChrisFL]

Personally, I think Disaster is the most underrated attraction in Florida and I keep hearing it may be going away. It's no secret that Universal is really putting on the pressure, the only complaint I'd have is that they're only building D and E-tickets. I can't even believe I just wrote that sentence, but it's true. They are only building major attractions and I'm somehow viewing that as a problem.

I actually agree with this and as I posted either on this thread or another one, I think IOA has always lacked quality SLOW, relaxing rides. The other part of that is they're typically good capacity and have longer experiences than the 2-4 minute thrill rides. That keeps crowds better controlled.

 

[ChrisFL]

You are missing nothing by skipping Cars 2. It is the only truly bad film the studio ever made. I will say I am very intrigued and excited to hear that Teddy Newton is slated to direct one of their upcoming films!

I disagree, Cars 2 is the only Pixar Blu-Ray I actually own........... *ducks*

It shouldn't have had a "G" rating, that's for sure, but besides that, I don't see why everyone hates it.

I wasn't a fan of A Bug's Life at all.