Staggs resigns

[The Empress Lilly]

I don't understand why so many of you dog on Iger. Is it because he's pricing you out? Or because you just want to live in the Horizons era the rest of your life?

I mean come on... the guy brought us Star Wars and Marvel. Bringing in those two things alone makes him worth his weight as a good CEO for me. The parks have record attendance AND profit (which is great as a shareholder). We've got Disney Springs expansion, Toy Story Land, Avatar, Star Wars Land and more... record profits and attendance on Frozen, Zootopia, Inside Out, etc.

Are there things that should be improved? Sure. But bad CEO? No way. I hope he gets an extension. I'm very happy with Disney as the moment and am excited about everything new being brought in.

I think Staggs got the ax (or got pushed out) because of his big over-budget and often-late projects. Think New Fantasyland, MM+, Avatar, and Shanghai. It's not that the ideas were bad, it's more that the planning was always way off.

I'll go out on a limb here and predict that under Iger your TWDC shareholder gains made you a few hundred, while your losses as TWDC consumer cost you a few thousand. But keep cheering on your price increases. In fact, may I suggest you give TWDC an extra voluntary donation every time you consume their product? After all, that is great as a shareholder!

 

[WDW1974]

It is clear you do not know your history very well.

Star Wars and Marvel were not created by Iger and their being owned by The Walt Disney Company didn't suddenly make them more enjoyable.

Once Disney buys something they get credit for everything. So the fact Marvel was churning out comics under the greats like Lee and Kirby while Walt was singing with the Sherman Brothers means nothing to fanbois. Marvel didn't become a real thing until 2009. Many are still conflicted when they see Sony controlling the No. 1 character Marvel has ... or when FOX can put out the filthy, but fun beyond belief Deadpool ... or any X-Men or Fantastic Four films ... or when they have to travel to UNI (the hated enemy) to experience kewl attractions based on the Marvel stable of IP.

Star Wars was old news until 2012. No one except geeks cared ... (Sshh ... don't mention SWWs). But then Disney bought the company and Darth Vader was as Disney as Mickey Mouse (except he isn't and never will be).

I really feel there are people who get out of bed in the morning and ask themselves (in a matter of speaking) what does Bob Iger want me to do today?

Mental Illness Be Strong in Many Fanbois ... says Yoda (now as Disney as Cinderella or Simba!)

 

[Lirael]

M-maybe all the recent rip-offs-I mean, well worth the money offerings, were for the sake of his compensation money and now they'll stop?

 

[WDW1974]

I'm with you! Walt Disney World has never been better! I'm very excited for my upcoming family vacation. Our week at the Poly is only going to be $9,000! Really excited about all the changes coming to DHS too! Hopefully they'll be done by 2021. We'll come back every year between now and then anyway though! Just love it so much, the magic, ya know? There's nothing else like it! Sigh. So grateful Bob Iger and the wonderful execs at Disney have kept WDW in such great shape for so long. Not only is the maintenance great; I love walking through Epcot and passing all the empty buildings. I LOVE empty buildings. The kids love meeting the princesses and I love having to feverishly click through the Fastpass system at midnight 60 days before we leave to make sure we can see Elsa. So great and convenient! I'm an early riser so I don't mind getting up at 6am six months out so I can book my little snowflakes into Be Our Guest. We love the Grey stuff cupcakes! So clever! Did you know the angels on the ceiling are the Imagineers' babies? How cute is that? There are hidden Mickeys too! My oldest wanted to go to college but we decided we'd rather do WDW each year. You can't put a price on memories, unless you're a shareholder!

That was scary good.

Fans are scary. (Most not everyone ... certainly not here ...)

 

[aladdin2007]

My concern is Chapek bumped up the ladder to replace Staggs, is that not possible? Im not saying ceo lineup, but staggs current title/role.

 

[PhotoDave219]

LOL ok.... apparently if you have a differing opinion here you just get shutdown. Really feeling the Disney love.

This isnt about love. Its about business.

And about how Disney is spending CapEx at its lowest levels since god knows when....

 

[Gomer]

Pixar, button Marvel and Lucasfilm already did their own production before Disney's acquisition, maintaining pure distribution deals like they had would have been enough.

For Disney yes. But the companies that were purchased retain relative autonomy with far greater resources for production and marketing. Allowing for more fringe properties to see greater success. That allows for more confidence in releasing outside the box films, or creating risky shared universes. That level of success allows for a better product.

Whether it was the proper choice for Disney or not, I don't know. Maybe distribution deals would have been smarter for them. But I do think the product (outside of the occasional studio meddled clunker or contrived sequel), so far has benefited from the purchase mostly based on the confidence earned by their continuing success.

Point being, I dislike nearly everything Iger has done with Disney. But I do think that his purchased companies have benefited from the deals, even if the parent company didn't.

 

[radiohost]

What's the over/under Iger gets a few boos when he steps onto the stage at D23 next year?

 

[TeriofTerror]

Alan Horn? Not necessarily my choice, but I feel as though he came onboard with his eyes on a bigger prize...

 

[Mike S]

What's the over/under Iger gets a few boos when he steps onto the stage at D23 next year?

I volunteer

 

[BrianLo]

The one truly great thing out of the acquisitions are the people they acquired along with them.

Lassiter & Co (Pete Doctor, Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, etc.), Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy.

They are the people that have prevented Disney from becoming a flaming mess and in some cases turned some of the divisions around (WDAS in particular).

 

[Skibum1970]

Attendees at D23 will be vetted before entry is allowed. Only the lifestylers and DVC Forever Fan Club attendees are allowed in.

 

[Sped2424]

Kathleen seems logical but I wouldn't be surprised if she is content running Lucasfilm.

Iger extends is my guess. Everything is running great. China will be a great success. Why leave the best job in the world?

The board won't find better. IMO.

What plane of existence do you live in

 

[radiohost]

Shanghai, WDW Layoff Fiasco, Surge Pricing, $150 EMH, Evaporation of Imagineering, Ultra Low Morale for Parks Cast Members...

We need some change circa 1984.

 

[Mike S]

What plane of existence do you live in

Crazy Plane

 

[GhostHost1000]

Shanghai, WDW Layoff Fiasco, Surge Pricing, $150 EMH, Evaporation of Imagineering, Ultra Low Morale for Parks Cast Members...

We need some change circa 1984.

If he's responsible for all of this then he needs to have a window on Main Street (thrown at him)

 

[dreamscometrue]

This is a question out of business ignorance, so chill before you think I'm for or against Iger's departure in 2018, but why would a board want a change from someone who helped greatly improve share prices, brought record park attendance and a solid bottom line? From a business perspective, wouldn't a board want to keep that person as long as possible? And even though the board has to act in the interest of shareholders, would they have interest in things such as quality in the theme parks, etc.

 

[Captain Chaos]

No......

George Lucas brought us Lucasfilm.

Stan Lee brought us Marvel.

Record attendance and record profits resulted in job cuts.

What else ya got, Ethan?

A pay check signed by Iger....

 

[flyerjab]

I really feel there are people who get out of bed in the morning and ask themselves (in a matter of speaking) what does Bob Iger want me to do today?

I am sorry but that is the quote of the thread thus far.

You are obviously plugged in way more than the average poster. If they are truly looking outside the company, where does one look for a new CEO? And is it true that this was a decision by the board, or would Iger also have a say?

I am always intrigued by corporate maneuvers at this high of a pay grade. If this is something that the BoD has to decide, I often wonder if they possess the type of understanding about the legacy of what Disney parks are supposed to be to make a truly educated decision. People on here hope for some type of visionary, but to me the BoD will care more about vision in terms of money. I am slightly jaded in this idea of a successor. Fans will hope for a person with a desire that Walt possessed, or those that he surrounded himself with. Anyone that has acted as CEO for this company recently is running a company created by someone else. They don't have to be stewards of that original vision. They have to function as someone who can keep growing the company, which does not equate to original content for fans.

I personally don't have hope that this next person, whoever it may be, will have what we hope will carry the creative content of the parks back to the path of growth they were on several decades ago. It is easier for that person to more immediately impress Wall Street by price increases or cuts in staffing. Chapek, in my mind, is already making his mark on the company. To me, he is coming off as the next W. C. Fields - there's a sucker born every minute (i.e. $150 for 3 hours in the MK, and don't miss your free cupcake and water bottle, or our DVC sale at a mere $180/point). Well, he might not have anything to do with DVC but you get my point.

Hopefully I am wrong, and they stumble upon someone that is great at making money, but who also realizes that the parks (especially the domestic parks) can generate major coin by making them beautiful, and filled with incredible attractions both subtle and astounding.

 

[UncleMike101]

And what if Shanghai opens to a huge success?

What is the metric of huge success? Huge attendance and high guest spending can still be insufficient.

Yup....
And I've yet to be convinced that a nation still made up mainly of rural people who've been under the yoke of totalitarian Communism for over half a century can support a massively expensive venture like SDL
Those people likely save their meager incomes for hard times and aren't enamored to "Western" entertainment to the extent that they'll go to Shanghai every year as though it were a pilgrimage to The Forbidden City.
Foreigners will have to support SDL and they can disappear at the drop of a hat, or car bomb, at the hands of some nut case fanatics.
IMO setting up an insanely expensive "fun park" in China is a lot like juggling bottles of nitroglycerin.
Something bad's going to happen eventually.