TDA Changes Affecting WDW?

[WDWFigment]

There is a rather lengthy article on Miceage today that pertains mostly to TDA. However, there are some tidbits in the article that might pertain to WDW both positively and negatively.

First, Tony Baxter has been named the Imagineer "in charge" of the Disneyland park. Implication: wasn't he the one previously in charge of overseeing the Imagination overhaul? Does this mean this project has once again lost its legs, or is someone else going to oversee it?

The article also discusses how TDA has a "heavy hitter" Imagineer in charge of each park, whereas WDW only has two individuals (Tom Fitzgerald and Joe Rohde) overseeing all four of its parks, with much smaller budgets.

Second, the article goes into depth about the plans for the Parks campaign and the YOAMD campaign. In short, the Disney Parks campaign has been scraped because Jay Rasulo doesn't understand that what works in Florida doesn't work in California (for better explanation, read the article). Florida-made designs didn't go over well with TDA. YOAMD is set to continue through 2008, but with new marketing to better inform visitors that the campaign isn't a 'strings attached' scam.

Third, Jay Rasulo is an idiot. His global structure is convoluted and nonsensical, and he himself rarely visits any parks. This structure has cost the company a lot of money in travel costs. The upside: WDW management, who previously thought their park superior, have had a chance to see more of DL's attractions and maintenance, and have realized they need to emulate the west coast park a little more.

I'm sure more implications could be drawn from the article; it is very interesting if you care about the West Coast Disney park. http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al071707a.htm

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

Hmm. That's interesting. Thanks for the article!:wave:

 

[DisneyNut2007]

Like Enderikari, I very strongly advise against reading MiceAge. Al Lutz and Kevin Yee are nothing more than a couple of grumpy old curmudgeons who having nothing better to do than complain, complain and complain some more.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Like Enderikari, I very strongly advise against reading MiceAge. Al Lutz and Kevin Yee are nothing more than a couple of grumpy old curmudgeons who having nothing better to do than complain, complain and complain some more.

um...Lutz also tends to be right on new changes under development. Do what you will with his color commentary, but he tends to get his facts right. The only real "good" I can see coming from this, though, is that it provides attractions for WDW to clone. We have known for awhile that the recent corporate structure in Orlando isn't so great, but there seems to be whispers everywhere of changes afoot. The fact that WDW's budget is lower than the DLR's $1+ billion funding for the next 5 years is not surprising, as DCA seriously needs some work. WDW needs work, but it's not a dead zone like DCA.

 

[WDWFigment]

Like Enderikari, I very strongly advise against reading MiceAge. Al Lutz and Kevin Yee are nothing more than a couple of grumpy old curmudgeons who having nothing better to do than complain, complain and complain some more.

I always hear people say this, yet I don't see this bias since I've started reading MiceAge. I've only read for a month of so, so maybe I've missed something.

Maybe you should give the article a read before disregarding the information in it? :shrug:

 

[Lee]

Like Enderikari, I very strongly advise against reading MiceAge. Al Lutz and Kevin Yee are nothing more than a couple of grumpy old curmudgeons who having nothing better to do than complain, complain and complain some more.

No complaining in that article. Pure information, most of which is quite accurate.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I always hear people say this, yet I don't see this bias since I've started reading MiceAge. I've only read for a month of so, so maybe I've missed something.

Maybe you should give the article a read before disregarding the information in it? :shrug:

Al Lutz certainly used to bicker a lot, but since Matt Ouimet showed up several years ago, the complaining has pretty much ended. Al is usually pretty enthusiastic toward the DLR these days and critical of WDW...as are most of the folks on this site. It is no secret that the MK is a mess, MGM is a shell of a park, no expansion is going on at AK where it should, and Epcot continues to get tons of funding (great for Epcot, but I'd like to see some work at the other parks, too). Jay Rasulo is a moron. Fact. Disney Parks was dumb. Fact. Disneyland is having trouble finding Cast Members. Fact. DCA is a mess. Fact. What's the problem? Al was critical of the DLR back when Harriss and Pressler were at the helm. Was this wrong of him?

Happy birthday, Disneyland.

 

[wdwmagic]

Jay Rasulo is a moron. Fact. Disney Parks was dumb. Fact.

They are your "opinions", not facts.

 

[ToTBellHop]

They are your "opinions", not facts.

well then they are opinions that the Walt Disney Co. seems to increasingly agree with.

 

[Champion]

well then they are opinions that the Walt Disney Co. seems to increasingly agree with.

And 'Rasulo is a moron' is as close as you can get to a fact - without using the scientific method - that I know of.

 

[ToTBellHop]

And 'Rasulo is a moron' is as close as you can get to a fact - without using the scientific method - that I know of.

hopefully an unemployed moron by year's end. I'm just glad the creepy flower petals and puke-like confetti is leaving. The "Where Dreams Come True" theming has to have been the most hideous set of "decorations" I have ever seen. The new Disneyland YoaMD banners are much more tasteful: From Lutz's update, old on the left, new on the right:

 

[darthjohnny]

An interesting article, but most of the article is a bunch of shots taken at, which has been mentioned many times by MiceAge before (the WDW being impressed by Disneyland, corporate shake ups, what may be done with DCA, etc...).

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Well, I think that both are true here. The article has a lot of relevant information, but there is a lot of unnecessary whining in their stuff generally.

I poke as much fun at Disney as the next guy, but in my opinion they have a habit of taking it over the top.

 

[DisneyNut2007]

Al Lutz certainly used to bicker a lot, but since Matt Ouimet showed up several years ago, the complaining has pretty much ended. Al is usually pretty enthusiastic toward the DLR these days and critical of WDW...as are most of the folks on this site. It is no secret that the MK is a mess, MGM is a shell of a park, no expansion is going on at AK where it should, and Epcot continues to get tons of funding (great for Epcot, but I'd like to see some work at the other parks, too). Jay Rasulo is a moron. Fact. Disney Parks was dumb. Fact. Disneyland is having trouble finding Cast Members. Fact. DCA is a mess. Fact. What's the problem? Al was critical of the DLR back when Harriss and Pressler were at the helm. Was this wrong of him?

Well, Lutz STILL bickers, unfortunately. So does Kevin Yee.

Lutz is only picking on WDW because he can't really pick on DCA anymore. He hardly ever gets his facts straight. The people that do agree with him and Yee agree with them blindly due to being extremely gullible and just as anti-Disney as they are.

And I agree with the admins that what you think are facts are not facts at all. Just opinions and nothing more.

Please stop reading MiceAge, folks. If fewer people go to that awful site, Lutz and Yee will hopefully start to see the light, realize that they're being foolish and finally retire from the Disney-bashing business.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Well, Lutz STILL bickers, unfortunately. So does Kevin Yee.

Lutz is only picking on WDW because he can't really pick on DCA anymore. He hardly ever gets his facts straight. The people that do agree with him and Yee agree with them blindly due to being extremely gullible and just as anti-Disney as they are.

And I agree with the admins that what you think are facts are not facts at all. Just opinions and nothing more.

Please stop reading MiceAge, folks. If fewer people go to that awful site, Lutz and Yee will hopefully start to see the light, realize that they're being foolish and finally retire from the Disney-bashing business.

The fact that one of our resident insiders, Lee, seems to think Lutz has most of his facts straight tends to make me believe...as does the fact that I have my own brain and have seen time and again the facts that Lutz has had right over the 6 or so years I've read the site. Sure, my opinions are opinions, but that doesn't discount the fact that Disney Parks is dead for a reason (Disney would not pull its expensive decorations and create new, also expensive decorations for fun) and that Rasulo is on thin ice. Whatever Disney bashing you see from Lutz that you don't find here as well, I'd certainly love to see. I am intrigued, though, that you would bash Lutz's bashing on a site that bashes Disney all the time. Save the Fountainview, anyone? Wand is Satan-spawn? Primeval Whirl is evil? MGM is a disaster? Haunted Mansion is deplorable? Our Space Mountain is a carny ride compared to the other 4 Spaces around the world? Brer Rabbit still isn't hopping? The parades suck? Paint is chipping? Lights are burned out? Pop Century is gaudy? The new Contemporary Tower is a travesty? Stitch's Great Mistake? Why-oh-why is X attraction closed for MY vacation? What does Toy Story Mania have to do with MGM? Star Tours is dated? TAKE DOWN THE HAT!

Lutz is the complainer? Give me a freakin break. He complains that Cast Members are not properly compensated, that they deserve better employee cafeterias, and that DCA was poorly planned. Well CMs should have better compensation (and if they did, they could get better workers out at DL), better food for them would be nice (and Disney seems to be paying Sodexho to do just that), and Disney isn't now going to spend $1 billion on DL's sister park because they have some extra money to throw around.

 

[MickeyJman06]

what's TDA?

 

[WDWFigment]

The fact that one of our resident insiders, Lee, seems to think Lutz has most of his facts straight tends to make me believe...as does the fact that I have my own brain and have seen time and again the facts that Lutz has had right over the 6 or so years I've read the site. Sure, my opinions are opinions, but that doesn't discount the fact that Disney Parks is dead for a reason (Disney would not pull its expensive decorations and create new, also expensive decorations for fun) and that Rasulo is on thin ice. Whatever Disney bashing you see from Lutz that you don't find here as well, I'd certainly love to see. I am intrigued, though, that you would bash Lutz's bashing on a site that bashes Disney all the time. Save the Fountainview, anyone? Wand is Satan-spawn? Primeval Whirl is evil? MGM is a disaster? Haunted Mansion is deplorable? Our Space Mountain is a carny ride compared to the other 4 Spaces around the world? Brer Rabbit still isn't hopping? The parades suck? Paint is chipping? Lights are burned out? Pop Century is gaudy? The new Contemporary Tower is a travesty? Stitch's Great Mistake? Why-oh-why is X attraction closed for MY vacation? What does Toy Story Mania have to do with MGM? Star Tours is dated? TAKE DOWN THE HAT!

Lutz is the complainer? Give me a freakin break. He complains that Cast Members are not properly compensated, that they deserve better employee cafeterias, and that DCA was poorly planned. Well CMs should have better compensation (and if they did, they could get better workers out at DL), better food for them would be nice (and Disney seems to be paying Sodexho to do just that), and Disney isn't now going to spend $1 billion on DL's sister park because they have some extra money to throw around.

I also might note that in addition to his recent declining by degrees, he has noted the various improvements made around the WDW parks. I don't remember what cheeky name he had for it (increasing by inches?), but it shows that he isn't all negative.

What have we had here? 1,000 threads about the wand that all devolved into shouting matches.

The way I see it is that any Disney information is good; I'll try to separate the legit rumors from the commentary if I believe it's there. Then I'll examine why there's a commentary in the first place. Some of the time, it's for a valid reason.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I also might note that in addition to his recent declining by degrees, he has noted the various improvements made around the WDW parks. I don't remember what cheeky name he had for it (increasing by inches?), but it shows that he isn't all negative.

What have we had here? 1,000 threads about the wand that all devolved into shouting matches.

The way I see it is that any Disney information is good; I'll try to separate the legit rumors from the commentary if I believe it's there. Then I'll examine why there's a commentary in the first place. Some of the time, it's for a valid reason.

it's always enlightening to hear someone else's opinions on issues, anyway. Lutz tends to give the facts and then tell how he feels. That's how a properly formed argument should be. None of this stupid whining about how such and such sucks...he does his work, contacts his sources, and calls it as he sees it. No problem there. I call it like I see it, too. Burned out trim lights on Main Street, USA? Tacky and not up to the standards that used to be enforced.

 

[Brian Noble]

I find Al's articles interesting. He is generally reporting about DLR, with his own editorial comments thrown in. He sometimes is among the first to write about things that eventually come to pass, and sometimes he's flat out wrong. Still, interesting.

Kevin is much much much less interesting. His articles are overwhelmingly opinion pieces---apparently, spending time as a working lead in Foods makes one a qualified armchair Imagineer---and provides little in the way of news/rumors that we don't already know from other sources.

I rarely do more than skim a Kevin article these days. I almost always read Al.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

It's not the facts that are inaccurate, I just don't appreciate the writing styles. Especially Kevin's.

But Al really isn't my style, either. I don't know. I've read both for their information and I stop when he starts getting over the top. Many times he makes the trasition from opinion column (which I can enjoy) to sensationalist (which I can't).

To each his or her own, though. If nobody liked it, I suppose the page wouldn't exist.