The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[waltography]

I saw this shirt in the latest MiceChat merchandise update and my jaw dropped:

Everything about it is horrendous and I can't look away.

 

[Sailor310]

I saw this shirt in the latest MiceChat merchandise update and my jaw dropped:

Everything about it is horrendous and I can't look away.

A monster with sagging eyes and sharp teeth!

 

[chadwpalm]

I saw this shirt in the latest MiceChat merchandise update and my jaw dropped:

Everything about it is horrendous and I can't look away.

It looks like an amateur designed it on CafePress at home, had it shipped to them, unboxed it, didn't bother to iron it, and threw it onto a Disney clothes rack.

 

[Phroobar]

A monster with sagging eyes and sharp teeth!

It would probably look exactly like that on some really fat guy.

Disney probably ran an art contest in some middle school and this is what they came up with.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It would probably look exactly like that on some really fat guy.

Disney probably ran an art contest in some middle school and this is what they came up with.

That’s an insult to middle schoolers.

 

[brb1006]

Since Character Meet and Greets has started returning to pre-pandemic huggable normal with guests. Here's a video posted by DAPS MAGIC showing Mickey taking a stroll around Town Square and giving guests hive fives.


Love them or not, you have no idea how refreshing it is to see this again after 2 whole years. We really take moments like this for granted.

 

[Phroobar]

That is what rubber heads should be doing. They should be strolling around with quick interactions with guests and not becoming a mini attraction with lightning lane reservations.


I remember one time, we were in an area of the park that was dead. My son was coloring a picture when Tigger showed up and tried to get his attention. My son completely ignored him until Tigger just sat down and joined him in coloring.

 

[drizgirl]

That is what rubber heads should be doing. They should be strolling around with quick interactions with guests and not becoming a mini attraction with lightning lane reservations.


I remember one time, we were in an area of the park that was dead. My son was coloring a picture when Tigger showed up and tried to get his attention. My son completely ignored him until Tigger just sat down and joined him in coloring.

They've been experimenting with it for years at DLR. Sometimes it just comes across as awkward though, with guests following them around trying to make lines.

 

[𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇]

The Toy Story franchise... is it just one big ripoff of The Brave Little Toaster and it's direct to video sequels?

 

[Phroobar]

They've been experimenting with it for years at DLR. Sometimes it just comes across as awkward though, with guests following them around trying to make lines.

It's like guests are so trained to queue that they have a hard time doing it on a moving target.

 

[TP2000]

Two Things:

• I just heard on the radio this morning that Governor DeSantis and the Florida legislature are holding meetings this week to rescind the Reedy Creek Improvement District authorization from 1967 and return the jurisdiction of Walt Disney World to the state and county levels of government. Direct fallout from how poorly Bob Chapek and Disney as a whole handled their corporate messaging around the Parental Rights in Education bill.
• 
  
• I was listening to that radio talk show while I drove home from Rancho Mirage, and I made it from hotel porte cochere to my garage in 110 minutes flat, with an extra 15 thrown in to avoid the work zone on the 60. Something told me to stay an extra day in the dessert so I did; yesterday the traffic back into town was a nightmare due to Coachella and Easter crowds returning. The 90 minute drive from Palm Springs to OC took up to 5 hours with stop-and-go the whole way. Rarely am I that smart to think of that in advance and stay an extra day!

 

[TP2000]

Since Character Meet and Greets has started returning to pre-pandemic huggable normal with guests. Here's a video posted by DAPS MAGIC showing Mickey taking a stroll around Town Square and giving guests hive fives.


Love them or not, you have no idea how refreshing it is to see this again after 2 whole years. We really take moments like this for granted.

I love that! And I agree, it's refreshing and wonderful to see American life return to normal like this!

 

[TP2000]

It looks like an amateur designed it on CafePress at home, had it shipped to them, unboxed it, didn't bother to iron it, and threw it onto a Disney clothes rack.

That's exactly what it looks like. Also, the Pixar Pal-A-Round is now apparently an attraction at Disneyland.

So many things have gone wrong with this; from the initial concept creation and approvals of this design, to the front line operation of puttting it out on display like that in a flagship store. It's scary to think how many levels of leadership have failed here with this single t-shirt display.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Two Things:

• I just heard on the radio this morning that Governor DeSantis and the Florida legislature are holding meetings this week to rescind the Reedy Creek Improvement District authorization from 1967 and return the jurisdiction of Walt Disney World to the state and county levels of government. Direct fallout from how poorly Bob Chapek and Disney as a whole handled their corporate messaging around the Parental Rights in Education bill.

I’m sure this post will get deleted (since there are other posts on the WDW forums) but I think a “strategic pause” after bungling the response so drastically by the company and the hyperbolic overreaction from some elected officials should be in order in the interest of the broader public good.

Particularly with the recent attempted blockade and aggressive nature of some (though not all of the protesters) in Florida from the videos online at the amount of attention this is getting on certain media outlets I’m worried that some of the tensions around this issue are getting too high in the current social media environment. While I understand the company’s desire to be on what they perceive to be as the right side of history I think/hope the planners at both TDO and TDA are monitoring these activities and adjusting security precautions accordingly.

As a TWDC a shareholder my concern about profits and the longevity of RCID is real, however I also hope the company and local officials can come together to negotiate detente so cooler heads prevail in this argument for other reasons too. Primarily I fear when rumors and speculation/misinformation spread online there’s a risk that this could lead to unsafe outcomes (whether real or perceived) for both park guests and TWDC employees.

 

[TP2000]

I’m sure this post will get deleted (since there are other posts on the WDW forums) but I think a “strategic pause” after bungling the response so drastically by the company and the hyperbolic overreaction from some elected officials should be in order in the interest of the broader public good.

Particularly with the recent attempted blockade and aggressive nature of some (though not all of the protesters) in Florida from the videos online at the amount of attention this is getting on certain media outlets I’m worried that some of the tensions around this issue are getting too high in the current social media environment. While I understand the company’s desire to be on what they perceive to be as the right side of history I think/hope the planners at both TDO and TDA are monitoring these activities and adjusting security precautions accordingly.

As a TWDC a shareholder my concern about profits and the longevity of RCID is real, however I also hope the company and local officials can come together to negotiate detente so cooler heads prevail in this argument for other reasons too. Primarily I fear when rumors and speculation/misinformation spread online there’s a risk that this could lead to unsafe outcomes (whether real or perceived) for both park guests and TWDC employees.

I very much agree. Cooler heads need to prevail here. I didn't realize there was a topic for this over on the WDW side until just now. Which makes sense, but it was in the general discussion instead of the Company Business heading, so I didn't see it there.

I just said this over there about it...

I'm still baffled at how only Disney stepped in this mess.

All the other big players in the Florida tourism market are untouched by this ongoing PR disaster; NBC Comcast, Universal Studios, Sea World, Legoland, Hilton, Marriott, Delta Airlines, Darden Restaurants...

But not Disney, not Bob Chapek.

And now Reedy Creek is up for dissolution because of that?

I don't think any American corporation in the 21st century should have self-governance rights. But if a corporation does enjoy self-governance grandfathered in from the 1960's, they should probably want to stick to exactly that and not be stupid enough to inject themselves into shifting political spheres.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

And now Reedy Creek is up for dissolution because of that?

I don't think any American corporation in the 21st century should have self-governance rights. But if a corporation does enjoy self-governance grandfathered in from the 1960's, they should probably want to stick to exactly that and not be stupid enough to inject themselves into shifting political spheres.

In all honesty if RCID becomes a political cudgel to hold over TWDC then I say create a bipartisan public-private study committee to explore the process to negotiate a new deal for legislative consideration and/or adoption with a 3-5 year glide path. Let Orange County (Florida) and the city of Orlando weigh in too and see how they feel about shared services agreement. It’s not going to be easy, but it may be in the longer term best interest for all parties.

That said, this is far more complicated issue than can be resolved in a single legislative special session. I’m seeing this more from an immediate public safety lens right now. When the Southern Baptist protest happened the internet - and media writ large - was a vastly different place.

 

[brb1006]

That is what rubber heads should be doing. They should be strolling around with quick interactions with guests and not becoming a mini attraction with lightning lane reservations.


I remember one time, we were in an area of the park that was dead. My son was coloring a picture when Tigger showed up and tried to get his attention. My son completely ignored him until Tigger just sat down and joined him in coloring.

I remember seeing an old Youtube video that was shot at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland where a Dale decided to spend much more time with a child. For those curious, it was an home video recording shot sometime in the early to mid 1990s (1993 If I remember) and the video was extremely precious to watch. The entire interaction the child spend with Dale was around 3/4 minutes long.

 

[No Name]

Direct fallout from how poorly Bob Chapek and Disney as a whole handled their corporate messaging around the Parental Rights in Education bill.

It’s a Discrimination in Education bill. And it’s not only incredibly immature to act in relatiation against a company’s political stance, it’s a direct violation of the first amendment and would be struck down in court.

 

[brb1006]

They've been experimenting with it for years at DLR. Sometimes it just comes across as awkward though, with guests following them around trying to make lines.

Tokyo Disney Resort has been doing this much longer than Paris (including Tokyo Disneyland SEA). I used to watch various character interaction videos on Youtube from Tokyo Disneyland between the late 2000s and early 2010s and noticed how much fun the characters were having with Japanese visitors (who were all well-behaved).

 

[CaptinEO]

Tokyo Disney Resort has been doing this much longer than Paris (including Tokyo Disneyland SEA). I used to watch various character interaction from Tokyo Disneyland between the late 2000s and early 2010s and noticed how much fun the characters were having with Japanese visitors (who were all well-behaved).

I don't blame US visitors for their behavior. Disney themselves started this by having dedicated character meeting lines and locations. It changed the whole dynamic of how guests view characters.