The Red Button Option

[denyuntilcaught]

It's terrible, but you think it's worse than the Civil War, the Spanish Flu pandemic, etc.?

Perhaps I should have said in modern history.

 

[UNCgolf]

Perhaps I should have said in modern history.

Much more reasonable answer!

I'm sorry, but I'm a history nerd so I can't help myself.

 

[Lilofan]

So many of your posts are about money... do you realize that many people care about their job for more than money? It’s become part of our life and we’ve worked hard because we care about what we do and what we get to be a part of.

Some care about their job more than money however many I know don't prepare for emergencies and when faced with job loss, illness or some other situations in life, they are in a very difficult situation. So many posts? No need to pretend.

 

[UNCgolf]

video games (again only better this time)

This is one of the worst decisions Disney made as a company during Bob Iger's tenure. Disney could be making an absolute killing on video game sales with their wide assortment of IPs; they should have their own powerhouse set of studios pumping out games rather than just licensing them to other developers. They bought LucasArts, which already had a functional video game studio (if not as good as it was in its heyday), and shut that down rather than using it to provide their own stream of Star Wars games they would fully control (and fully profit from).

 

[_caleb]

100%. But also, data can be cut to tell any story you want it to tell. I am a firm, firm believer that this pandemic is the worst thing to ever happen to this country (well, after the 2016 election but the two go hand in hand and this isn't the right forum), and I do believe that we need to do a better job of taking care of each other during this time.

I also believe that there are people, entities, and figures behind the scenes that are preventing part of the full story from coming out.

No doubt the data we see is typically cited by those who have an agenda. We see that here in these boards (and even in this thread)- some want to show that Disney is on the verge of utter collapse (to show how bad the leadership is/has been, to show that the off-the-wall prediction they made several years ago wasn't wrong after all, etc.), while others want to show that everything is just fine at the company.

What I'm not convinced of is that there's some grand conspiracy to hide the truth from the public. I think we have all the pieces we need to get a pretty good idea of what's going on.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

This is one of the worst decisions Disney made as a company during Bob Iger's tenure. Disney could be making an absolute killing on video game sales with their wide assortment of IPs; they should have their own powerhouse set of studios pumping out games rather than just licensing them to other people. They bought LucasArts, which already had a functional video game studio (if not as good as it was in its heyday), and shut that down rather than using it to provide their own stream of Star Wars games they would fully control (and fully profit from).

Don’t disagree, but there were other factors with Lucasarts closing like the cost of living in the Bay Area leading to higher salaries that eat into production budgets. I would have moved production to Singapore or Montreal for subsidies, but that’s just me.

 

[ftblgenius]

This is one of the worst decisions Disney made as a company during Bob Iger's tenure. Disney could be making an absolute killing on video game sales with their wide assortment of IPs; they should have their own powerhouse set of studios pumping out games rather than just licensing them to other developers. They bought LucasArts, which already had a functional video game studio (if not as good as it was in its heyday), and shut that down rather than using it to provide their own stream of Star Wars games they would fully control (and fully profit from).

Don't remind me about LucasArts. They handed it over to EA to produce Star Wars games and botched it with their ridiculous attempts at microtransactions.

 

[UNCgolf]

Don’t disagree, but there were other factors with Lucasarts closing like the cost of living in the Bay Area leading to higher salaries that eat into production budgets. I would have moved production to Singapore or Montreal for subsidies, but that’s just me.

Yeah, shutting down Lucasarts was more of an aside than anything else, especially since it's not the company it was in the 90s. They could have easily built a few new studios of their own and attracted just about any talent they wanted.

I think it's obvious they just didn't realize how much money there is in video games, which would have been potentially understandable in, say, 1998, but not at all understandable in 2013, much less now.

 

[Castmbr]

You do touch on one good point - you never hear about the number of recoveries. That's one big metric that has really been forgotten in America, and yes, the media does play a role in that.

Speaking to some of my colleagues in newsrooms across the country and they all say the same thing - "we'll never have this good of a year again, so we're taking advantage of it."

That is scary that the newsrooms where most people get their information from is really about ratings.... sad

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We are in the same situation, except we are coming from out of state. With so many other good deals around the area, there is no way we will stay on property like we usually do. Not everyone considers a trip about risking their health. We have both had it, and I trust my doctor that we don't have to worry about being re-infected in the short term.

That seems like a risky, unproven stance

The survey says......It's the mask requirement. When that goes away, if it ever does, then the attendance will improve. Not saying it would fill to ~90% occ like before but we would see a marked improvement.

That was what I said in April...the masks are a tremendous obstacle. For multiple reasons.

That is scary that the newsrooms where most people get their information from is really about ratings.... sad

Unfortunately the news is a sacrificial lamb of the digital age and it’s the cause of much of the problems with national discourse.

 

[denyuntilcaught]

That is scary that the newsrooms where most people get their information from is really about ratings.... sad

100%. Ratings, and increasingly more important, clicks. With linear advertising being in the crapper for the time being, many newsrooms large and small are focusing on their digital and OTT presence to make up for revenue.

Now, most newsrooms do have integrity. They're not making stories up out of thin air. However, they know the small tricks to get people to engage when they otherwise wouldn't. I know this because I worked for a company that consults a wide majority of newsroom teams.

Headline A: "LA County sees 3,600 new coronavirus cases."
Headline B: "LA County sees record coronavirus cases as city is on brink of new stay-at-home order."

Which one is going to drive more clicks due to sensationalism and fear-mongering? Frankly, newsrooms do a better job at staying neutral with left vs. right politics than they are with writing about the pandemic.

 

[Castmbr]

most legit newsrooms do have integrity

Can you point me to what is legit with integrity?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

But people will risk their life for a good deal?

Interesting about K street..... I think they are a bit out of touch with Main Street USA

But it’s not really the “risk”...

It’s the unknown and the perception of uncertainty.

And let’s be clear: travel is going to be crushed by the economics...large scale unemployment and a steep drop in consumer spending predicted for the rest of the year...is the real problem for Disney. Covid is just amping that up in ways they never could have considered.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

And let’s be clear: travel is going to be crushed by the economics...large scale unemployment and a steep drop in consumer spending predicted for the rest of the year...is the real problem for Disney. Covid is just amping that up in ways they never could have considered.

MoAr StImUlUs!!!1!

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

MoAr StImUlUs!!!1!

The alternative isn’t a great choice either... :-/

 

[_caleb]

Yeah, shutting down Lucasarts was more of an aside than anything else, especially since it's not the company it was in the 90s. They could have easily built a few new studios of their own and attracted just about any talent they wanted.

I think it's obvious they just didn't realize how much money there is in video games, which would have been potentially understandable in, say, 1998, but not at all understandable in 2013, much less now.

Avalanche Software (the Salt Lake City-based game studio behind the Disney Infinity series) could have kept money coming in had they been given more creative freedom. Disney shut them down with in 2016, only to see them purchased by Warner Bros. the following year. Their first game under new management? Cars 3: Driven to Win (based on the Pixar film)!

 

[_caleb]

Politics and Social Issues

 

[Bullseye1967]

That seems like a risky, unproven stance

How is that risky? The consensus of medical professionals seems to be that immunity in the first few months after having Covid is almost a certainty. Yes I realize that this is a new virus, but comparing it to other betacoronaviruses of similar nature, that seems to be the way they behave. I guess everyone has their own perception of risk. I slipped on my hardwood floor in the front hall of my home and broke my neck C3/C4. I didn't really consider going to my front door in just socks risky behavior, but I guess it was.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

How is that risky? The consensus of medical professionals seems to be that immunity in the first few months after having Covid is almost a certainty. Yes I realize that this is a new virus, but comparing it to other betacoronaviruses of similar nature, that seems to be the way they behave. I guess everyone has their own perception of risk. I slipped on my hardwood floor in the front hall of my home and broke my neck C3/C4. I didn't really consider going to my front door in just socks risky behavior, but I guess it was.

I didn’t there was a “consensus” on the duration of any kind of immunity...

But it’s tossed around by tv shows and morons...I’ve seen that.

Bummer about the hardwood

 

[ppete1975]

Disney's business was not diversified enough. All of these things require people getting together in the same place in order to be produced or consumed. This is why I think Disney would be wise to focus on what they did originally and what they do best- animation.

Animation can be produced by remote/distributed teams, consumed by individuals safely distanced, and can entertain, educate, and inspire (while also selling ads). They have the platform in Disney+, and HUGE opportunities: with so many schools moving to virtual learning and so many businesses doing remote training, public health and safety videos, video games (again only better this time), etc.

even the most cynical person wouldnt have imagined this kind of issue (no matter how many episodes of 60 mins, and the next big plague is coming), i for one thought if the big plague hit wed all be dead or population would be cut way down. This is different than i think anyone could have expected. you are into sports... when have all sports ever been cancelled. You have theme parks... when is the last time all theme parks closed..... movie theaters all being closed.... ok so the land was totally destroyed... we still have boats!! I do like your idea of animation and post production moving to more work from home... but that does bring up internet safety or people leaking things much more than being in a centralized bulding.