The Spirited 11th Hour ...

[WDW1974]

Pretty much dead for now.

Isn't the Hong Kong government throwing a fit about the second gate though?

Yes. It's getting messy.

And the reclaimed land will sit empty. Which is a shame since the park would have been unique to HKDL.

I need more information before I declare it dead. That would leave HKDL with no real plans for anything beyond the opening of Iron Man and the Explorers Lodge. ... And the government isn't going to sit back and allow the land to simply sit there.

 

[WDW1974]

Why do people think Epcot should become another Magic Kingdom? Sure, WS is treated like a mile long bar and the other side of the park that was once an exhibit for the "future" is now all about... PAINT ??? but for some reason people continue to think that the solution is more dark rides? While Epcot is definitely suffering from an identity crisis, I can only hope any plans by the new 'faster and cheaper' WDI will allow it keep some form of distinction.

and oh ya, welcome back, @WDW1974 ! How is Angie?

Agreed. I hear there may be some interest in EPCOT finally, but consider that informed rumour at this stage.

Angie is phenomenal, thanks for asking! Just a little while ago she was playing with my socks and pulling them and rubbing my leg and I told her that "Legions of fanbois would pay me to do that!" She buys that too!

 

[asianway]

Knowingly deceptive? As far as I know, Dusty doesn't write the column. So if he and the writer have conflicting information, then how is it deceptive to present both views?

And since my last head had referenced morons in the fan community justifying Disney using cheap (crappy?) toilet paper, so BRAND addicts and advocates will defend any and all things, do you feel that it is OK to cut something as basic as moving walkways (you know they won't maintain them anyway!) from a major project like this? Is that exceeding Guests' Expectations?

I think they just don't know how to place commas. That sentence was worded poorly

 

[DVC91]

Could Weis affect the amount of time it takes to produce attractions, expansions, etc. faster? Or is the "take your time, we want our 'losses' spread over multiple fiscal years" approach that we've become so accustomed to from WDC here for the foreseeable future?

Perhaps the current projects are stuck in the mud, but future ones may progress more steadily and with a sense of purpose?

I feel like I'm answering my own question as I typed this, but I'd love a more definitive answer rather than self-speculation.

And welcome back Spirit! Your insights are always appreciated. Hoping 2016 is more generous to you than 2015 was!

 

[ProfSavage]

What's this? I am in early on a Spirit thread?

This never happens!

And just when my schedule opened way way up too. Fun.

As for the news from Spirit, this is an interesting development... (I've been out of the fan community for a moment)

 

[WDW1974]

5 years, someone bring me my smelling salts, I may pass out. How did it take 1 year to build all of Disneyland and 5 years to build a 11 acre expansion. The answer I presume is stretching costs over the course of many annual budgets, the location and difficulty of timeline working so close to one stage areas, and the money thing again. Sigh :/

I have written this same post probably a few dozen times here. But it bears repeating. And it shows a fundamental problem with the culture of WDI and TWDC.

In the late 70s and early 80s, TINY Walt Disney Productions and WED built EPCOT Center (out of the swamps of Central FL), TDL on a landfill in an industrial wasteland on Tokyo Bay and a New (a really new, not like WDW) Fantasyland at DL, while the park was open and attracting millions of visitors at the same time. Oh, and both of the first two projects opened as complete experiences (yes, some attractions came online later, but the vast majority were done and not having them didn't harm the Guest experience). Also, WED was working on plans for expanded resorts at WDW and a larger Village complex and new lands for DL.

All. At. The. Same. Time.

The idea that in the 21st century the world's largest media and entertainment company needs the ridiculous time windows on things ranging from the SDMT to Pandora to Star Wars on both coasts to Shanghai Disneyland is insane. It doesn't. The culture needs to change and for the first time in the 21st century, it looks like it may well do so.

Oh, and before folks give The Weatherman (AKA Robert A. Iger) credit for this, please recall that the man was named Michael Eisner's replacement over a decade ago. He was supposed to be packing up his office by now. It was only his ego and the pay check that gives us over two more years with Bob. In other words, even if this is a great move, I have a hard time saying it is OK that he blew a decade with business as usual. Doesn't show much vision, does it?

 

[WDW1974]

What are the chances of Shanghai's opening date being pushed? I'm trying to decide what would be worse - opening a less than half completed construction zone to the public or not meeting the announced construction date. Thoughts?

Absolutely none.

 

[WDW1974]

MK opened unfinished as well.

True, but no justification for SDL's sorry state or the time it is taking on all the projects I have mentioned.

The MK was part of the WDW resort, the type of development that no one had ever done before with all sorts of new technology and everything from a large transport system to resort hotels.

It isn't 1971 now. It is 2016 and Disney has had decades of experience of opening new parks and resorts.

SDL's situation is unacceptable.

 

[WDW1974]

They locked the other thread...

Anyways, I am wondering if "Chappie" as you call him is/was the only one upset with how WDI is currently doing business.

Looks open for business to me.

No, plenty of people who toil at WDI have wanted change. Wanting something and getting it are two different things, though (See: Powerball last week ... or any for that matter.)

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

I'd be tempted to say no because he is so toxic, but they picked up Jason Surrell (after he had an online meltdown with members of this community and lost his Disney job).

Sounds like the proverbial "Give me what I want or Company X will!" negotiating strategy put Mr. Weis in the driver's seat.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

True, but no justification for SDL's sorry state or the time it is taking on all the projects I have mentioned.

The MK was part of the WDW resort, the type of development that no one had ever done before with all sorts of new technology and everything from a large transport system to resort hotels.

It isn't 1971 now. It is 2016 and Disney has had decades of experience of opening new parks and resorts.

SDL's situation is unacceptable.

Oh agreed. Just pointing out that it's not unprecedented.

I assume Universal has been watching the Shanghai situation closely as they prepare for their Beijing park. Do you know if they plan on, um, learning from Disney's experience?

 

[BrerJon]

Let's hope this "faster and cheaper" kicks in for us in the east. If Roger Rabbit is staying (YAY!!!) but the rest of Toontown is going, I just have one guess: Frozen in some capacity. In a place it actually belongs, go figure

I reckon you could be right. They'll wait until Frozen 2 and see how that does... if it's a smash then Toontown becomes Arrendale asap, if it bombs because everyone's so over Frozen then those plans will melt away.

 

[BrerJon]

Just wanted to point out that MiceAge was being knowingly deceptive in that article. The "Moving Walkways" are being removed, not the skybridge. Dusty confirmed it in the comments of the article.

I checked it on Google Maps, and it seems the walking distance people are complaining about is approximately the same as walking from the turnstiles to the castle and back, so it seems a sensible move to me. Now cutting the Peoplemover thing from Star Wars, on the other hand... that could be really good if they followed through with it.

 

[BrerJon]

Maybe those 16 person, 6 week long research trips to places like Napal will be cut to 3 people for 2 weeks.

But... but... won't somebody think of the coffee table books?!!!!

 

[BrerJon]

Time waiting in line (particularly in the World Showcase) is time that Disney would rather people spend ordering food and drinks. Surely they've considered this (and the expansion of Soarin and TSMM are evidence that Disney is cognizant of queue times). If ride capacity is not improving, then I expect a food & wine booth in the queue to make up the revenue.

I'm pretty sure every item in F&W this year will cost a couple of dollars more than it did last year. That should cook the books just enough to make everything look a roaring success.

 

[BrerJon]

This confirms what my son was saying. He works in Foreign affairs, and said there is literally nothing there. (at Shanghai) I know they can build fast, but as you say, it certainly looks unlikely for the timeline announced.

That's actually the final product. They wanted to do something distinctly Disney, and what could be more Disney than everything being under construction and looking like it will take years and years to complete?

 

[John]

I reckon you could be right. They'll wait until Frozen 2 and see how that does... if it's a smash then Toontown becomes Arrendale asap, if it bombs because everyone's so over Frozen then those plans will melt away.

IMO the fervor over Frozen has thawed. Kids have short memories and attention spans. I am not saying Frozen 2 will be a direct to Blu Ray but I don't think they will catch the magic in a bottle a second time. The kiddos will have moved on to the next hot thing. Sure Frozenstrom will be popular but in a nostalgic way. When Frozen hit there wasn't much else going on. I guess only time will tell.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Thanks for sharing the insights and seeing a new Spirited thread's like having Christmas in...January or whatever.

One thing I don't grasp is how much influence one person can have in the design process of themed entertainment. You mention that there's a recycling of employees, and I guess that's part of my confusion. It seems like the fan community has hoisted up a few "celebrity Imagineers" over the last twenty years -- Tony Baxter, Joe Rohde, etc. But really there are dozens, hundreds, of people doing work that is attributed to each of those personalities.

Aren't these theme park projects, like animated movies, intrinsically collaborative? Is there a distinctive "style" that someone like Weis has, or is the idea that he might be able to push for new non-IP projects? What exactly does an 80s/90s WDI fan have to look forward to with this change? I don't see Disney moving away from franchise attractions anytime soon, so I guess I'm left wondering what any of these WDI executive changes can accomplish.

Put another way, informally and cynically, you might say Marc Davis ain't walking through that door. It's going to take a lot for me to fall in love with modern-day WDI, but maybe Avatar will be a start...

A feature film now takes hundreds of people but the director is still recognized.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think you will find that DIS is capitalizing as they go rather than on a attraction basis because if they were they would push the projects much faster so as to maximize the depreciation schedules. With a project taking 5 years and a 7 year depreciation schedule well...

Wouldn't that be offsetting the profit before it actually has a chance to make a profit. Besides I'm sure that the depreciation time is way more then 7 years. I don't see how that would work. How would you keep track of depreciation on a investment spread out over time. What would be the base and where would that base break into segments. Each attraction is much easier to depreciate with a completed starting point. I think the IRS would be a little upset about it as well. I cannot think of any reason to delay the depreciation factor when it means a lessening of taxable profit.

 

[Goofyernmost]

IMO the fervor over Frozen has thawed. Kids have short memories and attention spans. I am not saying Frozen 2 will be a direct to Blu Ray but I don't think they will catch the magic in a bottle a second time. The kiddos will have moved on to the next hot thing. Sure Frozenstrom will be popular but in a nostalgic way. When Frozen hit there wasn't much else going on. I guess only time will tell.

Try telling that to a four year old who's every other word is Anna! Adults have tired of it... I don't think kids have yet.