Hey, TSL can be quite a technical marvel. In Paris, they had giant Buzz wishing Guests a Happy New Year until January 7th in English, the next day he was back to his regular programming! If that isn't top of the line techie know how than I don't know what is!
Wow! That sounds amazing. At WDW you would normally have to be at a media only or upcharge event to have that kind of magic happen. I may need to book a flight to Paris sooner than I thought.
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?
It's amazing to sit back and think about what the mighty Mouse was able to do when they put forth an actual effort.
For me it comes down to two things: the
will and the
way.
The
way to build "better, faster, quicker, cheaper" has always been there. I'd even argue that now, modern technology and building methods would allow even faster and cheaper results if it wasn't for just that one small little thing that has been...
The
will.
Disney, especially in Orlando, has been unwilling to do much of anything in recent history with any drive, desire or passion.
Why this is so has never been clearer... there is no need to do anything differently in their eyes.
Using EPCOT as an example, the will was behind it because it was going to drive new guests and new money into the resort.
Sure, DHS 2.0 has the capability to do the same; but, the culture is different because the "will" just isn't there because DHS is still holding its own and isn't costing them any money. The same is true around the resort. Why bother rushing new expenditures when you've already got years of data supporting that you can do next to nothing and still gain in attendance all while slashing services to new lows.
When you've got a "captive/rabid" audience of fans that keep filling your resorts while you continually reacquaint them with a new (low) standard of Disney Magic... you can't really argue with the concept.
Of course, all of us here understand that you can't keep lowering the bar without it eventually having impact. The WDW brand has stumbled along to a point where it is what it is today. Unless you are imbibing on Charlie Sheen levels of Pixie Dust, we all can think of hits the WDW brand has taken.
I see some blue sky on the horizon in the form of the new management shakeup, the DHS windfall, the full moon over Pandora, and everything else they have in the pipeline; but, we won't know if the last two decades of malaise will have been completely washed away until we see what comes after all of this opens. More important to the long term health of WDW is going to be what happens AFTER SWL comes. If the mighty Mouse goes back to sleep after the Force Awakens in Orlando... we may be in far worse shape than when we started.
The momentum has to be sustained.
