The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[Knothead]

A gift for @PeterAlt

 

[the.dreamfinder]

View attachment 57609 A gift for @PeterAlt

You are an awful human being.

 

[Knothead]

You are an awful human being.

Takes one to know one?

 

[flynnibus]

I've never seen them but the Iron Maidens are pretty popular.

I can see why... (.)(.) plus maiden riffs? I'm in heaven

 

[rael ramone]

An interesting, if not minor, experience just happened. When I came to sign a few minutes ago I saw that on my e-mail I had a Disney Survey request. I thought, what the hell, let's do it. Well, I got to the first question and it was what is your family income. Since I am retired, my yearly income is very small... planned that way. So I clicked on the actual figure and the next screen was... Sorry, but we are looking for a different parameter in this case. Have a Magical Day.

They never asked me if I had money in investments, bank deposits or simply stuffed in my pillowcases. I was just dismissed because my "yearly" didn't pass the test. I now wish I had lied just to see where the questions led me.

Spoiler

Just in case anyone is getting thoughts that I have money stuffed in my pillowcases, don't bother, I don't. However, my freezer might have some cold cash in it.

Spoiler

If I were you, I wouldn't count on that either.

Maybe they thought you were a cast member...

 

[tirian]

He also created the problems we have now.

We're still talking about Apple

I read Disney War. It's a good read, but you have to take some of it with a grain of salt. The stories have to be good to sell books. It's funny to read that side of the stories and then read Eisner's autobiography (A work in Progress) to hear some of the same stories from his prospective. TWDC is not much different than many Fortune 500 companies. Eisner had a lot more charisma and ego than most CEOs. He also brought incredible results. I would take Eisner back over Staggs or Rasuolu any day. He had some flaws, but he had some serious stones too.

 

[PhotoDave219]

View attachment 57609 A gift for @PeterAlt

Now.... Any idea where that is?

 

[Knothead]

Now.... Any idea where that is?

The building in the background on the left is WDI.

 

[CDavid]

I've seen first hand people who are collecting food stamps and other government assistance pull out an IPhone to text someone.

You still have to be very careful about making false assumptions. There are always people who depend on food stamps, yet drive a nice, nearly new car, wear nice clothes, and have a current iPhone and iPad. And when they bought all those items, they had a six-figure salary to support that lifestyle, until they lost that job, and had to take something around minimum wage. In the recent U.S. economy, that situation is not as rare as it should be.

That's also assuming the expensive device wasn't a gift or handed down from a more affluent relative. We all tend to jump to conclusions based on our own assumptions, but we shouldn't, especially when we don't know the whole story.

 

[danlb_2000]

Now.... Any idea where that is?

The legendary monorail footing behind Wonders of Life.

 

[Darth Sidious]

The question with China and Shanghai Disney is, is it better to own 48% of the highest attended theme park or not. I think it's well worth it. It will help their movie sales especially since China limits the number of foreign movies. This park will help Disney get all the movies they want into the China market.

I agree with you, I was just offering the general thoughts. Some money is better than no money but there is certainly risk involved.

 

[Darth Sidious]

I wouldn't call what China is doing "xenophobic" perse, but rather protectionist. If the PRC let the largest multinationals into China with no strings attached, they would decimate domestic businesses which would mean that less wealth reaped in China would stay there. It's more of a you can enter the Chinese market as long as you know that you are a guest here and that we will exert our power over what you can and cannot do. It's funny you brought up Goldman Sachs, aka Cancer, because while they may be held to high standards, the Chinese banking sector certainly is not abiding by them. It does appear that China could experience its first major recession soon thanks to their real estate bubble. Imagine if the Chinese economy is imploding on Shanghai Disneyland's opening day next fall!

Disney, and the other Hollywood majors, don't make money in China. While there is the film import quota you mentioned, the central government only lets the studios take 10-15% of the grosses. For context, studios typically get 50% of the gross here in America and it's in that ballpark in most of the world. To Disney, releasing their films in China are what Alan Horn would call Brand Deposits. Disney wants to establish its BRAND with the Chinese consumer so that they'll buy Disney branded items, send their kids to the Disney English after school program, and yes visit Shanghai Disneyland. The hope is long term that central government will be looser with its restrictions where the Studios get 30-35 percent of the gross and Disney will be able to own a larger chunk of a larger, more developed Shanghai Disneyland.

To TWDC this is all about establishing a beachhead into the country that will soon have the world's largest middle class, but the central government wants to make sure domestic industry has a fair shake.

I say xenophobic because they know that the way multinational corporations do business would force the domestic businesses to change. Competition is good but it would put some companies out of business in china. I'm not blind to the reasoning behind what China is doing but I also don't agree with it. I also wouldn't say business in China is a bad investment for US multinats. Eventually things will change and as you stated you want to be established with your brand deposit.

 

[GoofGoof]

You still have to be very careful about making false assumptions. There are always people who depend on food stamps, yet drive a nice, nearly new car, wear nice clothes, and have a current iPhone and iPad. And when they bought all those items, they had a six-figure salary to support that lifestyle, until they lost that job, and had to take something around minimum wage. In the recent U.S. economy, that situation is not as rare as it should be.

That's also assuming the expensive device wasn't a gift or handed down from a more affluent relative. We all tend to jump to conclusions based on our own assumptions, but we shouldn't, especially when we don't know the whole story.

I hear you. In this specific example that was not the case. I know the specifics. You just jumped to the conclusion that I was jumping to conclusions

 

[GoofGoof]

He also created the problems we have now.

Fair point. He did start the whole process of excessive cost cutting in P&R. He also probably grew WDW a little too quickly and with somewhat wreckless abandon (still better than no growth). We all want to see a return to huge investments in Florida, but they need to be made more strategically with the infrastructure and future needs of the overall resort in mind. Eisner did tend to shoot from the hip which can be good and bad. The pace now is a little too slow for my liking, but I do think the decisions are made in a more methodical manner.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I hear you. In this specific example that was not the case. I know the specifics. You just jumped to the conclusion that I was jumping to conclusions

The trajectory of P&R would have been very different if they didn't over build EuroDisney.

 

[GoofGoof]

The trajectory of P&R would have been very different if they didn't over build EuroDisney.

He was at the helm for DCA along with MGM and Animal Kingdom too in the US. All 3 parks had the general criticism of being incomplete. Although MGM really was a complete park when opened IMHO.

 

[thehowiet]

He was at the helm for DCA along with MGM and Animal Kingdom too in the US. All 3 parks had the general criticism of being incomplete. Although MGM really was a complete park when opened IMHO.

6 attractions is a complete park?

MGM Opening Day Attractions:

1. The Great Movie Ride
2. The Magic of Disney Animation Tour
3. SuperStar Television
4. The Monster Sound Show
5. The Backstage Studio Tour
6. Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star Studded Spectacular!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

He was at the helm for DCA along with MGM and Animal Kingdom too in the US. All 3 parks had the general criticism of being incomplete. Although MGM really was a complete park when opened IMHO.

But think about all the cultural changes that happened to P&R after EuroDisney. Would value engineering as practiced at DCA, WDSP, and HKDL have happened? Euro Disney shook the assumptions of what TWDC needs to do to make a resort profitable. The business model was high quality theming, attractions, shows, parades, dining and shopping that would be subsidized by non admission guest spending, especially Lodging. The resort was seen as being greater than the sum of its parts. They just don't think like that anymore because they think that business model died in 1992.

 

[danlb_2000]

6 attractions is a complete park?

MGM Opening Day Attractions:

1. The Great Movie Ride
2. The Magic of Disney Animation Tour
3. SuperStar Television
4. The Monster Sound Show
5. The Backstage Studio Tour
6. Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star Studded Spectacular!

But how long was the the Studio Tour back then?

 

[GoofGoof]

6 attractions is a complete park?

MGM Opening Day Attractions:

1. The Great Movie Ride
2. The Magic of Disney Animation Tour
3. SuperStar Television
4. The Monster Sound Show
5. The Backstage Studio Tour
6. Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star Studded Spectacular!

I should have clarified. I didn't visit MGM until 1994 when it included Indy, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, LM show, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and Muppets too. Plus the backlot tour was extensive and actually took a chunk of time to see. It was a full day park for me.