News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026

[Jrb1979]

I tend to agree. I think right now, you see people go to Disney for a week, and maybe take a day or two for Universal. I think that script could flip with Epic where people take a week long vacation to Universal, with a day or two spent at a Disney park (Mk and then maybe one other).

I think the larger question both parks are going to grapple with is if they have upped their prices too far and priced out too many people. I will definitely hit universal with Epic once. But, I'm just not sure I'm willing to drop that price more than once. I can tell you price is 100% the reason I've only been to Universal twice in my life, and I have not started going there now that I've cut my Disney trips down.

I agree. It's why my family visits multiple parks in the summer instead. With having Cedar Fair passes costing $200 each for all parks including dining you can't beat the price.

Before anyone says it's not the same, I know it's not but for us it's a cheaper alternative that we just about the same amount of fun.

 

[LSLS]

I agree. It's why my family visits multiple parks in the summer instead. With having Cedar Fair passes costing $200 each for all parks including dining you can't beat the price.

Before anyone says it's not the same, I know it's not but for us it's a cheaper alternative that we just about the same amount of fun.

It may not be the same, but we can easily make a 4-5 day trip out of Cedar Point between the park, water park, beach, and hotels.

 

[UNCgolf]

I tend to agree. I think right now, you see people go to Disney for a week, and maybe take a day or two for Universal. I think that script could flip with Epic where people take a week long vacation to Universal, with a day or two spent at a Disney park (Mk and then maybe one other).

I think the larger question both parks are going to grapple with is if they have upped their prices too far and priced out too many people. I will definitely hit universal with Epic once. But, I'm just not sure I'm willing to drop that price more than once. I can tell you price is 100% the reason I've only been to Universal twice in my life, and I have not started going there now that I've cut my Disney trips down.

For me it's that Universal just doesn't have very much that's really interesting/enjoyable to me. We spent two days there a few years ago, and I think we could have easily done everything we wanted to do in both parks in one day (having Express Pass from staying at the Royal Pacific helped with that, of course).

EU will obviously add more, but it looks like it's going to mainly offer attractions that are generally similar to the ones at the existing parks -- which isn't inherently a bad thing, but if current Universal doesn't offer much to someone, I don't think EU is going to really move the needle. It's still pretty heavily weighted towards coasters/thrill rides.

I definitely want to see EU (love how the Celestial Garden area looks), but from from what we know thus far about the attraction lineup etc. it seems like something I'd want to explore for a day and then probably won't have much desire to return for a while.

 

[Lilofan]

I tend to agree. I think right now, you see people go to Disney for a week, and maybe take a day or two for Universal. I think that script could flip with Epic where people take a week long vacation to Universal, with a day or two spent at a Disney park (Mk and then maybe one other).

I think the larger question both parks are going to grapple with is if they have upped their prices too far and priced out too many people. I will definitely hit universal with Epic once. But, I'm just not sure I'm willing to drop that price more than once. I can tell you price is 100% the reason I've only been to Universal twice in my life, and I have not started going there now that I've cut my Disney trips down.

If we had a choice on a two week vacation in Central FL and had to pick (2), options could be DCL, WDW, UNI. We would choose WDW for a week then hop on the DCL ship to finish off our vacation. UNI would not even be in the running for us. Would Comcast invest in ships for UNI? I do not think that will happen.

 

[Tha Realest]

If we had a choice on a two week vacation in Central FL and had to pick (2), options could be DCL, WDW, UNI. We would choose WDW for a week then hop on the DCL ship to finish off our vacation. UNI would not even be in the running for us. Would Comcast invest in ships for UNI? I do not think that will happen.

They could easily license their characters /properties to RC or Carnival

 

[mikejs78]

Lacking contempt does not make one a great steward, which I think is the point you want to make. But a parks lead who doesn’t look down on his product or guests is actually not a given.

Indeed. And I'd say that Josh is the first Parks chair in a long time that doesn't have contempt for the parks. Think about it:

Chapek
Staggs
Rasulo
Pressler

That’s why I personally hope he sticks with his current position instead. This succession doesn’t turn into pushing him out in lieu of a CEO role (which I agree he isn’t really made out for).

Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. He's also relatively young at 53. Walden is 59, making her 61 in 2026 when Iger hypothetically retires. She could serve as CEO for 5-8 years and still give D'Amaro a shot at it. This is the one knock against Walden, that she wouldn't be CEO for a particularly long time. She is a creative though, and one with a pretty good track record of success at both Fox and then ABC, and she also has business sense.

Alternatively it may be good to have someone who has a love for the parks as CEO - we may see a different direction to how the parks are approached. Josh also has good business sense and genually does love the company and its legacy. I could see Josh doing the old "Wonderful World of Disney" type intros, like Walt did and like Eisner did.

Frankly I feel better about either of them than I ever did about Chapek, and frankly better than I do about Iger.

And *definitely* better than I feel about anyone Peltz or Rasulo would want.

For me it's that Universal just doesn't have very much that's really interesting/enjoyable to me. We spent two days there a few years ago, and I think we could have easily done everything we wanted to do in both parks in one day (having Express Pass from staying at the Royal Pacific helped with that, of course).

EU will obviously add more, but it looks like it's going to mainly offer attractions that are generally similar to the ones at the existing parks -- which isn't inherently a bad thing, but if current Universal doesn't offer much to someone, I don't think EU is going to really move the needle. It's still pretty heavily weighted towards coasters/thrill rides.

I definitely want to see EU (love how the Celestial Garden area looks), but from from what we know thus far about the attraction lineup etc. it seems like something I'd want to explore for a day and then probably won't have much desire to return for a while.

This. Universal just doesn't do it for me today. Sure, I like Potter, but the rest is just filler. I am interested in Super Nintendo World, so I will definitely go to EU, but I can see it either being 2 days out of a weeklong trip, or a smaller separate trip over a weekend just for Universal....

 

[Jrb1979]

This. Universal just doesn't do it for me today. Sure, I like Potter, but the rest is just filler. I am interested in Super Nintendo World, so I will definitely go to EU, but I can see it either being 2 days out of a weeklong trip, or a smaller separate trip over a weekend just for Universal....

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

 

[mikejs78]

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

It's not that I don't like Universal - they have some good stuff and I enjoy going there from time to time. It's just that, at least to date, there's not enough that I am interested in to occupy me for a week. There are certainly some great rides - most of the Potter stuff, Mummy, etc., but there's also a lot of stuff that is just bad -F&F, Race through New York, Simpsons... And a lot that just feels like the same ride with a different IP.

It's definitely worth visiting, but Disney has generally more variety (outside of a handful of outstanding USF attractions), and even with some slippage in recent years, the fact that Disney generally hides their backstage areas better than Universal and has much better offerings outside of rides creates an environment I find much more appealing. Now that's not to say EU won't be different and change that for that park, but the other two parks still have components that I don't find as appealing, so I can't see myself spendjng the majority of my time in Central Florida at University.

 

[BrianLo]

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

Islands of Adventure is definitely the best ride park out of the whole lot. But it’s sometimes undersold how it lacks entertainment, food and much in the way of height restriction free attractions. Like how is the frog choir in running for the top of IOA’s entertainment? I still think Islands is wonderful, but it’s for ride warriors almost exclusively.

USF is meanwhile the worst park out of the six, by most measures.

It needs to fix those flaws as a resort to really pull the masses fully.

 

[UNCgolf]

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

The rides are the issue for me. There are only a handful of rides at Universal I actually like, and they don't really have much to see/do outside of the rides (other than the two HP areas). ET is good and I love the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Revenge of the Mummy is a lot of fun, and of course Spiderman is really good. There are a few other attractions that are fine but not something I care if I miss, and then a bunch I wouldn't ride as a walk-on.

The two HP areas are fantastic, although I don't actually like Forbidden Journey and Gringotts looks mediocre (haven't been on it). Hagrid's looks cool but I doubt I could ride it -- I now get motion sickness from going backwards. Wasn't an issue in the past, but the last two times I rode Everest I got really sick when on the backwards section so I think I'll avoid any rides with that from now on.

The HP and Monsters rides and the Donkey Kong coaster are the only three EU rides that look interesting to me right now.

For me, Universal had a better attraction lineup in the 1990s than it does right now (mainly because almost everything was better at USO then).

 

[James Alucobond]

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

For me, it’s 100% the bubble and the overall resort experience. I don’t mind Universal, just like I don’t mind regional parks. But I don’t go to regional parks unless I happen to be passing through the area for some other reason. It’s just not how I think to spend my time. But Disney, despite rising costs and increased nickel-and-diming, has a start-to-finish “I’m on vacation now” feeling. Assuming you stay on property, there’s no trudging back to a motel, no significant experience of wasted time between things, etc. You can go anywhere and explore and feel relatively safe; you can give kids of a lower-than-normal age some degree of autonomy that you might not feel okay granting otherwise. It’s an experience that no one else can logistically replicate.

Also, on a less thoughtful note, I just don’t find coasters terribly compelling, which is one of the main areas where they have an edge.

 

[UNCgolf]

Also, on a less thoughtful note, I just don’t find coasters terribly compelling, which is one of the main areas where they have an edge.

I'm like this too. I enjoy coasters when they're heavily themed, like Everest, BTMRR, Revenge of the Mummy, and Hagrid's (although as I said above, I don't think I can ride Everest/Hagrid's now) but coasters like Hulk, Velocicoaster, and TRON have never been especially interesting to me. I need more than sheer physical thrill for a ride to grab me.

That's also why Cosmic Rewind is more of a miss than a hit for me; they did not execute the theme/story concept well at all.

 

[Jrb1979]

I'm like this too. I enjoy coasters when they're heavily themed, like Everest, BTMRR, Revenge of the Mummy, and Hagrid's (although as I said above, I don't think I can ride Everest/Hagrid's now) but coasters like Hulk, Velocicoaster, and TRON have never been especially interesting to me. I need more than sheer physical thrill for a ride to grab me.

That's also why Cosmic Rewind is more of a miss than a hit for me; they did not execute the theme/story concept well at all.

I'm the exact opposite. While I like theming, it's not a main draw for my family. Same goes for IP.

For us what we loved about Disney was the slow moving immersive dark rides. They excelled at them. We don't see the point in adding some thrills when Disney can't do as good as Universal or regional parks.

For coasters, we feel most a better without theme or story. For us a coaster should be all about thrill. We want to feel the G forces. One of the best coasters is I305 at Kings Dominion. You're guaranteed to grey out after the first drop.

 

[Dranth]

I've always been fascinated in why some don't like Universal. Is it the IP? The focus on a lot thrill rides?

For my family other than Jurassic Park, the majority of Universal IP we can take or leave. What draws us the rides they have.

Uni is a once every 3-5 years for us as it just doesn't have much to do outside the rides and they are a bit of a mixed bag.

Thinking about it, I enjoyed USF more when the focus was on how the movies were made vs. now. Since then, they ripped a lot of that stuff out and put in junk like Transformers, Fallon and F&F. USF does have one of my favorite rides in The Mummy and IoA has both Hagrid's, and Spiderman but everything else at the parks are either forgettable, out right bad, water rides which are mostly great but depend on when you go, or older rides that lack any of the charm that Disney rides have with the exception of ET. I love the Potter areas with Diagon being the better of the two for us, but aside from Hagrid's which is amazing, none of the rides are all that good.

It also doesn't help that they have a LOT less to offer outside the parks.

Don't get me wrong, that all sounds much more negative than I am on Uni and I am looking forward to EU, it just doesn't rise above an occasional long weekend visit now and then for us.

 

[pdude81]

Alternatively it may be good to have someone who has a love for the parks as CEO - we may see a different direction to how the parks are approached. Josh also has good business sense and genually does love the company and its legacy. I could see Josh doing the old "Wonderful World of Disney" type intros, like Walt did and like Eisner did.

I have similar thoughts about D'Amaro hosting WWoD, though I have feared putting that into the ether in case Bob with one I might try to use the concept for himself. With linear TV dying off, I don't know if it works anymore though. But watching those old specials and afternoon movies was part of what locked me up as a Disney fan way back when. They need to find ways to reengage the youth of today who aren't watching Disney channel or ABC on weekend mornings. Perhaps they could stream a movie or special live on YouTube each week.

 

[JD80]

I have similar thoughts about D'Amaro hosting WWoD, though I have feared putting that into the ether in case Bob with one I might try to use the concept for himself. With linear TV dying off, I don't know if it works anymore though. But watching those old specials and afternoon movies was part of what locked me up as a Disney fan way back when. They need to find ways to reengage the youth of today who aren't watching Disney channel or ABC on weekend mornings. Perhaps they could stream a movie or special live on YouTube each week.

If anything like that ever comes to reality it would be on ABC and D+.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

“I love the smell of desperation in the morning”

George Lucas Backs Disney and Bob Iger in Proxy Fight: “Creating Magic Is Not for Amateurs”

The filmmaker, 'Star Wars' creator and Disney shareholder released a statement in support of the company and its CEO on Tuesday morning.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Disstevefan1]

“I love the smell of desperation in the morning”

George Lucas Backs Disney and Bob Iger in Proxy Fight: “Creating Magic Is Not for Amateurs”

The filmmaker, 'Star Wars' creator and Disney shareholder released a statement in support of the company and its CEO on Tuesday morning.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Lucas MUST back Iger.

If he doesn't its like telling the world he was wrong to have sold Lucasfilms to Iger and he was wrong appointing KK to take over Star Wars.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Lucas MUST back Iger.

If he doesn't its like telling the world he was wrong to have sold Lucasfilms to Iger and he was wrong appointing KK to take over Star Wars.

Lucas isn’t a fan of Eisner on the whole…and It’s not likely he’s a huge fan of Kennedy either

…but
1. He’s semi retired
2. There’s a Hollywood “power structure” that benefits him while it’s maintained (ironically)
3. When he’s not retired…quietly LFL has basically run home to him (don’t expect anyone in a nametag to admit it)
4. Disney has managed to vindicate him