The "Walt" in Walt Disney bad for Disney today?

[mharrington]

Here's something that David Koenig had to say on the subject of Disney after Eisner and Wells took over in 1984 and started having the company look outside itself for sources of inspiration (i.e., "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", Michael Jackson); this is for Disney parks in particular:

Many Disney purists weren't happy with rides being based on non-Disney properties, charging that the Imagineers were getting lazy and unimaginative. Walt, they cried, wouldn't have rented the Muppets; he would have created his own characters. "A lot of people tell me it's sacrilege, but I tell them if they want to get technical, Walt Disney died in 1966, so movies made after that really aren't Disney movies," Tony Baxter responds. "Kids growing up in the 1970s and '80s don't have great Disney movies, so anybody who does a film for Disney now, like Robert Zemeckis, it's just his film released with the Disney name. The spirit's more important, the state of mind."

I think part of this is the Disney diehards' faults; they just hold the company to a VERY high standard, one that sometimes does not always seem to fit with them.

 

[AndyS2992]

The amount of people I ask 'Who created Mickey Mouse?' they just stare blankly at me and say nothing or 'the Disney company'. No one seems to know who Walt is anymore I noticed Disney are doing this too.

Walt Disney Studios is now just 'Disney' at the start of films. The titles above Walt's movies on the artwork no longer say 'Walt Disney's Dumbo' Just 'Disney Dumbo' now.

Soon Walt Disney World will just be Disney World if things continue

 

[216bruce]

Gotta wonder if "Saving Mr. Banks" will inform the folks who don't know who Walt was. It would be really weird if that movie comes out without 'Walt Disney Pictures presents'...Walt Disney.

 

[WED99]

The amount of people I ask 'Who created Mickey Mouse?' they just stare blankly at me and say nothing or 'the Disney company'. No one seems to know who Walt is anymore I noticed Disney are doing this too.

Walt Disney Studios is now just 'Disney' at the start of films. The titles above Walt's movies on the artwork no longer say 'Walt Disney's Dumbo' Just 'Disney Dumbo' now.

Soon Walt Disney World will just be Disney World if things continue

It's a shame but not to worry, people like us and everyone else on the forum and the millions around the world who do remember him will carry on his legacy. The ideals he set are fantastic and the fact of the matter is there would be no Disney if he hadn't been around.

I think the Muppets purchase was a good one, and he may have hesitated at first but would eventually realize why it wasn't a bad decision. Jim Henson was similar to walt imaginatively and the Muppets just fit well.

Marvel is not apart of the Disney Universe. However, the purchase was still a smart investment. It allowed the company to expand and in the end will work out better for the fans.

One day when Iger is gone, a CEO will come along who decides "Lets bring back the old man" and everything will be back to how it should be

 

[Rainbow Dash]

If the answer were 'yes' then WDW and WDL would be 'Disney World' or 'Disney Land' without the 'Walt' in front of them.. It's arguable however as there are subregions of the company (like disney cruise line) that don't use the name 'Walt' in their titles.

 

[AndyS2992]

If the answer were 'yes' then WDW and WDL would be 'Disney World' or 'Disney Land' without the 'Walt' in front of them.. It's arguable however as there are subregions of the company (like disney cruise line) that don't use the name 'Walt' in their titles.

What's WDL? Lol

Disneyland is dedicated to both Walt and Roy whereas Roy took his name off Disney World and renamed it Walt Disney World instead as a sole tribute to his deceased younger brother.

 

[Californian Elitist]

What's WDL? Lol

Disneyland is dedicated to both Walt and Roy whereas Roy took his name off Disney World and renamed it Walt Disney World instead as a sole tribute to his deceased younger brother.

Seriously. When has Disneyland ever been Walt Disney Land or just Disney Land, with a space in the middle? LOL.

 

[Californian Elitist]

If the answer were 'yes' then WDW and WDL would be 'Disney World' or 'Disney Land' without the 'Walt' in front of them.. It's arguable however as there are subregions of the company (like disney cruise line) that don't use the name 'Walt' in their titles.

Disneyland, with no space in the middle, is just Disneyland, without Walt in front.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I don't think that there is anything at all forcing any type of "Monkey on their back" quality at Disney Inc. Walt's primary objective in the Magic Kingdom was to assure a place where parents and kids can enjoy the park together, and that still rules that park. In the other three parks, Walt had no hand at all; not even in Epcot...those have all been designed Post-Walt, without Walt.
But Walt was ALWAYS at the forefront of the industry -- creating sound, visual, special effect, and color effects that nobody else was doing, live action OR animated at the time. His house(es) had every modern amenity in them, far before anyone else did. He would jump at any chance modern day to have the new technologies that are currently in the parks. To that end his spirit is alive and well across the board at WDW.
For a good view of Walt, the family man as well as the innovator, visit the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco -- its an amazing font of knowledge about Walt and his family.

 

[mharrington]

For a good view of Walt, the family man as well as the innovator, visit the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco -- its an amazing font of knowledge about Walt and his family.

I love that place, located in what I consider to be one of the greatest cities in the world.

 

[Rainbow Dash]

I love that place, located in what I consider to be one of the greatest cities in the world.

Or the 'Walt Disney Boyhood Home' in Marceline, Missouri.. The tours give quite a bit of info regarding Walt's family and childhood life. Luckily for me it's only like 15 minutes away so I can go anytime I want. xP

 

[Magenta Panther]

Or the 'Walt Disney Boyhood Home' in Marceline, Missouri.. The tours give quite a bit of info regarding Walt's family and childhood life. Luckily for me it's only like 15 minutes away so I can go anytime I want. xP

Ooh, I envy you. Have you written your "thank you Walt" on the barn wall yet?

 

[Rainbow Dash]

Ooh, I envy you. Have you written your "thank you Walt" on the barn wall yet?

No.. Last time I went to Marceline was for highschool football rivalry.
Last time I went on a tour was like 4th grade or something. =/

 

[lego606]

The amount of people I ask 'Who created Mickey Mouse?' they just stare blankly at me and say nothing or 'the Disney company'. No one seems to know who Walt is anymore I noticed Disney are doing this too.

Walt Disney Studios is now just 'Disney' at the start of films. The titles above Walt's movies on the artwork no longer say 'Walt Disney's Dumbo' Just 'Disney Dumbo' now.

Soon Walt Disney World will just be Disney World if things continue

And eventually it will be Pixar World, the way things are headed.

 

[Vader2112]

I think there are many people today like myself who was born after Uncle Walt's passing that share his story. On a recent trip to WDW my daughter asked me who the man next to Mickey Mouse was. ( The Partners Statue.) I went on to explain who Walt Disney was and about the things he created and dreamed of. I also went on to tell her that Walt Disney wanted DL and WDW to be places where people could go and have a good time with their family, friends and even complete strangers.
While I agee his name is being omitted from several things lately I do beleive his legacy and dreams will live on through people like us and current Disney Execs would be a fool to ignore the fact that this was all Created by a man with a dream, his brother's business savy and a mouse.