Think about it.

[General Grizz]

A Message from Roy E. Disney...
Can you "contract" to greatness?

The great genius Albert Einstein spent much of his late career searching for what he called the "Theory of Everything..." and now it seems Michael Eisner - a genius of another sort entirely - is hot on the trail of a discovery of his own... the "Theory of Nothing."

You might also call it "The Amazing Disappearing Disney Company."

Animation is closed, or nearly so... and the one remaining building dedicated to the art is half-empty.

So far this year, the film business has not been exactly a gold mine.

At the parks, the construction of new rides and/or attractions has stopped, and many older rides are closed and slowly rusting. Everything is thirsting for a coat of paint.

Imagineering - once the eighth wonder of the world - is almost a ghost town.

The plans for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary Celebration are shrinking steadily.

ABC seems to have sighed and resigned itself to being permanently in fourth place. They now boast that they can make a few bucks out of that.

Even mighty ESPN is paying the price for its arrogance, taking extremely reduced rates for its services into the future.

Pixar has announced it doesn't want Disney as a partner anymore, and will doubtless soon be followed by Miramax... all the result of arrogance at the top.

But the Board of Directors just gave itself a raise... a raise!!!

Think about it.

Roy E. Disney

 

[Shaman]

Wow...that was very depressing...change has to be on the horizon, though...atleast I hope...

I wish I had a job where I did bad work and still got a raise! Seems rediculous...

 

[JBSLJames]

A Message from Roy E. Disney...
Can you "contract" to greatness?

At the parks, the construction of new rides and/or attractions has stopped, and many older rides are closed and slowly rusting. Everything is thirsting for a coat of paint.
Think about it.

Roy E. Disney

How true is that? I thought they were working on something at Disney/MGM, Epcot, and the AK? Or does he mean that work has stopped for the night and will pick up again in the morning?

 

[FigmentJedi]

Morons, the boards a bunch of morons! They don't care that the company has been going down the crapper! There like "Oh, we just destroyed the business the company was started on, let's give ourselves a pat on the back!" or "We just made the Imagineers budget go down to the point where the new park in Hong Kong is just a half assed copy of the greatest achivement in the life of the founder of the company. I forgot his name.... does anyone want a cookie?"

 

[careship]

I think it's just sad that it has gone this far and seems to have caused such a rift between the Disney name and other people/companies all over. I don't think Walt cared much about the money and the bottom line. He cared about families, entertainment and being the best and most innovative. Walt's vision was genius. Noone can ever measure up to that, that's the problem. Walt was the most ingenious man with an imagination bigger then life. How does a man measure up to that? How does a company measure up to that? They can't, completely. However, Disney needs new blood to give it new life and bring it back. It's not that I think Eisner is a bad man, he tried his best, it just wasn't good enough and he should walk away while he can. I know he won't because he is all about the money. I think in the beginning he did a good job, not a wonderful job, but a good job. Now he's done nothing but screw up. I think he just never shared the same love of Disney, it's just been a corporation for him, that's the problem. In any job, in any family, if there isn't love for it, then it means nothing and you treat it as such. I am sure M.E. is a great CEO for a normal money making company that is only worried about the bottom line and doesn't have people who idolize the company. Disney is a different world and some people just don't understand the entent of that and he no longer "gets it."

 

[speck76]

At the parks, the construction of new rides and/or attractions has stopped, and many older rides are closed and slowly rusting. Everything is thirsting for a coat of paint.

I have not been witness to stopped construction on any new rides at WDW. Every weekend, EE looks different, Motors...looks different, Soarin is inside, but the building in completed on the park side.

Also, I have noticed more painting and refurbishment going on this year at WDW than at any other time in recent history....

Also, which older rides are closed, except WoL (and IaSW, which is being renovated)....I would not say MANY rides are closed.

I will repeat, I am not an Eisner fan, but the more CRAP like this that Roy produces, the more I dislike him.

 

[cloudboy]

I agree Speck. YEs, Eisner really didn't do a great job, and I for one think he really, REALLY needs to get out of there - not only from a Disney standpoint but even from a purely financial standpoint - he is killing the Disney name (perhaps that's his goal?).

However, all this stuff Roy is pumping out is, if anything, only helping Eisner stay in longer. I mean, they are still doing construction in the parks. And Disney has faced bad years in the movies many times before. At least ABC is admiting they have a problem and looking at how they can make things work in their situation.

I don't mind saying Eisner is to blame for many things, but just throwing things out there that are pretty unsubstantiated only hurts the case, not helps.

 

[speck76]

You may have mis-understood me.

The more Roy produces these claims, the more I dislike Roy.

 

[CubbieMan]

You may have mis-understood me.

The more Roy produces these claims, the more I dislike Roy.

I agree 100 %...when Roy 1st spoke out against Eisner..I thought well good for him...but the more I see...I think he has some personal grudge...saying anything rather it is fact or fiction for one purpose to discredit Eisner

 

[Disneyland1970]

I have not been witness to stopped construction on any new rides at WDW. Every weekend, EE looks different, Motors...looks different, Soarin is inside, but the building in completed on the park side.

Also, I have noticed more painting and refurbishment going on this year at WDW than at any other time in recent history....

Also, which older rides are closed, except WoL (and IaSW, which is being renovated)....I would not say MANY rides are closed.

I will repeat, I am not an Eisner fan, but the more CRAP like this that Roy produces, the more I dislike him.

The only reason there is Painting going on is because of the complaints by Roy and others who have started to COMPLAIN (like me) everytime they go to the parks! I can remember when painting was done on a nightly basis, not on a only when needed? The parks were just let go for so long they had to do something...Not because they wanted to, had to!

 

[speck76]

The only reason there is Painting going on is because of the complaints by Roy and others who have started to COMPLAIN (like me) everytime they go to the parks!

I highly doubt this is the ONLY reason painting is taking place....you may be overestimating your ability to change corporate practices.

Even during cost-cutting times, general, preventive style maintenance will need to take place to keep the asset in good condition, and to keep it from rotting away. Painting every night, while it may be nice, is pretty much overkill, and not really needed to physically maintain the park.

 

[Disneyland1970]

If people did not complain, Disney management would not fix a thing! I am not saying I am the reason they are painting, but the recent amount of bad press and articles about the condition of the parks, has lead to these repairs.

I know this is a re-hash, but look at BTMRR in DL. The only reason a young man died last year was because of saving money with poor maintenance! Cut and dry, they put money over life. Did they know someone was foing to die?Of course not, but they gambled and lost! Yes ,things are getting better, but with the minor incident last weekend, I guess it still means more work. I am guessing the reason Disney is having problems getting this ride safe is because the Imagineers who developed or designed the ride are no longer with Disney. Maybe due to attrition, but maybe due to layoff... YES this is a total W.A.G on my part, but why all the trouble fixing it? Disney BUILT it in 1979.

They used to paint every night because Walt wanted everyone to have the same experience, Walt wanted the parks to be new to the first or 100,000 person thru the gates. Walt wanted all areas of wear and tear painted or cleaned in the evening. You never saw a painter or a landscaper once the park opened. The park was a SET like in a movie and nothing was done to disrupt that! How come they let cast members go home in uniform now? You never saw ths before, or a CM from FL in TL. This broke the illusion and took away from the experience. Disney does not care anymore about first impressions. The people who can remember the GOOD OLE days, when the parks still had Walts touch and magic are getting older, and probably don't spend as much time in the parks, as say you or I do. Most younger people only know the parks in thier sad state of affairs, not in thier glory. They have a hard time grasping all the complaining.

I don't mean this in a bad way, but someone in thier 20's only knows the Disney that was under Eisner and Wells and then just Eisner. I am not much older than you, but I can remember a Disney before all the turmoil, when there was still an echo of Walt in the parks. I miss it and want in back!

 

[speck76]

If people did not complain, Disney management would not fix a thing! I am not saying I am the reason they are painting, but the recent amount of bad press and articles about the condition of the parks, has lead to these repairs.

I know this is a re-hash, but look at BTMRR in DL. The only reason a young man died last year was because of saving money with poor maintenance! Cut and dry, they put money over life. Did they know someone was foing to die?Of course not, but they gambled and lost! Yes ,things are getting better, but with the minor incident last weekend, I guess it still means more work. I am guessing the reason Disney is having problems getting this ride safe is because the Imagineers who developed or designed the ride are no longer with Disney. Maybe due to attrition, but maybe due to layoff... YES this is a total W.A.G on my part, but why all the trouble fixing it? Disney BUILT it in 1979.

They used to paint every night because Walt wanted everyone to have the same experience, Walt wanted the parks to be new to the first or 100,000 person thru the gates. Walt wanted all areas of wear and tear painted or cleaned in the evening. You never saw a painter or a landscaper once the park opened. The park was a SET like in a movie and nothing was done to disrupt that! How come they let cast members go home in uniform now? You never saw ths before, or a CM from FL in TL. This broke the illusion and took away from the experience. Disney does not care anymore about first impressions. The people who can remember the GOOD OLE days, when the parks still had Walts touch and magic are getting older, and probably don't spend as much time in the parks, as say you or I do. Most younger people only know the parks in thier sad state of affairs, not in thier glory. They have a hard time grasping all the complaining.

I don't mean this in a bad way, but someone in thier 20's only knows the Disney that was under Eisner and Wells and then just Eisner. I am not much older than you, but I can remember a Disney before all the turmoil, when there was still an echo of Walt in the parks. I miss it and want in back!

The business conditions in this country are not the same as they were 5 years ago, let alone 25 years ago. Since you are older, you may remember that the WDC was almost taken over and torn apart in the early/mid-1980's.

Now, as unpopular as cost-reductions and cut-backs are, they are the new norm, and a necessary evil.

Would you rather have a company that is managing the bottom line, or one that will eventually be taken over (and possibly torn apart).....you choice is one or the other, because in this economy, there is currently no other option.

 

[Disneyland1970]

I think we are on the same side of the fence, just looking in different directions :lol:

Disney was the name all others were judged against.Six Flaggs, Universal, and many more local parks. They were great, but not Disney! Now they are all catching up, using the Disney formula. 9/11 hit the economy very hard, but if there are X number of tourist comming to your area, you dont spit on them and turn them away! You try harder, give more value for the money, not less! Make it to where the guest feels dumb if they don't go to Disney, because of all they missed out on, not what was closed or left vacant for 10 years. Eisner was cutting back before 9/11, and has used that as his excuse for everything since! Disney had all the "Magic" when they had no real competition. Now they need it and don't use it , and I am afraid have forgot where the wand is. Disney had 25 good years before the Mid Eighties, using the old recipe, why would it not work now?

What we are doing now is paying the bill for the waste and prostitution of the Disney name the last decade! People are willing to give up quality and value for what?? Sometimes I feel like Disney is holding us hostage!

" Hi welcome to WDW. it's been 15 years since your last visit! Yes it is $53.00 to get in, but some of the rides are working today! No 20k is closed, for some time now. No the Skyway was taken down years ago. No, we never had canoes, thats Disneyland, Same with the Keel boats. Diamond Horseshoe is now Goofy! The Walt Disney Story...Hmmm I don't recall that one. Well Splash Moutain will be opening late today, We have had 3 guys painting it for about 6 months now, they are almost done! Meals should run around $10 per person per meal now. Yes, a coke is $2.50! All the other parks charge that, so it must be OK. Yes, we do have McDonalds in the park, No I'm not sure how that goes with the theme. Yes we are open late, we are staying open all the way to 8 P.M. for your enjoyment! But you will have to squeeze out like cattle the minute Wishes ends! No, its not a fire hazzard to have 40,000 people squeeze down Main Street at once. We call it the EXIT Parade, it is no extra charge. Make sure you stop in the Gift Shops on your way out, they are open until the last guest leaves or Midnight, whichever comes first! The wait for the next availaible boat or bus should only be an hour at that time! Yes ,you can get to EPCOT from here! You can take a Monorail from the TTC or a bus. Well much has changed there since you last visited,I wouldn't know where to start! Have a magical day!"

C'mon Walt is a damn PIN WHEEL in his grave right now!

If Disney is bought and split up, it will because of greed and poor business practices, not the corporate envrionment! That is why Roy stepped in the first time, the parks were lost and hurting! I know people see him as a fool in some respects, and maybe Walt thought he was an Idiot. I still give Roy the credit for standing up! Hey WDW might of already been renamed Comcast World or Toyota World if he didn't. Roy has my vote!

Speaking of vote! Why is Mike still there??? I know Thread Drift :hammer: