It is fascinating to watch the IP debates on the forums. So much angst. And part of me gets it: your beloved parks are changing. Change is very hard for some people, yet change is inevitable.
I'm sure I've crossed over into the latter half of life. A few years ago, I saw a commercial that didn't make sense to me, a younger friend said, “I learned that if you see an ad that you don't get, it wasn't made for you.” And the lightbulb went off: a lot of the time, I'm not the targeted demographic.
I think of this when I read the forums: the parks are changing for the younger generations. So many can't handle this but, it's going to happen. And a lot of it has to do with IP. When I think of IP, I'm sure these will be fighting words for many, I see similarities in Walt and Bob. Let me explain:
A young Walt, an entrepreneur, wanted to be in control of his destiny. Animation in film was the future and he was interested in getting involved. He dabbled in the business for a few years until Oswald the Lucky Rabbit did well in 1927. His first somewhat successful IP. An argument could be made that was a take on Felix the Cat which had been doing well since it's debut in 1919. Universal leveraged Oswald away from Walt in 1928. Mortimer Mouse took his place, I mean Mickey (thank you Lillian)! Walt was not the most talented artist in the room, Ub Iwerks was. But Walt, an entrepreneur, thought outside the box, “let's add sound!” Steamboat Willy/Mickey Mouse took off.
“Let's make a movie!”, decided Walt. Did he use original IP? No, he adapted a story that some German guy wrote nearly a century before and we now have Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, original IP? No, no, no. All works by someone else. Winnie the Pooh and Mary Poppins? Purchased IP.
Moving on to Disneyland, Walt the entrepreneur, saw how bad amusement parks were run before Disneyland. “I'm going to make a family friendly one”, the man thought. And he did. Walt saw something and knew how to plus it!
Let's look at the lands: Fantasyland, we know they were based on the film's which were not his IP. Frontierland? What was the hot show of 1954? Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier, which is based on the man named Davy Crockett. Original IP? I don't think so. Main Street? Kind of based on the small towns of Walt’s life. Tomorrowland and Adventureland? Little boys were fascinated with space and safaris. There wasn't an internet to watch videos of your favorite subject back then. Bring that to the kids. It was smart business.
Rides: Haunted Mansion? Haunted homes walkthroughs became a thing during the Great Depression, Walt plussed the concept. He plussed it very well. Pirates of the Caribbean? Yes. Obviously, pirates had been around, but putting animatronics, pirates and a boat ride together was brilliant! Small World? Sure. But as you can see, the majority of what Walt did was based on existing ideas or works.
Walt is awesome and I'm glad his dreams came true because my life is better because of his dreams. The man, in my opinion, should be considered one of the best entrepreneurs of all time. Walt, as an entrepreneur, set the mold for Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and others.
But, what about Bob? No, the man is not an entrepreneur. But looking at the numbers, I would say that Bob is a better businessman than Walt. The Walt Disney Company was close to collapse a couple times under Walt. After Walt’s passing. the company got itself into financial trouble and was close to hostile takeover. It is unlikely now that there will be a takeover of the company. which would be all for the legacy of my favorite entrepreneur. Financially, the Walt Disney Company is in the best shape its ever been.
What about Bob and the Parks? Bob has invested in the Parks. I might not be the biggest Guardians of the Galaxy fan, doesn't mean the new roller coaster in Epcot isn't going to be well done. I didn't like the idea of Tower of Terror in California Adventure transitioning to GotG, but after riding it, I thought it was a better ride than ToT. Doesn't mean that I still don't like the concept of ToT better, but it is what it is. Three new ships coming online, very exciting! Galaxy's Edge looks incredible, I'm looking forward to that visit! Toy Story Land, better than I expected. Watching Epcot evolve, I'm fascinated by it. Brazil in World Showcase? Hopefully! What the minds of these Imagineers can up with, wow! Have you ridden Flight of Passage?
Bob is buying relevant IP and he is adding it to the parks at lightning speed. More and more IP is going to get added as the years go by. If that's what is going to draw the younger generations, that is what is going to happen. I'm sure Bob would like a redo with Harry Potter and JK Rowling, the young people in my life love Harry Potter. Simpson's in the parks one day? I'm not crazy about it, but it is what it is. There is a balance to appeasing the older and younger. And sometimes Disney adjusts, not right, not wrong, as with the case with putting merchandise in the Main Street Cinema in Disneyland. The older generations didn't like it and Disney pulled the merchandise out. But one day, unless it's given a Historical Landmark status, it will change, as it's usually empty in there and you don't see many young people in it. Why go stand in a room watching videos when they can do that anytime on their phones? But would Walt have bought and used the IP that Bob has? Who knows, but we know Walt was a buyer of IP and he used it in the parks. Bob is a buyer of IP and he uses it in the parks.
Change is happening under Bob. Dory and Nemo added to Small World. It's possible the younger generations like seeing these in Small World. Could Zootopia possibly be coming to Animal Kingdom? Could be, and I'll check it out if it does. Do you ever see more than a ten minute wait for Living with the Land? What if you added some IP to it? I bet you could get it up to a twenty minute wait easily. Paradise Pier becoming Pixar Pier? What is Bob thinking? We don't know, but if we don't like it or don't understand it, it's probably not meant for us.
just so that don't get have 
attacks when they get a look at the prices.
