Walt Disney Imagineering make significant appointment for upcoming Walt Disney World projects

[Patricia Melton]

I'm pretty sure women don't like to be referred to as a "pendulum", it's not very flattering and could get you slapped

I'm a woman and I think you are being oversensitive. There's nothing misogynist or pejorative in what this person said. He meant it as the fact that Kathy would be the indicator that everything was swinging from bad to good. There was nothing mean-spirited or sexist in that at all.

 

[Patricia Melton]

They've embraced the status quo for years in TDO. Some of the most risk averse people you'll ever meet.
If they could have kept running on promotions and selling memories for another decade, they likely would.
But they now see that they can't, and to get out of the hole they've dug they now have to reverse course. Some of us have been warning of such for years now. Time to pay the piper.

And, no, this wasn't all some master plan of Iger's. He is very hands-off with the parks, preferring to let others handle all but the biggers decisions for the division.

I'd like you to keep in mind that this is not something that is unique to Disney -- the culture of running on the same thing as long as possible and not realizing they are in trouble.

Ever hear of the broadcast network NBC? It's in the dumps currently, but 20 years ago it was the most popular and highest-earning network. Everyone wanted their show on NBC and every advertiser wanted to be associated with being seen on an NBC show. But the executives there churned out mediocrity for years and it caught up with them -- and they have not been able to reverse course and regain the "Must See TV" magic of years past.

I can name many restaurants, movie studios, department stores, car makers, and other companies who have the same problem that you describe with Disney. Even companies like Apple that are successful and very popular now went through periods where they were seen as churning out mediocre offerings. If you can remember Apple before the iPods you can remember a time when every criticism you made about Disney could have been applied to them too.

 

[Brewmaster]

I'm a woman and I think you are being oversensitive. There's nothing misogynist or pejorative in what this person said. He meant it as the fact that Kathy would be the indicator that everything was swinging from bad to good. There was nothing mean-spirited or sexist in that at all.

Jape- n. A joke; jest; quip

 

[Patricia Melton]

Jape- n. A joke; jest; quip

Jokes are supposed to be funny.

 

[Admiral01]

And before Nemo, Epcot almost offered nothing for kids.

I remember hating Epcot as I walked forever in the heat behind my parents as they shopped and drank in the World Showcase. Epcot was so boring to me and I couldn't wait to leave.

That is your opinion, and one that I totally disagree with. I loved EPCOT as a small child, a child, an adolescent, a teenager, a young adult, and now an adult. My little brother did too. He loved the Living Seas from the moment it opened (he was 1 when it opened). I took him back to WDW this April for the first time since the Seas was killed by Nemo...and he hated it.

There was plenty to do for kids in EPCOT Center: Imagination and Imageworks, Horizons, World of Motion, The Land, Space Ship Earth, Communicore, Mexico, and many other things that kids could (and did) like. The "Epcot offered nothing for kids before Nemo" argument is a bull argument to justify a totally uncreative overlay to an incredibly creative pavilion. If you mean there were no Disney movie characters stuck in EPCOT rides, you are right. And many of us, even us 1980s kids, didn't miss them.

Those original rides all had the same sort of attractiveness to kids that The Seas has now...but they were creative, fit in the Future World theming, and didnt insult the intelligence of anyone over 3 years old. The original rides were high calibre. The Seas with Nemo and Friends is not, does not fit in EPCOT, is not of the WDI storytelling standards that used to exist.

 

[Brewmaster]

Jokes are supposed to be funny.

How about this old chestnut:

How much does a pirate pay for corn?

A buccaneer!

 

[ellie-badge]

That is your opinion, and one that I totally disagree with. I loved EPCOT as a small child, a child, an adolescent, a teenager, a young adult, and now an adult. My little brother did too. He loved the Living Seas from the moment it opened (he was 1 when it opened). I took him back to WDW this April for the first time since the Seas was killed by Nemo...and he hated it.

There was plenty to do for kids in EPCOT Center: Imagination and Imageworks, Horizons, World of Motion, The Land, Space Ship Earth, Communicore, Mexico, and many other things that kids could (and did) like. The "Epcot offered nothing for kids before Nemo" argument is a bull argument to justify a totally uncreative overlay to an incredibly creative pavilion. If you mean there were no Disney movie characters stuck in EPCOT rides, you are right. And many of us, even us 1980s kids, didn't miss them.

Those original rides all had the same sort of attractiveness to kids that The Seas has now...but they were creative, fit in the Future World theming, and didnt insult the intelligence of anyone over 3 years old. The original rides were high calibre. The Seas with Nemo and Friends is not, does not fit in EPCOT, is not of the WDI storytelling standards that used to exist.

While I disagree all of the dislike for The Seas with Nemo and Friends (as I personally like it), I do agree with pretty much everything else you've said. Epcot was probably the most creative and imaginative of any other Disney Park at the time it first opened, and a few years after that. While I was unfortunately too young to even remember the original (that's assuming I rode it just before it closed down), the videos I've seen of the original Journey Into Imagination were amazing. It was Imagineering at its finest, in my opinion... and I am really sad to see how badly it's gone downhill since its first closure. The upstairs portion of ImageWorks looked amazing, too.

One thing I do remember about the former Epcot was most certainly Horizons, and I loved that ride as well before its closure. I can still remember craning my head back and looking at the exterior of the building as my parents and I approached it. I too am sad to see that it's been replaced by the one attraction in all of Walt Disney World that I will never ride, even if somebody were to offer me money. I simply do not trust it.

I've always loved Spaceship Earth, too.

As for everything else, I unfortunately cannot recall or have never had the pleasure of experiencing them in their original glory... but I will agree that Epcot has always had things to do for children, and was never meant to solely cater to only adults.

 

[Patricia Melton]

How about this old chestnut:

How much does a pirate pay for corn?

A buccaneer!

Now that's a corny but funny joke.

 

[Patricia Melton]

While I disagree all of the dislike for The Seas with Nemo and Friends (as I personally like it), I do agree with pretty much everything else you've said. Epcot was probably the most creative and imaginative of any other Disney Park at the time it first opened, and a few years after that. While I was unfortunately too young to even remember the original (that's assuming I rode it just before it closed down), the videos I've seen of the original Journey Into Imagination were amazing. It was Imagineering at its finest, in my opinion... and I am really sad to see how badly it's gone downhill since its first closure. The upstairs portion of ImageWorks looked amazing, too.

One thing I do remember about the former Epcot was most certainly Horizons, and I loved that ride as well before its closure. I can still remember craning my head back and looking at the exterior of the building as my parents and I approached it. I too am sad to see that it's been replaced by the one attraction in all of Walt Disney World that I will never ride, even if somebody were to offer me money. I simply do not trust it.

I've always loved Spaceship Earth, too.

As for everything else, I unfortunately cannot recall or have never had the pleasure of experiencing them in their original glory... but I will agree that Epcot has always had things to do for children, and was never meant to solely cater to only adults.

EPCOT to me was always the "grown-up" Disney park. My kids hated going there when they were little. I loved it because I liked "visiting" all those different countries at once and trying the food and drinks. They also used to have a lot more interesting things from the different countries so there was good souvenir hunting there. I liked going there to buy gifts to take back home...many a Christmas present was bought there. This is before we had anything like World Market or Pier One back home so EPCOT was the only place I could find really unique stuff like this.

To be honest, EPCOT seems to be my family's least favorite park if you survey everyone, including my niece and nephew (pre-teens). They think the place looks very 70s and old in general. They're not old enough yet to appreciate "retro" as a look.

I like EPCOT more than DHS myself. I would honestly rather stay at the hotel than go to DHS if not for the Brown Derby restaurant there and the 50s Primetime Cafe. I get a kick out of both of those places. But there's no attraction at DHS that I really like. And the whole time I am in DHS I am just so mad about the moon bounce magic hat in the center of the park that I really never enjoy myself the way I used to in the pre-hat days.

 

[ellie-badge]

EPCOT to me was always the "grown-up" Disney park. My kids hated going there when they were little. I loved it because I liked "visiting" all those different countries at once and trying the food and drinks. They also used to have a lot more interesting things from the different countries so there was good souvenir hunting there. I liked going there to buy gifts to take back home...many a Christmas present was bought there. This is before we had anything like World Market or Pier One back home so EPCOT was the only place I could find really unique stuff like this.

To be honest, EPCOT seems to be my family's least favorite park if you survey everyone, including my niece and nephew (pre-teens). They think the place looks very 70s and old in general. They're not old enough yet to appreciate "retro" as a look.

I like EPCOT more than DHS myself. I would honestly rather stay at the hotel than go to DHS if not for the Brown Derby restaurant there and the 50s Primetime Cafe. I get a kick out of both of those places. But there's no attraction at DHS that I really like. And the whole time I am in DHS I am just so mad about the moon bounce magic hat in the center of the park that I really never enjoy myself the way I used to in the pre-hat days.

Oh, I do agree that Epcot is the most adult of the four parks, there's no question about that. I guess it just sort of depends on the child in this case, as I've always loved and appreciated Epcot for what it was (albeit more so now than I did then). I will admit that I've never been that huge of a fan of World Showcase or any of its featured countries, but as time goes on I'm liking that half of the park more and more. The Candy Lady in Japan is a must-do for me, as her candy art is absolutely amazing.

Disney's Hollywood Studios (or Disney's MGM Studios, as I fondly remember it being called) used to be my favorite of the four parks... that is, while it still had the working studio gimmick going for it. My absolute favorite area of the park was The Magic of Disney Animation and actually getting to watch all of the animators work on the next upcoming animated feature, as being a Disney Animator has always been my dream since I was a little girl.

Unfortunately neither of my parents really understood why I was so fond of the area, and I only really recall ever going there once or twice while it was still a working animation studio... one of my favorite yet unfortunately very vague memories I have is watching and listening to a man explain to us how he animated BEN from Treasure Planet. It was very intriguing, needless to say.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Kathy was TOLD to shoehorn Nemo into The Living Seas. Given that order and the existing infrastructure she had to deal, I think she did a pretty good job.

 

[jt04]

They've embraced the status quo for years in TDO. Some of the most risk averse people you'll ever meet.
If they could have kept running on promotions and selling memories for another decade, they likely would.
But they now see that they can't, and to get out of the hole they've dug they now have to reverse course. Some of us have been warning of such for years now. Time to pay the piper.

And, no, this wasn't all some master plan of Iger's. He is very hands-off with the parks, preferring to let others handle all but the biggers decisions for the division.

I think this is a bit of an urban myth. I agree he does not interfere much with the creatives but initial pitches do go through him. And I have heard accounts of him beaming like a new father when showing people the model for CarsLand. I think the design process for new attractions is one of the better perks of his job.

 

[jt04]

I'm pretty sure women don't like to be referred to as a "pendulum", it's not very flattering and could get you slapped

Wouldn't be the first time.

Of course crude references and condescending comments can get you slapped too. Just saying.

 

[alphac2005]

What is with the hate on Nemo? My 3 year old sister's face was pure happiness when she saw Nemo, Dory and the other characters. Being so young, other rides scared her. But she loved The Seas with Nemo and Friends. I even really enjoyed the ride! I approve.

Besides, I heard it was completely dull and boring before.

I'm there with you. As I child besides seeing the ocean life in the aquarium part of The Living Seas, it bored me endlessly along with waiting in the lines to go on the hydrolators that went no-where. This is one pavilion that I'll never understand all the complaints about now and it has more visitors today than it had for years prior.

 

[aladdin2007]

Kathy was TOLD to shoehorn Nemo into The Living Seas. Given that order and the existing infrastructure she had to deal, I think she did a pretty good job.

Agree.

 

[montyz81]

How does Kathy's new role impact the WDI/TDO/Burbank relationship?

My basic understanding is that TDO acts as a customer who purchases services from WDI. Obviously WDI has always had a team on the ground in Orlando to provide those services.

How will Kathy's presence in Orlando change things? Why is this different/better than her working out of Glendale? (My guess is that this signals a significant organizational change, but I dont want to assume too much)

Perhaps, just perhaps, she will have or already has great input/impact into TT2.0. Since she perfected that ride system at DCA with RSR, that could be her first most significant influence.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I loved Epcot as a child. Visited so many times during the early-mid 90's and I truly can't call it a boring park even at the time. There was a lot for adults, but plenty for kids as well. Imagination (the original) was probably one of the best fantasy dark ride i've ever been on too, and it did so without having to rely on a pre-existing movie. Heck if the ride had still been around to this day then it would have been still satisfying to younger kids AND would probably have aged the best out of all the rides that were ever built at Epcot.

I find Epcot (at least past version) to be anything but boring. It's one shining example of how to do entertaining mental stimulation RIGHT.

 

[DocMcHulk]

Keep trying. They relish the status quo.

It's change that they don't welcome and would gladly avoid if possible.

I find if you ignore JT, your WDWMagic experience will be much more enjoyable.

 

[BryceM]

I loved Epcot as a child. Visited so many times during the early-mid 90's and I truly can't call it a boring park even at the time. There was a lot for adults, but plenty for kids as well. Imagination (the original) was probably one of the best fantasy dark ride i've ever been on too, and it did so without having to rely on a pre-existing movie. Heck if the ride had still been around to this day then it would have been still satisfying to younger kids AND would probably have aged the best out of all the rides that were ever built at Epcot.

I find Epcot (at least past version) to be anything but boring. It's one shining example of how to do entertaining mental stimulation RIGHT.

I certainly love Epcot now. I was just generalizing (which was wrong to do) that some kids may get bored. I'm sorry.

Plus, back then I never knew about Journey into Imagination. Probably because my mom said she has the song stuck in her head for eternity, hahaha! And I'm only 16 so I never really went (where I can actually remember) until the late 90's or early 2000's.

 

[WDWYankee15]

Now that's a corny but funny joke.

All comes back to CORN!