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WDI to WED ?
- Thread starter MuRkErY
- Start date
MooseImagineer
Member
ummm... this wasn't on JHM...ThreeCircles said:
MickeyTigg
New Member
It better make more sense than being symbolic...with all the costs of signage changes, letterhead changes, etc. It would cost millions of dollars to make the symbolic change, so there better be more to it than that.
ThreeCircles
Member
MooseImagineer said:
Ya think?
First mentioned on JHM on May 15: http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2006/05/15/2379.aspx
Mentioned on this so-called "professional" site on May 18:
http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/
You didn't really think these people were Disney animators, did you? :lol:
My impression was that the decision to make the change has already been made, and it's going to happen.
Buford
New Member
curious to see the graphics on the imagineering blog......HauntedPirate said:
notice the very last line.... (C) WDC..... :lookaroun
(although I would find it strange to see Disney actually acknowledging that the magic was "lost." Perhaps the graphic doesn't technically say "Walt Disney Company," but something else....)
My guess is that it's a digital artist's wishful version of: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/185/2303/1600/WDI1.0.jpg
GymLeaderPhil
Well-Known Member
The graphic was edited in Photoshop. Wishful thinking is all.
I understand peoples want for nostalgia to go back to "the good old days", but the good old days aren't always what we remember them to be. Ever watch an old movie that you loved as a kid? Sometimes, those movies don't hold the wonder they did back then.
Related to the actual costs of rebranding another reason for not doing it is the intangible costs as well. What I mean is go up to the average Disney guest and ask them what WDI is as opposed to WED and more people will know WDI. "Walt Disney Imagineer" is easier to say than "Walt Elias Disney Imagineer". The brand is "Walt Disney" and you have the "Walt Disney Company", "Walt Disney World", and in some cases the use of just "Disney" such as "Disneyland", the "Disney Channel", but these are things that people recognize. "Walt Disney Imagineering" fits in with this theming. IMO, WED does not and doesn't make sense with the branding.
I also believe the current name, WDI, commands a lot of respect and awe to many people not just the super fans on this site. The change of a name when you have that kind of good will doesn't make sense and in most cases a change in name usually signifies the opposite. That the company or department changing its name is known as having problems, think ValueJet (now AirTran) and Firestone (parent company BridgeStone contemplated rebranding or stopping the tire line all together)
Related to the actual costs of rebranding another reason for not doing it is the intangible costs as well. What I mean is go up to the average Disney guest and ask them what WDI is as opposed to WED and more people will know WDI. "Walt Disney Imagineer" is easier to say than "Walt Elias Disney Imagineer". The brand is "Walt Disney" and you have the "Walt Disney Company", "Walt Disney World", and in some cases the use of just "Disney" such as "Disneyland", the "Disney Channel", but these are things that people recognize. "Walt Disney Imagineering" fits in with this theming. IMO, WED does not and doesn't make sense with the branding.
I also believe the current name, WDI, commands a lot of respect and awe to many people not just the super fans on this site. The change of a name when you have that kind of good will doesn't make sense and in most cases a change in name usually signifies the opposite. That the company or department changing its name is known as having problems, think ValueJet (now AirTran) and Firestone (parent company BridgeStone contemplated rebranding or stopping the tire line all together)
Tim G
Well-Known Member
And private Play Ground... WED was Walt's IdeaWoody13 said:
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]While Walt was alive, Imagineering was insulated from much financial scrutiny.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Roy Disney, the company's CFO and Walt's older brother, is said to have set foot in Imagineering exactly once. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Two of Walt's favorite mantras were "You can't put a price tag on creativity" and "If we lose our customers, it'll cost us twice as much to get them back."[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]It wasn't that the Imagineers operated without budgetary constraints; Walt often suggested ways to work more frugally. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]But after his death, WED was turned into WDI and became just another part of the company, one with a reputation for missing deadlines and exceeding cost estimates. [/FONT]
But a name change isn't up to "the great JL" but to Iger, Goodman and don't forget... the shareholders...
... CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
Ignore.
ssidiouss@mac.c
Well-Known Member
JL pwns @LL!!!!111
Bringing back the original dreamfinder in JII is a stroke of genius!!!!
I also like the idea of changing the WDI name to signify the new creative renaissance..
I can't wait to see what is unleashed in this new era.. no more ride clones, etc.. wooHOO!
Let the JL ERA BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Bringing back the original dreamfinder in JII is a stroke of genius!!!!
I also like the idea of changing the WDI name to signify the new creative renaissance..
I can't wait to see what is unleashed in this new era.. no more ride clones, etc.. wooHOO!
Let the JL ERA BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!
MooseImagineer
Member
...woot?
Woody13
New Member
Prior to 1941, Walt and Roy were the total owners of the company (with heavy debts to lenders). When they went public (i.e. sold stock) Walt and Roy no longer were the sole owners of the company. After 1941, Walt never had much stock in the company that bore his name (Walt Disney Productions).Corrus said:
However, he created WED to build Disneyland and Walt owned that company by himself. Roy didn't own a dime of WED!
WED contracts to build attractions were enormous, because all the profits went into uncle Walt's pockets (not the Disney stockholders). In 1959 Walt was forced to admit his greed. Walt Disney sold part of his personal Disneyland holdings to Walt Disney Productions as “recompense for his independent work in developing the concept of Disneyland.”
In other words, he cheated the shareholders.