D’Amaro named next CEO

[BrianL]

Movies? Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're mediocre. 24-25 has been one of the biggest comebacks in movie history.

You have to separate the personal and from the actual. I'm personally not a fan of galaxy's edge but I can acknowledge other people are and it's been pretty successful for Disney even though I think it's still a work in progress and not my cup of tea.

I wouldn't say that everything's mediocre, but it is definitely inconsistent. They have put out some really great movies in the past couple of years! Sure, there were some clunkers too, but that's the biz. Granted we all pine for the Disney Renaissance era where they could just do no wrong, but that's actually the abberation.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Movies? Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're mediocre. 24-25 has been one of the biggest comebacks in movie history.

You have to separate the personal and from the actual. I'm personally not a fan of galaxy's edge but I can acknowledge other people are and it's been pretty successful for Disney even though I think it's still a work in progress and not my cup of tea.

Okay but you can acknowledge they're not making movies as consistently good as they used to. And mediocre was generous. A lot of what they're putting out sucks.

 

[HopperFan]

Well, don't we? I mean if WE ran things, they would bring back Magical Express, bring back Illuminations and Tapestry of Nations, bring back late night Extra Magic Hours, make FastPass free again, bring back the Pecos Bill's toppings bar, and build a fifth gate, all while charging 1997 prices for tickets and hotel rooms. I mean, what wouldn't be great about that?

That is what is sounds like to me on this thread ... and once they implemented all the things they want Disney would be out of business or at minimum not making profits shareholders demand. Disney is a business like all others, not a non-profit.

It is clear many folks have not done any reading, don't know the background of the folks they speak of and haven't followed along the last 3-5 years.

That said I would love if all the people who hate the current Disney product would just stay home and not take up space in the mediocre parks.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Okay but you can acknowledge they're not making movies as consistently good as they used to. And mediocre was generous. A lot of what they're putting out sucks.

And it could be argued that general audiences don’t want quality as much as they want familiarity. The live action remakes for the most part being a solid example of that.

In the earnings call Iger listed films they were looking forward to this year, every single one of them was a pre-existing IP. The only film that didn’t get mentioned was the upcoming Hoppers.

 

[BrianL]

And it could be argued that general audiences don’t want quality as much as they want familiarity. The live action remakes for the most part being a solid example of that.

In the earnings call Iger listed films they were looking forward to this year, every single one of them was a pre-existing IP. The only film that didn’t get mentioned was the upcoming Hoppers.

Now, THIS is true. People blame Disney for the output, but it's the audiences that want that type of stuff and are more averse than ever to taking a chance on an unknown IP.

I was watching a great video on Horizons, including a ride-through. It's awesome stuff! The comments are filled with comments like, "This is the REAL Epcot, before Disney decided to make it all about thrill-rides and IPs." But, Disney didn't decide that. What were wait times like for Horizons before they closed it? If they built it today, how popular would it be? Would they have to warn people that it's a "Slow moving journey" like they do for Spaceship Earth? It's the audiences that decided that!

Now, I'd LOVE it and I am sure a lot of people here would too - but how many is that really? Is it going to pull more bodies than Cosmic Rewind? I doubt it. I will however add rebuild Horizons to my list of things I will do when named CEO.

 

[Smugpugmug]

And it could be argued that general audiences don’t want quality as much as they want familiarity. The live action remakes for the most part being a solid example of that.

In the earnings call Iger listed films they were looking forward to this year, every single one of them was a pre-existing IP. The only film that didn’t get mentioned was the upcoming Hoppers.

I blame general audiences too for the decline, not just these studios. I see the same thing happening with gaming too.

 

[BrianL]

I blame general audiences too for the decline, not just these studios. I see the same thing happening with gaming too.

No, the dumbing down of society is real. And while sequels and such can certainly be good and enjoyable, I definitely want new ideas too. People just won't take a risk on that stuff anymore though.

 

[BayTower2010]

Well, don't we? I mean if WE ran things, they would bring back Magical Express, bring back Illuminations and Tapestry of Nations, bring back late night Extra Magic Hours, make FastPass free again, bring back the Pecos Bill's toppings bar, and build a fifth gate, all while charging 1997 prices for tickets and hotel rooms. I mean, what wouldn't be great about that?

You forgot one thing, doing all the above and bankrupting the company--just saying.

 

[Smugpugmug]

No, the dumbing down of society is real. And while sequels and such can certainly be good and enjoyable, I definitely want new ideas too. People just won't take a risk on that stuff anymore though.

Yup and Disney is directly catering to this demographic. It makes me sad but nowadays I skip their releases. They're not high enough quality to spend money to go see.

 

[reddog21]

Okay but you can acknowledge they're not making movies as consistently good as they used to. And mediocre was generous. A lot of what they're putting out sucks.

I don't agree; movies are hit or miss, and you're never going to hit on every movie no matter which studio is making.

No, the dumbing down of society is real. And while sequels and such can certainly be good and enjoyable, I definitely want new ideas too. People just won't take a risk on that stuff anymore though.

If you’re making money on sequels and audiences are enjoying them, why wouldn’t you keep making them?

 

[BrianL]

Yup and Disney is directly catering to this demographic. It makes me sad but nowadays I skip their releases. They're not high enough quality to spend money to go see.

Well, there were plenty of good ones last year. Zootopia 2 was excellent, as was Predator: Badlands - they were really good!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Not too surprising, between him or Walden and this sorta indicates experiences are a bit more important than entertainment at the moment. Think there are still investor scars from the billions D+ lost under Chapek... Like, I may hate the park's massive price increases and declines in what you're getting, but the financial performance of the parks over his time in charge is indisputable. And icing on the cake was that the Kimmel PR debacle tarnished Walden, even if there wasn't much she could do about it.

In my opinion, you should be concerned about Dana Walden's promotion. I don't believe her experience with Fox is similar to others in this position historically... a Frank Wells (WB) or a John Lasseter (Pixar). Jimmy Kimmel loves her though.

It just doesn't feel like D'Amaro hired her. I hope D'Amaro is smart enough to know how to avoid the long knives.

Do we really think she's gonna stick around long? Sure, she's got a nice new payday for staying link but she's second place, reporting to the person who beat her out of the job of a lifetime. And she can't stab him in the back because if he fails, she'll be dragged right down with him as she'd be perceived to be too close to the failure. Alas any success will widely be attributed to the CEO... Like I would be thrilled to be the biggest loser in this month's business news since I will never see that much money in my lifetime, but corporate executives live in a different world than I do lol. Wouldn't be surprised to see her move on in a couple years and not rock the boat in the meantime in any way that would make her less desirable to other companies.

 

[bdrex28]

Okay but you can acknowledge they're not making movies as consistently good as they used to. And mediocre was generous. A lot of what they're putting out sucks.

There used to be very little competition for the type of movies that Disney made and Disney had all the actors/actresses for their films and all the animators for the animated movies. This was pre-pixar (they were with Lucasfilms I believe) and dreamworks, and of course prior to Disney's partnership with Pixar Films.

I am not making that as an excuse but it should be factored in.

I mean if you think about Disney movies over the years especially the 50s/60s/70s/80s it's mind blowing that nearly every family movie made was from Disney. From Old Yeller and Davey Crockett to movies such as Bed knobs and Broomsticks, Witch Mountain,chitty Chitty bang bang, etc. etc. there are 100s of them and way too many to list.

 

[HopperFan]

Not too surprising, between him or Walden and this sorta indicates experiences are a bit more important than entertainment at the moment. Think there are still investor scars from the billions D+ lost under Chapek... Like, I may hate the park's massive price increases and declines in what you're getting, but the financial performance of the parks over his time in charge is indisputable. And icing on the cake was that the Kimmel PR debacle tarnished Walden, even if there wasn't much she could do about it.


Do we really think she's gonna stick around long? Sure, she's got a nice new payday for staying link but she's second place, reporting to the person who beat her out of the job of a lifetime. And she can't stab him in the back because if he fails, she'll be dragged right down with him as she'd be perceived to be too close to the failure. Alas any success will widely be attributed to the CEO... Like I would be thrilled to be the biggest loser in this month's business news since I will never see that much money in my lifetime, but corporate executives live in a different world than I do lol. Wouldn't be surprised to see her move on in a couple years and not rock the boat in the meantime in any way that would make her less desirable to other companies.

This is my hope. She isn't a Disney person. They inherited her. The Kimmel thing just showed how little she valued the Disney brand and network. Very poorly and unprofessionally handled, was an embarrassment. She's lucky to get any promotion after that. She is not a creative. She has her fingers on all kinds of boards and seems to keep her toes in many waters ... perhaps for the next job. Hope she does move on when the dust around her has settled and hopefully she doesn't make any blunders.

 

[BrianL]

There used to be very little competition for the type of movies that Disney made and Disney had all the actors/actresses for their films and all the animators for the animated movies. This was pre-pixar (they were with Lucasfilms I believe) and dreamworks, and of course prior to Disney's partnership with Pixar Films.

I am not making that as an excuse but it should be factored in.

I mean if you think about Disney movies over the years especially the 50s/60s/70s/80s it's mind blowing that nearly every family movie made was from Disney. From Old Yeller and Davey Crockett to movies such as Bed knobs and Broomsticks, Witch Mountain,chitty Chitty bang bang, etc. etc. there are 100s of them and way too many to list.

Just a note, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was not a Disney film. There were definitely other non-Disney family movies too, but Disney's were usually the biggest and most well-known.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

If he actually has the power to make major changes, then he will be successful.

 

[irlandaise]

Not too surprising, between him or Walden and this sorta indicates experiences are a bit more important than entertainment at the moment.

That's probably part of it, but I think we can't discount the fact that Josh is a real Disney person. Yes, he'll have tough decisions to make that will undoubtedly cause some people to say that he's spitting on Walt's grave, but I think most people will acknowledge that he loves the company and its mission. Dana doesn't have that Disney history and vibe.

 

[gottalovepluto]

If he actually has the power to make major changes, then he will be successful.

Chapek set the bar far lower. If D’Amaro manages to steer the ship without torpedoing it, he’ll be successful enough for a few years.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Just a note, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was not a Disney film. There were definitely other non-Disney family movies too, but Disney's were usually the biggest and most well-known.

This sent me down a rabbit hole! Produced by a guy whose last name was Broccoli (which shouldn’t have surprised me having seen James Bond movies but guess I never noticed that detail), based on a book by Ian Fleming (there’s the Bond connection), screenplay Roald Dahl, music Sherman brothers… between the music and Dick Van Dyke no wonder it gets assumed to be Disney! I’m kinda bummed that I hated this so much as a kid I have no desire to give it a second chance as an adult lol.

(It was a United Artists film for our film buffs out there.)

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I don't believe he will fix the mediocrity that Disney is putting out currently (including the movies in this, not just the parks). I feel like it will be more of the same. I would LOVE to be proven wrong. I am so sick of the current situation Disney is in quality wise.

I understand. Thank you for the response. I fear you may be correct.