Disney phasing out human beings?!

[MJ6987]

Hi,
Has anyone else noticed that Walt Disney World seems to be phasing out attractions (etc) that involve live entertainment in favour of "animatronics". I'm thinking recent announcements like Pocahontas show, reduction of Fantasmic shows, Four for a dollar stopping, Adventurers Club, big reduction in number of "streetmosphere" entertainers, some restaraunts stopping character dining (e.g. Garden Grill, Liberty Tree), etc

I'm sure that animatronics are cheaper than employing human beings in the long-term (and don't go on strike) but do they make for as interesting entertainment - particularly for repeat guests?

What do you think about this trend? Do you think this will continue? Where will this end?

Matthew

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't see where they are replacing any of those items with animatronics - indeed it's my impression that they're replacing them with pretty much nothing.

 

[Scurvy]

I've also noticed they seem to be phasing out much of the live entertainment and interaction. Are they really adding anything to replace it, though? I haven't heard of any new things involving animatronics. The only new things I've heard about lately are shopping and dining (outsourced, for the most part!). They may be trying to cut costs by eliminating the live entertainment, but I think the end result so far is that they are offering fewer entertainment options in general rather than shifting their focus to a different kind of entertainment.

(TDC Nala posted while I was typing. . . I agree with her!)

 

[MJ6987]

I don't see where they are replacing any of those items with animatronics - indeed it's my impression that they're replacing them with pretty much nothing.

Yes, rather than direct replacements I mean generally any new attractions tending to be animatronic / computer generated type stuff that doesn't involve too many living things!

 

[dhluvsDisney]

If they keep this closings trend up, maybe they will "phase" out the tourists..guests...repeat customers.

 

[DancingBear]

You can add the removal of CMs from the boats in the Living with the Land ride.

They also seem to have phased out doing original songs for attractions, such as "Listen to the Land" and "Tomorrow's Child".

 

[ThurlFan]

You can add the removal of CMs from the boats in the Living with the Land ride.

How long til the Jungle Cruise skippers get replaced by a recording? They've been held to a standard script with very minimal room for ad libbing for years anyway...

From the LA Times:

Archive for Sunday, October 12, 1997
Disney Tells Jungle Cruise Jokers to Take a Ride
By Shelby Grad
October 12, 1997 in print edition B-4

Disneyland’s famed Jungle Cruise has hit rough seas, and several of the ride’s “skippers” have lost their jobs for veering from the company’s official script and telling their own jokes to park guests.

At least eight workers on the maritime attraction have been fired over the last few months after a “crackdown” by Disneyland on the unauthorized jokes, said Chad Gordon, who lost his job in August after refusing to stick with the script.

“I feel hurt because what we were doing made people laugh and brought smiles to their faces,” said Gordon, 26, of Long Beach. “I think the rules are unreasonable, especially if you consider I’ve been telling these jokes since 1988.”

A Disneyland spokeswoman declined to respond to the charges Saturday but did release a brief statement.

“Disneyland does not make statements on personnel issues,” the park said. “However, our philosophy is that Disneyland is very much a theatrical house or stage, which means we view our park as having both onstage and backstage presence.

“We entertain our guests with quality family entertainment and put on performances every day,” the statement continued. “Our goal is to deliver a consistent quality show daily.”

*

The Jungle Cruise transports park visitors on a seven-minute journey through a winding river complete with wild animals, noisy pistols and wisecracking “skippers” who fire off jokes and casual banter.

Disney’s script calls for the skippers to read their lines at seven spots during the ride. But over the years, Gordon said, he and other employees created their own lines that were more contemporary–and, they insist, more humorous.

“Disney’s jokes were kind of passe,” Gordon said. “People would hear them and say, ‘OK, that’s not really funny.’ ”

During one part of the trip, for example, the Jungle Cruise comes across a fake elephant that sprays the ferry with water. Disney’s script calls for the skipper to say: “Look out there on the right! It looks like one of the elephants wants to give us a shower.”

Gordon’s alternative: “Hey, it’s Rush Limbaugh,” referring to the popular conservative radio host. “Hey, Rush, don’t squirt us, I have Republicans on board.”

In another part of the ride, Gordon tells passengers: “We’re out of here faster than two L.A. football teams.”

Gordon said Disneyland managers objected to his routine in part because it included modern references, while the ride is supposed to have a 1938 theme.

“People loved our jokes,” he added. “I’ve never heard any complaints from the guests.”

 

[MJ6987]

I think this article gives further insight into how things will go in the future:

http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2008/features/Disney_Lab.shtml

Quote: "The lab will engage in research and development on computer animation, computational cinematography, autonomous interactive characters, robotics, data mining and user interfaces, among other initiatives...one of the lab's first projects will be developing methods for people to interact with autonomous characters, either virtual or robotic. We'll be looking for ways to sense what a person is doing or thinking so that the character can respond appropriately," she said. "Whether the character is a robot or a virtual creation, the interaction issues are the same. We need to figure out what sensors to build and how to interpret and respond to human behavior."

How long before all the characters at the parks are robots?!?

 

[minnie61650]

I think this article gives further insight into how things will go in the future:

http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2008/features/Disney_Lab.shtml

Quote: "The lab will engage in research and development on computer animation, computational cinematography, autonomous interactive characters, robotics, data mining and user interfaces, among other initiatives...one of the lab's first projects will be developing methods for people to interact with autonomous characters, either virtual or robotic. We'll be looking for ways to sense what a person is doing or thinking so that the character can respond appropriately," she said. "Whether the character is a robot or a virtual creation, the interaction issues are the same. We need to figure out what sensors to build and how to interpret and respond to human behavior."

How long before all the characters at the parks are robots?!?

Robots are everywhere!
The car maufacturers have had them for many years!
Welcome to the world of Wall-E!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Don't know about humans in general, but they do seem to be phasing out their own CM's in favor of outsourced employees.

 

[MJ6987]

Don't know about humans in general, but they do seem to be phasing out their own CM's in favor of outsourced employees.

Outsourcing is the way of the world in business now. Listen to any "expert" and they'll say to outsource anything that is non-core to your business, but never never outsource things that are core to business (i.e. the things that YOU are good at).

So, the outsourcing gives an insight into what Disney now regards as its core business and not. i.e. luxury hotels (non-core - to be run by Four Seasons), restaraunts (becoming non-core - increasingly being outsourced), shopping - ditto. If this trend continues I wouldn't be entireley surprised to eventually see all WDW resorts, restaraunts and shops being 3rd party run, and Disney sticking to what they do well - i.e. the Theme Parks and characters.

 

[j&t'sdad]

I love Disney, but they're so full of it. The nonsense how they stick to a script it bull. If they stuck to the "script" as they like to call it whern it's convenient for them, ha;f of the CM's wouldn't be working there because of their crappy attitude.

Read Realityland and see what it was like in the beginning. It's NOTHING like that anymore.

 

[bubba_mouse]

We just returned from WDW and I would have to disagree with the phasing out of people. We saw more characters, and more street performers on this trip then we did a year ago and this year we even spent less time at the 4 parks.

 

[Twilightlover]

We just returned from WDW and I would have to disagree with the phasing out of people. We saw more characters, and more street performers on this trip then we did a year ago and this year we even spent less time at the 4 parks.

i would have to agree. We saw tons of street performers when we went to Hollywood studios and the magic kingdom.

 

[doconeill]

i would have to agree. We saw tons of street performers when we went to Hollywood studios and the magic kingdom.

A LOT of the announced changes seem to revolve around September 27th...perhaps thats when some of the performer phase-outs happen as well.

Is 9/27 a fiscally important date to Disney?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Is 9/27 a fiscally important date to Disney?

The fiscal year of The Walt Disney Company runs from October 1 to September 30. (Most U.S. corporations use a fiscal year that matches the calendar year, but not Disney.)

September 27, 2008, is a Saturday, so it's the last day of the last full week of Disney's 2008 fiscal year.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

We just returned from WDW and I would have to disagree with the phasing out of people. We saw more characters, and more street performers on this trip then we did a year ago and this year we even spent less time at the 4 parks.

The number of characters and street performers was temporarily increased the last few weeks due to the closure of the Liberty Square Bridge, to make up for SpectroMagic not being performed and the DDCT parade only running along Main Street. Now that the bridge is open and the parades are back to normal, the number of characters and performers has been reduced.

 

[disney1990]

Hi,
Has anyone else noticed that Walt Disney World seems to be phasing out attractions (etc) that involve live entertainment in favour of "animatronics". I'm thinking recent announcements like Pocahontas show, reduction of Fantasmic shows, Four for a dollar stopping, Adventurers Club, big reduction in number of "streetmosphere" entertainers, some restaraunts stopping character dining (e.g. Garden Grill, Liberty Tree), etc

I'm sure that animatronics are cheaper than employing human beings in the long-term (and don't go on strike) but do they make for as interesting entertainment - particularly for repeat guests?

What do you think about this trend? Do you think this will continue? Where will this end?

Matthew

I thought this same thing when they took the cast member of the Land ride. Now people talk loudly and even talk on their cell phones. It's really annoying.

Before you know it, we will be running Jungle Cruise with a canned script.

 

[KYMickey]

Outsourcing is the way of the world in business now. Listen to any "expert" and they'll say to outsource anything that is non-core to your business, but never never outsource things that are core to business (i.e. the things that YOU are good at).

So, the outsourcing gives an insight into what Disney now regards as its core business and not. i.e. luxury hotels (non-core - to be run by Four Seasons), restaraunts (becoming non-core - increasingly being outsourced), shopping - ditto. If this trend continues I wouldn't be entireley surprised to eventually see all WDW resorts, restaraunts and shops being 3rd party run, and Disney sticking to what they do well - i.e. the Theme Parks and characters.

They probably would outsource the Parks if they can find somebody to run them! The only thing that Disney appears to be good it these days is outsourcing, maybe that's their core business. It certainly isn't entertainment like it used to be nor customer service.

 

[manning]

A LOT of the announced changes seem to revolve around September 27th...perhaps thats when some of the performer phase-outs happen as well.

Is 9/27 a fiscally important date to Disney?

Disney's fiscal year starts on Oct 1.