Iger............friend or foe

[GrimGhost]

I'm not going to take either postition for or against, but I do wonder, do any of the people who claim he is a "Foe" have any idea of someone who could do the job? George Lucas? Jobs? Lasseter?

Would it have to be a pair such as "Walt/Roy", "Eisner/Wells"?

And no, I don't think Walt/Roy are on an equal basis with Eisner/Wells

 

[minnie61650]

....
The rethemeing of Paradise Pier is near complete with the excepting of the removal of Maliboomer and the rethemeing of the a few rides .....

Golden Dreams closed month and construction on TLM dark ride in underway starting with building the showcase........

This month the walls went up to start the construction of "Walt Disney Plaza".........

Kik-Kik

Thank you for so much for the update of the progess that has been made in the redo of California Adventures.

 

[jfinke]

I'm not going to take either postition for or against, but I do wonder, do any of the people who claim he is a "Foe" have any idea of someone who could do the job? George Lucas? Jobs? Lasseter?

Would it have to be a pair such as "Walt/Roy", "Eisner/Wells"?

And no, I don't think Walt/Roy are on an equal basis with Eisner/Wells

I was pulling for Jobs for a while. I am not sure that a lot of the Disney fans would like him though. It would probably have been a love hate relationship. I was hoping Lasseter was going to have more of an impact when they purchased Pixar, but I am not sure I have seen anything of significance.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

I'm not going to take either postition for or against, but I do wonder, do any of the people who claim he is a "Foe" have any idea of someone who could do the job? George Lucas? Jobs? Lasseter?

Igor is inept. Perhaps not as inept as his predecessor, but inept nonetheless. But that is NOT the reason he is a foe. His “foe”ness overwhelms him because he simply doesn’t “GET IT”. And by that I mean the Disney philosophy. The principles on which Walt created his products whether it was animation, film, or a theme park. You don’t have to be some wonderful CEO to head Disney. Just look at the last two!!! What is essential, however, is that you grasp and more importantly, believe in the creative business model that brought them to the dance in the first place. In other words, “WALT’S PHILOSOPHY”.

If you understand those basic principles, you could do it better than Igor. AV certain could. YoHo could. And most others on this board could. There are countless advisers, consultants, bean-counters and sharp pencils guys to help out on the business end of the company. And there are creative types all around us. People who do nothing but dream all day, and know how to make those dreams work! I believe we used to call those people Imagineers before Ei$ner killed their soul!

So on both fronts, business and creative, there would be plenty of wonderful advice and ideas. All it takes is someone in a decision making role to implement these ideas according to that wonderful Philosophy. In other words all need is someone who “GETS IT”!! And so far, since the early ‘80’s no one in a top role at Disney has gotten it.

Kinda sad, isn’t it?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) OMG!
2) I know I shouldn't be thinking this.
3) I really know I should not be saying this!
4) But, Maybe Eisner should replace Ogre (I mean Iger).

5) Eisner had major faults, hurt morale and stayed too long, but he cared about guests!
6) I heard him speak without reporters present, and he really did care.
7) When we all said to dump him and take Ogre, we forgot something important.
8) We forgot to be careful for what we wish.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

... but he cared about guests!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! He cared about making money! And not necessarily for the company, but HIS OWN money! He didn't care about guests at all. In fact he thought "guests" were lacking in style, taste and culture! He really did think we (guests) were the "huddled masses". Ignorant and easily conned.

I feel for you my friend. Wait until AV and/or YoHo sees this!! They're gonna have a field day with this one. But on the plus side, you have insured that this thread will go on, and on, and on, and on, and... Well... I think you get my point.

 

[Another Voice]

do any of the people who claim he is a "Foe" have any idea of someone who could do the job?

No - and that's because the company itself is wrong.

"Disney" is a specific type of entertainment and a specific way of making things. The care and skills required to make a Snow White or a 'Haunted Mansion' are destroyed inside a giant company - especially one that's mostly a cheesy commerical broadcast network, a collection of sports programming basic cable channels and that happens to own a few amusement parks on the side.

The Walt Disney Company isn't "Disney" today, it's a rebranded version of Capital Cities Investments - the company that that Bob Iger has worked his entire adult life in. What does he know about Real Disney, what does he really care about Real Disney?

Look around Hollywood. Why have none of the other major studios been able to duplicate what Disney accomplished? The reason is simple - they were part of huge indifferent corporatations for decades while Disney remained independent. Their management focus is split and people's focus shifts to immedidate returns rather than the long range profitablity of the company.

Yet look at the amount of money Disney makes from cartoon characters created in the early parts of the last century. How many other studios still make millions from movies as old as Snow White? Do you really think your great grandchildern are going to be watching High School Musical 3?

Thanks to Eisner and Iger, those corporate ways have finally caught up with Disney. The company that was famous for having Walt sell his vacation home to finance Disneyland lost hundreds of millions of dollars on airplane leases to United Airlines. People want to believe that "monorails are too expensive" when in reality it's that Disney doesn't invest in its own businesses anymore - profits from floating junk bonds end up in executive bonus checks faster than the money invested in happy freespending guests.

Disney will be unmanagable until they get back to being Disney. They need to get back to making Disney entertainment.

 

[WDWFan4Life]

When will Disney finally get an executive that understands and cares about Walt's philosophy. I hope that it happens before it is too late and Disney is just another company whose name doesn't mean anything. I was reading an article about Disney's upcoming slate of movies and in it Dick Cook said that Iger was obsessed with quality. My question is though, does he actually understand what quality is? It doesn't seem like he has a grasp on what Disney quality was and should be.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

It doesn't seem like he has a grasp on what Disney quality was and should be.

Well said!! And that's why he is a FOE!! He doesn't mean to be (maybe) but he can't help himself. He is what he is!

 

[deej696]

So let me see if I understand these posts from this so called "Element" Bob Iger cant run Disney, but no one else can either? And as a result, the company is doomed forever? Then why are we all here spending so much of our valuable time discussing it? Both of these threads have sounded so much like a political campaign....

"The 'party' in control are idiots, but we dont really have any ideas or leadership of our own to change things. But this is how it was in the "good ole days" and we want that back."

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Ahhh... Now this is the old R&N Board of days past..

Unfortunately, this time around I'm more on the side of the nay-sayers.
I hope I'm proven wrong.

MG

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

"Rob Doughty, a Disneyland spokesman, declined to comment on the plans"
"Imagineering officials declined to elaborate on the new “Disney theme.”
"The Blue Sky Disney fan site reported the Orange Stinger will be redubbed…… "
"...said a person familiar with the plan who asked not to be identified. "
" 'Disney is clearly trying to sway voters', Hernandez said. 'It’s so obvious to those who don’t have pixie dust in our eyes,' he said."


Thank you for proving my point. Right now we have nothing real from the company - just a bunch of vague hints with questionable purposes and heaps of guesses, 'rumors' and fanboy wishes from people on Internet websites.

There's that old marketing line about selling the sizzle instead of the steak. Fake rumors, bogus plans and bouncing icon happy plants on the Internet are enough to still keep selling annual passes and DVC memberships.

However rational people aren't going to praise Bob Iger's management until something good actually happens.

So your telling me that they closed Golden Dreams just because? Even though the plans for a Little Mermaid dark ride has been in the works since the early 1990's and they SAID that TLM dark ride will go in that exact place? ...ummm.......I dont really know what to say. You seem to be one of those people who think that the first trip to the moon was filmed in a studio. I'm sorry, but it's sad that you cant trust anything.

Everyone bashes Eisner, but during his time he made some of the best Disney movies! Some Better than Walt's. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Aladdin. He made mistakes, but are you telling me Walt didnt? Walt became a spy of the US because his paranoia consumed him. He ruined many people's lives because he assumed they were communists.

Nobody's perfect, Iger needs a chance. You cant discredit him because he didnt start off at his best. Look at the good he's done. He saw that the Disney movies were becoming epic failures so he made Rapunzel and The Princess and the Frog. He realized that he couldn't do the parks himself so he hired the most creative person at Disney, John Lassater.

You cant go through life thinking everything is a conspiracy. Try to see things with a positive outlook for once.

 

[WDWFan4Life]

So let me see if I understand these posts from this so called "Element" Bob Iger cant run Disney, but no one else can either? And as a result, the company is doomed forever? Then why are we all here spending so much of our valuable time discussing it? Both of these threads have sounded so much like a political campaign....

"The 'party' in control are idiots, but we dont really have any ideas or leadership of our own to change things. But this is how it was in the "good ole days" and we want that back."

I don't feel that the people in control are idiots, they seem to be very smart people and good at using numbers and statistics to make their decisions. What Disney needs though is not another one of these types of people, but someone that has a very creative mind that can break the imagineers completely away from the constraints that have been placed on them since the days of Ei$ner. These executives could be in charge of any other company and make it a success by just focusing on the bottom line. The goal of Disney was to create awe inspiring attractions that gave you a feeling as though you were in a timeless place when you stepped inside its parks.

For me when I step inside of any of the parks in WDW I still get a special feeling inside of me that I want to feel when I am at Disney. But the feeling isn't as strong as it used to be. I can tell when I walk inside the park that Disney is a company that is after my dollars and wants to force some of their products on me so much that I relent and decide to buy them. I would be much more willing to part with my dollars if they made an effort to create a completely amazing experience where I didn't feel as though they were shoving things down my throat.

As for there not being anyone that could run Disney, I don't feel as though that is true. There are many people that could run Disney that have the creative spirit. I have not spent much time looking into the most creative people that are in the industry and am sure that some other people would have a better idea than me who they feel would be qualified to run Disney.

 

[YoHo]

Why would it take 15 years to build a dark ride?
And wooo man, accusing AV of believing in conspiracy theories may be the funniest thing ever posted here.

Your excitement over anything happening in DCA is in my opinion misplaced. Whoopi Saves California wasn't exactly drawing huge crowds. (though there was a CM once who thought it was the greatest attraction at DL. she got heckled a lot during the movie. ) Closing it is not some big amazing deal. And carsland isn't all that exciting either.

I really need to start my campaign to have Disney turn DCA back into a parking lot. The only way to save the park is to destroy it and pretend like it never existed.

So your telling me that they closed Golden Dreams just because? Even though the plans for a Little Mermaid dark ride has been in the works since the early 1990's and they SAID that TLM dark ride will go in that exact place? ...ummm.......I dont really know what to say. You seem to be one of those people who think that the first trip to the moon was filmed in a studio. I'm sorry, but it's sad that you cant trust anything.

Everyone bashes Eisner, but during his time he made some of the best Disney movies! Some Better than Walt's. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Aladdin. He made mistakes, but are you telling me Walt didnt? Walt became a spy of the US because his paranoia consumed him. He ruined many people's lives because he assumed they were communists.

Nobody's perfect, Iger needs a chance. You cant discredit him because he didnt start off at his best. Look at the good he's done. He saw that the Disney movies were becoming epic failures so he made Rapunzel and The Princess and the Frog. He realized that he couldn't do the parks himself so he hired the most creative person at Disney, John Lassater.

You cant go through life thinking everything is a conspiracy. Try to see things with a positive outlook for once.

 

[Another Voice]

So your telling me that they closed Golden Dreams just because?

What was I thinking? After they closed 'The Wonders of Life' pavilion at Epcot and turned it into that...that new thing! And after they cancelled the Hunchback show at the Studios to present...that new thing! And at DCA when they shut down 'Millionaire' and put in...that new thing!

I've forgotten, Disney just never closes anything just because.

Even though the plans for a Little Mermaid dark ride has been in the works since the early 1990's

Yes, those plans for the Euro Disney version of 'Mermaid' are filed in the drawer right next to the plans for Discovery Bay from the 1970s. Did you enjoy your stay at the Buffalo Junction Resort recently. Did you have a good time riding 'Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers'. And that great new restaurant over in the Russia pavilion - that ice vodka bar is enough to make one run right over to Swiss Pavilion for a nice cup of warm coca in the shadow of the Materhorn. But then, you've got to get up really early to get 'cause the lines at the Villain's Park are sooooo long.

And who here has already traded in their DVC points for that wonderful new place in Hawai'i!!! After visiting the DVC units in New York, Colorado, Texas and Paris, I know this new one is going to be even more magically magical!

Everyone bashes Eisner, but during his time he made some of the best Disney movies!

Yes, my DVD shelf is stuffed with stunning winners like Pearl Harbor, Chicken Little and Bubble Boy. And I really liked "he made some of the best movies". It's so rare to find to find a CEO that can both run a company and write, direct, produce, film and star in his own films!

Walt became a spy of the US because his paranoia consumed him. He ruined many people's lives because he assumed they were communists.

Yes, it's a side of Disneyland they hide from the public. Like the 'Shoot A Commie for Walt' Rifle Range in Adventureland. That 'Cuban Missile Crisis Rocket to the Moon' was one of my favorites as a kid, although my dad's favorite was the 'Autopia of Running Over Striking Union Members'. Ah, he got such a kick out of that one. Then there's "special" room under the castle....

Maybe one day they'll finally release all those stories about Walt's secret missions into East Germany on horrible missions of subversion - spreading such terrible and insane ideas like American Values. Thanks to Hollywood, we don't have to worry about pesky things like those anymore.

You cant discredit him because he didn't start off at his best.

I discredit him because he's had over ten years of being President of ABC and we're still getting garbage like 'Caveman'.

Usually if one is so miserable and utterly incompetent at everything over such a long period of time - the only job you can get is Congressman.

He saw that the Disney movies were becoming epic failures so he made Rapunzel and The Princess and the Frog.

No, he spent $7 billion in Chinese junk bond money to buy Pixar.

And since Rapunzel and Frog are both in the process of being remade (because the first iterations of both movies were so bad) - how do you know we're not looking more mega Chicken Little disasters?

Try to see things with a positive outlook for once.

That's why I go to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Real Disney lives there.

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

Why would it take 15 years to build a dark ride?
And wooo man, accusing AV of believing in conspiracy theories may be the funniest thing ever posted here.

Your excitement over anything happening in DCA is in my opinion misplaced. Whoopi Saves California wasn't exactly drawing huge crowds. (though there was a CM once who thought it was the greatest attraction at DL. she got heckled a lot during the movie. ) Closing it is not some big amazing deal. And carsland isn't all that exciting either.

I really need to start my campaign to have Disney turn DCA back into a parking lot. The only way to save the park is to destroy it and pretend like it never existed.

It didnt take 15 years. It was for Paris, it was axed there because Paris at the time was a failure and they invested their money else where in the park. At that time it wasnt possible to add it to Disneyland because there was no DCA. You can assume it was shelved for years.

DCA came along and was yet another failure at the beginning, and still is. Last October Disney released heir plans for the parks. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to make sense of their plan, replace what people dont like with things that people will enjoy. TLM was brought back up and redone to fit into these plans. The old version (The Paris Original) is the concept ride that was featured on TLM DVD.

It's called a comparison. I doubt he actually thinks the moon landing was fake, but I do think he believes in Disney conspiracy. His complete and utter lack of any trust in the company is prof.

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

What was I thinking? After they closed 'The Wonders of Life' pavilion at Epcot and turned it into that...that new thing! And after they canceled the Hunchback show at the Studios to present...that new thing! And at DCA when they shut down 'Millionaire' and put in...that new thing!

I've forgotten, Disney just never closes anything just because.

Disney never said there would be a replacement for those. Disney held a press conference WITH TLM dark ride in the plans. Different situations.

Yes, those plans for the Euro Disney version of 'Mermaid' are filed in the drawer right next to the plans for Discovery Bay from the 1970s. Did you enjoy your stay at the Buffalo Junction Resort recently. Did you have a good time riding 'Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers'. And that great new restaurant over in the Russia pavilion - that ice vodka bar is enough to make one run right over to Swiss Pavilion for a nice cup of warm coca in the shadow of the Materhorn. But then, you've got to get up really early to get 'cause the lines at the Villain's Park are sooooo long.

Do you like EE? TSM? NSV? Mike and Sully to the Rescue? New Space Mt? Soarin? For every ride shelved another one is is made.

And who here has already traded in their DVC points for that wonderful new place in Hawai'i!!! After visiting the DVC units in New York, Colorado, Texas and Paris, I know this new one is going to be even more magically magical!

DVC=/=Parks
Besides, wasnt that made with Esner? We all he screwed things ALL things up after 2000. There were obvious mistakes before that, but not everything was a mistake.

Yes, my DVD shelf is stuffed with stunning winners like Pearl Harbor, Chicken Little and Bubble Boy. And I really liked "he made some of the best movies". It's so rare to find to find a CEO that can both run a company and write, direct, produce, film and star in his own films!

Again, only looking at the bad. Why arent you talking about the good movies?

Yes, it's a side of Disneyland they hide from the public. Like the 'Shoot A Commie for Walt' Rifle Range in Adventureland. That 'Cuban Missile Crisis Rocket to the Moon' was one of my favorites as a kid, although my dad's favorite was the 'Autopia of Running Over Striking Union Members'. Ah, he got such a kick out of that one. Then there's "special" room under the castle....

Read below

Maybe one day they'll finally release all those stories about Walt's secret missions into East Germany on horrible missions of subversion - spreading such terrible and insane ideas like American Values. Thanks to Hollywood, we don't have to worry about pesky things like those anymore.

I'm about to watch a movie, but I'll find the Youtube links about the time during the making of Dumbo and Bambi.

I discredit him because he's had over ten years of being President of ABC and we're still getting garbage like 'Caveman'.

ABC and the Disney Parks are 2 diffrent things. He was a failure at ABC as a programmer, but he has made decent choices so far. Nothing amazing, but nothing as bad as you make it seem.

Usually if one is so miserable and utterly incompetent at everything over such a long period of time - the only job you can get is Congressman.

Wouldnt shock me if you were a congressman.

No, he spent $7 billion in Chinese junk bond money to buy Pixar.

Pixar has given Disney their ONLY hits in the last 9 years. Tarzan was the last decent movie from Disney.

And since Rapunzel and Frog are both in the process of being remade (because the first iterations of both movies were so bad) - how do you know we're not looking more mega Chicken Little disasters?

Aladdin was completely remade midway through production. Beauty and the Beast was attempted by Disney himself but gave up. It was later revisited and is now one of the best Disney movies of all time.

That's why I go to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Real Disney lives there.

The part about DisneySea is true, but TDL is a watered down version of DLC (excluding Pooh's Honey Hunt).

 

[rutgers1]

I totally love these threads. My only wish would be that people please look at things from both sides. For example, those that despise Iger and Eisner tend to look at any issue only from the negative angle, discounting any positive element as either:
1) luck (He didn't want to produce that movie, but someone went over his head)
2) luck part 2 (He had a few hits, but look at ALL of the failures)

It is really odd to only judge someone by their failures and then turn around and attribute all of their good accomplishments to the hard work and creativity of others.

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

I totally love these threads. My only wish would be that people please look at things from both sides. For example, those that despise Iger and Eisner tend to look at any issue only from the negative angle, discounting any positive element as either:
1) luck (He didn't want to produce that movie, but someone went over his head)
2) luck part 2 (He had a few hits, but look at ALL of the failures)

It is really odd to only judge someone by their failures and then turn around and attribute all of their good accomplishments to the hard work and creativity of others.

I agree. I think Esner should have left on good terms in 1997.

I just hope Lassater takes over Iger within the next 10 years.

 

[minnie61650]

......It is really odd to only judge someone by their failures and then turn around and attribute all of their good accomplishments to the hard work and creativity of others.

It is odd.
Isn't it?