Its been about 5 years...Has Iger done anything yet?

[rutgers1]

I am waiting to be wowed by something that the Bob Iger regime has brought to the parks.

I just got back from a long vacation at Disney world and, while I enjoyed the trip and didn't see any of the downturns in service that some have mentioned, I didn't see much to suggest that Disney is dedicated to "moving forward."

We ended our trip with our first visit to Universal. Although I could never compare a vacation to Universal to a vacation to Disney, since Universal is so small and not really suited for a week-long vacation, I have to admit that I was more impressed with Universal than I expected to be. In particular, I was impressed with the Spider Man ride, which I figured must have been made over the past 2 years. I was pretty shocked to find out that was made 10 years ago. In my opinion, it set the bar pretty high and Disney did not step up to meet that challenge.

Thoughts?

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Universal has a way to go on total theming, but they have come a long way with Islands of Adventure. I think how far Universal has come will be seen in the new Harry Potter section that opens next year.

I don't think either park is in really killing the other in terms of attendance and stealing from one another, but the general rule is keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Disney should be conscious of Universal and like was of Universal with Disney, they each could learn a few things from the other.

 

[WDSearcher]

Remember that the Disney theme parks are more than just "Disney World." If you were walking through Disneyland or DCA right now, you'd see plenty of proof that forward movement is taking place.

Also remember that there may be a lot of things "moving forward" that are taking place backstage. Not all change is going to happen only in guest areas.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Remember that the Disney theme parks are more than just "Disney World." If you were walking through Disneyland or DCA right now, you'd see plenty of proof that forward movement is taking place.

Also remember that there may be a lot of things "moving forward" that are taking place backstage. Not all change is going to happen only in guest areas.

But there in lies the perception issue, if customers cannot see it, then they won't offer credit for it. What customers have seen in Disney World (the larger of the two US based destinations) is actually more standardization, some quality issues, etc. Sure Disney might be reinvesting those funds on something, but most consumers are not seeing that, and in turn are going to see a loss or lack of progress.

 

[Keyser]

This is going to go in a different direction than the original post, but it was something I was considering posting, and this seems like a good thread to put it in.

I recently talked to someone who is a long-time and well-placed Pixar person, asking about how the integration with Disney has gone. In the course of the conversation, he talked a bit about Iger (he had a positive view of him).

According to this person, Eisner had two major problems, and he felt Iger was a major improvement in both of these areas. The first was that Eisner saw the WDW company as a media/entertainment company, rather than as a company focused on content production. This led to numerous ill-advised ventures into things like websites, purchase of television channels, sports teams, etc., while ignoring the core of Disney. The second area (that I might have difficulty paraphrasing right) is that he said Eisner wanted to have input into everything himself, and did not like having those around him who disagreed or might be "threats" to him. This resulted in him driving away many of those who had the most talent. In contrast, he saw Iger as much better in both areas: he said Iger understood that content is extremely important (he pointed to several efforts to revive WDFA, here), and that Iger was not afraid to bring in good people and give them authority to make decisions. Of course, both of those things could be read as just justifying the Pixar acquisition!

I know that doesn't address all the issues Disney has had, or fix them all at once, etc. But, it makes me think that Disney is at least not going to continue down the steady path of decline that it was headed in during Eisner's last years, and has the potential to improve now. Iger is not likely to be the one to direct major improvements himself, but if he can get/keep the right people (and it seems he may have a better sense as to what "right" is), the direction should at least change.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I know that doesn't address all the issues Disney has had, or fix them all at once, etc. But, it makes me think that Disney is at least not going to continue down the steady path of decline that it was headed in during Eisner's last years, and has the potential to improve now. Iger is not likely to be the one to direct major improvements himself, but if he can get/keep the right people (and it seems he may have a better sense as to what "right" is), the direction should at least change.

I'd be cautious with this...I agree it's not going down the same steady path of decline that did with Eisner, but it could switch paths and is now traveling on a different version, Iger's version, of a declining path.

 

[jheigl]

I'd be cautious with this...I agree it's not going down the same steady path of decline that did with Eisner, but it could switch paths and is now traveling on a different version, Iger's version, of a declining path.

This is such a touchy and controversial subject that I don't want to get involved. However, something is making me write this. I agree with this statement 100%. I am not saying it is going down, nor up, but right now it is not the same Disney World as it was 10-15 years ago. But in the broader context, the US and life in general isn't the same as it was 10-15 years ago. Where is WDW going? Who knows??? Hopefully back to where it was and where Walt would want it to be. How far does it have to go? Again, who knows...but I'll be patiently waiting to see that again!

 

[MJMcBride]

free dining?

 

[tjkraz]

Spider-Man is an excellent attraction. However, I don't think it's really fair to think that the two competing giants would (or should) spend their time copying one another. You could point to many immensely popular Disney attractions which feature technology that US has not implemented in its parks...things like Soarin, Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones at DL or even the interactive attractions like Turtle Talk and Monsters Inc.

In many ways I think Toy Story Mania IS Disney's answer to Spider-Man. It features the moving ride vehicles, 3D technology and a video-driven presentation. But where Spider-Man is designed to thrill, TSM was created more to entertain. And I think that makes TSM a better fit for Disney's audience.

WDSearcher is right that the other Disney parks are getting a lot of TLC...just not WDW at this time. That's going to change in about 2 weeks.

 

[MJMcBride]

Turtle Talk is one of the more innovenative attractions in a long time IMO

 

[ChrisFL]

Universal does have interactive animatronics though, like Donkey outside of Shrek 3D. No, it isn't CGI, but it is like a live, talking donkey who interacts and takes pictures with guests.

Also, I remember a loooong time ago, an interactive, big animatronic in Fievel's Playland, but not sure if it is still there.

 

[Faldred]

That's going to change in about 2 weeks.

Maybe I'm clueless, but what's this line in reference to?

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Maybe I'm clueless, but what's this line in reference to?

I think this might be in reference to rumors of some work on MK.

 

[Snowgod]

I think he is referring to the D23 event in Sept. that is to be the scene of rumored announcements for Disney Parks.

 

[mshoo1]

The large-scale DCA additions are consuming most of the company's capital improvements budget. Unfortunately, there is only so much money to go around. However, I'm guessing that at least one new WDW project will be announced at D23. Disney needs to do something to counter the Universal Studios Harry Potter buzz. The new Potter attractions are going to be a huge draw for Universal Studios, particularly for British tourists.

 

[skier_pete]

Here's what Iger did - in my view - that more than anything will help the parks in the long run. Eisner was on the verge of blowing it with Pixar and was playing hardball with them and they were considering going elsewhere. Iger came in and smoothed that over...brought Pixar into the fold...and put John Lassetar, one of the guys that truly "gets it" in charge of not only all of Disney animation but also overseeing the parks (at a very high level, but still doing it none-the-less). Part of the reason that very little has been going on at WDW is all the money they are putting in to "fix" DCA.

I agree (though maybe it is wishful thinking) that we are on the verge on hearing some serious installs at the parks, and think that it will come out of D23 convention. I suspect Disney wants to blow the doors off that with some impressive announcements, ensuring that there will be extensive demand for years to come.

Disney has been focusing its research on the Living Character Initiative, and many rides/shows in recent years. (Turtle Talk, Laugh Factory, Mr. Potato head) have been focusing on this. None of these are particularly flashy, but some truly innovative stuff.

(I am amazed the no-one has really topped "Spider-Man" for ride innovations in 10 years...we rode that ride in 2000...and it was truly state of the art, and in many ways it still is.

SkierPete

 

[kmh5150]

This is my 1st ever reply but it has hit on something very important to me. Iger has given Pixar to Disney, he could screw up every thing else and still have done so much. But more importantly everyone must understand how businesses are run. Theme parks are only a small portion of what the Disney truly is, and if the company is to succeed, then the company needs to make money. This means that even if the theme parks make money, they may not be able to spend it on adding a 5th park or Beastly Kingdom. If you want Walt Disney World to expand, buy stock in the company or go there at least once a year and spend money. No one else is, yet you expect Iger to spend money that doesn't exist so that you can be happy. Walt Disney World is the greatest place in the world, stop complaining. Would you rather have a swamp or would you like Walt Disney World. Please shut up

 

[Michael623]

New here eh?

 

[TDSAXX]

This is my 1st ever reply but it has hit on something very important to me. Iger has given Pixar to Disney, he could screw up every thing else and still have done so much. But more importantly everyone must understand how businesses are run. Theme parks are only a small portion of what the Disney truly is, and if the company is to succeed, then the company needs to make money. This means that even if the theme parks make money, they may not be able to spend it on adding a 5th park or Beastly Kingdom. If you want Walt Disney World to expand, buy stock in the company or go there at least once a year and spend money. No one else is, yet you expect Iger to spend money that doesn't exist so that you can be happy. Walt Disney World is the greatest place in the world, stop complaining. Would you rather have a swamp or would you like Walt Disney World. Please shut up

Wow, someone is in a grumpy mood. The vast majority of people on this site go to WDW on a regular basis and spend significant money at the parks and resorts, so they are certainly entitled to their opinions.

Also we understand the concept that businesses are run to make money (thanks for stating the obvious); but Disney has to reinvest in it's parks and upgrade them in order to continue to thrive.

You make a valid point about Pixar, and I welcome you to the boards.

 

[ChrisFL]

Walt Disney World is the greatest place in the world, stop complaining. Would you rather have a swamp or would you like Walt Disney World. Please shut up

I'd rather have WDW be the greatest place in the world, unfortunately, as it currently stands, it's completely trounced in many ways by the Tokyo Disney Resort.