Monday Mouse Watch: "The fans really need to lighten up"

Well, on one hand this is to be expected. The changes are to things people know and love, and through nostalgia think are perfect as is, even when not. And sometimes they're drastic, like the loss of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which crushed me some.

On the other hand, this is why these people are not executives in charge of making these hard decisions, and also why internet petitions are completely and utterly ignored. People are using emotion to ignore all but one side.

However, I do feel there is often something in the argument that not enough money is being spent to make rides as they should be, as opposed to what often happens in Tokyo. Eisner started this, so maybe it will end. The company is better off with fewer new rides, but great rides, than more new rides that aren't much different than what you find at a local six flags.

Like Disney Co, WalMart is another mega-company that employs hundreds of thousands of people. I guess if Iger was in charge of WalMart, he would just tell these groups to "lighten up."

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/will-hope-for-the-holidays-rattle-wal/20061128073709990001?cid=403

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/12/11/8395445/index.htm

Things could be so much more challenging for Iger.

Employee and customer complaints can always be overlooked when there's money to be made. I can't count how many stories I've heard from people who talked directly to Walt telling him how if he cut this or eliminated that - he would make more money. And each time, Walt's reply was it's not about the money - it's about the quality - if you produce quality, the money will follow. One person's story = an anecdote; several people's stories = hey, there might be some truth there.

Many dweebs learned these stories, since it was the Disney Co that fed them to us for 40 some years.  It's frustrating when the boardroom executives would prefer to hit their bonus targets rather than try to excel. If anyone dares mention that - "Hey, lighten up!"

"I wish they hired more people that loved the company...maybe more people just need to move to Orlando (and Anaheim) that love Disney and wouldn't mind working for them.   It's hard when people who are just working for Disney because it's a "job" and not a "love of Disney" are in charge.  Those people should get shipped over to Universal or Sea World- the Disney parks don't need people like that...the Guest service is often "bad" because the people providing it don't have a sense of pride about their company, and think of it as any normal company.  Which it isn't."

Maybe the company needs to love its own employees a little more for that to happen.   Be selective, treat your employees with respect through wages, benefits and workplace policy -- and they will bend over backwards to do their jobs well and provide quality service everytime.  Make it an exclusive, sought after place to work -- and the quality of service issues would essentially disappear.

Ok...lurker here and first time poster.

This topic seems to be changing into a discussion about the overall health of the company.  I worked at Disneyland for about 6 years on the graveyard shift (working through college - before DCA broke ground) and saw some things I think need to be elaborated on.

Eisner, not trying to defend him...but I will give him credit where its due.  Disney survivied thanks to him and he helped take it far (Beauty and the Beast movie and Broadway production, Indiana Jones Ride, Touchstone and enforcing a difference between that and Disney "Touchstone is not Disney", etc).  Problem is...he stayed too long...way too long.  He was losing focus, vision and got down right greedy.  A co-worker of mine is major disney fan, when the Big Thunder accident happened she was pretty intense about it.  I responded by saying that I wasn't a bit surprised it happend. BUT surprised it didn't happen sooner.  When I left, the Mechanics really were complaining how they could not keep up with maintenance of the rides and the company kept cutting back too much.  In Custodial, same story, more work...less people...more corners cut....EVEN management telling the cast members to do a "mickey mouse job" in order to meet thier targeted budget so they could get thier bonus.

DCA...what a joke.  What I saw on the plans (WESTCOT) looked great.  Then Eisner said it was too costly...choped it up...they went back to the drawing board to re-make the park to fit Eisner's budget....submitted it...he droped the budget lower...Huh?  Is it a wonder why we have DCA?  The boss basically said to throw some mud at the wall and see what sticks.

Animation.  What can I say, after Katzenburg left...so did the ideas, AND didn't replace him with another person with big ideas.  Its one thing if you have someone waiting in the wings who is just as good or better vision...but its darn right stupid if you don't.  Disney Animation was the production studio and inspiration for many attactions...so, there went that to.  Just to pay one exec less money.

Talent...you know..many companies go out of thier way to attract good creative talent.  Disney under the latter years of Eisner went out of thier way to chase them away.  Its pretty pathetic when Human Resources tells you its easier to QUIT Disney and then come back after a year to get into some sort of position in the company.  Sadly, they were right.  I met a number of individuals who did just that, for me, it was a frustrating process trying not to do it that way once I graduated from college.  But in the end I gave up and left and I wasn't going to come back in a year.  I ended up working for the nations third largest insurer and it payed better at entry level than anything at disney did.  Now....I'm a Sr. Analyst and have been promoted a number of times and not once did I EVER ask for a promotion, it was just given to me.  Is it any wonder why good talent left Disney and less creative and talented people stayed.

All in all, it was a giant domino effect, cut costs anyway possible to meet their unsustainable 20% revenue growth target, year after year, forced them to cut quality in everthing and thus, everything eventually suffered.

As for lightening up....well, ok.  Walt Disney himself said Disneyland would never be finished (and he did change plans in mid-stream) and with that, I think NOTHING is sacred at Disneyland...just like Las Vegas, but perhaps not as extreme.  But at the same time, I think people are tired of seeing something of good quality being taken out and replaced with cardboard cuts outs, recycled props and splattered with cheap paint.  This was the way of the old Amusement Park...the very thing Disney himself wanted to avoid, and here we are.  Ok...I'll get off my soap box.  I'm all for lightening up, but the onus is on Iger for that.  If things improve, he'll give a reason to lighten up.  Untill then, he needs to realize that Eisner gave a lot of people a reason to be critical.

"First off, I don't think there's a difference in public perception -- only in the amount of time that perception takes hold with the public in general."

I think that comment is very close to the truth.  Yes, Jim, you are right that there is a negative knee jerk reaction when changes are rumored.  But I'm disappointed that you didn't take the next step to explore why that is.  You know better than anybody the genuine disappointments Disney has produced.  

-Parks opened with barely enough attractions to fill a morning, let alone a day.

-Botched attraction makeovers like Stitch and Journey into Your Imagination (twice!).

-Shortened hours.  

-Cutting Early Entry and having the stones to say WE wanted it that way.

-Cheap additions like Dinorama and the vast majority of DCA.

-Unfulfilled (until very recently) promises of replacements for the Subs in both DL and MK.

-Abandoned PeopleMover track in DL.

-Light Magic

Do I really need to go on?  And now you question the fans who have taken a "show me" attitude?  I mean, really, you can only hit me with a hammer so many times before I start getting worried when you reach into the tool box!

You talk about the PotC changes.  Sure, ask the average person if they like the idea and they'll say "Sure!  Cool!".  But again, you should know that isn't exactly the standard that Disney was built upon.  Most people have never figured out why Disneyland means so much to them.  They have no idea what standards and philosophies were used in building that park.  Yet its those standards and philosophies that are the very things that kept them coming back.

Its only those that do have at least some understanding of the whys and hows that are going to see the folly in some of these things before they are placed in front of the public.

Like I sad, you're right that the reaction are knee-jerk in nature, but that's due to the destructoin of the goodwill that once was in place with the public.  It used to be that if Disney opened a park, the public is excited.  Now, they wait and see because they've been burned too many times.  Sure, only the hardcore fans say something in advance, but the public figures it out eventually.  If you doubt that, just pull out those old DCA attendance projections.

So a Disney (?) exec says this:

"That's one of the main reasons that I believe that 'Mission: SPACE' has such a lousy reputation now. Even before that Epcot attraction was officially open to the public, Disneyana fans were already on-line talking about how rough this new Future World ride was, how it was making people sick. Then the mainstream media picked up on that story. And -- as a direct result -- what was supposed to have been Disney's next franchise attraction then became this huge PR nightmare for the company."

Jim, do you really buy this explanation?  That M:S's lack of popularity is due to rumor and innuendo, and that if the hardcore fans just gave it a chance the ride would have been the tentpole attraction it was designed to be?

See, this is exactly why we continue to be skeptical when Disney announces changes/additions.  They refuse to accept responsibility for their failures, and instead look for scapegoats, in this case their own fans.  That has to border on insane.  M:S isn't doing what its supposed to be doing because the company failed to make it an attraction that spoke to the hearts of its customers.

So, instead of working to fix the issues within the company, we get Stitch's Great Escape and some undercover internet posters.  (By the way, most of us have known about the "paid posters" for quite awhile...)

Its pretty simple, really.  The negative knee jerk reactions will stop when the company starts CONSISTENTLY putting forth products that ring true of the real Disney.  

As anyone who has tried online dating knows, the internet is filled with losers, kooks, stalkers and general weirdos.

No offense to my fellow JimHill fans.. ;)

Its also filled with lots of stay at home mom types who have nothing to do but sit on the internet and dig up dirt on members of the communities theyre in. If you happen to be a member of the DISboards, you might know which community Im talking about.

There are also endless trolls, that range from the derranged Disney fan who is obbsessed with a couple of mice, to the arrogant world traveler who embellishes lies to make you think theyve stayed in the best of the best hotels at Disney, and get caught making up yahts and things along the way.

You have 14 year old know it alls making up rumors, 50 year old pervs making up rumors and showing you the insides of their houses so you can see their collections.

I understand the PR nightmare Disney faces with these idiots running amuck on the net.

YOur always gonna have crazy people who you cant please.

I think if Disney focuses on making quality attractions, and creating an environment for a family to enjoy they wont have problems. Deal with the bad press as it comes and take it in stride.

Im sure there are just as many more laid back Disney consumers like me, as the obbsessed/crazed fan Disney consumers.

PS Dear Disney company internet stalkers:

The reason you have an internet backlash is a simple lack of trust. Stop closing down attractions without warning (20k Leagues) Dont replace bad attractions with worse ones (seriously WHO thought stitch had a good plot) Keep up the que themeing (everest and nemo) and the general beauty that is the disney parks. The complainers will still spend money to go see it all. So your bottom line will be just fine.

I understand that this was posted days ago and the conversation has long since been abandoned, and that I probably don't have the energy to conjure up anything that hasn't already been said, but I at least wanted to throw in my two cents.

I know that in the past I have "bitched" and moaned with the rest of 'em, that we "Disney dweebs" and "weenies" have certainly blown things out of proportion or have been very close-minded, but I honestly don't think we would feel so pessimistic if the last Disney decade hadn't been so rough on those of us who were up to speed on all the pandomonium happening behind the scenes.

When a television show, book, movie, or what have you defaces Disney, parodies Disney in a distasteful and unfair way, or straight-up disses Disney, who defends Disney first? The Disney Dweebs. When the cynics of "the public" (because obviously we're too in love with Disney too be considered 'normal') bash Disney just for the sake of slander and hateful humor, for the sake of feeling like a 'nonconformist' individual, who defends the Walt Disney Company in spite of all its faults? The Disney Dweebs.

We  buy your platinum editions, we buy your Walt Disney Treasures DVDs, we buy your biographies, your encylopedias, your memorabilia, your art books, your $300 sculptures, your $7 a piece trading pins, your soundtracks, your annual passes, your pricey collectibles, and several copies of each Disney movie no matter how many times it is released and remastered. If we truely hated everything the Disney company did, we wouldn't be on the internet worshipping it in the first place. However, Disney Dweebs are not fools, they're people who have been disappointed again and again and again and want to stop anymore disappointment from happening. Half the time we do leave outrageous comments and we do jump to conclusions, but we also have well-installed motivation. I agree that we need to be open to change but first we need to be shown that the suits at Disney are open to listening, determined to excel and not just meet expectations, and reinstate the courtesy and love for its fans AND public that we've come to lose.

Walt didn't always agree with the public opinion, nor did he always make the right decision, but he knew what the world expected of his company and he did his best to expand it without uprooting what it stood (and still should stand) for. It's the best of us Disney Dweebs who see Walt Disney and understand that he was a human being with many flaws like the rest of us, but it's also our faith, love, and dedication for him that still gives him that saintly aura we've come to admire so much. I think it's also the best Disney Dweebs who see the Company as a corporation that has had a wonderfully magical and rich history, does have the right and necessity to earn money, but still should be held accountable for its actions, and yes, like Walt did, has many flaws. You can't change a person, but you can certainly change how a Company operates.

blackcauldron85 said: "I bet that there are a lot of rides and attractions that never got built that were "better" than the TLM ride...My favorite attractions are the ones based on Disney movies.  I especially liked going under the sea/above the sea...I thought it looked neat!"

I'm in agreeance with you, blackcauldron85! I loved the TLM ride and I think it would've been wonderful to experience in real life. I thought it captured the best moments of the movie beautifully and that more rides that take you into the heart of the animated films are perfectly welcome in my book. Obviously they need to keep making rides with original stories (not that they've been doing much of that either), but I certainly think that well-executed rides like TLM would be smash hits for both the die-hard fans and the general public.

DerekJ said: "What do you customers think of New Coke?" "It's hip, it's new, we love it!" "Good--What do you think of our plan to PERMANENTLY REPLACE the Coke you've loved for one hundred years with this hip new taste?" "Uh....excuse me?? 0_o? "

Terribly true. It's not that the company has completely drained itself of good ideas, it's just that it feels the need to boot other great things out of the way to make room, and that's our biggest reason to be horrified.

Raidermatt, I found your comment to be dead on. If the hardcore fan understands WHY an attraction or product is liked vs. loved, hated vs. disliked, liked vs. disliked, then should the opinion of the die-hard fan be valued more? You're not going to be able to please all the die-hard fans, but at least you're going to get insightful feedback that will be of actual assistance to you, as opposed to your average teenager who digs Johnny Depp, the average stay-at-home mom who thinks that maybe all the dark rides are too scary and that Disneyland should be Fantasyland all the way through, the kids who just want to see a familiar face on every ride, etc.

As for the article itself...it sounds like too many execs and a certain JH is taking all our negative comments a little too personally...I don't think the big picture is being seen at all...