General

Cast Member Corner: Rebutting Tuesday’s “Cautionary Tale”

Wow! Who knew that “A Cautionary Tale” would cause such a firestorm over on the JHM discussion boards?

Published

20 years ago

March 17, 2004

Now, I know that a lot of you are upset that I’d allow something that inflammatory — Tuesday’s article, “A Cautionary Tale about WDW’s College Program” — to be posted on this website. But I think you folks need to understand that Walt Disney World’s College Program is (obviously) a somewhat controversial enterprise. Some folks who go through the program just love their 8 months in Orlando. While still others are like the gentleman who wrote Tuesday’s article. They get disillusioned right from the get-go. And then things go steadily downhill from there.

Me? I don’t know quite what to think yet. When I initially started investigating this story in December of last year, I was spurred on by an absolute horror story that I’d heard. One that (if you can believe it) was actually worse than the one that I ran on Tuesday.

But — in quizzing many veterans of Disney World’s College Program — I found this weird schism. Those who loved having taken part in the WDW CP REALLY loved it. By that I mean: They wouldn’t tolerate any criticism at all of the program. To do so … Well, it seemed to ruin one of their favorite memories of their times in college. And they just wouldn’t allow me to do that.

Meanwhile, the folks who hadn’t really enjoyed their time in the WDW CP couldn’t help but tell me horror stories about the awful jobs they got assigned, the disagreeable room-mates that they got stuck with, the way their WDW recruiter reneged on all the promises that they made prior to this person’s arrival in Orlando …

So here we have two very different opinions about the very same program. Both sides can’t be right … Can they?

This is why I decided to use JHM’s new “Cast Member Corner” column as a way to investigate Disney World’s College Program. (Oh — and for those of you who are keeping scoring — Tuesday article wasn’t actually the first column in this series. Last Thursday’s “Cast Member Corner” article — “Promises Made and Promises Not Kept” column by Disgruntled Goat — was. Which I think — if you’ll re-read that piece — you’ll find it to be a much more balanced take on what actually happens inside WDW’s CP.)

Speaking of balance … That’s what I’m actually shooting for here, folks. A balanced take on this story. Which is why — over the next couple of weeks — you’ll see JimHillMedia.com run a number of letters from Disney World College Program veterans. Some of these stories will be upbeat and positive. While other articles … will not be.

The end result? Well, I always think — whenever I’m dealing with extremes of opinion — that the truth has to lie somewhere in the middle. Based on what I’ve read and heard so far, it’s clear that there are a number of folks who actually get a lot of Disney World’s College Program. The letter that follows — from a WDW CP vet who goes by the pseudonym of Scooter — is a perfect example of that.

Yeah, Scooter got stuck with a custodial job during his 8 months in Orlando. But because he chose to be pro-active about what was happening to him, because he chose to have a good attitude about the whole situation, Scooter was actually able to accomplish a whole lot while he was down at Disney World.

But — just because this guy had a great time during his hitch in Disney World’s College Program — does that mean everyone who’s going to go down to Orlando to take part in this program is going to have a similar experience? Hell, no.

After all, we’re all individuals, folks. We all have our very own way of viewing the universe.

Take — for example — myself and Chuck Oberleitner. In Tuesday’s “Don’t Fence Me In” article, Chuck described how he had walked around Disneyland this past weekend and was disgusted and depressed to see all of these construction fences as he strolled through the park.

Whereas I went to this very same theme park on Sunday and saw all those construction fences and thought: “Cool. Disneyland’s finally getting some much needed maintenance done. It’s nice to see that the Mouse is finally pumping some money back into this place. Turning this theme park back into the crown jewel that it used to be.”

You see what I’m saying here? Two people experiencing the very same theme park. Yet they still had very different reactions to what they saw and felt.

That’s what (I think) is going on with the strong reaction that this Walt Disney World’s College Program series is having over on the JHM discussion boards. That people who have extremely fond memories of their time in this program just can’t stand the idea of anyone ever trashing the WDW CP. Whereas those folks who DIDN’T have such a great time during their 8 months in Orlando are thrilled to finally have an opportunity here to vent.

So I guess what I’m saying is … Get ready for a real seesaw of a series, folks. Where some people will be using JHM’s “Cast Member Corner” to relive fond memories of their time in Disney World’s College Program. While still others will use this opportunity as a way to exorcise a few demons. To talk about the job they hated and/or the room-mate that they never ever got along with.

My hope is that the end result will be a fairly balanced take on Disney World’s College Program. That — once JHM readers have read through all the articles that we’ll eventually have on file here — that we’ll all have a better understanding of what this program really entails.

Of course, if I’m not quite getting the balance right, I’m sure you folks will let me know about it.

Anyway … Here’s Scooter to tell you about his time in the program…

I am a product of the Walt Disney World College Program. For 7 months, I lived and worked for the Mouse at the Disney-MGM Studios. I read Tuesday’s article with awe. (For) this person had the exact opposite experience of what I had.

Now, the author failed to mention when they did the college program. So things may have changed. But I’m going to doubt (that) they changed too much. I did my program in 2003. In about October of 2002, I went to the recruitment meeting, and I interviewed the next day. The recruiter asked me: “What job would you like to do?” Attractions or Merchandise I guess. I wouldn’t be adverse to Custodial either.

So I got Custodial. But I knew long before I left home that that’s what I would be doing. My acceptance letter clearly stated “You are accepted as a custodial host/hostess.” I was less than enthusiastic, but I went along with it.

I arrived in Florida and they assigned me an apartment with 3 great roommates and 2 not-so-great ones. It’s a random assignment, so I don’t blame Disney for my 2 bad roommates. And if they were so bad, you could always move to another apartment building. We were told ‘way up front how everything works — $6.00/hr pay, $65 a week rent for a 3 or 4 bedroom apt ($74 for a 1 or 2 bedroom apt), at least 30 hours a week — there were no surprises. We got to pick our apartment sizes, so that wasn’t an issue either.

I started training at the Disney MGM Studios and — just like anyone — I had the blues at first. I came down here to work Custodial for 8 months? This is a little ridiculous. What was I thinking?

But then one of my managers sat down with me and asked me what I wanted to accomplish on my program. I told her I wanted to be a puppeteer for a living, and I really wanted to be able to shadow the “Playhouse Disney” and “(Voyage of the) Little Mermaid” crew. “Okay,” she said “I’ll make some phone calls and try to set that up. Give me a while to make some arrangements and we’ll try — but no promises.”

5 weeks later, I was in a full black suit in the middle of the “Little Mermaid” stage during a show watching the puppeteers perform around me.

Now, I’ve always been a Disney trivia nerd. I love collecting little trivia here and there about every little thing I can. And when I met a certain maintenance man, we became fast friends. He asked me what I had wanted to accomplish or experience on my CP, and I told him: “You know, I’d love to take a tour of some of the attractions and learn some trivia and see the technical side of things.”

The next day, I watched a Star Tours simulator fly, and made arrangements to walk the track of the Rock n’ Roller Coaster, and tour the Fantasmic island.

I had a great time on my college program, made lots of connections, and learned a lot of things that are useful to me and my career path.

But let me tell you one thing: I didn’t just wait for things to fall in my lap and happen to me. I went out and sought out new opportunities. The CP has its ups and downs, but I disagree that it’s just an excuse to get cheap labor in their parks. Granted, they do hire a few thousand CP’s to fill the ranks at $6, but I think they use the program more to give people a chance to have an amazing experience. They only give you the opportunity. Making it great is up to you.

I worked hard and got what I wanted out of my program. And I know people who didn’t work hard at all and didn’t get anything they wanted, and (they complained) that Mickey lied to them. I always have to hold my tongue back because I will defend the College Program to the death. I hate the rumors that Disney gets government kickbacks for us. Honestly, Disney paid us $6 an hour and got none of it back in return from Uncle Sam.

Yes, they charged us rent. And $65 x 6 roommates x 4 weeks = $1560, but that included a gated community, workout rooms, cable, heat and air conditioning, water, and maintenance. That’s still high, but — considering all that you got — they’re not profiting off of the CP’s.

So — in the end — the CP is what you make of it. And if you choose to be a whiner and complain (that) it sucked, it’s your own fault and nobody else’s.

But for anyone considering the CP, do your homework before you blindly say “Yes.” It’s a big decision and it’s not for everybody. Ask questions, search the web — there’s plenty of websites out there to give you the straight dope.

Sign me as Scooter

Okay. So that was obviously a markedly different take on Disney World’s College Program than Tuesday’s “Cast Member Corner” article.

So what are your thoughts NOW?

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015