It has become the kneejerk reaction of many members of the on-line Disneyana community. Essentially the default position for every hardcore web-based Disney weenie out there.
What am I talking about? Whenever the Walt Disney Company announces that it will soon begin rehabbing some structure at the theme parks (EX: The old Circlevision 360 building in the Tomorrowland section of WDW‘s Magic Kingdom that previously housed the “Timekeeper” show) to make room for some brand-new attraction (I.E. “Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club“), it is almost inevitable that the most vocal members of the on-line Disneyana community will immediately begin bitching about:
- What a huge tragedy this is.
- How Walt would have never allowed this to happen.
- About how cheap the Walt Disney Company has become over the past few years.
- Most importantly, how they long for the days when the Mouse was actually willing to spend the money necessary to build really decent rides, shows and attractions for the parks.
If you’ll check out the discussion boards over at WDWMagic, LaughingPlace, MouseInfo, MiceAge, MousePlanet … Hell, even here at JHM in the TalkBacks that you’ll find tacked onto the bottom of every article … You’ll see that I’m honestly not exaggerating. All too often, the on-line Disneyana community’s initial reaction to any news about proposed changes at the Disney theme parks is to first attack that idea, then endlessly whine about that project in the weeks & months that lead up to the actual opening of that particular attraction.
Which perhaps explains why — at the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” premiere that was held at Disneyland back in May — when a reporter asked Disney’s new CEO about how he felt about the Disneyana community’s reaction to the recent additions that WDI had made to that theme park’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride, Bob Iger was heard to reply:
“The fans really need to lighten up.”
You remember what the initial on-line reaction was like when that proposed POTC change-out was first announced, right? When the news first broke that the Imagineers were considering adding Capt. Jack Sparrow to both the Disneyland & Walt Disney World versions of this theme park favorite … Well, given how loudly the dweebs began howling, you would have thought that the Walt Disney Company was planning on adding a set of enormous Mouse Ears to the Lincoln Memorial. Seriously, there were Disney fans out there who actually compared this relatively minor addition to that attraction to desecration of a national monument.
Which was just plain silly. Particularly given how quickly Disneyana fans embraced this newly enchanced version of “Pirates of the Caribbean” once they actually got to ride the thing.
Copyright 2006 Disney Enterprises
That (according to several Disney insiders that I’ve spoken with about this matter) is what just makes Mouse House officials crazy when it comes to the Internet. That Disney’s biggest fans — those folks who spend hours studying the history of the corporation, who obsess over even the smallest pieces of Mouse-related minutiae — are usually the quickest to condemn the company.
As one executive that I spoke with while prepping this article put it:
“I think that it’s great that Disney has such a big fan base on the Web. Most companies would kill to have what we have. Truly dedicated customers who have such obvious passion when it comes to our films, TV shows, theme parks, characters and products.
But you know what I don’t like? How quick the Web community is to judge the Walt Disney Company. How — without really giving the public a chance to decide how it feels about a new ride or show for the parks — the Web-based fans are already out there passing judgment. Quickly spreading the word about how awful a new attraction supposedly is.
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.
This is why so many people in management now keep close tabs on what’s being said about the company on the Web. Not because they actually enjoy seeing what Disneyana fans are saying. But because they want some advance notice when it comes to Disney’s next PR crisis.”
Of course, what also troubles Mouse House officials about the on-line Disneyana community is the massive disconnect between what the corporation’s web-based fans are saying and how the general public actually feels about the Walt Disney Company.
Take — for example — adding those Johnny Depp AA figures to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride. Based on the significant number of negative comments that this proposed addition to POTC was getting on-line earlier this year, Disney execs were wondering if they had another “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” situation on its hands (To explain: Back in 1990, company officials found themselves awash in bad publicity when word leaked out that the Imagineers were planning on booting Mr. Lincoln out of the Main Street Opera House to make room for a West Coast edition of “Muppet Vision 3D.” Orange County residents raised such a ruckus that WDI eventually abandoned its plans to evict Honest Abe. And — as a direct result — it would take another ten years ’til Kermit & Co. were finally allowed to set up shop at the Anaheim Resort. And even then this Muppet 3D movie couldn’t be shown at Disneyland. It had to be screened over at DCA).
Copyright 2006 Disney Enterprises
Anyway … Getting back to those Johnny Depp AA figures: Disneyland officials were so concerned about the public’s possible reaction to these proposed POTC additions that they actually did some guest survey work. And you know what they found out? That while the on-line Disneyana community was up in arms over this particular issue, the general public (I.E. Those folks who’d most likely buy a single day admission to that theme park, rather than purchase an annual pass to Disneyland) really couldn’t care less. If anything, they were actually excited about being able to see Capt. Jack Sparrow the next time they rode through the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction.
Of course, in some cases, what the on-line Disneyana community is saying sometimes does serve as the canary in the coal mine. As in: Giving the Mouse its first real indication that something has gone seriously wrong. Which is why Disney officials do carefully monitor what’s being said on the Web about the company’s movies and theme parks. And when certain articles & postings get people’s attention, they then quickly get forwarded to the Team Disney Burbank building.
I’m also told that — over the past year or so — Mickey has taken a much more pro-active approach when it comes to the Net. As in: Actually paying employees to go on-line and post at various Disney-related websites. So that the company can then put a much more positive spin out there on certain stories, get ahead of various PR crisises and even do some real-time damage control.
“And just who exactly is serving as the Mouse’s unofficial mouthpieces to the on-line Disneyana community?,” you ask. Sorry, but that would be telling. But — based on what several company insiders have told me over the past few months — I believe there are at least two of these individuals who currently post at prominent Disney-related websites.
Anyway … That’s a quick look at the Walt Disney Company’s rather complicated relationship with its on-line Disneyana community. The corporation’s on-going frustration with its web-based fans as well as the Mouse’s recent attempts at doing some spin control.
Here’s a question for you folks: Why do you suppose the public’s perception of how the Walt Disney Company is doing so rarely matches up with what the on-line Disneyana community thinks?
Your thoughts?