Shanghai DL To Be Outsourced by WDI...

[MiklCraw4d]

Name me five "great Disney attractions" created in the last 10 years on the old school model you're describing, attractions that did NOT have a direct tie-in to an existing brand, Disney's or otherwise.

I'm hard pressed to name five great Disney attractions created in the last 10 years, period.

Unless we count the attractions for Tokyo DisneySea, which did not have direct tie-ins to existing brands, Disney or otherwise.

What you seem to forget is that the leadership at Disney no longer gives a crap about Imagineers "sneaking around in the model shop in between projects" looking for ways to create original attractions for the parks. Virtually everything is now tied to an existing property or brand, or borrowed from an existing attraction. That's what Iger wants for the parks. That is his vision. He no longer desires Imagineers who tinker in between projects. He doesn't want Imagineers "wasting time" in between projects. That's lost capital for labor expenditures he'd rather not pay.

I've forgotten nothing - I'm perfectly aware that this is the new model that they desire. I was merely stating what was lost by moving to that model. I didn't claim that Iger cared about it.

[Witches of Morva]

ORWEN: Oh, MiklCrawfrd, I just have to say you were so incredible in Phantom of the Opera!! How wonderful it is to see you on the MiceChat boards. I'd ask for an autograph but, well, I know you're too busy for that just now. But 'hi' anyway!!!

[MiklCraw4d]

ORWEN: Oh, MiklCrawfrd, I just have to say you were so incredible in Phantom of the Opera!! How wonderful it is to see you on the MiceChat boards. I'd ask for an autograph but, well, I know you're too busy for that just now. But 'hi' anyway!!!

Thank you for the support, and never forget the muuuuusic of the niiiiightttt....


Also, Condorman.

[ben1993]

I hope this isn't true, the demise of Imagineering would be heartbreaking Even worse than watching the Animation department fall apart.

[blueohanaterror]

Wow. This speculation just seems to boil down to a FOUNDATION of speculation - pretty groundless - about Bob Iger.

He's no saint, but the assumptions being made about his targeting WDI for this and that and his abhorrence of costs inherent in their process... It really smacks of that College Freshman arrogance - "I know everything about the world" that fades very quickly after you graduate a few years later and confront the real world, and discover how big and complex it really is.

Bob Iger is obsessed with QUALITY. He's spent bundles on quality, from bringing Pixar to the fold - for which many are STILL painting him as having wildly overspent for that company, to the allocation of R&D funds for new entertainment initiatives in Imagineering and company wide. The entertainment industry has no greater champion of innovation than Bob Iger. Why shouldn't he want some innovation in cost containment? WDI's overruns and excess put them a few shades lower than the Pentagon - someone had to get their butts in order... and in truth, I don't think he's really cracked the whip.

Those who really KNOW Iger know (among other things) he's 1) all about quality, 2) loves WDI and what they do, 3) intent on killing his competition (with a smile).

He knows he needs WDI - and he knows and has recognized repeatedly - whether a few scared nattering yammers here seeking attention with hyperbole believe it or not - that WDI is a golden, one of a kind asset and a secret weapon for "Team Disney." He knows better than anyone how nuts he or anyone else would be to try to dismantle it, regardless of what the "Harry Potter model" has proven. He knows that when Universal hits a home run, they're doing it because essentially they're copying the BEST that Disney has already done - and if they raise the bar, then it's something to go after and surpass. And that's in the works.

Things are about to get very busy over there, so anybody parking their butts to see pink slips anytime soon is going to be disappointed.