| # | Author | Message |
41
| mawnck
Fri 5/16/2008 8:40a | >> I think the trick is to know places where you can improve quality without significantly increasing costs.<<
Or in this case, where you can lower costs without significantly trashing quality. For instance, I wonder how much they spend on maintaining those multi-million-dollar sightline-blocking "wobble cars" in Pooh?
What they really need is some "no-men". Guys who have adequate horse sense to look at a plan *before* it's implemented and say "no, that's a terrible idea, and here's why." Failing to put in obviously needed bathrooms is just half the equation. Wasting money on worthless pet projects and detrimental "plussing" (characters in IASW) is just as dumb. |
42
| RoadTrip
Fri 5/16/2008 10:20a | <<If the lemonade tastes sour because the grower didn't water his crops enough or the lemonade stand owner decided not to invest in a little sugar to offset this, as a customer, should I just buy the lemonade anyway? Should I hand over my hard-earned 50 ¢ (nickel lemonade is hard to find these days) and drink the lemonade and not suggest adding a little sweetener?>>
That is a reasonable request. Asking that the ice cubes in the lemonade be made of Perrier instead of tap water would be a fanboy request. There is a difference.
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43
| mawnck
Fri 5/16/2008 10:44a | Who's asking for Perrier? I would think that putting bathrooms in a full-sized Broadway-style theater would be a basic requirement. They didn't have to contain Tiffany chandeliers or gold-plated spigots. |
44
| Dabob2
Fri 5/16/2008 10:44a | <That is a reasonable request. Asking that the ice cubes in the lemonade be made of Perrier instead of tap water would be a fanboy request. There is a difference.>
LOL! Good one!
But I think my complaint would be that they've put TOO MUCH sweetener in recently. Too many toons, too many generic princess-voiced women singing about wishes and magic and dreams. POTC and HM are great attractions not just because they're well done, but because they're NOT sticky sweet - there's a little grit there. |
45
| Hans Reinhardt
Fri 5/16/2008 11:29a | "Am I doing the lemonade stand owner any favors if I don't say anything?"
Nope.
I think the issue here is the level at which some people voice their opinions. The uproar over characters in Small World was simply unprecedented. While there were many thoughtful and constructive discussions on the subject, much of the complaining was just that, complaining.
The same can be said about DCA during its early years. It's one thing to express an opinion, but to write letters, post blogs, photo essays, rant to the media, and build websites to express your outrage over the direction that the company is taking is not likely to win you any brownie points with management. There is an air of self-righteousness that some Disney fans take that I personally find a little unsettling. I can only imagine how these folks are perceived by Disney management.
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46
| 2001DLFan
Fri 5/16/2008 9:36p | <<RoadTrip: That is a reasonable request. Asking that the ice cubes in the lemonade be made of Perrier instead of tap water would be a fanboy request. There is a difference.>>
But, if some enterprising lemonade stand entrepreneur made a successful business by providing their lemonade with Perrier ice cubes, then decided to raise prices and make his ice cubes out of tap water, their loyal customers would either let him know that the missing ingredient they found appealing needs to be returned (complain) or he will lose his customers (except for those who were satisfied with just the lemonade).
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47
| Spirit of 74
Sat 5/17/2008 1:47p | <<There is an air of self-righteousness that some Disney fans take that I personally find a little unsettling. I can only imagine how these folks are perceived by Disney management.>>
I can understand that, Hans.
Fans can get a little 'out there' and the proliferation of online forums such as this has cast a wide net over people with really divergent viewpoints on many issues.
That said, Disney management since the mid-late 90s has had a very negative opinion of its customers in general. You'd have to actually know some of the execs (and ex-execs) to understand this 'we're so much smarter, so much more talented, so much more intellectual' than those who buy our products and visit our parks and resorts.
It is not a 'tude that existed when folks like Jack Lindquist ruled Anaheim or Dick Nunis ruled Orlando. That would never have been tolerated. Respect for guests came from the top.
The typical P&R exec of the 21st century is an entirely different animal. And with notable exceptions like Jim MacPhee at EPCOT, there is 'looking down' factor from management on guests. And I think many people experience this in the way it filters down to Guest Relations and lower-mid level management ... the people the average guest is most likely to deal with while in the parks.
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48
| mstaft
Sat 5/17/2008 2:04p | That is so unfortunate. I hope that attitude is changing w/ Iger and now Lassiter (sp?- I can never remember...Now what were we talking about?) |
49
| 2001DLFan
Sat 5/17/2008 6:40p | ^^^^^^
Well, we've had Iger, what, three years now? And Lasseter two? While there HAVE been some significant improvements in various areas of the company, unfortunately a LOT of the attitudes of former regimes (corporate and divisional) remain based on their old ways.
I just don't think, at least as far as Imagineering goes, that either of these gentlemen (or the new Imagineering management) are capable of sorting out and correcting the established political control and getting the proper creative focus back on track.
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50
| mawnck
Sat 5/17/2008 9:00p | >>a LOT of the attitudes of former regimes (corporate and divisional) remain based on their old ways. <<
This is normal. Corporate culture doesn't stop on a dime, no matter how badly new CEOs want it to. Some of the dysfunctions that plague Disney now have their roots in the management style of the Disneys themselves. The dysfunctions of 40 years from now will owe a lot to the Iger/Lasseter years as well as Eisner, Miller, Walker, Tatum, and Disney/Disney. That's just how big business works.
The question is always, does management realize the problems that are screwing up certain key departments, and are they taking steps to correct them? We can't answer that yet. It's too early in Iger's reign. Some problems are more intractable than others.
I take the recent marked increase in public Imagineer whining as a good sign, at least for the future of that department. It shows that they're feeling the heat. I look forward to similar grouses coming out of Home Video.
It looks like the animation studio just might turn the corner as soon as they get Bolt out of their system. |
