What would WD DO???

[WDW1985]

My wife and I were talking about Walt Disney the other day and asked the question, "What do you think Walt Disney would change about the WDW theme parks if he were alive today?" I thought it was an interesting question to throw out for discussion. If one thing is true, it's that WDW still has the magic he was looking for and always seems to be on the cutting edge, but I know there are many who feel there many things he might change or never change.

What are your thoughts?

:mickey:

[alpro2]

He would take out that carnival section in AK. I just don't get it. :shake:

[DISNEYFIX]

He would take out that carnival section in AK. I just don't get it. :shake:

Amen really that's a relyy weird looking deal. Then he would put Lilo And Stitch :sick: "ride" :sick: in the swamp.

[Marilyn Michetti]

Who knows? One thing that would have been different for sure would have been EPCOT. Walts last dream was for a real world city that would address environment and progress. He was about done with parks and had already stated that he wouldn't be involved much in the movie industry. EPCOT, as he invisioned it, was his BIG dream. Although I think he would be AMAZED at what's happened in his name, I believe he would have forged on with his city.

One thing, I don't think he would have EVER let those planning video's - (the last two) - reach the mailboxes. UGH!:(

[caryrae]

Maybe he would get MGM Disney Studios back to a working studio. These days it seems to just be another theme park.

I don't think he would have let the new Four Season golf coummunity area thats gonna be built ever happen. Also he wouldn't like resorts like POP have a new phase just sitting there with no progress being made this long.

[Marker]

Seems some folks believe that what Mr. Disney would have done, just happens to be the exact thing they want.

Also, I'd bet that what Mr. Disney would do now, as opposed to what he did then would be ENTIRELY different. Different business climates, different liability laws, different sensitivities. It's a different world for visionaries. What he would WANT to do, and what he was able to do would be entirely different things, as I'm sure it was back then too, but I'm guessing there are many more obstacles now.

And, for me anyway, to even speculate what Mr. Disney would envision, would be like a 5 year old t-ball player trying to hit a major league fastball. Mr. Disney's ability to see beyond the norm, and to innovate exceed anything I could ever dare to dream up.

[ravsluvdisney]

Who knows? One thing that would have been different for sure would have been EPCOT. Walts last dream was for a real world city that would address environment and progress. He was about done with parks and had already stated that he wouldn't be involved much in the movie industry. EPCOT, as he invisioned it, was his BIG dream. Although I think he would be AMAZED at what's happened in his name, I believe he would have forged on with his city.

One thing, I don't think he would have EVER let those planning video's - (the last two) - reach the mailboxes. UGH!:(

My thoughts exactly. Whether it would be different or not, Walt was really pushing his EPCOT vision late in his life. Present day EPCOT has evolved into a great park, but I wonder what it would be if Walt stayed with us awhile longer to influence it design, philosophy, etc.

[DNS]

I have no idea if WD would have approved of that icky carnival at AK, but I'm with others here who HATE it.
One thing I have thought of is that if he came back today he would simply have to be very proud overall of what has been done in his name. The movies, the theme parks all over the world. How could anyone not be impressed. Disney is a mega entertainment industry for all ages. He would probably flinch at some things, but overall, I think he would be very proud.

[WDW1985]

Also, I'd bet that what Mr. Disney would do now, as opposed to what he did then would be ENTIRELY different. Different business climates, different liability laws, different sensitivities. It's a different world for visionaries. What he would WANT to do, and what he was able to do would be entirely different things, as I'm sure it was back then too, but I'm guessing there are many more obstacles now.



It IS a much different world for visionaries to dream in, but there are still ways to think big when you have the Disney checkbook in your hands. He was willing to risk and we're all glad he did.

I think that Mr Disney would probably be really amazed at how much the parks have grown. He would absolutley love the Animal Kingdom and the other innovations within the other parks as well. Hopefully he would take down the magic wand on SE (sorry folks I'm an Epcot purist) and have a huge 25th celebration. He might rethink the Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island concept a bit. I just don't think he would like the club atmosphere so close to the parks. I also hope he would bring Horizons back just because he never got to see it! Overall he would most likely continue to think three steps ahead of everyone else and that usually means more building!

:mickey:

[mttafire]

It IS a much different world for visionaries to dream in, but there are still ways to think big when you have the Disney checkbook in your hands. He was willing to risk and we're all glad he did.

I think that Mr Disney would probably be really amazed at how much the parks have grown. He would absolutley love the Animal Kingdom and the other innovations within the other parks as well. Hopefully he would take down the magic wand on SE (sorry folks I'm an Epcot purist) and have a huge 25th celebration. He might rethink the Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island concept a bit. I just don't think he would like the club atmosphere so close to the parks. I also hope he would bring Horizons back just because he never got to see it! Overall he would most likely continue to think three steps ahead of everyone else and that usually means more building!

:mickey:

I agree 100%!!!:mickey:

[bradk]

there's a good reason why MGM isn't really a working studio.. it's CENTRAL FLORIDA.. didn't work out for Nickelodeon or Universal any better either. it's hard enough for New York City to thrive in that arena, although technically Universal does broadcast iVillage out of there now. whee.

as for the boardwalk games in dinoland, well, we can argue that they also exist along the boardwalk of paradise pier in DCA. in DAK, they're part of a roadside attraction. in DCA, they're just part of some boardwalk (most notably coney island of yesteryear). not that walt was responsible for either of course. there's often an argument that he didn't care for the boardwalk type environments and that they were too seedy and dirty, which is why he wanted disneyland in the first place. of course, this never hindered his love of carousels and i believe disneyland even had a circus tent for a while and i even want to say it had a ferris wheel (which he reportedly detested most of all) for a bit.. and i mean while he was alive, not the one in DCA.. at least i want to think that.

[WDW1985]

"I see the original question as a non-issue. NO one knows what he would do. Doe to
the fact that he is no longer with us..:( Instaed of wondering what would "he"do,
I like to do what he DID do and that is..Look to the future and dream. I think honestly
though he would be quite happy!"mttafire


Well it really wasn't an issue, but a question about what he would think of the parks. Are people thinking big or dreaming big enough? Walt Disney had his vision, but others have used their vision to complement/compete with what he did up to his death. I was just wondering what he would think of what they did being that some of it, namely Epcot, was different than what he initially imagined and some he may have never imagined.

:mickey:

[bradk]

to be honest, i think he was a bit off his rocker. especially when it came to epcot. of course you have to be crazy to come up with some of the things he did. but his epcot was NEVER going to happen. i dunno if reality justifies what they ended up doing, but.. it's done.

on a more fundamental note. if you compare fantasylands between disneyland and magic kingdom or look at new orleans square, it'd be hard to imagine he'd be impressed at anything in WDW. there's magic in the streets of disneyland that just haven't been replicated in orlando.

[WDW1985]

to be honest, i think he was a bit off his rocker. especially when it came to epcot. of course you have to be crazy to come up with some of the things he did. but his epcot was NEVER going to happen. i dunno if reality justifies what they ended up doing, but.. it's done.

on a more fundamental note. if you compare fantasylands between disneyland and magic kingdom or look at new orleans square, it'd be hard to imagine he'd be impressed at anything in WDW. there's magic in the streets of disneyland that just haven't been replicated in orlando.

Hmmmmm please explain.

:mickey:

[bradk]

which part? that walt was crazy? or that disneyland's fantasyland and new orleans square cover details that orlando doesn't come close with?

i'll tell you about fantasyland. pinocchio's building is italian. peter pan's is british. snow white's is german. it's a small world is one giant beautiful facade.

fantasyland in MK is like a strip mall.

[LoriMistress]

to be honest, i think he was a bit off his rocker. especially when it came to epcot. of course you have to be crazy to come up with some of the things he did. but his epcot was NEVER going to happen. i dunno if reality justifies what they ended up doing, but.. it's done.

on a more fundamental note. if you compare fantasylands between disneyland and magic kingdom or look at new orleans square, it'd be hard to imagine he'd be impressed at anything in WDW. there's magic in the streets of disneyland that just haven't been replicated in orlando.

I completely agree with you. You may live. :mickey:

[thejens]

He would tear down the swan and dolphin. He'd love Animal Kingdom. He'd make Inovations inovative. Who knows, his vision for Epcot may seem outlandish, but color cartoons, television, and Disneyland all seemed crazy once too!

[Mickey's Pal]

This may sound "nit picky", but... If Walt was the type of man who was bothered by seeing a cowboy walking through Tomorrowland and decided to devise a way to keep that from happening (tunnels), then I can't help but believe that he would have wanted the Tower of Terror to face inwards (towards the park) so that when those elevator doors open, you didn't have a view of the top of the RnR building/parking lot. It really spoils the effect for me.

Okay- I said it. Don't hang me up and beat me senselessly, please. :mickey:

[Rick Blaine]

I think he would be torn. On one hand he was a fantastic business man. That part of him would love WDW. The parks are run very efficiently and make lots of money. On the other hand all the thrill rides and increasing lack of shows and dark rides I don’t think would please him. The imagineer in him loved things like COP. Of course he had nothing against some thrill rides, but the current emphasis on them at the expense, I believe, of other types of entertaining rides would not please him.

[dolphinmickey9170]

Maybe he would get MGM Disney Studios back to a working studio. These days it seems to just be another theme park.

I have to agree. I loved the tour we took years ago through the "Working Studio" watching animators do their thing. And I'm sorry.....but the stunt car show......:sick: I hated it. Get rid of it and bring back the back lot tour as it was in the old days!!

[future_imagineer]

1) Fire anyone on the board, including Iger, who was loyal to Eisner.
2) Make Stanley P. Gold CEO, Roy Edward Chairman of the Board, and himself President and COO (similar to the way he and Roy Oliver shared power).
3) Stop the Pixarization of Disney - keep Pixar, and let Jobs and Lasseter have influence, but separate WDFA & Pixar.
4) Let Pixar create excellent digitally animated films, and let WDFA make excellent traditionally animated films.
5) End what is left of the tensions between the Walt and Roy sides of the family.
6) Let the Imagineers do what they are there to do, and invest in their amazing ideas!
7) Replace the current monetary ideology of The Walt Disney Company (invest almost nothing in new films, parks, et cetera, but hope people won't care and they'll still bring in $$$) with his and Roy's (invest large amounts of money on such projects and get a large payback in return). For a while, Eisner successfully merged the two, in my opinion, returning in the four best Disney animated films since Walt died (Little Mermaid, Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast), which all brought in huge amounts of cash.
8) Bring more monorails to WDW!
9) Realize the original vision of EPCOT, and try to merge it with the excellent park at WDW, Epcot.

I guess these are actually my wishes for TWDC more than Walt's per se, but I guess I can wish.

[bradk]

those are definitely your wishes more than Walt's would have been .. for starters, Walt was definitely not a fan of his nephew. they notoriously used to call him an idiot and Walt even hand picked his son-in-law, Ron Miller over his nephew. Roy was also arguably the whole reason the animation department originally ran into the ground. The Black Cauldron, anyone? and when he had no respect from his own team, he whined incessently about it. and remember, he had already quit the company in 1977. the only positive thing he ever had going for him was that he looked like Walt, but nobody seemed to care about that when the business was going to pot I suppose. and i guess integrity is an asset for the next guy? because he was so gung ho on suing disney over the appointment of iger, but as soon as iger threw him an empty title, he was right on board and dropped the lawsuit.

i shudder to think what life might be like with roy e in control.

and without Eisner, Disney undoubtedly wouldn't exist today... but i digress and save that for a topic i'm not going to get involved in.

and i also beg to argue that the rebirth period of animation as you remember, which happened under Eisner rule, was due to a lethal combination of katzenberg and ashman, which Eisner receives partial credit for (both the creation and inevitable destruction).

i guess the moral of the story is sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, and sometimes you just wallow in your own self-pity and realize your silver spoon is made of aluminum.

[future_imagineer]

I guess you're probably right (with Card Walker's nickname for Roy E., "the idiot nephew"), although in general I think that Walt would advocate for what Roy E. did in the SaveDisney battle (and Diane Disney Miller agreed with): the return of quality to Disney.

I'm not saying that Roy E. is perfect. And also, what Eisner did earlier in his tenure, especially before 1994 when Frank Wells died, was mostly good, and yes, he saved Disney. However, especially post-2000, Eisner's micromanagement of the company really began to hurt it, and thus I side(d) with Roy E. In general, I agree with Diane's assessment of Eisner: "I think it's time for you to go. You've done some wonderful things, but it's time."

The more I think about it, the more my stance is that Disney really needs a completely new type of leadership... somewhat of a combination of Walt, Roy O., and Eisner.

[bradk]

if the Disney in Save Disney didn't stand for Roy E and if Roy's backbone wasn't being held in place by Stanley Gold, perhaps. (by the way, I made some additions to my original response which you may not have read).

[battle beast]

Disneyland/World wouldn't be all about the money!

[CaptainSad]

He would have slapped the guys who have closed the old rides for the kids. He would have shot the ones who put COP :confused: on seasonal. Wasn't that his favorite? Eisner may have jump started the company when he took over, but in the long run he hurt WDW. Over expansion was way to much. Mr. Disney would not have let McDonald's :mad: get their foot in the park. I could go on, but I don't enough time.
I hope it turns around. I have always enjoyed WDW. I miss the old stuff I saw over the years. Some of the new that replaced old I didn't get to see because they replaced the replaced. Go figure.

[mttafire]

Disneyland/World wouldn't be all about the money!
I respectfully disagree. It WAS always about the money...ANY Businessman and that is what Walt was,Is not going to buy an amazingly large amount of land in Florida under a "false name" to not make a HUGE amount of money. the one thing about Walt(if you read about his life) was that he was very smart in business.:mickey: I know we all want it to be about the kids and "Magic" but make no mistake it was and is about making a profit. NOW, Walt DID want to do things BETTER that the rest obviously and i think by FAR Disney is better than the rest. I personally think its better than ever.:thumbsup: P.S. Battlebeast..I understand your point though.

[bradk]

why would walt not let mcdonald's in? from day one, he was all about sponsorship and subsidizing costs.

it certainly couldn't be for the benefit of the kids' health. afterall, disneyland opened with a tobacco shop and a lingerie shop right on main street.

[WDW1985]

I respectfully disagree. It WAS always about the money...ANY Businessman and that is what Walt was,Is not going to buy an amazingly large amount of land in Florida under a "false name" to not make a HUGE amount of money. the one thing about Walt(if you read about his life) was that he was very smart in business.:mickey: I know we all want it to be about the kids and "Magic" but make no mistake it was and is about making a profit. NOW, Walt DID want to do things BETTER that the rest obviously and i think by FAR Disney is better than the rest. I personally think its better than ever.:thumbsup: P.S. Battlebeast..I understand your point though.

Walt Disney wasn't a fool even though some would say he had his head too far into the clouds of imagination. You can't have "magic" without money and usually that means A TON of money when it comes to making Disney "magic." But I can see how some people would say that Disney at times has the appearance of being money hungry. For example many people have exressed that feeling on Intercot's forums about the DVC.

:mickey:

[Jeff G]

This doesn't apply to WDW but Walt would stop all the movie sequels of the classics that are be released straight to video. Walt was once quoted as saying " I've never believed in doing sequels. I didn't want to waste the time I have doing a sequel; I'd rather be using that time doing something new and different". This is a practice that the corporation is doing that goes directly against Walt's principles.

Sorry this was no related to the parks...

[WDW1985]

This doesn't apply to WDW but Walt would stop all the movie sequels of the classics that are be released straight to video. Walt was once quoted as saying " I've never believed in doing sequels. I didn't want to waste the time I have doing a sequel; I'd rather be using that time doing something new and different". This is a practice that the corporation is doing that goes directly against Walt's principles.

Sorry this was no related to the parks...

I agree. I've always thought the sequels were kind of second rate and made just so the poor parents would HAVE to buy it for their little one who just couldn't live without it - even though they entirely forgot about it 5 minutes after watching it for the first time!

[Donald A]

I am always told that Mr. Disney liked progress. EPCOT was a dream he never saw come to life. I think it would be different if he ran it. I mean, EPCOT, means experimental prototype community of tomorrow. Short of the house of the future in the innovations concourse and The Land ride, I don't see much futuristic stuff there. OK, maybe Mission: Space would qualify too. I love EPCOT, but I just don't think it is what Walt had in mind.

I am almost positive that all this PIXAR nonsense would have no place in his World either.

[bradk]

because he was anti-technology?

i probably disagree on pixar too. first, i think he'd be mad as heck that disney wasn't the one pioneering CGI and he may not have passed on pixar the first time it was brought to disney as a possibility.