Do You Think "Walt" is happy?

[countrycharmer]

For my 300th post I thought that I would ask you guys if you think that up above, Walt is happy with the way things have panned out with his dreams? What do you think he would be most happy with? What do you think may have made him cringe?

[DisneyNut2005]

I think that he'd be happy overall.

[SBETigg]

I think it would be a mixed reaction. While some things would probably have pleased him immensely and come as a bit of a pleasant surprise (like Animal Kingdom), other things would probably disturb him. I think he would have preferred to stay smaller scale in business if it kept the parks running in better order, with better customer service and less trash. But at the same time, he would probably be pleased to see the growth of the company worldwide.

Epcot would probably come as the biggest surprise to him, that the idea of a living/working community of tomorrow became a theme park. I think he wouldn't disapprove, but that he would still be striving to make a city of the future according to his plan.

[countrycharmer]

WOW! Almost verbatim to my husband's comments when I was originally typing this! Goes to show Great Disney Minds!!

[LauraF]

Personally I think Walt might have been disappointed by the change to include more thrill rides. While they've always had some great roller coasters and scary rides, I go for the themeing and other magic parts that separate WDW from Six Flags et al. (And I'm a coaster freak, so it's not like I won't ride the thrillers.) While I love most of the thrill rides, I MUCH prefer rides like CoP, Horizons and World of Motion. But that's just my bias.

[KAT1811]

I think he would, overall, be very pleased with the way things have turned out. I think he would be amazed that there are people, and families, like us that have an unbounded passion for Walt Disney World and that, I think, would bring him much joy.

I think he would also love that there are so many people that have put their imaginations and ideas into motion to create things such as Epcot and all the other wonderous additions to WDW over the years.

I'd like to think that he would love the parades we have today. Wishes I think would make him tear up as it does so many other people.

The only thing I can think of that would thouroughly disappoint Walt is how expensive WDW is. He created WDW for families and there are so many that will never be able to go because of it's expense.

[PeterPanFan]

First of all Walt is happy he is in Heaven!

Now as far as the parks go I think Walt would be very happy. Especially with the Magic Kingdom. I think he would love Splash Mountian. What a story ride.

I think the only thing he might not be happy with is how the movies are made. I think he might say the computer has taken the magic out of it. At least I hope he would say that :blush:

Mike

[BigRedDad]

I think in general, he is very happy. I think the only thing that has made him roll over in his grave is the greedy Execs that have been around. There are a lot of services that have been sacrificed to pad the accounts of many executives. Many activities that are part of the experience are extremely out of price with the average person.

Other than the greedy execs, major stockholders, I think he is very happy.

[Polynesian Dweller]

I think there are two areas in which I think Walt would actually be quite unhappy.

The first is Epcot. There is no semblance of his original concept and certainly Celebration didn't do anything for that. He was certainly dedicated to the Community of Tomorrow idea and would have pushed it that way if he had lived. He was still young enough to have done that afterall.

The other is Pleasure Island. In his most candid interview about DL when it opened he talked in a quite fond manner about it being a place where 'a daddy could take his daughters' and enjoy the place together (meaning his own daughters of course). Pleasure Island is not a family destination and I don't think he would be pleased at all with that since it was against his concept for places families could do things together. Just my :twocents:

[Mickey91]

I hink he would be happy with the technology and originality that is still putting Disney ahead of the competition.

He would be most upset at the greed in the Company. The shortcuts, Direct to Video trash, allowing his name to be on a trashy uncut version of Badder Santa, the major dip in quality of products and the fact that the average family really cannot afford to enjoy a fully wonderful and magical WDW vacation. The morals of Disney has changed as the greed has risen. The guest takes a back seat to the bottom line. These make him roll over in his grave.:mad:

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Walt is quoted to be against Carnie rides and games.
2) I doubt he would approve of some of the attractions.
3) I think he said he would turn over in his grave.
4) I think he would also turn over about all the errors made.
. . . permanent reductions/closure of rides
. . . seasonal closure of rides
. . . lack of maintenance on rides (especially CoP)
. . . general lack of upkeep in the parks
. . . cheaply opening parks with limited rides (MGM, AK, CA)
. . . putting profit well before guest enjoyment

5) That's why some folks call him "Pinwheel Walt" instead of "Uncle Walt".

[dumbo ears]

I think he would be happy for the most part. I think he would step in epcot and just start yellin at how it wasnt what he wanted but he would walk arounnd and see how good they ended up makin it. He would be most happy with probably how much they have expanded and how many people visit the parks each day.

[jszczur5]

I think that Walt would be happy. Irrespective of how he would feel about individual attractions or parks, or how the company is being run as a whole; I think he would be happy because his parks make people happy. There is nothing like seeing a "little princess" meet Cinderella for the first time, or some little boy gazing up at Buzz. I'm 39 years old, and even I felt giddy when I had my picture taken with Minnie last summer. I asked her to kick up her leg and do that coquettish little pose that she does so well. The picture of her and I back-to-back affecting the same pose is priceless. How could Walt not be happy - and proud.

[RocknRoller94]

I think that Walt would be excited on how far his parks have come. The growth of the themeparks department of the Walt Disney Company, as well as new technologies have provided new ideas impossible for his time.:mickey:

Still, prices have been a problem for visitors, and though we all know of the success of EPCOT(it's my favorite WDW park), it just isn't what Walt had in mind.:(

[mttafire]

Yep, I think he would be and IS very happy up there.:mickey:

[biodtl]

One thing I think he'd be happy about is the fact that WDW means so much to so many of us. Regardless of the parks and the rides, it's a magical dream for so many people, young and old alike. I think that's what he wanted.

[JPL]

The answer to this question is simple No he wasn't happy when he was alive and by this I mean never satisfied he always more and to make things better. I can definately say he would be mortified by the drop in customer service and some of the cheaper rides and attractions. I think the one park he would love is the AK because of the attention to detail and the overall beauty of the park.

[DisneyNut2005]

The answer to this question is simple No he wasn't happy when he was alive and by this I mean never satisfied he always more and to make things better. I can definately say he would be mortified by the drop in customer service and some of the cheaper rides and attractions. I think the one park he would love is the AK because of the attention to detail and the overall beauty of the park.

Customer service has not dropped as much as you think it has. And the so-called "cheap" attractions are not as cheap as you think they are.

[boobalk]

Well. how could he not be? What were the 2 major issues that he was concerned about?
1. That WDW would be a place where families could have fun together! Well, obviously, that has been accomplished "millions" of times over.

2. That it would be a place that was never finished, but ever-changing and always growing. And we've ALL watched that happen over the last 35 years, haven't we?

Maybe Walt wouldn't have been crazy over some of the decisions made over the years, but is there any company that is? The point is, that we all know how we feel when we're @ WDW. It's like being in a whole other world. Happiness abounds and there's magic in the air. And for a short time (at least the length of our journey) we are all allowed to enjoy just being a kid again! And I truly believe that that was Walt's vision!:thumbsup::mickey:

[acetate]

From what I've read about Walt he would have liked the new technology. Stuff like Soarin' Test Track, maybe some of the 3-d films like Philharmagic. But I really think he would come down hard on all the coaster rides, as his credo was always to have a park where adults and kids could ride and be entertained. The Matterhorn in Disneyland is pretty gentle, but fun. And I have to agree with some of the posters here and on other threads that the customer service has slipped in recent years. I don't see whats so terrible about pointing that out. As a fan and as a person that works in retail I know for a fact that customer service is the easiest thing to fix. It's totally free to have employees smile !
Just for fun read some of these books, they all have great "Walt" annecdotes in them.
Remembering Walt
Designing Disney
Inside The Dream:mickey:

[WEDTOPIA]

I think it's fun to imagine what Walt would say if he came back today to see what happened to his " happy little park ". And what would he do if he could run things once again ?

It's impossible to gauge how he would react. He was ,after all , the biggest dreamer in the world. Look at all the change he brought about from 1925 to 1966. He would like many things , dislike some , and probably have ideas to improve others.

Certainly Epcot is not how he envisioned it . But who's to say he wouldn't love the application. He would very likely love World Showcase. But ,he would bring in new , additional countries on a regular basis . He would go crazy over Spaceship Earth , Living With the Land , and the concept of the Seas pavilion. And , boy , what he could do with the Imagination pavilion . I can't think of any 3 attractions that embodied the spirit of Walt Disney more than Horizons ,World of Motion ,and the original Journey into Imagination. In my mind I'm convinced Walt wouldn't have let those 3 masterpices get destroyed.
He would definately get back on track for his community of tomorrow , though. That whole idea of a self-contained city working with corporations. It was his main purpose for building WDW.

Animal Kingdom is something he probably would have done. He desperately wanted to put real animals on the Jungle Cruise , but couldn't for practical reasons. He loved wildlife, and in my opinion , what you see at AK is probably as "Walt "as it gets . A movie themed park would have been his idea as well. He would have played up the Backstage Tour and definately kept the animation team.

If he had lived , I think he would have been on board with the water park thing , way back in the late sixties . River Country was the very personification of Walt. But ,Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach would do him proud also.

Thrill rides ? Walt went with public taste. If the public wanted some more thrills ,he would dress it up in his style and give it to them. The Matterhorn was the first steel coaster in this country. And he was the force behind the original concepts for Space Mountain . Walt wasn't opposed to some action on his rides . I think he'd be blown away by Soarin' , Expedition Everest ,Splash Mountain , Space Mountain ,Big Thunder , Test Track , Kali River Rapids , and even Rock n' Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. He'd also like Buzz , Winnie-the Pooh , Mickey's Philharmagic , and The Great Movie Ride , for the tamer stuff.

He wouldn't like anything that didn't give a guest the full show . There aren't many of those on property , but we all know what they are.

I firmly believe that Walt would keep many of his original classic attractions , but would update them regularly. He also would use all available space ,to keep adding to the parks. In Tomorrowland he would change constantly . But the other areas of the park , he would build new additions .

He would be amazed at the volume of guests and probably would have built the resorts just as fast as they actually were built. I'm not sure he would approve of Pleasure Island , but he would like Cirque de Soleil and most of the shopping venues.

Don't think for a moment he wouldn't be behind the merchandising push . Walt was the original licensing guru. Mickey Mouse products were the first big , branded tie-ins. Books , records , toys , clothing , etc. - Michael Eisner didn't invent that.

The prices ? I believe that even with out of control inflation since his death in 1966 , Walt would still keep the costs down as much as possible. He definately wouldn't be out for blood.

Customer service and cleanliness would be at the top of his list . He'd most likely bring back the Disney University training program and open up the coffers to pay for more cast members. Walt put a large portion of his company's profit right back into the company. With the huge earnings the parks are making now , he would have a field day. Of course , he'd need a re-incarnation of his brother Roy to keep the busines solvent.:thumbsup:

As far as the other ends of the business - he wouldn't like the movie end . Too few Disney movies are Walt Disney movies. He would like the Disney Channel concept , but be more approving of the 1987 version than of the 2007 version. He would be cautious with over-seas expansion and probably get rid of any side venues that weren't family friendly. He'd get a kick out of owning ABC. But you wouldn't see Desperate Housewives in Walt's weekly line-up.
Let's face it ,Uncle Walt would have a whole lot of things to digest after all these years . But being the visionary that he was , he would be excited about all the advancements in technology ,and probably be a little jealous that someone else ,besides himself ,came up with the ideas.

But , most of all .I think Walt would be proud of the legacy of his name .

:mickey:

[DisneyFanatic11]

Do I think Walt is happy? Yes, in fact, I do. Despite the expensiveness of it all, wasn't it a place to have families be together and be happy? I have seen many young children just light up at the sight of their favorite Disney character walking up and hugging them. Sure, a few things he would dislike, but other than that, I believe he'd be proud. :mickey:

[handmaidenofprincesses]

I think he'd be happy with the growth of his parks and proud of every last smile he's put on a person's face. The thing that bothers him most, I'll bet, is that he can't come down here and fix a few things.... like SGE >.< I'm sure he's proud of the Imaginears for trying and for developing cool technology, but his knack for pleasing crowds could have put those attractions in the history books!

[IloveDisney71]

Overall, I think Walt would be pleased. He would love the continued imagination and technology that goes into everything. I know he would have loved the fact that so many people still visit his kingdom to experience the magic. I do think he would miss the old animation process that used to go into making the movies. I'm not saying he would not have gone forward with computer animation to some extent, but sometimes it's just not the same. I think he would not like Pleasure Island at all and I like to think he would have done more to keep the prices down, so more people could experience the magic that is Disney.

[Main Street Jim]

Don't even get *me* started...LOLOL