What Walt Said

[BigThunder]

I'm sure that this is not news to many of you, but as I was recently re-reading "Walt Disney: An American Original" I was struck by the following passage in regard to the construction of Disneyland:

Members of the park staff urged him to build an administration building. "No, " Walt replied, "there isn't going to be any administration building. The public isn't coming here to see an administration building. Besides, I don't want you guys sitting behind desks. I want you out in the park, watching what people are doing and finding out how you can make the place more enjoyable for them."

-From "Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas pp 263. Italics mine.

My, how times have changed. Am I the only one who thinks that this passage should be posted in giant flashing letters in the TDA building?

[Walt Jr.]

Re: What Walt Said

Wow! They are straying from walt's words!

[scorsese]

Re: What Walt Said

I should re-read that book... I don't remember reading that!

[aimster]

Re: What Walt Said

Wow! They are straying from walt's words!

Like that's breaking news these days.

[LlamaLover]

Re: What Walt Said

Very interesting. Is the rest of the book a good read?

[Tom Chaney]

Re: What Walt Said

This book should be required reading for any Disney fan. Yes, it is an interesting read, very well written and quite informative.

[LlamaLover]

Re: What Walt Said

I just seem to never have (take) the time to sit and read any more. Maybe if I did not spend so much time on here )

[MickeyMania]

Re: What Walt Said

Keep in mind they're going through a transition right now. Matt WAS out in the parks a lot. However, so was Cynthia, and there's quite a few complaints about her 'round these parts.

It's not just what you learn while you're out there, it's what you do about it. Walt was trying to prove himself when he made that quote because he poured everything he had into the place. Disney today struggles to find what they can avoid doing without upsetting anyone in order to maximize profits. *shrug*

Walt was concerned the park could fail, today's leaders believe the park can NOT fail. And since almost all of Disneyland's biggest critics are the first to renew their Annual Passes, they're right.

[scorsese]

Re: What Walt Said

I think that saying applies more to Walt's business philosophy as opposed to business strategy. Regardless of how business actually is, there's always room to make something better.

[JiminyCricketFan]

Re: What Walt Said

Walt was concerned the park could fail, today's leaders believe the park can NOT fail. And since almost all of Disneyland's biggest critics are the first to renew their Annual Passes, they're right.

I was with you until I read that comment. I have to disagree. I DO believe that Disneyland CAN fail. Any park in the wrong hands CAN fail. It has not been so many years since Pressler left. Remember that buildings were falling apart, paint was pealing, and the lack of maintenance caused someone to DIE! If Disneyland had been left in that state for the 50th, I am sure it would have put a bad taste in the mouth of all the visitors this last year. They would have remembered the good times and vowed not to return.

Any theme park can be managed so poorly that eventually it can lose all of its appeal. That is why I post here at Micechat. I hope that in some small way I might be voice calling in the darkness that prevents Disneyland from just becoming a wonderful memory.

[mainstreetcm]

Re: What Walt Said

Back when Walt himself was in control of the company it was a more personal place to be employed. Back then it was more of a family business then it is now. Today the Disney Company is a gigantic media conglomerate (not to mention a government body in the state of Florida). The thinking of NOT having that administration building is gone, and its something that will never return to this Company.

Disneyland began as Walt Disney's playground to test new ideas and put on a show. It was his place to have fun and play around with impossible ideas and 'dreams.' Today Disneyland is a massive profit center that collects a huge amount of cash. That is what the Company has become. The days of Walt are gone. I personally hate that and would've enjoyed visiting Disneyland when its creator was alive and sadly I won't get to do that.

In the 50's and 60's the Disney Company had already established itself in the animation industry and was beginning to do so in the themed entertainment industry as well. Today the Company is one of the largest media empires in the world. Unfortunately, once you begin to take over the world with your brand image you leave that personal family business behind.

[DsnyFvr]

Re: What Walt Said

Walt was concerned the park could fail, today's leaders believe the park can NOT fail. .

That might be one interpretation of that quote. What I take out from reading that quote is that Walt always trying to see what he could do to make the park a better place. I believe he wanted senior park staff to be interacting with the common park guest to get thier opinion on different aspects of the park in order to be on top of different ways that can improve it.
Even with guest input, I think we have all witnessed it still takes the right person at the helm (Matt was a great example) to lead the park in the right direction.

[MickeyMania]

Re: What Walt Said

I was with you until I read that comment. I have to disagree. I DO believe that Disneyland CAN fail. Any park in the wrong hands CAN fail. It has not been so many years since Pressler left. Remember that buildings were falling apart, paint was pealing, and the lack of maintenance caused someone to DIE!

It's true, it's true, that did happen. And it's not coincidental that was the same time Disneyland truly shifted into becoming more and more of a local's park for LA and the satellite cities.

Have you noticed that while the park has improved and decline in quality, it has had no negative change on AP numbers which have continued a rise? Have you noticed that the people who complain most loudly on this board about broken attractions and lazy maintenance are not the people who come from far away to experience Disneyland, but the people who are there most often?

The same people who most strongly believe that Disneyland is on a path to decline must hold their nose and keep buying those APs. They're too attatched or too addicted to Disneyland to let go for it's own good.

With 500,000+ APs (and growing) and special events selling out to local audiences before they can even market them to tourists, Disneyland can hardly die. It could happen under the right set of circumstances, but the most likely result is that it will simply become even more insular.

[BigThunder]

Re: What Walt Said

^What an interesting turn this thread has taken. Here's an idea: The next time Disneyland's overall quality starts to decline (ala the Pressler/Harris era) perhaps all AP holders should go on strike. That many folks staying away at once would send a clear message to park management. There is strength in numbers.

[mycroft16]

Re: What Walt Said

As much as I agree that they should be out in the parks as much as possible (yay Matt!), at least they put the admin building on property. They could have put it out in Burbank or Glendale and further seperated the execs from the park.

[sediment]

Re: What Walt Said

It's true, it's true, that did happen. And it's not coincidental that was the same time Disneyland truly shifted into becoming more and more of a local's park for LA and the satellite cities.

Have you noticed that while the park has improved and decline in quality, it has had no negative change on AP numbers which have continued a rise? Have you noticed that the people who complain most loudly on this board about broken attractions and lazy maintenance are not the people who come from far away to experience Disneyland, but the people who are there most often?

The same people who most strongly believe that Disneyland is on a path to decline must hold their nose and keep buying those APs. They're too attatched or too addicted to Disneyland to let go for it's own good.

With 500,000+ APs (and growing) and special events selling out to local audiences before they can even market them to tourists, Disneyland can hardly die. It could happen under the right set of circumstances, but the most likely result is that it will simply become even more insular.

^What an interesting turn this thread has taken. Here's an idea: The next time Disneyland's overall quality starts to decline (ala the Pressler/Harris era) perhaps all AP holders should go on strike. That many folks staying away at once would send a clear message to park management. There is strength in numbers.

Yes, APer's should buy annual passports, and then not go to the parks. That'll teach management.
Unless you're thinking that APer's should NOT renew their passes. That would be a good idea, too.

I think there's a better way. It's so simple, yet, not unlike kicking a smoking habit, it is nearly impossible to implement without a lot of noise and pain.

Secondly, the special events are for the extreme fans who already have APs. The Halloween nights were offered to AP holders first. And why is this? Because DLr needs to increase park revenues, and this fan base is perfect to exploit.

Lastly, some guests don't, on average, pay as much to get in to the park as others. That lowers the revenue. That lowers the available funds for upkeep and improvements and new attractions and better CM pay (and better CM quality). That makes it harder to justify all these in a Return on Investment analysis versus similar projects at, say, WDW.

[barfownz]

Re: What Walt Said

Disney is blowing it. They arnt following Walt's Perspective. They care about the mula' Not the guest experience.

[BigThunder]

Re: What Walt Said

Yes, APer's should buy annual passports, and then not go to the parks. That'll teach management.
Unless you're thinking that APer's should NOT renew their passes. That would be a good idea, too.

Yes, I was thinking that APer's should not renew their passes if the park experience declines.