If I Were Disney CEO - AstroDisney

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts.  I honestly thought I exorcised all of these ideas already.  I admit, I've wanted to touch up the old articles so I could submit myself for the role now that Iger has a two year limit (tongue firmly in cheek), but there hasn't been a lot I've felt I've needed to express in this area. 

Then, over the past couple of weeks, I've watched an AstroWorld documentary, highlighting the rise and fall of that park in Houston.  That lead me to the Wikipedia rabbit hole of articles on AstroWorld and the Astrodome.  That lead me to investigating the current use of the land in the former AstroDomain and learning how much is sitting unused or ill-used.  

Combine that with a healthy dose of nostalgia, and the news that Universal is getting into the regional parks business with a park in Frisco and a year-round haunt in Las Vegas, and the gears started rolling in my head.  I kept thinking through how best to use the current NRG Park-former AstroDomain area to its fullest.  And in that process, my brain kept coming back to one owner who could truly maximize the potential of that area.

Disney.

I've written before on my thoughts for a Disney park in Texas, but that focused on starting from scratch.  Building an entire resort in a new location somewhere around Central Texas.  The thought was to give Texas a resort somewhere between Disneyland and Disney World.  What makes more sense to me now, is for Disney to look for an area in which they could quickly ramp up and entire the theme park business in Texas. 

Especially when Disney is reconsidering where to spend its $17 billion in park expenditures given its current fight in Florida.

What's better for that, than an area that has an empty theme park parcel of land, plenty of parking, the infrastructure needed to move people across a highway to the theme park, a light rail stop, and current venues that would generate revenue from day one?

With that in mind, I think it's time for Disney to buy the AstroDomain from Houston.

Welcome to AstroDisney.

What's great about this proposal is that Disney gets plenty of space to maximize to its fullest for the construction of a one park resort, with the infrastructure work already in place.  Because Disney is essentially re-establishing the AstroDomain as it had previously existed, the work can go a lot quicker.  Building a true resort area - theme park, hotels, shopping and dining area, and a parking garage, all while leaving the existing buildings.  And possibly adding a water park.

This is how I think it would work.

First, Disney leaves NRG Stadium, the AstroArena/NRG Arena, and the NRG Center as is.  There's no need to mess with what is working, and this can guarantee Disney income from the start to being recouping their investment.  I'd buy NRG out of their naming rights, so that Disney could start relabeling things with the Astro- label (AstroArena, AstroCenter, etc.), but otherwise this all works.

The first thing Disney builds is a parking garage.  In looking at Disney's work in California, Disney built the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage, which was at the time the biggest parking garage in America.  It can hold 10,500 cars.  And thankfully, there's plenty of space for Disney to build something similar here in the lot adjacent to the Astrodome and above the AstroArena, as indicated in the image below.  That will free up a lot of surface parking for expansion.

From there, I would suggest Disney remodeling the Astrodome into a luxury hotel/mixed use space.  It would be a great way to preserve the structure, but make it work in context with the other buildings around the AstroDomain and there have been proposals for similar conversions that have already been suggested to Houston.  Disney could create the rooms around the outer ring, converting the old field into the pool and slide area.  With the roof, they could do a pretty amazing projection fireworks show at night and make this a really special hotel to stay at.

I would then build a version of the Downtown Disney area from California from the AstroDome to the pedestrian bridge across to the theme park plot.  The area from California perfectly fits, including the Grand Californian.  If Disney so desired, it could build a second hotel - the Grand Texan resort, in which they could add their time share component, the Disney Vacation Club.  This adds hotel, dining, and retail space to the area, enhancing the athletic and convention space and leaving some surface parking in addition to a new garage.  Win, win, win.

Then across the street, in the empty space, Disney has a blank canvas.  They could build any park they desired, but for nostalgia, I would go with AstroDisney.  A Disney theme park themed to their space related properties.  The image below is crude, but it conveys the point of the massive space Disney has to work with.  Disney could add their entire Tomorrowland from Disneyland in California, Pandora from Animal Kingdom, Star Wars Galaxies Edge from Disneyland, a version of the Avengers Campus from California Adventure (including the expansion space), and Mission Space/Space 220 from Epcot.  All with room to spare.  The land is there and its open, though I did bring in a car lot that has entered that space.

Additionally, there's land available around the space for admin and offsite back of house.  They could likely even acquire land close to the park for a version of the Star Wars Starcruiser boutique hotel if they desired.

Again, land available, ready for prime investment. 

Now if I could just convince Disney to do it.  

It makes sense to my brain if nothing else.

He's All Risk

The title is a quote by Doris Hardoon, recruited by Crump in the late 1970s for the development of EPCOT. 

For Disney theme park and animation fans, there are certain artists whose style is easy to identify.  Mary Blair's mid-century, colorful style that would make it's a small world come to life.  Claude Coat's moody and atmospheric art that would fit the Haunted Mansion to a T.   Harper Goff's paintings, which would come to define Disney park concept art.

Roland "Rolly" Crump was one such artist.  

If artist could be summed up in a phrase, Rolly's would be, "wouldn't it be cool if we..."

Crump started as an assistant animator on such film classics as Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians.  In 1959, he would join WED Enterprises, the former name for Walt Disney Imagineering.  And it's here that Rolly proved to be a trailblazing pioneer.

Crump would be a key designer on attractions like The Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room.  With the Mansion, it was Crump that brought the funny, blending together with Claude Coat's spooky and atmospheric to create the attraction that is loved by millions today.  Crump would also be a key imagineer for the Disney attractions at the 1964 World's Fair, contributing to the it's a small world attraction by notably creating the Tower of The Four Winds structure that served as the marquee.  When the attraction was moved to Disneyland, Crump designed the animated clock face that served as a timepiece and exterior for the beloved attraction.

His art always went to the whimsical and weird, perfectly encapsulated in his famed lost attraction The Museum of the Weird.  He created many, many bits for this attraction that ranged from a clock with 13 hours, to a chair with a face, to a melting wax man.  It would have been a wonderful attraction and I still hope that it will be resurrected someday.

Rolly passed away Sunday, March 12, 2023 at his home at the age of 93.  His art and legacy will continue to entertain children of all ages for many, many years to come.

If I Were Disney CEO - DisneylandForward

There's a great big beautiful tomorrow...just a dream away... 

(c) Disney

Disney has been in the news for several different reasons of late, but DisneylandForward is one of the most interesting from my perspective.  It's part blue sky imagineering, part local political intrigue, and all shrewd business.  DisneylandForward represents an interesting long-term planning strategy for the Disneyland Resort.  

The Disneyland Resort was always in an awkward position regarding future expansion, given its nature of being the first resort built.  At the time, Disney was simply a single park, parking lot, and eventual hotel.  Because of the park's overwhelming success, businesses began popping up as close to the park as possible, with many being directly across the street.  This started boxing Disney in regarding future expansion.  

The company does own a larger parcel of land near the resort, currently used as an additional parking lot, which has been previously earmarked for a third theme park, but there are several logistical issues regarding this location.  It's physically separated from the other two parks, directly across the street from the Anaheim Convention center, and nearly 0.75 miles from the current park gates.  There would need to be some sort of transportation system needed to get back and forth between the new park and the existing parks, and that system would need to cross at least a couple of major thoroughfares.  

More recently, the complicating factor has been the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan, a subset of the Anaheim Resort Area Specific Plan.  These two documents coordinated with the city of Anaheim, govern much of what Disneyland can do with the resort area land.  It governs the number of hotel rooms that Disney can build, the number of timeshare rooms it can build, which parcels of land can be parking, which can be hotel, which can be theme parks or shopping, etc.

This more than anything has been the greatest complicating factor for Disney's plans and has actively derailed some of the company's most recent attempts to revitalize the resort.  The resort plan combined with an Anaheim city council that was less friendly to Disney led to the cancellation of the Eastern Gateway Expansion, abandoning plans for a large parking structure on Disney's eastern side as well as a pedestrian bridge to the park's gates.  It cancelled the planned four-diamond hotel expansion of the Disneyland Hotel into the previous Downtown Disney space, leaving much of that section still vacant.

Things began to turn around last November for Disney in Anaheim.  The election brought a more favorable city council to Anaheim.  And while the pandemic has closed the resort for a little over a year, with it only opening a few days ago, the importance of Disney to the success of Anaheim has been brought to the forefront of everyone's mind there. Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu summed it best.  “This is a monumental day for Anaheim.  We have all missed the joy of Disneyland, and we’re so glad to have that back. But this means so much more to working families, small businesses and our city. The impact of having the theme parks closed for more than 13 months due to the pandemic has been devastating. This begins our economic recovery and brings hope back to Anaheim.”

So, it is in this environment that Disney released DisneylandForward on March 25, 2021.  DisneylandForward contains no specifics, no detailed plans for expansion, but rather presents possibilities.  All of the concept art, all of the diagrams, are designed to curry public favor for the expansion, so that Disney can take greater control of the Disneyland Resort Area.  So that Disney can control what it places where, how many hotel rooms it adds, where new attractions can go, and so on.

That's what makes the concept art above so intriguing.  One pitch by Disney is to expand both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure into the parking lots surrounding the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel.  An unprecedented mixture of hotel and theme park.  Disney would then rely on its two current parking garage, as well as a new parking garage in the Eastern Expansion.  The proposed third park location would become a spot for a new hotel and shopping/dining area.

You can see the concessions Disney will likely make to Anaheim as well.  The change in designation of the proposed third park location from theme park to mixed use hotel and shopping/dining likely means Disney will agree to split their land in two in order to allow the expansion of Gene Autry Way from the Convention Center to Angel Stadium.  The push for expansion toward the hotels, likely means an improved Eastern Gateway Bridge from the city's perspective.  

It's a shrewd business move, particularly in a depressed economy. With the friendlier city council, it will be likely something Disney can accomplish.

I'm particularly interested in watching its development, because it ticks several boxes that I suggested in my If I Were Disney CEO - Disneyland Resort blog.  Expansion of Gene Autry Way.  The use of the proposed third park location for parking and hotels.  A greater expansion of Downtown Disney.  The likely need for buying the Anaheim GardenWalk as a connector to the space.

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes and "mouse ears" on this one.

High on Pixie Dust

(c) Disney Parks Blog

I haven't written about Disney in a while, despite their being a few topics that have piqued my interest recently (like Disneyland Forward).  So, as the start of a few entries on the topic, I thought I would start with a recent editorial column from the Orlando Sentinel.

I love Disney World, but wokeness is ruining the experience.

In the column, self-proclaimed Disney superfan, Jonathan VanBoskerk wrote of his struggles in strongly rethinking his family's commitment to Disney (a very interesting way to put it) because of what he characterized as the company's change in values.  VanBoskerk pointed to Disney's recent updating of their company keys to success in cast member training to include Inclusion,  the relaxation of cast member appearance policy to include "gender-inclusive" hairstyles, jewelry, costumes, and make-up, as well as allowing some visible tattoos, the replacement of Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog themed flume ride, and changes to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise.  In perhaps his most telling quote, VanBoskerk reveals how he can not separate his enjoyment of the park from the nostalgia inherent in him experiencing the park as he believes he should.  "The next time I ride Jungle Cruise I will not be thinking about the gloriously entertaining puns of the skippers, I will be thinking about Disney’s political agenda. That’s a mood killer."

Look, I'm one of the biggest Disney Parks fans that you will ever meet.  I've been going to Disney parks since the early 1980s and have seen a lot of changes come and go through the parks.  Some for the better and some for the worse.  The original Journey Into Imagination ride has yet to be matched and the ride that exists in its place is a tragedy.  I will gladly join the chorus and bemoan the loss of things like Spectromagic, Horizons, The Great Movie Ride, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

This article however, is patently ridiculous.  Just because you might be blind to how something may be grossly offensive to a sizable population of the visitors of the park, does not mean it is not offensive.  There are definitely cringe-worthy caricatures and stereotypes that are visible in the parks.  Pirates of the Caribbean had a cringe-worthy Asian pirate caricature, addressed long before they ever removed the bride auction.  The bride auction is amazing that it lasted this long and while the new scene isn't handled as deftly as the previous one, with a little adjustment, the bride auction would not be missed.  The Jungle Cruise has always had imperialist, racist caricatures of natives in the ride.  Again, this isn't something we should be saddened by their loss.  From the concept art for the replacement scenes, they look to focus more heavily on animals, and to continue the humor that has become part and parcel of the ride experience.  That's a good change.  And while I've always maintained that Song of the South is more boring than it is problematic, the change to Princess and the Frog will be a welcomed one (especially in Disneyland, where it fits much better), though the animatronics may be a down-grade.

Have we become that self-centered, that narcissistic, that our nostalgia matters more than our empathy?  Have we become that hardened, that we turn a blind eye to whatever doesn't offend us?  VanBoskerk labels himself in the article as a Christian and conservative, making his rant even more troubling.  As Christians, we should be the first to consider the feelings of others and to desire to make them feel included.  To love our neighbor as ourselves and to put them before us.  That is quite literally Paul's entire point in Romans 14.  "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification."  In that passage, Paul in his liberty knew there was no food that was unclean to eat, but put aside his freedom to make sure that his brothers and sisters did not stumble because of his actions.  

And that is in a situation where Paul knew he had the freedom to do so, as did his brothers and sisters in Christ.  He just wanted to protect their consciences.

How much more should we act when we know there are things out their causing our brothers and sisters real offense and hurt.

At the end of it all, it will still be a theme park.  One of the best in the world.  It will still be a place to escape from reality into fantasy, tomorrow, and adventure.  It will still be a place that is the "happiest place on earth."

These changes can just make it a little happier for everyone who visits.

Reason and Emotion, Redux

It's hard to believe this was shared only a little over two years ago.  It's still relevant.

And bears repeating.

When the United States entered World War II, Hollywood was not too far behind.  Through the creation of the Office of Wartime Information in 1942 and in particular, its Bureau of Motion Pictures, Hollywood was essentially drafted.  Hollywood had been enlisted to help create motion pictures that would further America's war aims, including propaganda and educational films.  By 1943, every studio, except Paramount, was letting the Office of Wartime Information examine their movie scripts.

Disney was no exception.

In fact, the government looked to Walt Disney more than any other studio chief as a builder of public morale providing instruction and training of soldiers, using animated graphics to mobilize servicemen and civilians for the cause of the war.

Between 1942 and 1945, Walt Disney productions was involved in the production of propaganda films for the United States government. These included animated shorts involving Mickey and friends either enlisting or supporting the war effort, the feature film Victory Through Air Power explaining how the United States should become the preeminent air power through more modern planes and long range bombing, educational films for the servicemen like Four Methods of Flush Riveting, and even animated sequences for Capra's Why We Fight series.  They also designed cartoon insignia and mascots for the different divisions of the armed services.  (There is a great collection of the various insignia here.)

One of the most striking animated short films of this era that the Walt Disney company produced is Reason and Emotion.

The cartoon starts like a typical cartoon of the era, explaining how we all have two drives: reason and emotion.  When we are born, we are all emotion, getting in trouble because of our impulses.  The cartoon zooms into a baby's head to show it run by a cave toddler named Emotion who lives there alone.  After the baby tumbles down the stairs following Emotion's suggestion, a stuffed shirt little baby arrives name Reason, who explains that this whole mess could have been avoided if he had gotten there sooner.

The cartoon then jumps forward in time to show Reason and Emotion fighting for control of the driver's seat of the now adult man. As Reason drives, everything is fine, but when Emotion is in control, the man rudely comes on to a woman and gets slapped.   We then follow the battle between Reason and Emotion in that young woman, in whom Reason is keeping her on a diet and Emotion begins to destroy all that progress.  Not the most enlightened situations to demonstrate for either sex.

At this point, the short reaches its point.  It scrolls through newspaper headlines of the day and focused on how they impact an everyman.  How a constant stream of bad news about the war turns this everyman into a nervous wreck.  And it's not really the media, as much it is every neighbor's or acquaintance's thoughts and opinions and fears about the true bits of news that they are hearing that weigh on our everyman.  As we zoom in, Reason tries to remain calm, but Emotion fully gives into fear lashing out and looking to incapacitate Reason with the controls.  At this point the narrator interacts directly with Reason and Emotion, adding "Go ahead! Put Reason out of the way! That's fine...for HITLER!"

The focus then shifts to show how Hitler preyed on Emotion through every tactic and technique.  Preying on fears - fear of the Gestapo, the Concentration Camps, the enemies, the others.  Seeking sympathy, arguing that he really wanted peace but everyone else dragged him into war.  That everyone was picking on him.  Rallying behind pride.  Pride in the Fatherland, pride in their heritage, pride in their race.  And finally, dragging out hate.  Hate for the other, the lesser, the lower.

As the short zooms into a German spectator's headspace, our narrator now cries, "Behold! the Nazi Superman."  Revealing a person fully ruled by Emotion (now with spiked helmet), stamping out Reason and any rational objection.  Emotion keeps growing larger and larger, as Reason keeps shrinking.

The short ends reminding us of the purposes of both Reason and Emotion.  Reason is to think, plan, and discriminate.  Emotion drives our passion for country, freedom, and life.  So long as Reason is in the driver's seat with Emotion at his side, we can accomplish whatever task is before us.

--------------------

Truth be told, I think Emotion is running a little amok today.  Emotion converts patriotism to nationalism.  Emotion lets our fears create policy.  Emotion is fed by and sustains clickbait and "fake news."  Emotion is easily digestible in 140 characters.

Emotion propagates conspiracy.  It takes pieces of information and puts it together in a way that we want to be true.  That we just absolutely believe to be true - no matter what the facts say.

We need Reason back in charge.  Absorbing and rationally sorting through the information we receive.  Verifying statements made and pictures shared on the internet before acting and sharing.  Trusting in the checks and balances of power that have held our form of government together for nearly two-hundred and fifty years, instead of calling for their removal.

If we continue on the path of Emotion, I fear we are headed for that time Lincoln feared where "we ourselves are its author and finisher."  Emotion is pulling us in two.  In completely separate directions, both afraid of the other.

So again, can we put Reason back in charge?

Disney's Talespin: The Problem of Influencing Social Media

These were supposed to be good weeks for the Walt Disney Company. D23, their big corporate fan convention, where they get to promote all their good press, is coming up this weekend. The press on Galaxy's Edge should be changing for the better with the blackouts being removed from the Disneyland park and the Disney Hollywood Studios version coming online.

Then everything started going sideways.

First, the Disney rumor mill was stirred with reports of exactly why Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland "underperformed."  Then, an alleged expose of Disney's manipulation of the online community was posted.  On the same day, an ex-accountant blew the whistle on Disney allegedly inflating revenue for years to the tune of billions of dollars.

To understand the significance of many of these events, a little Disney history is needed.

Despite a popular perception of Walt as the man in charge, Disney has always worked best when there are two visionaries at the head of the company.  In the original days, it was the two brothers, Roy O. and Walt.  Walt was the dreamer, envisioning projects no one had dared attempt before.  But Roy was a visionary in his own right.  Roy was the money man, and he had the insight and the experience to trust Walt and to make Walt's dreams happen or rein him in when necessary.  It was Roy who approached the television studios to get financing for Disneyland.  In brokering that deal, Roy secured advertising and financing in one fell swoop.  Their partnership is what allowed Disney to continue to innovate and prosper.

When Walt died, Roy assumed control, but focused on safer bets.  The Florida Project started with a theme park as opposed to the radical new urban design Walt had hoped for.  Even that theme park would be a closer copy to Disneyland that Walt would have done.

To say the company floundered without Walt would be an understatement.  The company would continue in this meandering path until the late 1980s/early 1990s.

The more general population would attribute the Disney Renaissance, as this period became known, to Michael Eisner.  Eisner was the visible creative.  A successful producer at Paramount, Eisner brought a new life and energy to the Disney Company.  Eisner's early success with the Walt Disney company, though, must also be attributed to his President and Chief Operating Officer, Frank Wells.

Wells and Eisner were brought in as a team by Roy O. Disney to replace Ron Miller.  Eisner would be CEO and Chairman, Wells President and COO.  Once again, we had another successful combination - Eisner the big idea man, Wells the practical applicant.   Wells could make Eisner's out of the box ideas happen, or pull him back when they went too far.

The Wells and Eisner team had a lot of hits in the early 90s.  Disney Animation quiet literally roared back into prominence with The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.  Parks and Resorts opened Disneyland Paris, Disney MGM Studios, planned for Disney Animal Kingdom, and announced the Disney Decade.  The company looked unstoppable.

On Easter 1994, Frank Wells was killed in a helicopter crash returning from a ski trip in the Ruby Mountains.  Of the five people aboard the helicopter, only one would survive.

Eisner's tenure following Wells' untimely death was marked by disappointment, frustration, and infighting.  A string of flops in Disney Animation.  The very public breakup with Jeffrey Katzenberg and the PIXAR/Dreamworks feud.  The failure to launch several theme parks (Disney's America, Port Disney, WestCot) and the ultimate failure of Disney California Adventure.  The "Save Disney" campaign and shareholder/board fight.

It's this Save Disney era and background that the recent troubles stem from. Save Disney referred to a campaign by Roy E. Disney, Roy O.’s son and Walt’s nephew, to oust Michael Eisner from the company. Roy felt there was too much micromanagement within the studio, too little success with the ABC acquisition, too much timidity in the theme parks, and an overall transition into a “rapacious, soul-less” company. Roy was able to rally shareholders to withhold their proxies in March 2004 and refuse to re-elect Eisner to the board of directors. From there, it took Eisner a year to step down as CEO.

One of the key tools Roy E. Disney was able to use in the Save Disney campaigns, and one of the chief sources of support came from the early internet.  Enter Al Lutz.

Lutz was a former recording industry executive who gained a following in the pre-internet days, with the alt.disney.disneyland USENET newsgroup, where he edited the Disneyland Information Guide, an unofficial resource for information about Disneyland.  What started as an FAQ quickly became a gossip column, with articles about the perceived decline in value and quality in the Disneyland park.  And during this time, there was a lot to write about, particularly in light of the fatal incidents on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the S.S. Columbia at the time.

Lutz's columns on Mouseplanet and Micechat/Miceage developed a devoted following.  Readers ate up the behind the scenes peek into the tumult of the Disney company.  After Disney California Adventure premiered with a dud, readers followed Lutz in blaming Paul Pressler and Cynthia Harris.  Media even started paying attention with columns that reported on Lindsay Lohan's antics at Disneyland or the changing of the it's a small world boats to accommodate "heavier" guests.

To say Lutz's columns bothered the Disney Company is an understatement.

Lutz's health, though, prevented him from continuing his column as long as everyone may have liked.  Suffering from the effects of Parkinson's disease, he largely retired from regular writing around 2005, coming back from time to time for an April Fools post or the like.

Two weeks ago, Lutz reappeared back online at Disney fan site MiceChat with a rumor column on August 13, 2019.  This time, however, he came back with a post very similar to his early posts - filled with backstage drama and corporate inner workings, very critical of the decisions of the Walt Disney Company.

In the column, Lutz outlined the internal concerns over the performance of Galaxy's Edge, the new Star Wars land, and pointed to the likely causes. In particular, Lutz pointed to the choices made by Parks Chairman Bob Chapek to remove the third ride from the land (a unique C-ticket transportation ride), the large space dinner theater restaurant, and the live action characters and droids from the land. These cuts combined with the bungled preparations and over correcting for crowds put Disneyland at an attendance level down 1.8%. In a year when everything was supposed to be at its peak, the blame seemed to be placed at Chapek's feet.

That column sent shockwaves through the Disney organization.  Just as his columns did in the transition from Eisner to Iger.

Last week, things really hit the fan with the posting of Gary Snyder's article, The [DIS] Influencer, on Medium.  Snyder purported to pull back the curtain completely, revealing Al Lutz to have been largely ghost written by Disney company spokespeople.  According to Snyder, Lutz has not ever written anything for MiceChat and had not been writing since 2002.  Those columns, the columns in the Save Disney time, those heavily influential, critical columns were the product of a ghostwriter planted by the Disney company.  This plant was alleged to be the plan of Zenia Mucha, the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for the Walt Disney company.  Mucha allegedly used this ghostwriter to orchestrate the transition of Robert Iger into power as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  Further, the column would be used to direct fan anger into specific areas that the Disney company would like it to go (and presumably distract it away from areas that it would not).

The news sent the Disney online community spinning.  Trying to out other posters as corporate shills.  Trying to track down an answer from TP2000/Troy Porter, the alleged ghostwriter.  Discussion on the topic on the forums on MiceChat was shut down.  But the community came to the realization that everyone should have online - unless you can ask the writer in person, you have no real proof that anyone who writes on the web is who they say they are.

You have no idea of their biases, unless they let them show.  You have no idea of their influences.  You have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.

Plus, Disney has long been known for perusing the online forums for essentially free market research.

The final nail for Disney came from a former accountant.  Sandra Kuba, a former senior financial analyst, reported that she had met with the SEC to report Disney for overstating revenue in the parks and resorts division by billions of dollars by exploiting weaknesses in the company's accounting software.

This again does not come as a surprise to those paying attention.  There were definitely allegations of graft and money laundering in the construction of Shanghai Disney.  Plus the budgets of attractions are getting to the $100 hammer points.

Couple all the above with a tepid D23 expo over the weekend, and Disney is not coming off well.  Throw in a spat with Sony over the rights to Spider-man and even the most die-hard fans are starting to notice.

As a die-hard fan, this is all a bit tough, but not all that surprising.  We are definitely at a point again where Disney is reacting but not really stretching itself.

Maybe it's time for a new pair at the top?  A new Roy and Walt, Eisner and Wells.

This will be something I'm keeping my eye on.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 43 - Further Acquisitions

For the last entry in the If I Were Disney CEO series before the conclusion, I wanted to turn a focus to additional companies and assets that I believe Disney should acquire to add to their stable.  Of late,  Disney has seemed to be on a purchasing spree with ABC/Cap Cities, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox.  These acquisitions have all either stemmed from an existing partnership or filled a whole in Disney's perceived reach.

The acquisitions below fall into different categories.  First, a certain set springs from a naturally occurring partnership that could only be strengthened by bringing the partner company in house.  The next set is comprised of individual assets that need to be acquired in order to fully monetize an existing Disney property.  Finally,  there are a handful of resort adjacent experiences that should be acquired to round out particular parks and resorts.

Natural Partnerships:

• The Jim Henson Company - This is the deal that should have been reached by Eisner when the Muppets were acquired, but there were too many missteps along the way.  This would seem to be mutually beneficial to both the Muppets and to the Jim Henson Company.  The Muppets have suffered from not having a creative lead and Brian and Lisa Henson would be excellent fits.  The Jim Henson Company has struggled to establish an identity apart from their most successful creations.  The two parts should be reunited under the Disney umbrella, to allow for full utilization.  Disney now would even have a branch for the more adult humor projects of the Jim Henson Company through 20th Century Fox.  True, this deal would not include the Sesame Street characters, but it is needed.
• Studio Ghibli - The Japanese masters of hand drawn animation.  As addressed in the post on Walt Disney Feature Animation, I believe that Disney should be unmatched in all forms of animation, and to that goal, having an anime studio would be a great asset.  Ghibli is the undisputed king of anime film and Disney has had a previous partnership thanks to Pixar's appreciation of Miyazaki.  This arrangement would provide Ghibli an international distribution arm and would give Disney access to incredible content for the Tokyo parks.  A match made in heaven.
• Aardman Animatnion - Under similar reasoning as Studio Ghibli, Disney needs a stop-motion animation arm.  Aardman carries very unique sensibilities and very British sensibilities, which would be beneficial in continuing to foster the international company that Disney has become.  Laika would also be a good fit here, but they have much stronger ties to Universal.  Aardman has always been and fought to be independent and it's that streak that sealed their choice for me.
• MGM - It's no secret that the once great MGM has been struggling in recent years.  And while this deal is not as sweet as it could have been in years past thanks to the sale of its pre-1986 assets, it is still fairly impressive with the post-1986 library, the United Artists Library, and the Orion library.  In particular, this would get access to the Bond, Rocky, and Robocop franchises.    It would also restore the possibility of the Disney MGM Studios branding.  With 20th Century Fox added to the stable, this is not as important of an acquisition, but a possibility nonetheless. 
• Feld Entertainment - Feld Entertainment is the producer of the Disney on Ice and Disney Arena shows.  That alone would be reason to bring this in house.  But the real reason I would seek to acquire Feld is the Barnum and Bailey Circus.  I know the circus has stopped touring, but the cache of the name recognition of this circus, tied into the the themed areas that Disney makes famous like Main Street, would make this a no brainer.  Imagine being able to have an official Barnum and Bailey Circus off Main Street.  Or to combine production styles to have Lion King Broadway style puppets to represent the animals in the historic shows, with the aerialists, gymnasts, and other entertainers in the current circus.  
• Hasbro - This is a combination of Hasbro already having the major Disney licenses like Marvel, Star Wars, etc.  and Hasbro being home to some classic properties that were classic Marvel comics.  GI Joe, Transformers, and ROM Space Knight all had classic runs as Marvel Comics and have never quite reached that success in subsequent runs.  As we've seen with Star Wars and Conan, it's been good when these properties come back home to Marvel.  This would be a great synergy to achieve this and would also provide great additional fodder for future Toy Story movies.

Individual Assets for full monetization:

• Roger Rabbit - Currently the rights to this are shared with Amblin and Steven Spielberg, such that any future development requires Spielberg's sign off and approval.  Roger could be a great character to reintroduce, but Disney needs full control.  I would trade Spielberg the rights to his films made under the Dreamworks SKG/Disney Partnership in exchange for the Rabbit.  Perhaps then the sequel could get made using The Stooge as an inspiration for an Oswald/Roger pairing.
• The Rocketeer - Dave Stevens character made a great 1990s Disney film, but has fallen into beloved obscurity due to Stevens untimely death.   While there have been subsequent comic adaptations by a host of great artists and writers, the Rocketeer has never quite soared to the heights that he could.  I would love to see Disney get control of this character to be able to explore the sequels that have been suggested both in film and television.
• Dick Tracy - Another interesting movie from the 1990s whose sequel has languished in development hell.  The comic has continued, but even that has had the rights tied up forever.  I would have Disney work through the necessary untangling to see the classic detective in yellow brought under their stable.  Potential for a Marvel comic and further development in film and television, particularly with the great color aesthetic the Beatty film established.
• Conan - While the comic has come home to Marvel, I'd like to see the rights fully utilized by the company.  This one is about making sure Conan is always a Marvel comic.  Further, the three properties above (Rocketeer, Dick Tracy, and Conan) would all make good pulp properties for development under Lucasfilm for television and film projects.  

Resort Adjacent Experiences:

• Sports Teams around Anaheim - Disney previously owned the Anaheim Ducks and the Anaheim Angels.  Given the proximity to the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Angels made a large amount of sense.  With the Disneyland resort nearly completely locked into its current size and almost at full build out, rounding out the resort experience is going to take partnerships.  Arts and entertainment is easy to add - Downtown Disney has previously had live music opportunities and a movie theater.  A theater for live performance would be easy to add.  Sporting would require alternate arrangements.  Reinvesting in those previous properties as well as seeking to add perhaps one of the Los Angeles basketball and soccer teams with a new, Anaheim located stadium would seem to provide lots of opportunities to attract and keep tourists at the Disneyland resort longer.  Further, should a baseball team like the Anaheim Angels be acquired, perhaps Disney could arrange it so that their spring training is at the Wide World of Sports in Walt Disney World, to replace the leaving Atlanta Braves.  If not the suggestion for Disney World would be to acquire a minor league ball team that could play a fuller season at the Walt Disney World complex.
• Properties along Harbor in Anaheim - I know this is already happening, but Disney needs as much real estate along Harbor adjacent to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as possible.  If Disney wants to be able to create a real resort bubble in California, it needs as much of this land as it can acquire.
• Mears Transportation - Mears is an Orlando based bus and taxi service that has expanded into several United States markets.  Mears has had a long standing relationship with the Walt Disney Company and has operated the Magical Express buses for the Walt Disney World Resort since their inception.  As Walt Disney World begins to grow and to truly develop the infrastructure needed to manage their city down there in Florida, it may be beneficial to have a master transportation company running the buses around the property.  Further, their connections in many other United States markets would be beneficial for the potential third Disney resort and Regional based entertainment.  It would be an increase in liability, but worth exploring.The list below is not exclusive, but is a fairly comprehensive list of the remaining assets I would see to acquire.  The rest of Disney's future would lie in its inherent ability to create.

This list is not exclusive, but fairly comprehensive in terms of my recommendations for further acquisitions.  After this list is completed, it would be time to focus on internal development.

Up next in the series - finally, a conclusion

Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions

In the middle of vacation planning mode and that always gets me excited.  I'm the planner.  I look for all the things to do, all the best places to eat, the regional food that I really want to try, etc.  And when we're visiting theme parks, that means I'm researching all the rides and attractions and creating my priority list of can't miss, want to, and never rides.

With the Disney parks, I can practically create that list from memory.  I know the layout of the stateside parks by hand and know exactly what I have to ride and do.  There's always new food to try, but my favorite attractions are pretty set.

In that vein, I thought I would share today my top 10 favorite Disney attractions.  Most still operational (RIP Great Movie Ride), and most in the best version to experience them (looking at Everest sideways).  I've noted the best park to experience them at, as there are differences in the cloned rides.  Otherwise, this gives a pretty rounded experience of the variety of attractions that Disney offers.

So, without further ado, my list of my Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions, in order of creation:

• Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland (1967) - Walt's masterpiece.  This contains everything he worked toward.  Extensive audio-animatronics.  Beautiful effects.  Fully transportive environments, especially in the siege of the fort - the simple effect leading to smoke and clouds on the night sky is so amazing.  The Disneyland location is the best stateside with the two drops to get under the train station and the collapsing building section.  
• The American Adventure, EPCOT (1982) - Disney's best audio-animatronic show.  Disney does Americana better than anyone and this is no exception.  Ben Franklin and Mark Twain telling the story of American history.  This may get bumped up a few notches just for the Voices of Liberty pre-show.
• Great Movie Ride, Disney Hollywood Studios (1989) - This one is here simply for my love of movies.  A ride through an audio-animatronic extravaganza filled with classic movies is right up my alley.  Yes, the live actors could be kind of hokey and yes, Disney did this ride no service by ignoring maintenance and broken effects.   The Wicked Witch animatronic remains one of the most impressive that Disney has ever created.  And the ride serving as a perfect thesis for the park has not been matched.  While the Mickey ride should be good, this one is missed.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney Hollywood Studios (1994) - Perhaps the best all-around attraction that Disney has ever put together. Especially the Florida version with the 5th Dimension room.  The grounds and decor are so beautifully derelict.  The nods to Twilight Zone episodes are wonderful Easter eggs.  And the experience on the ride with greater than gravity freefall is a lot of fun.
• Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Disneyland (1995) - Another top notch attraction from Disney.  The enhanced motion jeep allowing a vehicle on a flat surface to seem like it's travelling over bumps and dips is incredible.  The effects with fire, projections, set pieces, and the boulder all make this a very thrilling ride.  The music from the films just elevates that experience.  Add in one amazing queue and you have probably the best ride at Disneyland.
• Kilimanjaro Safaris, Disney Animal Kingdom (1998) - For the signature ride at Animal Kingdom, Disney Imagineers took a different approach. They finally realized Walt Disney's dream for the Jungle Cruise, by creating a ride where the guests would encounter live animals.  And they were able to engineer some pretty close encounters.  Clever rockwork and perspective hides protection gaps between the guests and the animals so you truly feel like you are on a wild safari.
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Disney Hollywood Studios (1999) - A very simple concept.  A roller coaster timed to classic rock.  And it works so effectively.  My favorite combination is "Love in an Elevator."  That song plays such that when you get to the final stop, the last bars of the song just echo off the walls.  
• Soarin' Over California, Disney California Adventure (2001) - The functionality of the ride is so simple, it's amazing.  Designed from an erector set, the ride allows you to simulate the feeling of hang gliding over locations from across California, ending at Disneyland at night.  The ride is a gentle and beautiful experience with an incredible score.
• Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (Yeti - A Mode), Disney Animal Kingdom (2006) - When everything is working, this is the best roller coaster on Disney property.  I was fortunate in my first ride to see the Yeti in A mode.  The largest and most complicated audio-animatronic Disney ever created, the Yeti at 25 feet tall would lunge out at your car and try to grab it as you pass through the final section of the coaster.  It was a terrifying sight.  The Yeti in B Mode, or "Disco Yeti," where movement is simulated through a strobe light, not so much.  It's still a fun coaster, but is excellent when it's all functional.  Hopefully, they will finally crack how to fix the mountain before too long.
• Radiator Springs Racers, Disney California Adventure (2012) - This is where all of Disney's tricks come together to make one impressive new ride. Part dark ride with large scale impressive animatronics, part thrilling race through imagineered rockwork, the ride is all fun.  Beautiful attention to detail in recreating the Cars universe, combined with the simple thrill of driving with the top down and feeling the wind on your face.  One of Disney's best recent offerings.

That's my list.  For those of you that have visited, what are your favorite attractions?

If I Were Disney CEO Part 38 - National Geographic Television

"We are perfectly positioned to be part of that portfolio and connect with this curious tribe of people around the world, which is what National Geographic has been all about for about 130 years."

Gary Knell, Nat Geo Partners Chairman

On being part of Disney's Kingdom - "Nobody manages brands better than they do."

The National Geographic Channel launched on Jaunary 12, 2001 as a joint venture of National Geographic Television & Film and Fox Cable Networks.  National Geographic provided programming expertise and the Fox Networks Group provided its expertise on distribution, marketing, and advertising.  The group launched an HD simulcast in January 2006 and a Spanish Channel, Nat Geo Mundo, in 2011. Other sister networks include Nat Geo Wild, launched on March 29, 2010, focusing primarily on wildlife and natural history programming, and Nat Geo People, a rebranded Adventure One (A1), rebranded in 2007, focused on a younger demographic and based around outdoor adventure and travel.

The network dropped the word "Channel" in 2016 to focus just on the very clean branding National Geographic.  As part of the 21st Century Fox acquisition, National Geographic is now part of the Disney family of channels and has been folded in to Walt Disney Television.

Disney has recognized the strength of the National Geographic brand and its natural fit with the Disney company, particularly given Disney's history and Walt's early interests.  National Geographic is being positioned as an initial pillar of Disney+, Disney's streaming service.  And it's from that history and the current plans that my recommendations for this network start.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Integrate Disneynature - As with the film division, television will need to integrate with Disneynature, Disney's current nature programming division.  Offerings have been films so far, but they must have hours of additional footage.  Current films should be rebranded under National Geographic and all assets of the division should be folded into this brand.
• Promote the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund - Established by Walt Disney Attractions in 1995 to promote and enable global wildlife conservation through relationships with scientists, educators, and organizations committed to preserving the earth's biodiversity.  It has been a cornerstone of Disney's Animal Kingdom resort.  Annual cash awards are distributed to nonprofit organizations to protect and study endangered and threatened animals and their habitats.  The National Geographic channel would provide a home to continue to promote this worthwhile organization.
• Look Deep into the Libraries - National Geographic, by virtue of being part of the Disney family has access to the Disney and 21st Century Fox libraries.  The network should be looking deep into these libraries.  Should Biography be resurrected?  Or the Disneyland/Wonderful World of Color Adventureland material?  Everything should be on the table.
• Resurrect the True-Life Adventures banner - Disney's True- Life Adventures were Disney's classic nature documentaries.  A little controversial (the lemming film in particular), but those lessons have definitely been learned.  A continuing True Life Adventure program would be a great way of showing the integration.
• Consider offloading one or both of the sister channels - I'm all for focusing on what works and not overwhelming and already crowded market.  If there is a way to streamline and have just the National Geographic channel and the streaming portal on Disney+ that would strengthen both, I'm all for it.  Otherwise, I would look for a way to see if the two sister networks could be combined into one National Geographic, Jr. to continue to branding Disney uses on its channels.
• Broadcast from Disney Animal Kingdom - Disney on its Disney Now app has already been showing Disney animals and streaming bits from the animal care portions of Disney Animal Kingdom.  Again, this would seem a great place to continue that programming, particularly if a National Geographic, Jr. was implemented.
• Broadcast feeds streaming, which feeds broadcast - This has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating.  This is probably the most important component of success for the any television channel going forward.  The connectivity between broadcast and streaming will be key, or broadcast will be replaced by streaming.  National Geographic is already positioned to be a pillar of Disney+.  Presumably there will be a place for unique, premier content on Disney+.  Could a season premier on Disney+ and then be aired on National Geographic at some point later later?  

The above reflects just a few initial thoughts on this new important brand in the Disney portfolio.  I foresee nothing but success with this integration.

Up next in the series - Streaming - Disney+ and Hulu

Disney Acquisition of 20th Century Fox Closes

It's official.  The Disney acquisition of 20th Century Fox has closed as of 12:02 am ET this morning.  The New York Times has summed this up with a quote from The Lion King.  "Everything the light touches is yours."

This makes Disney the largest studio by far.  The website for the Walt Disney Company has already been  updated to reflect the change.   Images for Avatar, The Simpsons, Fox Searchlight, National Geographic, Fox Sports India, and Deadpool have been mixed in with Frozen, Toy Story, Fantasia, Captain Marvel, and Star Wars.

Disney now owns the 20th Century Fox movie and television studio, which has one of the greatest remaining back catalogs, Blue Sky Animation, the National Geographic and FX cable networks, most of the streaming service Hulu, and Star, the fast-growing television service provider in India.  Disney also gets back full distribution rights to the Star Wars franchise, particularly A New Hope, and the X-men and Fantastic Four families back into Marvel Studios.

The process will still continue.  Disney has to offload Fox's 22 regional sports channels, plus a stake in A+E Networks, Fox Sports, and as well as follow some added stipulations on the ownership of National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild channels.  But this is a huge steps in Disney's continued growth and development.

Streaming will continue to be the division to watch as the companies begin to intertwine.  Disney+ will be rolling out later in the year and National Geographic is expected to be a pillar of the platform.  Disney is further expected to attempt to acquire WarnerMedia's 10% of Hulu, which would bring it's ownership up to 70%. That would allow Disney to monopolize the platform with its more adult programming.  Arm-chair analysts could also see Disney seeking to reach an agreement with Universal for the remaining 30%, likely some sort of swap involving theme park rights, distribution rights, and The Simpsons.

Interesting times.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 35B - The Wonderful Worlds of Disney

A bit of a bonus, as I wanted to dive a bit more into a program that I consider to be a lynch pin of the plans for ABC.  The Wonderful Worlds of Disney.

As discussed yesterday, Disney and ABC's history goes back fairly far.  When Walt Disney and his brother Roy were looking to finance Disneyland, they reached out to ABC, which agreed to finance part of the project in exchange for producing a television program for the network.  From there, the Disneyland anthology program debuted on October 27, 1954, airing weekly on Wednesday nights.

The Disneyland anthology program existed in some form from 1954 through 1983.  From Disneyland to Walt Disney Presents to Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color to The Wonderful World of Disney (and Disney's Wonderful World and Walt Disney).  Following a short gap, the block came back more as a movie program entitled The Disney Sunday Movie.  This time slot still exists as The Wonderful World of Disney, an umbrella title for Disney specials on ABC as well as a home for network broadcasts of Disney films.

I want to get back to the original format.  The one that was part behind the scenes, part testing ground for new material, part showcase of existing material, and all advertisement.

The original Disneyland made use of the four lands of Disneyland to serve as an indicator for the content for the particular show.  Davy Crockett and other programs on American History would appear in Frontier Land.  20,000 Leagues Under The Sea or True-Life Adventures would air under the Adventure Land banner.  Cartoons, Ink and Paint documentaries, and the like would be in Fantasyland.  Cutting edge science presentations like Magic Highway and Werner Von Brauns' Man in Space would fall under Tomorrow Land.

This same model would serve well for an expanded Worlds of Disney, and many of the same categories would apply.  I would propose an expanded list, making use of other Disney themed lands to serve as banners for the content.  The categories would include:

• Adventureland - A place for True Life Adventure documentaries, National Geographic programs, stories from the animal kingdom, and pulp adventures.  A combination of Adventureland in the parks and Animal Kingdom.  Would have a Tree of Life title card.
• Frontierland - A place for programming related to American history and expansion. Documentaries and historical fiction programming.  The return of the western or Zorro.  Would have a Big Thunder Mountain title card.
• Fantasyland - A place for cartoons, fairy tales, and magic.  A place for Disney cartoons, previews of Disney theatrical releases, and theme park specials.  Would have the traditional Sleeping Beauty Castle title card (or if park specials, a title card for each specific park).
• Tomorrowland - A place for scientific discoveries and science fiction.  For new developments in Imagineering.  What shows us how things work.  For Cosmos and the like. Would have a Spaceship Earth title card.
• World Showcase - A place for programming related to world history and culture, both fiction and non-fiction.  To preview work in international theme parks and for international audiences.  To explore the cultural heritage behind film releases like Coco or Mulan.  Would have a globe title card (or perhaps an it's a small world title card).
• Hollywood Studios - A place for programming related to behind the scenes documentaries at the Disney lot or from Disney's other film brands.  Marvel, Lucasfilm, PIXAR, 20th Century Films, or Muppets could go here.  This could likewise host an ABC season preview.  Would have a Grauman's Chinese Theater title card (or perhaps a Carthay Circle Theater card if necessary for brand identification).
• Wide World of Sports - A place for programming on sports related entertainment and documentaries.  ESPN documentaries, sports films and the like.  Would have a ESPN Wide World of Sports title card.

This would give a greatly expanded framework that could contain the breadth of the current Disney company.  It allows for existing programming and content to fit into the show and provides guidelines for the creation of new content.

All new programming should seek to mimic the magic of those initial Disneyland episodes with Walt.  There will need to be a charismatic host or team of hosts.  Someone preferably with an affinity for the company, like a John Stamos or Neil Patrick Harris.  Beyond that, each of the brand representatives like Kevin Fiege, Pete Docter, and Brian Henson have proved themselves to be capable personalities on camera as well. Disney itself would just need a better spokesperson than Iger.  Of course, if I'm CEO, I'm making myself the host.

I primarily want to capture the club feel that Disneyland provided.  Walt was everyone's favorite uncle.  He brought you behind the curtain. Like Stan Lee at Marvel.  Like Jim Henson with the Muppets.  

If it could nail that, it would provide a strong identity for ABC programming and set the week off right.

Top 10 Disney Songs

In honor of the Grammy Awards tonight, I thought I would write on my favorite Disney songs.  I thought about just selecting my top ten favorite songs or favorite artists, but that is too hard.  So, I picked a limiting factor to make the list a little easier.  Plus the Disney list had been in the back of my brain for a little while.

Disney has a bit of a history with the Grammys.  Walt Disney won the Grammy Trustee award in 1989.  The Lion King and Aida have won Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.  Aladdin, The Lion King, Woody's Roundup, and Monsters, Inc. have won Best Musical Album for Children.   Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast all won best Album for Children.  Disney has won twelve of the last 30 awards in Best Song Written for Visual Media.  The company has around six nominations this evening.

So, with no further ado, my list of my top 10 favorite Disney songs, in no particular order.

• I Wanna Be Like You, The Jungle Book - One of the Sherman Brothers best.  They are on this list a lot.  Walt's Boys wrote the best stretch of music for the Disney Company.  The combination of Louis Prima wild jazz and Phil Harris's style of scatting just works.  You can tell they had fun recording this.  It's just fun to hear and you cannot help but sing along.
• God Help the Outcasts, The Hunchback of Notre Dame - I've written about this before as an underrated song and will herald it again as one of Disney's best.  The transition of the bridge where the congregants are asking for fame, wealth, glory, etc. into the opening line of the last verse where Esmeralda says "I ask for nothing" has to be one of the best bridge/verse lyrical transitions ever.
• On the Front Porch, Summer Magic - An ode to the slow life.  Another Sherman Brothers classic, this one underrated.  Simple chords and Burl Ives at their finest.
• Our Town, Cars - James Taylor's ode to small town life and to how it is disappearing.  Haunting lyrics with a simple melody.  One of the better songs of the recent movies.
• So Close, Enchanted - What's amazing is how many levels this song works on.  The lyrics are wonderful using the so close/so far dichotomy to illustrate the relationship of the characters.  The style of the song works in how the progression of the movie has worked from old Disney songs that were integrated into the story compared to this modern song where it is sung by a pop artist over the action.  Well done.
• Feed the Birds, Mary Poppins - The thesis song of the film.  The story goes that once Walt heard this song he said, "That's it, that's the film."  Afterwards, he would then call The Boys to his office and they knew it was to play this song.  A song about charity for the sake of charity.  Beautiful and rare.
• Friend Like Me, Aladdin - This is the modern I Wanna Be Like You.  Endlessly singable.  And while Robin Williams performance in the movie is great, I love James Monroe Iglehart's version from the stage show.  Getting to see him do that was amazing.
• The Gods Love Nubia, Aida - This is a little bit of a cheat as it has only been part of Disney Theatrical so far, but it's a great song.  Elton John and Tim Rice reconnecting for a straightforward gospel number.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest pre-intermission songs in all of musical theater.
• I Won't Say (I'm in Love), Hercules - My other favorite from the Renaissance period.  A do-wop number between Meg and the Muses regarding how she cannot admit to falling in love. Lyrically interesting and just a great melody. 
• A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella - The classic Disney song.  My favorite over When You Wish, especially as it is encouraging, to keep dreaming regardless of circumstance.  Plus a better vocal range than its more used cousin.

That covers the full range of Disney films, from Walt's classics, through the Renaissance and beyond.  From animated to live action.  Even including the stage.

For Disney fans, what's on your list?

If I Were Disney CEO Part 32A - Disneyland Holiday Park Offerings

"From all of us to all of you a very merry Christmas!
And at this joyful time of year we want you to be with us.
So get around a lovely tree where all the lights are shining.
We'll be as happy as can be while all the bells are shining."

As a bonus entry into this If I Were Disney CEO series, a festive holiday treat focusing on holiday offerings for the stateside Disney parks.  I'm of the opinion that few can celebrate the season like Disney and would love to ramp up and diversify the offerings that the parks have.  I'm focusing on the stateside parks, because while the international parks do celebrate, the offerings are nowhere close to the extent that the stateside parks undertake.  Were I to elaborate on the international parks, I would want to focus on the celebrations and customs within the particular country.

With that in mind, my goals for this exercise are to give each stateside park a unique feeling for the Christmas season, focusing on a particular component of the holidays and playing into the parks strengths.  One thing I will discuss specifically for each park to highlight the unique attributes is the tree lighting ceremony.  Each park should have one, and they should each be unique and reflect that specific park.

Today, the Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland:
Disneyland Park plays heavily into nostalgia and the holiday offerings should do the same.  I want to expand from the current offerings to build out a full celebration of the season that also celebrates the magic of Disneyland itself.  Accordingly, here is my holiday wishlist for Disneyland:

• Haunted Mansion Holiday - why break what is working.  A holiday overlay of the Haunted Mansion with Nightmare Before Christmas characters that completely transforms the experience into a new ride.  Now in its 17th year, the ride keeps getting better and better.
• it's a small world holiday - a holiday overlay now in its 21st year, the ride gains thousands of Christmas lights as well as a medley of Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and it's a small world.  This is my favorite version of the ride.
• Forgo the Jingle Cruise - While the Jingle Cruise was a fun overlay, I think it works better in the Magic Kingdom.  I would focus on a different Adventureland attraction for the seasonal offering.
• The Tropical Holiday Tiki Room overlay - I would propose an overlay for the Enchanted Tiki Room complete with Mele Kalikimaka, Santa's Hula, The Twelve Days of Christmas or maybe Numbah One Day of Christmas (all the birds).  You can even have a Very Merry Holly Jolly Tiki Room. And this can spill over into the new Tropical Hideaway area.
• The minor overlay in the Storybook Land Canal Boats - I love how all of the little miniatures in the Canal Boats get Christmas decorations.  This should absolutely be continued and if we could carve out a space for it at Christmas time, I would love to add one for Santa's workshop.
• A Christmas Show in the Golden Horseshoe - There should always be a show in the Golden Horseshoe and there should be a Christmas one.  Perhaps this holiday version could combine a version of The Gift of the Magi with various Christmas carols and music, all through a western interpretation.
• Decorations in Tomorrowland - I would love to see how a 1950s Jetson-future Christmas would look.  All the lands get decorations except Tomorrowland.  Even Fantasyland has been getting in on the fun of late with appropriate garland.  Surely a fun retro future, aluminum tree with color wheel version could be created.
• Life Day acknowledgement in Galaxy's Edge - I know the Star Wars Holiday special is not supposed to exist and I would not want very overt ties to that ill-conceived television special.  I would like to see a small acknowledgement of the celebration of Life Day within Galaxy's Edge, perhaps even as small as Life Day merchandise offerings by the vendors within the market.  An acknowledgement of the holiday of the Star Wars universe.
• Star on the Matterhorn - I want the star brought back to top the Matterhorn.  From the early 1960s through 1973-1974, Disneyland put a shining star up on top of the Matterhorn and would bathe the mountain in green lights at night to make it look like a giant Christmas tree.  Particularly in light of what can be done with projection mapping on the mountain, the star should be brought back to help sell the giant Christmas tree.
  
• Christmas Trees in the Moat - I may be weird, but if they are not going to add fountains to the moat, I would love them to bring back Christmas trees in the moat.  I would not want the solid white trees of the image below or the burnt sienna from the past, but a green tree with white flocking and lights could be a great addition to flank each side of the castle.

  

  (c) Yesterland

• Bring Back The Silly Reindeer - I want the silly reindeer back in the parades and as walk-around characters.  Disneyland Christmas needs the Toy Soldiers from Babes in Toyland and the Silly Reindeer.  The Magic Kingdom can keep the new look, Disneyland should have the classic cartoony look.
  
• Christmas Fantasy Parade - A classic.  The floats can be updated and well maintained, but the music is perfect and the parade is pure magic.
• New Christmas in Disneyland fireworks show - Believe ... in Holiday Magic on the other hand could stand to be replaced.  I'd love to see a fireworks show closer in spirit to Remember Dreams Come True, celebrating the magic of Christmas in Disneyland.  Using that theme song and the Jack Wagner introduction, music from various Christmas celebrations in Disneyland from the past, with the amazing new projections and additions Disney has created could make a very powerful new show.
• The Candlelight Processional - EPCOT may have more performances, but the original Candlelight Processional at Disneyland is spectacular.  A 60 year tradition culminating in a mass choir and orchestra performance with a celebrity reading of the traditional Christmas story.  A truly magical weekend and a tradition worth upholding.
• Tree Lighting Ceremony - The Tree Lighting ceremony for Disneyland should place into the nostalgia of time and place, focusing particularly on small time turn of the century Main Street.  The primary song for the tree lighting would be We Wish You A Merry Christmas as played by a small brass band.

Disney California Adventure:

Holidays in Disney California Adventure should focus on the celebrations and culture surrounding the holiday in California.  There are a lot of classic California Christmas touches I'd like to add to this park to enhance the Christmas offerings that they have already added.  Accordingly, here's my holiday wishlist for Disney California Adventure:

• Mater's Jingle Jamboree - The overlays added to the flat rides in Cars Land are amazing, as are all of the decorations.  Mater's is simply fun.
• Luigi's Joy to the Whirl - Like Mater's, Luigi's is just a fun addition.  Carols from Carsoli and festive dancing.
• Christmas Movies at the Cars Drive In - It would be so much fun to show Christmas B-Movies like Santa Car versus the Martians in the Cars Drive In theater.  A simple overlay that would be a lot of fun.
• Country Bear Christmas Special - The benefit of adding Country Bears to DCA is getting the Country Bear Christmas Special.  This is a fun overlay and completely fitting for the Grizzly Peak area.
• Pixar Pier Decorations - The Pixar Pier area is currently devoid of Christmas decorations.  I know it's new, but it is time to add appropriate garland, toys, and decorations to the area.
• Christmas Midway Mania - the attraction is primarily screens, so it is perfect to create new animation for it.  Christmas games to be played with the toys.  The perfect Christmas version of a ride.
• Christmas in the Holiday Canteen - I would create a Christmas show in the Hollywood Canteen.  Someone doing Judy singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  The Andrews Sisters Jingle Bells, etc.
• Bell Ringers on Buena Vista Street - The Buena Vista Christmas Carolers should be brought back.  In addition, I would like kettle bells on Buena Vista street to collect for a worthy cause.  Disney can pick the cause or could create their own specific charity for the season.
• Candy Cane Wrap on the Red Car Trolleys - The trolleys in Los Angeles used to get a candy cane paint job at Christmas.  I would love to see a wrap that helped bring that back in DCA.
  
• Christmas in Marvel - I would love to see a Santron addition (Santa Ultron robot) or Son of Santa as meet and greet characters. (Only slightly tongue in cheek)
• Rustic Santa in the Redwood Challenge area - While the original location of Santa in the department store was a good idea (and one I'll borrow for tomorrow), the setup in the Redwood Challenge trails is excellent.  The snowfall they've added in the woods, and the reindeer games in the other trails make this a very fun location to meet Santa Claus.
• Festival of the Holidays - Festival of the Holidays has been a great addition to the park, both in terms of the food and the entertainment groups offered.  A taste of the cultures of California Christmas in all its varieties.
• Viva Navidad! - This likewise has been a wonderfully fun addition and a great use of the Three Caballeros to celebrate the Latin American heritage in California and its celebration of Christmas.
• The Hollywood Christmas Parade - One great offering would be to create a version of the Hollywood Christmas Parade that could run in conjunction with the Festival of the Holiday booths.  I know that has been an issue in the past and would look for ways for both to be offered.  It would be great to pay homage to the parade that has been a staple since 1928.
• Add the World of Color Christmas intro to World of Color Season of Light - World of Color Season of Light is one of the best versions of World of Color, if not the best.  The only thing it is missing is the version of the old World of Color television intro paired with White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Joy to the World.  That was the perfect intro for a holiday version of the show and should be restored.
• Give DCA its own Candlelight Processional - DCA should have a special offering on a single weekend to encapsulate the history of the season in Los Angeles.  For this, I would create a program based on a Las Posadas procession, ending at a Pastorela with Paradise Bay as a backdrop, or perhaps a celebrity reading of a Pastorela story.  The combination would pay homage to the oldest Christmas celebrations in Los Angeles and would DCA a great new tradition to keep up for 60 years itself.  Further it would tie greatly into the Festival of the Holidays and Viva Navidad offerings.  If they wanted to go in a different direction I could also envision a purely tinsel Charles Phoenix Retro Holiday show, celebrating the best of mid-century modern.
• Tree Lighting Ceremony - For the tree lighting ceremony, I would look to play tribute to California's warmer weather and entertainment roots.  The song choice would be Silver Bells, which could tie well into the Buena Vista Christmas Carolers and the donation kettle bells.  This moves the time period up a bit, but still does not quite get to a completely Hollywood Christmas.

Christmas at the Disneyland Resort is truly a magical experience.  There's so much packed into that condensed area that you cannot help but get into the holiday spirit.

This post was originally going to cover both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but the size has necessitated it be split into two parts.  So tomorrow, I'll add my thoughts on the holiday offerings for Walt Disney World.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Disney News Update - New Deluxe Hotel for Walt Disney World

Thursday, October 18, 2018, Disney announced plans to build a new deluxe resort in Walt Disney World, to be completed in 2022.  This new hotel is to bring an additional 900 rooms to Walt Disney World, finalizing a 1,700 room increase over the next four years.  The new hotel is to be nature inspired and mixed use, meaning it will likely have a combination of hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club suites.

New Disney Hotel Concept Art (c) Disney

The concept art reveals a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque design for the hotel, seemingly using a mixture of natural materials to complete the aesthetic.  The new hotel is to be situated between the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, likely over the old River Country location.   Plans for this development seem to have been dubbed Project 89 internally. 

Possible location and layout from older plans.

I'm of mixed minds on the development.  I am glad to see the site developed and hope to see touches of River Country in the resorts pools.  I am not sold on the potential architecture design in this particular location.  While a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired hotel would be a great addition to the Walt Disney World hotel family, this location was earmarked for a hotel development that would continue a story of time and place.  Something that moved from Pioneer Hall at Fort Wilderness representing the deep woods to the rustic Pacific Northwest of the Wilderness Lodge.  This location should be something representing more of the traditional Old West that we think of.  The Buffalo Junction plans.  I could have also gone with a design aesthetic that would mirror a late 1960s/1970s Winnebago inspired travel motel.  Something that would match the great design for the new chuck wagon at Fort Wilderness and the 1971 opening of the Walt Disney World Resort.

Fort Wilderness Chuck Wagon

I'm also not sold on the potential names that have been rumored for this resort.  Disney's Discovery Lodge, Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Resort, and Disney's Colors of Nature Resort seem to have all been included as possibilities in surveys for the new resort.  Of these, Disney's Discovery Lodge is the least offensive, but there seems to be a pattern of moving away from resorts that establish a different time and place.  Traditional Disney resorts were transportive.  They moved you to a different location (like the Polynesian, Saratoga Springs, the Animal Kingdom Lodge) or place (the Grand Floridian).  This simply seems to be a specific design choice.  An architectural style.  While there is nothing wrong with that, it is a complete shift from what Disney has generally offered in the past and a concern for its blend with the existing Fort Wilderness campgrounds given the proximity.  Disney's Riviera and Coronado Springs towers are further examples of this trend.

And for the name, it seems clear that it should be Disney's River Country Resort.

I'll be keeping an eye on this development.  Hopefully as more concept art is revealed and more features of the resort are described, it will become clearer and a little bit more Disney.