Does anyone kind of dislike Disney now?

Raiders90

Well-known member
I grew up on Disney. I like every other kid loved Disney movies growing up. I still love the classics. But I feel that in the last decade or so, Disney has become a monster, totally divorced from their roots, and they've gotten to be too large; I feel they've become just another soulless corporation, and that the company run by Walt Disney (who is a hero of mine) and even the Disney of the late 80s-mid 90s is long dead...Does anyone feel in any way similar, and kind of dislike what Disney has become?
 

roundshort

Active member
Nope - I think this is a golden age of Disney for Disney fans. Parks are at top shape and finally giving fans new content with respecting the old. More movies and programing than you can shake a stick at. High to super high production values. Hell Disney saved Star Wars from Lucas. Even the food at the parks is at a all-time high. Tiki bars rock also.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
roundshort said:
Even the food at the parks is at a all-time high. Tiki bars rock also.

Missed you at the Food and Wine Festival last week. Me and kiddo strolled through DCA.
 

Duaner

New member
Raiders112390 said:
I grew up on Disney. I like every other kid loved Disney movies growing up. I still love the classics. But I feel that in the last decade or so, Disney has become a monster, totally divorced from their roots, and they've gotten to be too large; I feel they've become just another soulless corporation, and that the company run by Walt Disney (who is a hero of mine) and even the Disney of the late 80s-mid 90s is long dead...Does anyone feel in any way similar, and kind of dislike what Disney has become?

I actually wholeheartedly agree with you here. I too have fond memories of watching the Disney animated classics as well as Disney's family-friendly live-action films (Old Yeller and Davy Crockett come immediately to mind).

The Disney animated features have been on a downward spiral since the early 2000s. The last great one was The Lion King. Most of the other ones in the late 1990s were at least watchable. This cannot be said for what they have been releasing since. Disney produced very few decent live-action films during this time as well (except maybe National Treasure and a couple decent sports films). And don't get me started on the garbage that they air on Disney Channel. It's ridiculous!
 

roundshort

Active member
Pale Horse said:
Missed you at the Food and Wine Festival last week. Me and kiddo strolled through DCA.

I need to up my SoCal work. Hopefully some events later this year.

I totally disagree about Disney TV as junk. ABC to me is one of the better networks and ESPN is on top of its game. As far as movies I stopped watching cartoons a long time ago but the Pixar movies seem to be pretty loved. And the Tiki Bars - gotta love the Tiki bars!
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
roundshort said:
I totally disagree about Disney TV as junk. ABC to me is one of the better networks and ESPN is on top of its game. As far as movies I stopped watching cartoons a long time ago but the Pixar movies seem to be pretty loved. And the Tiki Bars - gotta love the Tiki bars!

I think Duaner meant the Disney Channel itself, which, in the past, aired a lot more stuff from the archives and parks-related specials than it currently does.

ABC is in the midst of a renaissance, though. Great slate of sitcoms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and its soapy thrillers do what they do well.

I can't say I'm in love with the current state of the parks, compared to the early-to-mid-90s (EPCOT's heyday), but I acknowledge that things look a lot better in California than in Florida, give or take a Court of Angels.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Attila the Professor said:
but I acknowledge that things look a lot better in California than in Florida, give or take a Court of Angels.


The West Coast, is the Best Coast.
 

Duaner

New member
roundshort said:
I totally disagree about Disney TV as junk. ABC to me is one of the better networks and ESPN is on top of its game.

My post about Disney Channel garbage was definitely directed at the Disney Channel itself (the one that bears the name of the late great company founder), not the other networks that it owns. Although, thinking about it, I have not watched ABC in years and ESPN's coverage of MLB and NFL is inferior to their competitors.

Anyway, I think the initial post was referring more to the things that flaunt the "Disney" name as opposed to the other subsidiaries such as ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Studios.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Pale Horse said:
The West Coast, is the Best Coast.


Groan . . . .

Get some weather and a dependable/sustainable source of water and then let's talk.




Seriously, this thread reminds me of the disappointment voiced by the first settler's in Disney's Celebration community back in the '90's.

I submit the Disney of our youths (of whatever generation) never was -- it's a subjective construct.

Look at any diversified multinational and you'll never find all cylinders firing at the same time. Disney is no different.

So while I agree with Roundshort that ESPN is killing it in content and programming, I submit ESPN won't be the cash machine that it has been. I also agree with the good Professor that the parks (at least Walt Disney World Orlando) could be better (Fantasyland redesign miss, too much crowding -- and bear in mind I lived in New York City for 9+ years so I know crowds -- and no recent 'wow' attractions -- though I was last there for Thanksgiving and didn't see the new Star Wars stuff but based on the Commercials, I don't think I'm missing anything).

Most important to me, however, is film -- and the fact that Disney has not screwed up the Marvel Cinematic Universe is huge. If you had told me as a dorky 10 year back in the late 1970's reading Captain America and Invader's comic books that I'd be watching films like Civil War and Winter Soldier as an adult, I wouldn't have believed it.

So me? I'm happy.


. . . .at least until the next Big Hero 6 pile of corporate focus group produced hogwash comes along -- and then I'll grab my pitchfork and join you.
 

Pale Horse

Moderator
Staff member
Joe Brody said:
Get some weather and a dependable/sustainable source of water and then let's talk.

We subsidize and bottle our water, much like Flint:

New-California-Wines.jpg


~gleee~
 

roundshort

Active member
Pale, you a bad man!

And JBrod - have to argue the parks are fine. The crowds are just a result of their own success. Never before has there been such diversity. The live action shows, the rides, the food, the tiki drinks...
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
roundshort said:
Pale, you a bad man!

And JBrod - have to argue the parks are fine. The crowds are just a result of their own success. Never before has there been such diversity. The live action shows, the rides, the food, the tiki drinks...


. . .as a family man, the boozing in EPCOT is a bit of a drag. The kids saw some boorish behavior. Which is alright . . . and interesting, because there was a lot of twenty something drinking in Universal's Wizarding Worlds and it wasn't as sloppy (at least what I saw of it) as what I saw at EPCOT. The drinking around the world stuff is institutionalized.

Here's one of the cuter clips (with some production value & I'm a sucker for anything with Fast & Furious music)

<iframe width="426" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9MsQAIS5hw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That said, as far as Disney and alcohol goes in general, I like the balance in Disney's 4 parks. It just so happens that I like EPCOT and there's some irony in that the area around The American Experience is Beer Garden II.

(and for the record, EPCOT doesn't know how to pull a pint based on the one in the video above)
 
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roundshort

Active member
Joe, you have a point. Epcot needed an identity so drinking it was. As a 5 year veteran of the Epcot food and wine festival that aspect is huge. Also, there is huge cash in booze. There is a reason they put in a great tequila bar in Mexico. Germany's restaurant has always been a beer hall that is always celebrating October fest. The pub in England has always served fresh English and Irish beer. But give them credit for not serving booze in the Magic Kingdom.

Who the hell brings kids to Epcot anyhow? Just to see Jane Fonda?
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
roundshort said:
But give them credit for not serving booze in the Magic Kingdom.

I give Disney no credit for that -- all credit to Walt on that one.

roundshort said:
Who the hell brings kids to Epcot anyhow? Just to see Jane Fonda?

So I guess that's why the Maelstrom has been replaced with this:

frozen-ever-after-00.jpg


I just count myself lucky that my girls are post-princess age -- though I have busted them for singing some of the songs.
 

roundshort

Active member
You prove my point. Disney needs to bring kids to Epcot so they have taken the classic almost to fast for walker speed boat ride out to give us frozen.

Also don't forget Epoct is almost as much for the locals as for the tourists.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
roundshort said:
You prove my point. Disney needs to bring kids to Epcot so they have taken the classic almost to fast for walker speed boat ride out to give us frozen.

Also don't forget Epoct is almost as much for the locals as for the tourists.

I took your comments above to mean the Disney ceded EPCOT's identity to alcohol -- which would be inconsistent with Disney putting their only Frozen attraction at ground zero amidst all the boozing. I submit the decision to put the Frozen attraction in Norway was not motivated by a desire to bring more kids to EPCOT but that Disney had just completed a major overhaul of Fantasyland in the Kingdom and there just wasn't any room.


Raiders112390 said:
It's a shame Walt's vision for EPCOT never came to pass.

Well, we got Celebration and EPCOT. The U.S. just isn't ready for full on modern though Zaha Hadid was getting us there.
 

roundshort

Active member
Joe Brody said:
I took your comments above to mean the Disney ceded EPCOT's identity to alcohol -- which would be inconsistent with Disney putting their only Frozen attraction at ground zero amidst all the boozing. I submit the decision to put the Frozen attraction in Norway was not motivated by a desire to bring more kids to EPCOT but that Disney had just completed a major overhaul of Fantasyland in the Kingdom and there just wasn't any room.




Well, we got Celebration and EPCOT. The U.S. just isn't ready for full on modern though Zaha Hadid was getting us there.


To be honest it has been years since I have actually been a park. I do like the resorts. I am not sure you could get me into a park again. They are all too crowded. Which is a sign of how much people love them. So they must be doing something right!
 
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