Walt Disney Company - Behind The Scenes
“Our strong portfolio of franchises has delivered recent growth, and we expect will deliver growth for the years to come,” said Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger. Similarly, Thomas O. Staggs, Disney’s chief financial officer told the New York Times, “People tend not to let anything get in the way of their Disney vacations. Our occupancies are higher at the hotels and spending is higher. Thus far, the business remains really solid.”
The Walt Disney Company has always been an imaginative leader in the entertainment industry, planning a myriad of changes for the Disney parks to keep consumers staying longer and visiting more frequently. For instance, 2007 brought Paris Disneyland new attractions, such as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Crush’s Coaster, Toon Studio and Cars Race Rally. Disneyland California received the only Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage attraction and Pirates Lair, while Tokyo Disneyland opened Disney’s WaterWorks and the Animation Academy. Magic Kingdom added some extra work to its Haunted Mansion and added the Monsters Inc. Laughing Floor show.
There are several projects being undertaken by Disney for 2008-2009. In California, the Mark VII Monorail is being developed to help transport people between parks, and new attractions for the ailing, Disneyland California park, including the Walt Disney Plaza, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and the Little Mermaid Under the Sea Adventure. Walt Disney World Orlando is changing the name of Disney MGM Studios to Hollywood Studios and is adding an American Idol attraction and Spaceship Earth is undergoing renovation at Epcot. The last major addition at Disney World Orlando was 2006’s $100 million Mount Everest rollercoaster set in the Animal Kingdom. Tokyo Disneyland is adding the Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek attraction as well.
Perhaps the most anticipated new attraction is Toy Story Mania being developed for both American parks. In this ride, guests will board vehicles and navigate through a carnival midway, where they’ll stop at several 3-D virtual reality game screens. Disneyworld executives hope to meet people’s expectations and desire for instant gratification by greeting guests waiting in line with costumed cast members and a one-million-dollar singing animatronic Mr. Potato Head. Once inside, Toy Story characters like Bo Peep, Woody and the Piggy Bank will be the carnival operators. “We look at it as gaming meets immersive storytelling,” explained one of the designers.
Recently, the Walt Disney Company has also set to work renovating some of its oldest Disney resorts. The Contemporary, the monolithic structure with the monorail passing through it, has just undergone a massive facelift. While the monorail, the beautiful Mary Blair ceramic mosaic and the atrium areas will remain untouched, a lot of the “loud” colors and patterns that 1960s imagineers deemed “contemporary” have been replaced with softer beiges and greens. In most of the suites, work areas and faux fireplaces have been added, along with brown and white marble floors, soaking tubs and vanity areas. The Contemporary’s Disney restaurants have been extremely successful, but the Concourse Steakhouse may be replaced with an updated restaurant called The Wave.
By Travel Editor
