Stitch is Out

[DizneyFreak2002]

The problem is, no one at the Sr. Exec level sees WDW's issues. All they see is the huge profit number they bring to the balance sheet every quarter.

What goes in to that number, whether it's sustainable, attained at the expense of their brand, etc. ... they don't see any of that.

On the rare occasions a Bob Iger or someone like that visits the park, it's done in a whirlwind, everything is spruced up and "just so", and they don't really see the warts.

That's part of the problem with the very, very siloed way Disney operates their businesses. Hopefully, some of these recent organizational changes with the merging of operations between DL and WDW will help things.

See, the problem though is Iger is hands off manager.. He lets Rasuo basically get away with ruining WDW.. As long as profits are up, Rasulo can continue to erode the magic Disney used to create... Rasulo and his henchmen have no business running the theme parks... None... Rasulo was an executive in Disney's real estate division.. He should have stayed there.. That is why there is so much DVC expansion and nothing worthwhile with the parks... People here can say what theyw ant about me... But, this is the hard truth about the company today...

[joonyer]

. . . And by the way it would be Hannah MT not Hannah Mo.

I think Hannah Missouri is her cousin.

[Imagineer1981]

wow..sad

[StitchFan#1]

I believe these are called "Dog and Pony Shows".
And by the way it would be Hannah MT not Hannah Mo.

Why would they waste Moneey on Hannah Montaanna if shes quiting and theirs one last season! I hate Her anywayz I would boycot disney if she was there! And I doNOT WANT TO BOYCOT DISNEY!

[Ian]

Why would they waste Moneey on Hannah Montaanna if shes quiting and theirs one last season! I hate Her anywayz I would boycot disney if she was there! And I doNOT WANT TO BOYCOT DISNEY!

"Waste" money on Hannah Montana?? Obviously you aren't paying attention to the world around. She's probably the single most profitable franchise Disney has and she's wildly popular.

Also, you'll need to get ready to boycott Disney, because she's already all over WDW.

[GothMickey]

"Waste" money on Hannah Montana?? Obviously you aren't paying attention to the world around. She's probably the single most profitable franchise Disney has and she's wildly popular.

Also, you'll need to get ready to boycott Disney, because she's already all over WDW.

Iger did say he only wanted shows and attractions based on successful franchises. Just saying.

[NewDVCowner]

Stitch is from a Disney movie, therefore he is as Disney as Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe even moreso since Pooh isn't a Disney original character. Stitch is an original, not a character they bought rights to. My belief is the hatred stems from Disney shoving him down our throats way too much. And also from the fact that Stitch replaced the beloved Alien Encounter. But, like I said, no one complains about Jack Sparrow or the princesses, or Hannah Montana or High School Musical being shoved down our throats.

Frankly, I complain about High School Musical. Big fat pass!

[Ian]

Iger did say he only wanted shows and attractions based on successful franchises. Just saying.

You know, I don't really have a clue what they want to base shows and attractions on anymore!

When you consider all the wildly successful properties they have that are completely absent from the theme parks, it really makes you wonder.

And yet they constantly milk the same properties over and over again ... Toy Story, Stitch, Monsters Inc. all get multiple attractions but hits like Incredibles, Cars, and even some of their older successful properties (BatB, Little Mermaid, etc.) go basically un-represented.

It's very odd.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Technically, BatB has a stage show (which stinks), LM has a stage show, and Cars will be getting its own land... Plus, don't forget, LM is also getting the ride in DCA and soon in WDW... Incredibles was to go in Tomorrowland with a ride using the Kuka arm, but Universal stopped that...

[CU Tiger]

My DDs could not sit through it. They were not entertained and they were too hot. I think it was a good thing they are closing this.

[Lakin]

Even though I can't be a complete judge, due to I not having ever seen it, I had a feeling from the start that this wasn't going to be successful. Sure, I love Stitch, but singing and dancing? Why reverse the whole idea of Stitch's Great Escape? Plus, it just doesn't sound like something a lot of people would get into, IMHO. Too bad there is no shade or seating.

[Ian]

Technically, BatB has a stage show (which stinks), LM has a stage show, and Cars will be getting its own land... Plus, don't forget, LM is also getting the ride in DCA and soon in WDW... Incredibles was to go in Tomorrowland with a ride using the Kuka arm, but Universal stopped that...

That's why I said "basically" unrepresented, because all of these "attractions" are very, very weak representations of the films.

I'm not a huge fan of "the stage show as a theme park attraction."

[GothMickey]

Technically, BatB has a stage show (which stinks), LM has a stage show, and Cars will be getting its own land... Plus, don't forget, LM is also getting the ride in DCA and soon in WDW... Incredibles was to go in Tomorrowland with a ride using the Kuka arm, but Universal stopped that...

That's why I said "basically" unrepresented, because all of these "attractions" are very, very weak representations of the films.

I'm not a huge fan of "the stage show as a theme park attraction."

Very weak. Beauty and the Beast can have such a great dark ride. The facade of the show building can look like Beast's castle. Inside, you can be greeted by Lumiere directing you to your omnimover. You can take a tour of Beast's castle with show scenes details parts of the movie. You can pass through the giant ballroom and witness Belle and Beast dance. You can then be "transported" outside where you see Gaston and the mob storming the castle. You'll move up to the castle roof and witness the battle between Beast and Gaston. And finally, witness the transformation of Beast into his human form. WDI can certainly do this, if TDO wasn't so stinking cheap.

And I have a perfect placement for it. ENCHANTED FOREST that may soon be taking up residence in Fantasyland.

[Jll3Sonex]

After seeing the youtube video - I'm afraid about the only reason I'd want to sit through this would be the dancers.

Tomorrowland should be about AMAZING things. And frankly? This doesn't seem either amazing or terribly fun. (Same thing with Innoventions over at EPCOT, sadly.)

Maybe part of the problem is how commercially available off-the-shelf entertainment technology (or technology of all kinds) is advancing faster than the Imagineers can actually deploy it - I don't know - but we're going to WDW in July and if I don't make it to Tomorrowland or Innoventions I'm not going to feel cheated.

(And I feel rather sad about that, since ever since my first visit to Disneyland in the '60s I've LOVED the Tomorrowland/World of the Future concepts. But a Stitch-themed future? Not so much, sorry...)

[mjstaceyuofm]

See, the problem though is Iger is hands off manager.. He lets Rasuo basically get away with ruining WDW.. As long as profits are up, Rasulo can continue to erode the magic Disney used to create... Rasulo and his henchmen have no business running the theme parks... None... Rasulo was an executive in Disney's real estate division.. He should have stayed there.. That is why there is so much DVC expansion and nothing worthwhile with the parks... People here can say what theyw ant about me... But, this is the hard truth about the company today...

I know we've seen DVC grow tremendously over the past decade, but being a DVC owner I generally perceive it as a positive for WDW. More often than not, our joy from visiting the World comes from the great times we have being on property. That includes time in the parks as well as out of the parks - eating at the CG, visiting the Lego store in DD, etc...

Anyway - I've only seen some video snippets of the show from some video podcasts. It looked pretty lame. Does anyone think not having Space Mtn operating has hurt audience attendance at this show? I wonder if you had more people in the area - like parents w/ younger kids waiting for their teenage kids to ride Space Mtn or people waiting for a fast-pass time to Space Mtn - if it would've boosted attendance?

All in all - I agree with what most people are saying here. It's a shame that they can't come up with anything that is awe - inspiring right out of the gate anymore. Definitely symptomatic of how things have been at WDW lately. It's too bad John Lasseter hasn't taken more of an interest in WDW.

Just thoughts...

[Ian]

I think Lasseter is a DL guy.

[SFTrny]

More Dark Rides, Please!

[DizneyFreak2002]

I know we've seen DVC grow tremendously over the past decade, but being a DVC owner I generally perceive it as a positive for WDW. More often than not, our joy from visiting the World comes from the great times we have being on property. That includes time in the parks as well as out of the parks - eating at the CG, visiting the Lego store in DD, etc...

Anyway - I've only seen some video snippets of the show from some video podcasts. It looked pretty lame. Does anyone think not having Space Mtn operating has hurt audience attendance at this show? I wonder if you had more people in the area - like parents w/ younger kids waiting for their teenage kids to ride Space Mtn or people waiting for a fast-pass time to Space Mtn - if it would've boosted attendance?

All in all - I agree with what most people are saying here. It's a shame that they can't come up with anything that is awe - inspiring right out of the gate anymore. Definitely symptomatic of how things have been at WDW lately. It's too bad John Lasseter hasn't taken more of an interest in WDW.

Just thoughts...

The DVC may have grown too fast... They can't even come close to selling out BLT now... of course, this was set in motion prior to the economy tanking, so that may have a lot to do with it... Polynesian and Grand Floridian will be next in WDW... Maybe not such a good idea.. there comes a saturation point, and they may have reached it...

I don't think the closure of Space Mountain had anything to do with it...

Lasseter is a DL guy.. But, I will tell you this much... He toured the parks in WDW one day and, well, see all the refurbs and maintenance going on??? His doing... And, just sit back and be patient... MK is going to get some love soon... And ST2 as well as Monsters Inc coaster are right around the corner...

[Boost]

I am not a huge Stitch fan, but I know that there are many Stitch fans out there....so I am not glad that this is gone.

That said, what about replacing it with a kids' karaoke stage with characters?

What about developing the space into a larger attraction? If there is not enough space on the ground, what about building up and creating an air chamber with some futuristic touches that evoke the feel of Tomorrowland? Could have it be part of something similar to the interactive Kim Possible thing going on over in EPCOT.

[TracyL]

I did see this show, and I thought it was kind of cute. I agree that the lack of shade and seating is a drag. I also agree that people will put up with that for Dream Along With Mickey and a lot of other shows, parades, etc.

The use of the same technology as Turtle Talk uses, with Stitch on-screen, works well. Stitch has some funny lines. The kids that were there when I watched this show were into it. The dancers, especially the robot guys, were amazingly good. I think calling it a total bust is not really fair -- but if it is a total bust, then good for Disney to cut their losses, and ours.

In general, Tomorrowland's problem is that it doesn't know what to be. It needs a cohesive concept and vision (DL Paris "Discoveryland" did this well with a clearly expressed Jules Verne vision of the future). You can never create "the future" -- it becomes the past too quickly. But you could choose some particular previous "future" and run with that. There are lots of great futures to choose from - Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Robert Heinlein/Isaac Asimov, the 20s and 30s deco streamline, 50s mid-century modern, you name it. 1955 would be kind of an obvious choice. Pick your favorite, but pick ONE and execute the best possible vision of that, rather than this endless sort of halfhearted trial and error they're doing now.

I must say, all in all, considering this is supposedly a Disney fan site, there sure is a lot of Disney bashing going on here?