Walt Disney Company Innovations

“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.”

“Bigger and more expensive is not necessarily the answer,” explained Jay Rasulo, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “You want people to leave thinking, “Wow, only Disney could do that.” This is the future of the Walt Disney Company, he adds. They hope to get in on the virtual reality/video gaming market and find more ways to keep guests entertained while waiting in line. Another great experiment has been Disneyland Holiday exhibits. At Tokyo Disneyland, Tim Burton allowed the park to fuse Nightmare Before Christmas characters like Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie with the traditional Disney Haunted Mansion ride, which has catapulted the park and the attraction into the forefront of seasonal marketing.

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.

Walt Disney Company executives fully understand the necessity of change, but also try to preserve loved traditions. Take, for example, recent renovations done at the Contemporary, one of the oldest Disney resorts. The speedy monorail service, Mary Blair mosaic, character-shaped topiary and gorgeous atrium were all preserved. However, certain modernized items were added to the rooms. Things such as refrigerators instead of ice buckets, flat screen TVs instead of analog TVs, iPod adaptor radios instead of standard alarm clocks and soothing earth tones instead of tacky primary colors. Or consider the new Haunted Mansion. The layout is essentially the same with all the best thrills, with the addition of a new ghost bride, more haunted wedding pictures, a new attic, enhancements to the audio system, the graveyard area and a new “stairway to nowhere” in place of the tacky neon spiders. “I’d say it’s been my biggest problem all my life… money. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true,” Walt Disney once said. As long as the money keeps pouring in, the Walt Disney Company will continue to make Walt and Roy’s dreams a reality.

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