Lets talk about what’s happening at Disney.
Shanghai Puts Financial Strangle-Hold on Domestic Disney Parks [x]
Disney World painters laid off amid other reports of cost controls [x]
Dearest Disney. You mean the world to me for so many reasons.
But good lord are you screwing up astronomically lately.
Have you learned nothing from cutting entertainment options in the past? Have you learned nothing about TIME MANAGEMENT? (How many times are they going to run into this same problem when opening a new park/attraction/area? Animal Kingdom, New Fantasyland, helloooo.)
Lets talk about all the horrible decisions you’ve made lately. Some of the new redesign costumes coming soon. (Yikes.) The lack of classic princesses in the new castle show. (Which, you know, is on Cinderella’s stage. Also, this show is said to be equity only, which will be cutting a BUNCH of hours for current performers, and will cost a heck of a lot more.) Closing down the majority of Hollywood Studios at one time. Adding Avatarland. The removal of quite a few important characters around the parks. Disneyland is losing Mad T Party, right before the release of an Alice film. Oh, and how about that no more costumes at Halloween thing? (Are you buying a ticket for Not So Scary this year? I’m certainly not!) The weeding out of your seasonal employees, and the major cut of hours for even your FULL TIME cast.
I know there’s more I’m forgetting.
Now lets talk about the good things you’ve done this year. Aka the live-streams, and Club Disney/Villain. That’s about it.
Now.
For those who think we may be fanatical/non-sensible about all this… here’s something to think about!
The problem with all this is, we’ve been through this with Disney before. Yes, budgets, cuts, and happy balances of all the above are an important part of business and success. But this is not a story of happy balance. Disney already mistreats their employees as it is, sad to say. Meanwhile, the CEOs and higher-ups are getting ridiculous bonuses that could be spent bettering the company that we all care about so much.
Disney cast members work at Disney not because it’s a financially comfy gig; they work there because they are passionate about making magic, and about Walt’s original dream. They work there because it has been THEIR dream. And the CEOs at Disney are constantly working AGAINST the cast members when it comes to keeping the parks the way Walt wanted them to be. Yes, business has to be about money in the long run, we all know that. But it also has to be about keeping your guests, AND your employees, happy. And you don’t do that by cutting the things that make your business different from every other entertainment venue out there. Then you just become ‘another theme park’. You become nothing special. And you lose your repeat money-spenders because you’ve taken the things they enjoy away from them. Yes, the main demographic is the guests who are here on vacation. But don’t for a minute think that your season passholders and cast members aren’t important too… because they are the ones who are here enough to know what’s going on, and will call you on your crap, and make it very publicly known what’s happening at the parks.
I’m passionate about this because I CARE. It feels like magic is being stripped away all the time now, and it’s not as enchanting as it all used to be. Disney, you need to understand where your money comes from in the first place, and you need to understand and cater to your fans. Make us happy, and I guarantee everything would be more magical for everyone. Continue like this, and you become nothing more than an average everyday theme park with very disgruntled employees and guests.
So lets take a stand, Disney fans. ALWAYS be polite, but make your voice heard. When you are at the parks, visit Guest Relations and point out the things you enjoy, and the things you miss because they’ve been removed. Send in an email, or a letter, and tell them what you’d like to see from them. Be courteous to cast members during your visit – while they SHOULD always be putting on their BEST show while on stage, remember that they could be worrying about paying their bills, or even keeping their job with these cuts. Make magic for them, just as they should be making magic for you. (And that doesn’t just mean Entertainment cast… remember, every single person in the parks is a part of the grand picture. Food, merch, custodial, tech, parking, security… everyone makes magic. Everyone’s important. Everyone deserves respect, and PLEASE do not take all this nonsense out on them! Make sure that the complaints go to the appropriate people, not the ones who can’t do anything about it and are just as upset as you!)
For your convenience… here’s some contact information!
Walt Disney World Guest Communications PO Box 10040 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
Walt Disney World Guest Relations P.O. Box 10000 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Bob Chapek Chairman Walt Disney Parks & Resorts 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Mr. George Kalogridis President, Walt Disney World Resort PO Box 10000 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
REMEMBER. Be kind, be courteous, be magical.. but take a stand.
*steps off the soapbox and slaps on her Mickey ears*
