What if YOU were CEO of Disney?

[Margos]

And my pet project for WDAS would be a hand-drawn animated musical for The Velveteen Rabbit.

AWESOME! Yes, they should do that.

Although.... Maybe not for about 10 years or so. I mean, TS3 just came out, and what with the main theme (toys are alive and have feelings) and the ending (favorite toy is ultimately, unintentionally given up, and almost burned besides) might be a little bit of deja vu.

[Escapay]

Although.... Maybe not for about 10 years or so. I mean, TS3 just came out, and what with the main theme (toys are alive and have feelings) and the ending (favorite toy is ultimately, unintentionally given up, and almost burned besides) might be a little bit of deja vu.

Yeah, that's one of the parallels I've often found in all three Toy Story movies (toys getting replaced, but still holding sentimental value for the owner). To be honest, Toy Story to me always felt like a modern take on The Velveteen Rabbit, except for the magical ending when the rabbit becomes real (though Woody becoming a real cowboy would've been a hoot and a half!). And the transformation idea isn't anything new (to Disney or to storytelling), it's been done in Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, etc. But it's still a movie I really want Disney to make. There hasn't been a really great adaptation of it yet, and I hope Disney can get it done. It has all the stereotypical "Disney Animated Movie" elements (adorable protagonist, wise old mentor, mean antagonists and comic sidekicks, magic, and a happy ending), all it needs are people to turn the story into a musical.

albert

[Goliath]

- End the ban on 'Dark Age'-characters when it comes to marketing and merchandise.

What do you mean by 'Dark Age'-characters?

There is a belief, propagated by film historians, parrotted by fans and eventually adopted by Disney itself, that all films between 1967 (after Jungle Book) and 1989 (before Little Mermaid) were made in a so-called 'Dark Age'. Because some of their films during this periode flopped, Disney decided to treat all films from this time frame collectively like shit. That means no decent dvd releases, and no inclusion of any of the characters from these films in any form of merchandising. I mean, do you ever seen Robin Hood, Basil and Dawson, or Bernard and Bianca on any piece of Disney merchandise? Instead of trying to make money out of these films, Disney almost pretends they never existed. Even tough Walt kept believing in his films when they performed less than stellar on their premiere, like Bambi, Fantasia or Sleeping Beauty...

[Big Disney Fan]

It's not that none of us want to go backwards, it's just that everyone wants to go forward without doing so at the expense of history or of all people demographics. Lately, the only demographics were teens, females and teen females.

[Wonderlicious]

Right, I was in the process of writing a reply to this last night, when I suddenly lost it all. As a result, I'm going to cheat and quote other people's remarks, and add a few of my own. To sum it all up in a nutshell, I'd rather Disney stop being like a brand or glorified toy company and more like an actual production company. The use of brands really constricts what Disney can do as a movie studio; I think we can all agree that stuff like the Tinkerbell films, plus much of the Disney Channel's output, are essentially advertisements for toys and merchandise.

Anyway, here comes my quoting. Additional notes are made in brackets with "W" denoting Wonderlicious.

-I would cancel Jonas and would let the Jonas Brothers do what they want.
-Make new animated shorts for <strike>TV and</strike> theaters.

-No more musical movies on Disney Channel
-Less merchandise from Disney Channel
-More merchandise from Disney movies
-Get a good marketing team
...
-Every Disney Animated Classic Movie has a good release on Blu-ray/DVD
-Hollywood Records better promote each artist and have the artists to have control over their music. They only promote The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, & Demi Lovato. I don't think so.

-Fire Rick Ross for canceling The Snow Queen. (W: not so much for blocking that movie, but rather for just being a twat)
-Introduce Vault Disney, a channel that caters to 20+ year olds, that features classic Disney films, shorts, documentaries, and television programming.

- Release SotS on DVD. Seriously. It's time.

- Ensure that the WDT line never dies.

- Let WDAS and Pixar run free and wild and make whatever movies they feel like making.

- Do anything else that seems like a good idea and would both promote the growth and development of the Walt Disney Company and preserve its history and legacy for the coming generations.

I would investigate what is going on with Disney's marketing, and why they seem to have such a stranglehold on everything that happens at Disney (WDAS especially). Then fix it immediately.

[*]Fix the Disney Channel image by once again offering gender neutral programing
-this includes shutting down Disney XD
-building up the WDTA productions and creating an animation block similar to the Disney Afternoon
(the lack of animated television shows replaced by cheaply made tween sitcoms aimed at girls has contributed to their less-than-stellar image)
...
[*]Review Disney Marketing after every movie
-this is a BIG one

[*]Change 'Tangled' back to Rapunzel
-even after it's already been released, I think people will know
(no one got confused when DreamWorks called How to Train Your Dragon: DreamWork's Dragons during commercials or when they called Shrek Forever After: Shrek The Final Chapter)

[*]Give the DACs outside of the Diamond/Platinum lines some respect
-this means quality restorations and Blu-ray releases of ALL of them
-this also means giving them ALL releases similar to the old collector's editions
(no more single disc barebones releases)
...
[*]Reopen Walt Disney Animation Studios Florida
-try to get former talent back (i.e. Chris Sanders)
-reopen the animation tour
-that includes the old Back to Neverland video with Robin Williams
...
[*]Remove Pirates of the Caribbean movie characters/props from classic attraction
-Barbossa is NOT the captain of the Wicked Wench
-also remove all the politically correct changes implemented

[*]Remove 'Disney' characters from It's A Small World
...
[*]Bring back the Wonders of Life pavilion
-I loved Cranium Command
(especially the animated preshow directed by Gary Trousdal and Kirk Wise)
-update the attractions within
(what they're doing to it, wasting away, is a travesty)
W: I agree. I remember going to Epcot when I was 9 and this was one of my favourite pavilions.
...
[*]Reinstate the name Disney*MGM Studios
-Disney Hollywood Studios is a horribly generic name
-I don't give a shit about licensing difficulties, just do it
(W: at the very least, change it to Disney Studios, as Hollywood Studios is a bit of a clichéd name)
...
[*]Remove the sorcerer's hat from in front of The Great Movie Ride
-its not only hiding the beautiful Chinese Theater architecture, but the great ride within
(as a movie buff, I love the attraction)

[*]Change the Dinosaur's name back to Countdown to Extinction

-Do away with the Disney Princess line. Only release dolls for the movie being rereleased that year. And release toys for both genders for each new movie coming out that year.

-Go back to rerealsing old DACs after an interval of time, and not just a select few. I'd up 7 years to 10 years, just because there are so many now. And they'd ALL get a release, not just the ones guarenteed to make money.

-Remove Lasseter from Disney Animation. Not that I dislike Lasseter, but both Disney and Pixar deserve a head who can give their full energy to making great films. Put another Disney veteran in charge of Disney Animation. Maybe Deja or Goldberg...

-Dick Ross would be out on his rump so fast, he wouldn't know what hit him.

- Release a CGI and Handrawn movie on alternating years.
...
-Make more diverse Animated films. Not just fairy tales, not just musicals, not just talking animal flicks. Allow the animators to take more risks. Not base the films made soley on how much merchandise they would sell. When musicals are done, use a variety of composers, not just Alan Menken or Randy Newman. Match the composer to the type of film. Personally, I'd love for Danny Elfman to do a Disney musical.
...
-Every Disney Channel star would not have a singing career. There's no need for it. I would also let the Jobros and the Sprouse twins go. Let them work on their own projects, and perfect their craft. Disney only holds them back, and gives them a stigma they can't shake.

End the Princess Franchise! They'll loose some money at first, but in the end it will be for the better.

- Keep the name "Walt Disney Pictures Presents", "Walt Disney Pictures" or "Walt Disney's" - just stop with the just putting "Disney" there. It's a little detail, but it bothers me so much. And lastly, make the special features on all non-Diamond Edition/non-Pixar releases better. Seriously.

- Make sure the 80% of the people who still buy only dvd's get just as good a product as people who buy BluRay (including all bonus features).
(W: I have to agree. Unless it concerns stuff that only Blu-Ray technology can provide, then there should be little excuse)
...
- Cancel planned sequels of Pixar films. (W: at the very least, don't turn Pixar into a sequel house; the fact that Monsters Inc 2 has been announced is somewhat concerning.)
- Cancel planned Roger Rabbit sequel.
- Making sure the Disney Channel will show vintage Disney again.
- Setting up a team to bring back quality Disney animated tv series (instead of the Cartoon Network clones they put out nowadays).
- Release the missing seasons of Disney Afternoon shows on dvd.
- Releasing all Disney Treasures in Europe as well. (W: or at the very least all the animation related ones)
- Improve working conditions in the Disney theme parks.
- Making sure not to do business with shady contractors in Asia anymore; making sure subcontractors abide to decent working conditions, pay decent salaries, allow unions to be formed, and outlaw child and 'slave labour'. (W: YES! This is quite frankly ethics-for-dummies, Disney, so follow it!)

And now for a few more additional points:

FILM/ANIMATION:
*Keep the animators at WDAS busy, and let them have space to breathe.

*Use the Touchstone brand more often, and make good films under it.

PARKS:
*Rethink some of the plans for the WDW Fantasyland expansion by making it more gender neutral. See my post in the appropriate thread for greater elaboration.

*Make Disney's Hollywood Studios a real production site again, and equally open some production facilities of sorts at Walt Disney Studios in Paris.

*Keep Disneyland Paris in good shape. It's not falling apart by any means, but it seems to get less attention than other parks and there's less reason to go back other than to experience what has already been experienced. As a result, there are so many gimmicky "festivals" (New Generation Festival, Mickey's Magical Party, Toon Circus, extended and prolonged anniversary celebrations etc) to try and get people back. Try to get a new ride, or at the very least a new show, each year instead, and make sure that maintenance is kept high.

*Do some touching up at the Walt Disney Studios to get it to the same standard as its Floridian counterpart. It's not terrible, but it doesn't sparkle as much as it possibly could. Make it even more like a tribute to classic Hollywood and less like an actual, unglamorous movie studio.

*Sort out Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris. The replacement of the Timekeeper attraction with Buzz Lightyear detracts from the overall theme of it being a tribute to visionaries, as it is slap bang in the middle of a Jules Verne scene. It ought to be moved to the futurist section of the land near Star Tours and Captain EO (possibly replacing the makeshift Pizza Planet), with its current location hosting something related to a real theme of visions of the future (perhaps Innoventions, or bringing the Timekeeper back).

There's probably more that I could add, but I'm too lazy. Night night. x

[Goliath]

@ Wonderlicious: I'm so glad you agreed with me on Disney's style of doing business. I was surprised no-one else mentioned this subject. All people seem to care about is their own pleasures in life (good movies, good tv programs), without paying attention to Disney's business ethics (which are virtually non-exsistent).

[DisneyFan09]

If I were CEO:

-I would listen to YOU, the fans; TV shows, DVDs, you name it!
-I would cancel Jonas and would let the Jonas Brothers do what they want.
-Make new animated shorts for TV and theaters.

I would done the first thing as you. Listen to the fans. And made animated features.

And I would turned back time to prevent Hannah Montana The Movie for being made. Seriously, it was enough to see that concept on the small screen, it should've never been transported to the big screen.

[Wonderlicious]

@ Wonderlicious: I'm so glad you agreed with me on Disney's style of doing business. I was surprised no-one else mentioned this subject. All people seem to care about is their own pleasures in life (good movies, good tv programs), without paying attention to Disney's business ethics (which are virtually non-exsistent).

You're welcome! Another one that I've thought of is to do some more eco-friendly stuff with the parks. What I mean is that they should at least try and use more responsible energy sources for their rides and attractions. I'm sure that Disneyland and Walt Disney World could easily be powered by solar power given the amount of sun in California and Florida, respectively.

[Goliath]

^ That's actually a great idea! Send it in to Disney! Who knows...

[Big Disney Fan]

Actually, it would have to be hydro power in Florida's case, given the amount of thunderstorms there.

[Escapay]

WDW already has Epcot's Universe of Energy to help out with solar power.

In addition to hydropower, a little wind power could do wonders during hurricane season.

albert

[Wonderlicious]

I believe that Autopia at Hong Kong Disneyland also has electric cars, as opposed to gasoline-fuelled cars, and I heard somewhere that they were planning something similar at Disneyland Paris.

[Rudy Matt]

What do you mean by 'Dark Age'-characters?

There is a belief, propagated by film historians, parrotted by fans and eventually adopted by Disney itself, that all films between 1967 (after Jungle Book) and 1989 (before Little Mermaid) were made in a so-called 'Dark Age'. Because some of their films during this periode flopped, Disney decided to treat all films from this time frame collectively like shit. That means no decent dvd releases, and no inclusion of any of the characters from these films in any form of merchandising. I mean, do you ever seen Robin Hood, Basil and Dawson, or Bernard and Bianca on any piece of Disney merchandise? Instead of trying to make money out of these films, Disney almost pretends they never existed. Even tough Walt kept believing in his films when they performed less than stellar on their premiere, like Bambi, Fantasia or Sleeping Beauty...

Walt never re-released Alice in Wonderland. His package films were broken up and released as indivudual shorts. You never see Make Mine Music or Melody Time plush dolls. Ichabod, Mr. Toad, So Dear to my Heart, VTAP, the war shorts, the list goes on and on.

By the way, none of the animated features made 1967 -1989 "flopped", not even The Black Cauldron. They just weren't very good, and are seen as minor players on the Disney animated feature ballfield. This isn't a belief propagated by film historians. It's a belief propagated by eye-witnesses. Fun stories and characters, but crap production values and no corner left uncut.

[ajmrowland]

Let's see.......first thing I'd do is.......


Make sure the the majority of the board members dont vote against my decisions.

Fire whoever's in charge of marketing. And whoever chooses the release dates for theatrical films. nothing but suicide there.

Air some of the older programming for Disney Channel......Slowly turning it away from the path it's on.

Greenlight a Gargoyles Movie. Why? because I'd have a good excuse to release the series on dvd and expose a whole new generation of "Tangled" targets to the franchise.

Tell those people who cry "racist" to shut up and release Song of the South-with an intro telling them to shut up.

Offer restorations on ALL unrestored animated films from the "Dark Ages"

Grab a shovel and dig through the vault. While not releasing EVERYTHING at once, I would definitely pack a lot more rare content into re-releases and special editions than there is now.

Try and get Walden Media to continue making Narnia with Disney. I mean, Fox's trailer and Teaser poster aren't good at all.

Seriously cut back on the Princess brand and make some other franchises to appeal to other demographics-even adults. This includes Disney Heroes.

Try and sever ties with Chinese toy companies.

Make sure Terry Rossio has no reason to complain to us about any Hundred Million Dollar Mistakes.

Take the digital copies out of combo releases. Just two copies of the film are enough, thank you.

Make sure licensed games get more effort.

Put Zurg in Toy Story 4. Okay, there likely wont be a TS4, but I like Zurg.

[Goliath]

Walt never re-released Alice in Wonderland. His package films were broken up and released as indivudual shorts. You never see Make Mine Music or Melody Time plush dolls. Ichabod, Mr. Toad, So Dear to my Heart, VTAP, the war shorts, the list goes on and on.

Alice in Wonderland received at least two memorable 2-disc dvd releases, didn't it? It isn't ignored by Disney like the 1967-1989 films. You're right about the 'package features'. That's the other category that gets neglected by Disney. But that doesn't make it any less true what I said about Walt Disney re-releasing films that originally performed badly at the box office. Also, the 'package features' by their very nature are very different from the 1967-1989 films. The lack of clear main characters make them harder to merchandise.

By the way, none of the animated features made 1967 -1989 "flopped", not even The Black Cauldron.

You're right; some of them even made very large sums of money. The Aristocats was very popular; and Robin Hood and The Rescuers, at that moment in time, were the highest-grossing Disney films. Which makes it even more puzzling why Disney wants to deny their existence.

They just weren't very good, and are seen as minor players on the Disney animated feature ballfield.

Baloney. The Rescuers and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are among the best films Disney has made; and Oliver & Company was even so good, that Katzenberg decided to do an animated feature annually. He didn't even think Little Mermaid could outperform Oliver.

[schoollover]

If I was Ceo...

I would make Disney XD into Vault Disney and merge disney channel and disney xd but still keep the dc name. Vault Disney would play classic show's from the 50's to early 2000's, specials, and ananimated disney or pixar film every two week.

Regain Aladdin's Poplularity by having a broadway show, 2d theater rerelease, a 2012 20th anniversary blu-ray similar to the diamond editons , and make a cave of wonder's ride in AdventureLand.

Have WDFA do both 2D and CGI, but hire someone ike Dohn Hahn, or Leonard Maltin. Make more features based on book's and original stories

Own Pixar,but keep John Lasseter on.

Make more merchandise based on animal films, which would help being gender nuetral.

Finally release Dumbo on Bluray, but with more features.

Release Blu-Ray's of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Hercules, Mulan Pocahontas, etc.

Promote the dark age film's and stop winnie the pooh 2 to try to get rid of their child- only image.

Slowly and secretly get rid of slave labor in asia, as to avoid contoversy

Use ultimate disney as a good resource for advice

I think done right, this would all be financially succesful.

Tell me what you think,

[Goliath]

Have WDFA do both 2D and CGI, but hire someone ike Dohn Hahn, or Leonard Maltin.

I read this suggestion before. You all do realize that Maltin is a film historian and film critic; not a filmmaker?

Slowly and secretly get rid of slave labor in asia, as to avoid contoversy

I'm glad you mentioned this. But I feel Disney should do it quick and out in the open; maybe its example would lead to consumers demanding other companies do the same.

[Spottedfeather]

If I was in charge, I would put out all the classic 80s tv movies like Earth Star Voyager, B.R.A.T. Patrol, and the Harry Anderson Absent Minded Professor movies. I would also put out the best DCOMs ; the Zenon trilogy. I would also put out season sets of That's So Raven, the rest of Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana. And I would cancel Good Luck Charlie.

[Big Disney Fan]

I would also put out season sets of That's So Raven, the rest of Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana.

You're joking, right?

[Mickeyfan1990]

Some additional notes:

-Release Song Of The South on DVD/Blu-Ray
-Say no to mo-cap for Roger Rabbit Sequel. Only Live-Action and 2-D Animation hybrid like the first one.
-Complete The Thief and The Cobbler and give it the respect it so deserves including limited theatrical engagement and ultimate DVD/Blu.
-Continue the Walt Disney Treasures line and re-release the Disney animated shorts in new collections with old and new features.
-Release the Mickey Mouse Works shorts on DVD
-New DVD releases of Amazing Animals
-Create a new channel with Disney, WB, Universal, MGM, Classic Media, Columbia, Lionsgate, and Paramount that shows nothing but classic animated shorts 24/7 (shorts won't be edited for time constraint, but will be edited for family-viewing like what we see on TV today).
-Disregard the Playhouse Disney channel
-Make ultimate DVD/Blu releases
-Also continue to make 2-D Animated Movies