The 12 Milestones in Disney World History part 12; the Pixar Merger
Our final entry in the 12 Milestones in Disney World history is the most recent of them all. And it is very possible that it will be the biggest and most important to the future of the theme parks, not only in Florida but around the world. It took place on January 24, 2006, the day the Disney Company acquired Pixar.
The shockwave has already left no stone unturned. Nemo has made his way into Epcot and the Animal Kingdom. Monsters Inc. was added to the Magic Kingdom. And soon a very expensive new e-ticket attraction will be added to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, formerly the Disney-MGM Studios, called Toy Story Mania. And there is no reason to believe the Pixar invasion will stop there. More and more rumors of Pixar additions seem to be swirling around the internet everyday.
The biggest reason why we can fully expect this trend to continue is that Pixar’s creative chief John Lasseter was named to head Imagineering as part of the deal. It is the first time since Walt Disney was alive that a true filmmaker headed this much heralded group of creators. Will it make a difference and bring new attractions that have the same enduring quality Walt’s did? Only time can answer that. So far most of what he has introduced has been Pixar related. When he breaks out of that mold we will see what he is really made of.
As a result of this merger the extremely annoying phrase “the Pixar-ization of the parks” has come into the vocabulary of Disney purists. It carries a negative with it, a fear that Lasseter will turn the theme parks into a Pixar promotional zone and erase the memories of the Disney legacy. There are two problems with that. The first is that I, and many others, love Pixar’s films. I have never disliked anything they have done, so the more the better as far as I am concerned. The second problem is that anyone who thinks Lasseter will try and erase the Disney legacy must not know anything about the man. This is a former Disneyland cast member who speaks of Walt with the kind of glowing worship that someone in his position should.
Besides being the most recent and probably the most important milestone in our list for the future of Disney World, the Pixar merger is also the most exciting. The final years of Michael Eisner’s reign brought budget cuts and scaled-down attractions. Though it is a bit early to say with any certainty, it does seem that Lasseter may reverse that to some degree. The re-making of California Adventure will answer many of these questions and fans of Disney’s theme parks around the world will be watching this project very closely.
Brady Jensen said,
January 3, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Great way to end the series! It does make me think there’s an 11.5 on your list: the over-due departure of Michael Eisner and the promotion of Bob Iger to CEO. Closing the studio at the Studios (number 11 on your list) is the proto-typical late-Eisner era move demonstrating a lack of creative vision combined with an emphasis on very-short term financial gain. (The lessons my mother taught me about the relationship between my nose and my face come back here.)
It wasn’t until Eisner had left that it became possible to repair the Pixar relationship, and it was Iger’s bold step in seeking the acquisition, rather than simply a renewal of the distribution deal, that led to Lasseter’s new position and influence. This deal removed lingering suspicions that Iger was simply Eisner-light. It was Iger, after all, who ultimately gave the green light to the re-making of California Adventure in a clear break with the recent Eisner era.
While the DCA project may lead to some short-term starving of significant investments at WDW, I think we have to take this as a very favorable sign that the company understands the need to build parks of the highest quality; anything less is both a creative AND a financial failure. As I’m an eternal optimist (more Pooh than Eeyore), I think these developments are indeed a sign of positive things to come in the future of WDW.
Anonymous said,
January 4, 2008 @ 1:40 am
You are an optimist. Generally, I think you’re right some of the most recent efforts are superior to the end of Eisner tenure. Though I dislike the Nemo show, it is a big undertaking and certainly not a cheapo effort.
Raidermatt said,
January 5, 2008 @ 3:12 am
Generally agree with “Anonymous”. The newer moves seem more positive than most of the Eisner-lead park initiatives, but then that’s not saying all that much.
I do agree DCA should be a great test-case. They really had no choice but to make some massive changes/expansions. The question will be how they pull them off, and if they really do invest in them in the true Disney tradition, both in terms of cost and creativity. The plans announced and leaked so far leave me with some mixed feelings on the matter. We’ll have to see how they turn out, whether things get cut or not, etc.
On the mater of “Pixarization”, I agree with Dave, not a problem. The Pixar films are at least in the ballpark with the best of Disney’s animated films, and there is no good reason to keep them out of the parks. Especially with the lack of quality films being made by Disney’s Feature Animation department.
That said, I do have issues with where and how some of these character-driven attractions have been implemented, but that’s a different issue. As is the somewhat uneven quality of the attractions.
But as for whether using Pixar is the problem, nope, can’t go along with that.