Celebrating July Fourth with Walt Disney

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 4, 2024

 

Walt Disney was a patriotic guy, and he served up lots of quotes reflecting his love for America. But there was a depth to Disney’s patriotism that captured what’s been best about the United States. 

The following five quotes that I selected came from two wonderful books of quotes from Walt Disney on all kinds of matters – i.e., Walt's Words: Quotations of Walt Disney with Sources by Jim Korkis, and The Official Walt Disney Quote Book from the staff of the Walt Disney Archives. Hopefully, these capture the depth of Walt’s love for and understanding of America, as we celebrate the nation’s July Fourth birthday.

 

Walt understood that parts of the foundation upon which America is built are freedom and optimism about the future. Walt was speaking to his own time and to ours:

 

“Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. Tomorrow will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.” (Korkis)

 

There’s a reason why people want to come to America, and that has been the case throughout our history to this very day. Even with all of our shortcomings and failures, America is, as Walt says in this next quote, about tolerance, democracy and freedom – and under freedom, it’s clear that people see opportunity, i.e., the freedom to make a better life:

 

“All men will want to be free and share our way of life. There must be so much that I should have said and haven’t. What I will say now is just what most of us are probably thinking every day. I thank God and America for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of tolerance, democracy, and freedom.” (Korkis)

 

Unlike many today, Walt understood that there is a price for freedom. Freedom, as they say, isn’t free. And having gratitude for those who have secured our freedoms is very American, as is helping others in their struggle for freedom:

 

“The liberties which we enjoy and take for granted didn’t just happen. They had to be won. Even today, there are parts of the world where the fight for freedom is still going on.” (Korkis)

 

Walt loved Abraham Lincoln, as should all Americans. Disney understood that the principles of the American Revolution weren’t fully realized until we fought a bloody Civil War, with Lincoln, flaws and all (as we all have), leading the way:

 

“Most Americans will agree with me that no man has had more of a positive impact on a nation than Abraham Lincoln has on our country. Yet I have always felt that too few people realize that Lincoln’s concepts and philosophies are as useful, as necessary, as applicable today as they were when he pronounced them a century ago. His analysis of freedom and its true meaning, his approach to justice and equality, his own courage and strength – all areas vital in the 1960s as they were during the mid-1800s.” (Korkis)

 

It's striking how often Americans need to be reminded that freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas are parts of what makes America great. To those who lack faith in their own ideas and beliefs to the point that they wish to take away the freedoms of others, well, Walt Disney wisely would disagree:

 

“Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards, the things we live by and teach our children are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.” (Archives)

 

Thanks Walt, and God bless, America!

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• The Alliance of Saint Michael novels – Cathedral and Subversion – are at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Adults at Disney: Walt’s Perspective

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 10, 2024

 

Are Disney resorts and theme parks meant to be places only for children? 

 

Given the world we live in, vociferous criticisms seemingly must be launched at, well, pretty much everything in life (yes, it’s exhausting), and that includes adults – individuals or couples – who visit Walt Disney World, Disneyland or other Disney theme parks without children.

Often these criticisms are rooted in an assumed, increasing immaturity among adults. Without getting into that larger debate and discussion, how about the simple idea that adults might appreciate a fun experience with or without children? My wife and I have done Disney as a couple (we honeymooned in Walt Disney World and now are Annual Passholders), individuals, parents, and grandparents over the years. We, therefore, get to experience and enjoy the parks in different ways, and this is far from unique.

 

And as a business, Disney cannot ignore demographics. In the United States, the population is skewing older and in general people are having fewer children. So, it makes sense for Walt Disney World, for example, to cater in various ways to families with children and to adult guests without kids. 

 

By the way, this isn’t a new idea. Walt Disney understood the idea of appealing to the entire family – parents and children – and to adults alone. Just consider the following observations from Walt…

 

“You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” - Walt Disney 

 

“Disneyland isn’t designed just for children... I believe the right kind of entertainment can appeal to all persons, young or old. I want Disneyland to be a place where parents can bring their children – or come by themselves and still have a good time.” – Walt Disney 

 

Walt Disney understood people, which was one reason why he ranked as one of the great entrepreneurs of the twentieth century. 

 

Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with remaining a kid at heart, as long as that doesn’t involve shirking adult responsibilities, but instead simply means embracing fun, joy and youthful outlook on life. And that includes trips to Disney World.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney by the Numbers: How Much Did That Cost?

 by Ray Keating

Commentary/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 9, 2024

 

Among assorted endeavors, I’m an economist. Therefore, numbers tend to interest me. So, how about a few quick points on the cost of various undertakings in the grand history of the Walt Disney Company? Or, another way to put it is to simply ask: Hey, how much did that cost?

• Disneyland opened in California in 1955. How much did it cost to build? According to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, Disneyland opened at a cost of $17 million. But we have to adjust for inflation, and in 2023 dollars, that comes in at about $194 million. Understanding that Disneyland was quite different at the start compared to today, that still seems like a bargain. Good job, Walt!

 

• Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made movie history in 1937, but at what cost? According to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, it cost $1.4 million to make Snow White. Again, adjusting for inflation, in 2023 dollars, that comes in at about $29.7 million. Now, by Hollywood standards, at least today, that’s a magnificent bargain! By the way, the film reportedly grossed $8.5 million during its original release. In 2023 dollars, that’s roughly $184 million. On a $29.7 million budget – Disney can only dream of such returns today.

 

• Walt Disney World opened in 1971. What did it cost to bring the Most Magical Place on Earth into being? According to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, the costs hit $400 million to open. After adjusting for inflation, in 2023 dollars, that comes in at about $3 billion.  That’s a mighty price tag, but I’d say worth every penny and more.

 

• EPCOT opened in Walt Disney World in 1982. So, how much did the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow cost? According to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, the cost was a whopping $1 billion. But we have to adjust for inflation, and in 2023 dollars, that comes in at about $3.2 billion.  Interestingly, in real dollars, that’s about the same cost as the opening of Walt Disney World did 11 years earlier.

 

• Attending a Disney theme park today isn’t cheap, but how much did it cost to visit Disneyland when it opened in 1955? According to a CNBC report, for an adult, it cost $1 to enter Disneyland in 1955, plus each ride had a fee. If you went on each ride, it would cost $8.70. After adjusting for inflation, a total cost of $9.70 in 1955 comes in at roughly $110 in 2023 dollars. Hmmm, that’s not that far off from the $154 average one-day ticket price for Disneyland in 2023, as estimated by Nerd Wallet. And there’s a lot more to do today at Disneyland than there was in 1955.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

“How Disney Built America” Debuts on the History Channel

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 30, 2024

 

There have been a number of very good docuseries on Disney+ for those of us who appreciate Disney history, or even the backstory of Disney rides. (See, for example, The Imagineering Story, One Day at Disney, The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Behind The Attraction on Disney+, each one very different takes on the docuseries format.)

 
Now, there’s a well-done series debuting on the History Channel over the next few weeks, bringing a closer look at Walt Disney, the man, and how the Disney Empire came to be.  The six-part series, How Disney Built America, features actor re-creations, interviews with historians and experts, film clips and cartoon shorts, and archival material.

You may already be familiar with the other entries into the History Channel’s “The Stories That Built America” series, including The Engineering That Built the World, The Machines That Built America, The Mega-Brands That Built America, The Titans That Built America, The Cars That Built the World, and The Food That Built America.

 

The Disney-based series premiered April 28, and will continue to drop one episode per week on Sundays at 10/9c for the next month and a half. Episodes will be available for streaming at the History Channel the next day.

 

According to the History Channel, “How Disney Built America is a nostalgia-filled ride that paints a vivid picture of the world of Walt Disney and the history-making empire he and his brother Roy Disney built. Each hour-long episode focuses on a different example of game-changing brilliance in Disney’s history including creating the world’s most recognizable characters, establishing the animated features industry, revolutionizing the concept of merchandising, and using groundbreaking design and engineering to construct Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort, and beyond. Viewers will hear from legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, a direct hire from Walt who developed over 100 designs for Disney theme park attractions, to gain surprising insights into the unique innovations and struggles involved in realizing the dreams of a visionary. The series utilizes rarely seen historical material, original dramatic recreations, and key interviews from Don Wildman, Margaret Kerrison, Douglas Brinkley, Mindy Johnson, and others to expand on how the brand is forever woven into the fabric of American life.”

A brief synopsis of the first three episodes includes:

 

Episode 1: The Birth of Mickey (April 28)

“A struggling cartoon studio creates one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Mickey Mouse begins as a pencil sketch, and through a journey of failure, betrayal, innovation, and guts becomes an American icon, and the foundation of an iconic media empire.”  Run time: 43 minutes.

 

Episode 2: Dawn of the Animated Blockbuster (May 5)

“Facing soaring costs, mounting criticism, and a tight deadline, Walt Disney pushes the limits of technology to create the first full-length animated feature film. It’s Disney’s magic combination of passion, brilliance, and tech innovation that gives rise to the billion-dollar business of animated films.”

 

Episode 3: Destination Disneyland (May 12)

“Walt Disney overcomes immense obstacles to create the first Theme Park, where instead of thrill rides, he gives the visitor an immersive journey into a story, like the experience of being inside a movie.”

 

Episodes 4-6 haven’t been posted to the History Channel’s calendar with their descriptions yet, but will air on the following dates:  Episode 4 (May 19); Episode 5 (June 2);  and Episode 6 (June 9).  Upcoming episodes will look at Imagineering; merchandising of the Disney brand; and the creation of Disney World.

The first episode, “The Birth of Mickey,” is now streaming online with the History Channel for those who don’t have the History Channel on their cable systems.  It was an hour well-spent, an engaging kick-off to the series that was entertaining without descending into a dry look at a history with which many Disney mega-fans already have at least a passing relationship.  The technological discussions were also woven into the episode remarkably well, placing the early years of the Disney Company into historical and industry context without getting bogged down in the weeds. You’ll find yourself rooting for Walt and Roy, even though you already know where the story is heading. 

If the quality of this docuseries continues at this level, we are indeed looking forward to the next five segments.

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

Walt Disney’s Patriotism Alive and Well at Disney World

 by Beth Keating

Parks Visit

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 22, 2024

 

Leaving the Emporium one afternoon several years ago, I unexpectedly came across a very brief, but very heartwarming, ceremony just steps from the Emporium’s doors at the front of the Magic Kingdom.  The Dapper Dans had gathered to sing some patriotic tunes, and at first, I didn’t realize they were the prelude to a special event.  As a Dapper Dans fan, I stepped forward to hear them perform.

The Dapper Dans were just the lead in that day to a Flag Retreat ceremony, a daily tribute to America, and to our men and women in uniform that most park guests don’t even know about.  The ceremony still takes place today while the American flag that has flown over the Magic Kingdom is retired for the night. According to the cast member I was recently standing next to in time to catch the ceremony again, the flag was reverently lowered each day during COVID as well, even though the parks were closed and there were no park visitors there to see it happen.

  
During the daily tribute, the Main Street Philharmonic brings out the brass and drums, and accompanies the gathered crowd in the singing of the "The Star-Spangled Banner.”  The Pledge of Allegiance is recited, and a trumpet fanfare sounds the Retreat as the American flag is lowered.

 

The Flag Retreat Ceremony is also an homage to our country’s veterans for their service, and each day a visiting vet is chosen to be recognized during the ceremony and presented with the flag that flew over Disney World that day.  The service member accompanies the Main Street Philharmonic as they parade down Main Street, to the applause and thanks of assembled park guests, playing the anthems of each branch of the armed forces. 

 

The entire ceremony lasts only 15 minutes at most, but it is a quiet and moving few moments in the middle of the frantic pace of the park. The Retreat currently takes place at 5:00 p.m. at the center flagpole in Town Square in front of the train station. (Times subject to change along with the sunset.)

Walt himself once declared, “Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them and up my spine is glowing this red, white, and blue stripe.”  (He also noted, “I get red, white and blue at times.”)

And perhaps we can also remember Walt’s gratitude that, “I thank God and America for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of tolerance, democracy and freedom.”

It's good to see that spirit still alive and well at Disney World.

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

Carousel of Progress and Other Disney Attractions Hit Their Sixties Approaching the World’s Fair Anniversary

 by Beth Keating

Parks History

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 19, 2024

 

Sixty years ago, Walt Disney helped kick off the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York, and while I wasn’t personally there, my teenaged parents were, and as a New Yorker, I grew up with references to my family having attended the World’s Fair.  Later trips to Shea Stadium (yes, I know Shea Stadium is gone and replaced by CitiField) would take us past the giant globe (the “Unisphere”) and the flying saucer towers (the “Tent of Tomorrow”) that marked the location of one of the defunct World’s Fair pavilions.  If you’ve seen Men in Black, you, too, have seen those landmarks!

Photo courtesy of D23.com

Four Disney exhibits were part of the fair, which debuted April 22, 1964. Walt was quite the businessman, leveraging other companies’ financial investments in the World’s Fair displays into attractions that would make their way to his Disneyland park when the fair was over. Walt saw his opportunity to expand his own park as he was invited to create the exhibits for other sponsors. Someone else was footing the bill for Disney’s Research and Development (R&D)!

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln awed everyone at the State of Illinois’ pavilion with its previously unseen animatronic abilities.  On Disneyland’s website, it notes that Abe was “so life-like that National Geographic magazine called the figure ‘alarming’ in its realism.”  Great Moments was a project that was personally important to Walt, and it later landed at the Main Street Opera House in Disneyland, opening there on July 18, 1965. The show still thrills audiences at Disneyland today. Walt Disney explained, “Ever since I was a small boy in Illinois, I’ve had a great personal admiration for Abraham Lincoln. So when we decided to recreate some of the great moments in Mr. Lincoln’s life for the World’s Fair, we directed all our energies to that task. We wanted to bring to the people of today, the inspiring words of the man who held this nation together during its moment of greatest crisis, the Civil War.” (credit to the Walt Disney Archives at D23.com).   The attraction is now called “The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” and has been updated with more modern animatronics, and additional films and displays.

it’s a small world, presented by Pepsi-Cola and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was a slow boat ride that showcased the beautiful artwork of Mary Blair and the gorgeous costume design of Alice Davis (with more than 300 costumes!). Both ladies later became Disney Legends. The ride has subsequently been duplicated at Disney parks around the world, including Florida (1971), where it was an opening day attraction.  After the World’s Fair, the ride was trucked back across the country to set up the “happiest cruise that ever sailed” in Disneyland in 1966.

Ford’s Magic Skyway introduced guests to an early version of a continuously moving attraction – a prototype Omnimover ride, if you will – at Ford Motor’s Wonder Rotunda with dinosaurs that are now residing along the Disneyland Railroad route. Walt Disney himself provided the narration for the ride on the cars’ radios, which took riders into the past to experience the evolution of transportation.

Carousel of Progress was created for sponsor General Electric, and it first moved to Disneyland after its glorious debut at the World’s Fair, before later being relocated to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1975. Despite some (ahem) technical and mechanical difficulties of late, the attraction is one of the most historically important to Disney fans, in part because Walt himself had a hand in its creation. The first three scenes - the 1890s, 1920s, and 1940s – are still pretty much the same scenes that were seen at the World’s Fair, while the final scene has been updated a few times as John, Sarah, and the family moved forward in time. 

The “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” follows the American family as they “go through the 20th century, experiencing all new wonders as they came.” Walt’s theatre-in-the-round moved guests around the center stages as the decades pass by, and his revolutionary new audio-animatronics wowed audiences. Oh, and the appliances on stage? They were all state-of-the art GE appliances at the time!  If you listen to the opening narration, you’ll also hear credit given to the 1964 World’s Fair.

  

__________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

 

When Worlds Collide: Pete Rose, TCM and Pastor Stephen Grant

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 14, 2024

 

Today, April 14, marks two birthdays – one for an individual and another for a television channel. Both had big impacts on me, and in turn, on a character I created, i.e., Pastor Stephen Grant.

First, April 14 is Pete Rose’s birthday. Rose is the Cincinnati Reds great who is the all-time Major League Baseball leader in hits – The Hit King. When I was a kid, Rose and his style of play – namely, he seemed to will his way to greatness as he did not have the most natural talent – made me a Cincinnati Reds fan. Of course, Rose also is one of the most tragic figures in the game, as he bet on baseball while managing the Reds. That got him a lifetime ban from the game and from the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

 

In turn, given my own Cincinnati Reds fandom, I made Pastor Stephen Grant a Reds fan as well. I like to call him the biggest Reds fan in fiction. And by the way, he married someone who roots for the Cardinals!

 

Second, April 14, 2024, marks the 30th birthday of Turner Classic Movies. TCM grabbed my slowly growing appreciation for classic movies, and truly allowed it to flourish. TCM is a treasure.

 

And yes, as a result, Pastor Stephen Grant is a fan of classic films, and he has been introducing his wife to these movies as well. In addition, my appreciation for classic movies merged with my love of history, and one result has been my first work of historical fiction – Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel.

 

More Pastor Stephen Grant and Alliance of Saint Michael novels are coming, as well as other new series. And they, no doubt, will be marked in some way by my love for the Reds and baseball, and for TCM and classic films. 

 

For good measure, by expanding my appreciation for classic films, TCM increased my fascination of Walt Disney, and now I also am writing for and managing this DisneyBizJournal website.

 

This is my personal version of what happens when worlds collide!

 

Thanks for reading and God bless!

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist.Kindle editions here.

 

• Grab The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle and paperback editions here.

 

• Purchase The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle and paperbacks here. 

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Break Out of the Other Disney Bubble

 by Ray Keating

Commentary/Lessons

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 10, 2024

 

Amongst fans, one might come across the phrase the “Disney bubble.” The idea is that when you enter a place like Walt Disney World, you’re in a bubble, leaving everyday life, and perhaps its worries and troubles, behind. That’s the basic idea behind many vacations, but the immersive Disney experience – the Disney bubble – takes it to another level.

However, there’s another potential Disney bubble that’s more troubling, and Walt Disney warned against it.

 

Consider the following…

 

“Walt always said, ‘You get down to Disneyland at least twice a month and you walk in the front entrance, don’t walk in through the back. Eat with the people. Watch how they react to the work you’ve done down there.’ This made an enormous difference in how we approached our work.” - John Hench, Imagineer and Disney Legend

 

“I don’t want you guys sitting behind desks. I want you out in the park, watching what people are doing and finding out how you can make the place more enjoyable for them.” - Walt Disney 

 

A threat in any business – not to mention other aspects of life – is to get confined and constrained by your own bubble. You associate with all of the same people, and they tend to think like you do. While being on the same page in various areas of business is essential, becoming insular to the point of ignoring or not understanding your market can be fatal. Ironically, today, while technology has given us the world on our laptops, too many people have managed to move deeper into their own bubbles. 

 

As highlighted in the two quotes above, this is what Walt was warning against by telling his people to get into the parks on a regular basis. Walt knew that it was essential to understand your customers – from who they are to their experiences with your product to what innovations might excite them to providing them with excellence in terms of products and service.

 

There are signs that a counter-productive bubble has engulfed some at The Walt Disney Company recently. That’s always been a risk in Hollywood, and Disney isn’t immune. Have company executives been stuck in their bubble, becoming insular and listening to each other, rather than talking with and listening to customers?

 

Indeed, do the leaders of Disney consider that some of their recent troubles regarding creativity – specifically, a diminishment in quality – might be attributed to the bad Disney bubble? Make no mistake, as Walt knew, the bad Disney bubble can burst the Disney bubble that customers appreciate.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist.Kindle editions here.

 

• Grab The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle and paperback editions here.

 

• Purchase The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle and paperbacks here. 

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.