“…I fundamentally believe that storytelling is what fuels this company, and it belongs at the center of how we organize our businesses.” -Bob Iger
The end of November marked one of the biggest shocks in Disney history—the return of Bob Iger as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, ousting his successor, Bob Chapek.
Speaking for myself, I did not see it coming. While Iger certainly courted his share of controversy, the last few years under Chapek’s purview have proven a time of unique tension for fans. What started out as a season of belt-tightening in response to pandemic closures has slowly evolved into a complete culture shift in the parks, one where many longtime Disney guests feel the parks are being poorly maintained, only guests with the deepest pockets are welcomed, and foundational company values have been compromised.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort have always stood apart from their competition as places where imagination is celebrated, where people of all ages can live out their dreams. Quality and superior service have been held in the highest regard, and attractions have been designed with rich storytelling in mind rather than just providing a quick thrill or amusement. A trip to a Disney park previously included a lot in the base cost of admission, and if quality started to dip in any of the spheres of the park, fans quickly took notice.
This past season has been frustrating to say the least. Price increases have alienated a large portion of the fanbase, with overuse of upcharges making Disney’s best offerings inaccessible to most families (we’re looking at you, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser). Convoluted systems like Genie+ and the Parks Pass Reservation system have left a sour taste in the mouth of families looking for a simple vacation experience. Worst of all, the company seems to have no concrete vision for the future of the parks, and fans have been less-than-thrilled with new content generated during this time.
Disney is currently in the midst of a major restructuring, and Bob Iger has a core strategy in mind to tackle the worst of these issues: put creatives back in control again.
It’s simple, and it’s honestly just the recipe Disney needs.
We’ve had some time to process Iger’s return and see some of Disney’s initial moves, both welcomed (such as expanding park hopping) and unpopular (like massive company layoffs).
How might making creativity king again solve the worst current issues at Disney parks?
1. Too many price increases and upcharges
It’s the top issue on the mind of many: Disney vacations have become just too darn expensive.
Some price increases to keep up with inflation are understandable, but well before Bob Chapek stepped into his role, Disney had already gained a reputation for increasing prices to the point trips to their parks have become inaccessible to most American families. These increases only got worse in the last few years.
The issue isn’t just price increases—it’s been a shift in transparency about how much a Disney vacation really costs. Beyond park admission and lodging, in the past you really only needed to focus on three additional expenses: dining, souvenirs, and optionally, some special tours and experiences.
Lately, it has felt like Disney has changed tactics towards trying to maneuver guests towards upcharges that are no longer clear upfront. The most notable example of this has been Genie+. In theory, Genie+ should be an optional add-on meant to enhance the experience of guests who want to make the most of their time in the parks. It should only have a minimal effect on guests who don’t partake in it.
Instead, Disney has developed a system where guests who choose not to purchase Genie+ can often end up feeling like they are being punished for that choice. The cause is an excessive portion of ride capacity being dedicated to the service, inflating standby queue times. In the same vein, the way the system has been implemented feels distinctly like guests are being manipulated to purchase add-ons to enjoy what once was a normal Disney trip.
How can creatives help solve this?
One of the areas that has set Disney apart from their competition is finding creative solutions to mundane problems. Consider the issue of the 10 hour queues we saw at the opening of some Universal Studios attractions. Disney made no bones in the media about the fact they saw this issue and felt it detracts from a quality vacation experience. In response, they came up with virtual queues as a solution for major attraction openings. They’ve had to rework the system a few times, but it’s a far better option than spending your entire day in the queue for just one ride.
In truth, rampant price increases and sneaky upcharges are a lazy answer to Disney’s larger problem—the need to drawing repeat guests to their parks with experiences found nowhere else.
Walt Disney had a philosophy to keep his money-managers and creative departments separate so that creative teams didn’t feel throttled by budgeting woes. When an entertainment company becomes too focused on the bottom line, it’s very easy to hedge your creative teams in so tightly that they are left with no room to dream or take risks. This is exactly what has happened in Disney’s film and television division the past few years.
By putting creativity back at the center of their structure, Disney has the opportunity to find new ways to allocate resources and generate revenue in a manner that leave guests satisfied. Walking this line requires creativity, and this sort of farsighted problem-solving should be encouraged. Eliminating hidden costs and the feel of being “nickel and dimed” can do a great deal for the company’s public image, but it takes minds willing to think outside of the box to implement such changes.
This problem ties closely to another issue…
2. Convoluted systems
We explored recently if too much technology was ruining the Disney vacation experience. Many guests feel they now have to spend too much time fiddling with their phones and micro-planning their Disney vacations to truly relax and have fun. The deeper issue is Disney keeps introducing guest management systems that are too convoluted.
Chief among these is Genie+. The implementation of this system was a hot mess, and it could be argued the system was made purposefully complicated to fool unsuspecting guests into making a purchase without understanding what they were getting into. Disney’s dubiously named and comically inept Genie day-planning assistant (a completely separate part of their app) is an even more potent example.
The other overly complicated system guests have learned to hate is the Parks Pass Reservation system. Its presence has been most keenly felt by longtime visitors and Passholders who lament the loss of flexibility in their vacations. The system also has left many first-time visitors confused when they show up at the parks not realizing they need a reservation in addition to their ticket. While posting lots of warnings on Disney’s site has helped this issue somewhat, the system has overstayed its welcome and continues to leave many frustrated.
How can creatives help solve this?
Similar to the issue of upcharges, creative solutions can ultimately gain Disney much more mileage in fan goodwill than quick fixes and dodgy tactics. Genie+ still feels like something cooked up by someone who handles data figures but not necessarily people. It’s complex, frustrating, and while it improves the guest experience of some, it leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth of others.
Getting creative minds involved in the development of systems like Genie+ can do much to counter bottom-line mentality, playing with ways to ensure these systems contribute to a positive guest experience across the board as well as maintaining the magic and values of Disney parks.
Having a variety of voices in the company also helps with another issue—solving the actual issues at the core of why systems like Genie+ were developed in the first place. Fastpass+ created two big problems: too much ride capacity was dedicated to it, and it caused increased congestion in guest thoroughfares by reducing the number of people “sponged” into queues. Genie+ was supposed to resolve these two issues but instead made both worse.
If all Disney is focusing on is revenue, it’s easy to miss the core reason why a do-over for Fastpass+ was needed. You need creatives to be able to help with the problem solving necessary to resolve the problems with the original system in a way that leaves guests satisfied.
As for Parks Pass Reservations, they provide guests with one singular benefit—they prevent doorbuster days where the parks are so busy, they become miserable. Because of the myriad benefits the system brings Disney management, it seems likely Disney is keeping Parks Pass Reservations in some form for the long term. The question is, how do they do this without losing any more guest goodwill?
Fortunately, Disney is already heading in the right direction. It seems Disney’s plan is likely to simplify Parks Pass Reservations for most guests, using tickets instead as the means of controlling attendance. The system would remain in place specifically for Passholders who provide a factor of unpredictability. Chapek made the mistake of making a number of statements to the media that left Passholders feeling less-than-desired as guests. In a smart move, Disney has changed course, finding a reasonable solution: during seasons that aren’t too busy, Passholders can come into most parks after 2pm without a reservation. Park hopping is also finally being expanded.
3. Diminishing quality
This one has been a complaint for a while–even back when Bob Iger was running the company–but the issue has badly snowballed since 2020. Originally, it seemed simply an after-effect of the pandemic, but more and more, it seems a direct effect of much of Disney’s decision making these past three years.
The crux of the issue is longtime guests have noted waning quality across the parks. Rides are having more maintenance issues than ever before. Entertainment options have faded. Multiple reworked nighttime spectaculars have been panned by fans (particularly the implementation of puzzling elements like the Epcot “Stargate” from Harmonious). Dining also continues to be a point of controversy at many locations.
How can creatives help solve this?
Quality doesn’t necessarily always have to mean expensive. Creativity is necessary to stretch your resources in ways that don’t compromise the core values guests have come to appreciate about Disney.
While a company like Disney absolutely needs money managers setting some outer limits, you need creative innovators to come up with ways for the company to get the most quality possible out of available resources. Too often during this season, it has felt like Disney’s solution to their financial woes has been to consistently charge more but give less. This tactic provides only a short-term solution to budget issues because it loses guest loyalty in the process.
By putting creatives in the company in problem-solving roles, the company can find ways to stretch their dollars by finding solutions to increase the perceived value of a Disney vacation. What are ways the company can make a vacation at their parks a more fulfilling experience? It doesn’t always have to mean a multi-million dollar attraction or expansion (though these are certainly welcome). You can throw money at the problem, or you can get your creative teams to develop ideas that leave guests feeling fulfilled without incurring excessive costs. Sustainability has long been a core value of Disney, so it is possible to embrace this without compromising quality.
Consider Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It’s a very cool place to visit, but as neat as Batuu is, the bells and whistles of the Black Spire Outpost aren’t what makes it feel alive. Instead, it’s the people—cast members and characters throughout the land who each have their own story. In theory, you should never know what’s going to happen when you visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge if you just spend time interacting with cast members—you might be drawn into a different story every time.
Instead of throttling experiences to guard the bottom line, set your creative teams loose with the goal of finding ways to increase perceived value in sustainable ways.
4. Lack of vision for the future of the parks
Tied to the issue of diminishing quality is the problem that Disney doesn’t seem to have any coherent sense of vision for the future of their parks right now. The last D23 summit was a puzzling affair, bereft of major announcements for new projects that got fans excited. Instead, it felt like Disney is tossing noodles against the proverbial wall to see what sticks, such as a few vague and confusing concepts for lands focused on villains, Zootopia, and Encanto—popular IP’s, yes, but not with much storytelling or concrete ideas attached.
It’s understandable that Disney had to halt, stall, and trim a number of projects due to closures during the pandemic. The problem was the company hasn’t rebounded to a place of being willing to take risks on creative projects. The conclusion has been a distinct lack of vision, giving guests little reason to look ahead to future visits to the parks.
How can creatives solve this?
You can’t have Disney magic without Imagineers and creative minds dreaming up what could be. As mentioned, the money-management side of the business is needed to make these dreams happen, but one side shouldn’t eclipse the other to the point guests have nothing to look forward to.
Storytelling truly is at the center of Disney’s business model—not simply revenue-generating entertainment properties. Disney has an urgent need to bolster their creative departments to start generating fresh ideas for the parks. If both sides of the business can work together to start taking creative risks again, casting fresh vision for the future of the parks, Disney might just stand a chance against competitors like Universal’s Epic Universe.
5. Unhappy cast members and Imagineers
All the above areas share a common root—Disney has not managed many of their cast departments very well. Foremost among these is Imagineering.
You would think after the release of The Imagineering Story that Disney had learned their lesson. The series was surprisingly candid about past seasons where Disney failed to meet the creative standard, such as the rocky years surrounding the openings of EuroDisney, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure. The atmosphere of that time sounds extremely familiar—the company number crunchers cracked down so hard that Imagineers were left with no room or resources to produce quality material for the company. The result was a series of failures that failed to meet the standard fans expected and left company creatives frustrated.
The season we are just starting to emerge from has been worse in a number of ways, and there has been much discontent among Disney cast members. One has only had to visit the parks the past few years to see that a lot of frontline cast members seem tired and more on edge. They’ve had to deal with mass layoffs, broad procedural overhauls, and tension with guests who can turn angry and unpredictable far more quickly than in years past. On top of this, some frontline cast members have reported crackdowns in management on creating “pixie dust” moments if doing so competes in any way with Genie+ or Lightning Lane purchases.
This is just the parks division. Disney’s film and TV departments have had their own problems that necessitated an immediate restructuring upon Bob Iger’s return. In short, you have a lot of unhappy cast members across the Walt Disney Company.
How can creatives help solve this?
Disney can automate systems and pump money into pushing company IP’s all they want, but there’s no changing a key fact: cast members are the ones who actually make Disney magical.
Walt Disney had a philosophy that if you take care of your cast members and your guests, everything else will fall into place. Disney can do much to repair the damage of the past years by making the choice to invest once again in cast members, especially those in creative roles.
Within the parks, empower cast members to make guest visits magical in unique ways (think Year of a Million Dreams). Don’t quash their creativity in the name of the bottom line. Give them leeway to personalize the Disney experience for families when they see fit. As for Imagineers, bolster that department and get them back to work cooking up fresh ideas, both for new lands and expanding current ones. Disney is currently walking a difficult line in this area because they are both having to proceed with company layoffs, and managing a tricky headquarters move from California to the Lake Nona district of Orlando (a move that cost the company some of their most seasoned Imagineers). Disney needs to do whatever they can to increase morale in this department. If they can do so, some fans think Walt Disney World in particular will benefit greatly from the Lake Nona move as Imagineers will be able to spend much more time on site at the resort than previously, drawing attention to key differences between the California and Florida parks that some guests feel have been missed in the past.
In conclusion, I think most of us can agree Bob Iger is right on one point—storytelling and creativity must be placed back at the core of Disney’s business model. If they can restructure and do this, the company can certainly bounce back from these past strange years and have a great, big, beautiful tomorrow.
What other areas do you think a reemphasis on creativity could solve at Disney parks? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
