Jim Hill

Paperback version of "Designing Disney" is both affordable & essential

Jim Hill — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Jim Hill reviews the new softcover edition of Disney Legend John Hench's 2003 book, which features great insights on how Walt Disney Imagineering perfected the Art of the Show...(read more)

Toon Tuesday : Disney tries to figure out why "Bolt" missed its box office target

Jim Hill — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Jim Hill shares what he's heard coming out of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Which suggests that executives there are puzzled as to why a movie that was as well reviewed as "Bolt" was still managed to under-perform domestically...(read more)

Monday Mouse Watch : Is Disney World trying to coast through the first half of 2009?

Jim Hill — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

As SeaWorld Orlando & Universal Studios Florida press ahead with construction of brand-new thrill rides, Jim Hill brings an update on that "Monsters, Inc." -themed family coaster that Disney has planned for Hollywood Studios...(read more)

A special "Gnome place like Home for the Holidays" edition of Why For

Jim Hill — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

First up, FatCat2167 writes to ask:

All I keep reading about these days is cutbacks at Disney World. Shows getting canceled, schedules at the parks being shortened. What I want to know is how bad is it really going to get and how soon should we expect a turnaround?

FatCat2167 --

As I tried to get an answer to your question, I made calls to a number of WDW insiders over this past week. And among these folks, the general consensus seems to be that -- while the first three months of 2009 will be extremely tough for the Resort -- things could begin turning around as early as mid-April.

Mind you, the date that I kept hearing over & over again was January 20th. As in: Inauguration Day. Disney execs are extremely eager to hear about the economic stimulus packages that President-elect Obama plans on putting out there during his first 100 days in office.

You see, as of right now (Based on the number of advance reservations WDW already has in the pipeline for the next six months), the Martin Luther King day weekend looks to be extremely busy, as does the February & April school vacation periods. It's all those weeks inbetween that worry Mouse House officials ... Which is why they'd dearly love it if Barack would do something quickly to help bolster consumer confidence. Make people think that it was fiscally sound to once again fly on down to Orlando. That -- by putting a Disney World vacation on their credit cards -- they weren't then cutting in to the kids' college money and/or robbing their own retirement fund.

Disney's doing what it can to get the word
about about this year's "What Will You
Celebrate?" promotion. Even partnering
with Kellogg's to help hype this campaign.
Photo by Nancy Stadler

Now where this gets interesting is that -- while Disney hopes that the Guests who stay in WDW's Value & Moderate Resorts will begin returning to their usual traffic patterns by late Spring / early Summer -- it's those folks who typically book packages for Disney World's Deluxe Resorts that really concern the Suits right about now. Those affluent WDW visitors who got hit hard in their portfolios late last year when the Dow lost 33% of its value. Who now don't feel like they can afford a trip to Orlando. At least not at the level of luxury that they're used to.

With the hope of wooing these high-end customers back ... Well, it was Scott Liljenquist of Mouseketrips who actually pointed this out to me. The 25% discount that Disney World is now offering on its Platinum Package. According to what Scott tells me, this is an unprecedented discount on Disney's part. All in an effort to make the WDW Resort seems as appealing as possible to every market segment during these extremely trying financial times.

Will all of these discounts & promotional offers really be enough to get people to come back to Disney World? Well, they certainly worked for Andrew DaCosta of Seattle, WA. Who showed up at the Magic Kingdom yesterday looking to take advantage of the everyone-gets-in-free-on-their-birthday component of this year's "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign. Only to find that he was the very first Guest to take advantage of this promotion.

Here's some official produced-by-WDW video of this somewhat historic moment. Which first shows Andrew pushing his way through the turnstiles and then shows the DaCosta family strolling up Main Street U.S.A.

Now if a few million people would just follow Andrew's example and head on down to Orlando in 2009, Disney would be in for a very Happy New Year indeed.

And speaking of people who spent New Year's at Disney, Paul B.of Lansing, MI writes to say:

Jim --

Thanks for posting those New Year's Eve tips yesterday. My family and I followed all of Courtney's suggestions and had a great time at the Magic Kingdom last night. We're now coming to the end of a 10 day visit to Orlando and don't really want the holiday fun to end just yet. So you or Ms. Mills have any suggestions about what else we can do to keep Christmas going during our WDW vacation?

Dear Paul --

To be honest, January 4th is pretty much the outside edge of the holiday season in Orlando. So you've really only got another couple of days of Christmas cheer before all of those decorations get packed away for next year.

That said, if you really are still looking for a fun holiday-themed activity for your whole family to do while you're in the Orlando area, you may want to call over to the Gaylord Palms and see if they have any availabilties this weekend. You see, that 1406-room resort is just about to wrap up its Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt promotion.

Which is sort of a seasonal scavenger hunt. In that Gaylord employees have hidden 20 garden gnomes around this ginormous hotel. And if you can properly identify the location of just 10 of these statues ... Well, you and your family could then win a two night stay in the Gaylord Palms' Presidential Suite, spa treatments, even dinner for two at Old Hickory Steakhouse.

Given the size of this resort, finding 10 tiny garden gnomes may seem like a pretty daunting task. But the folks at the Gaylord Palms do provide a few clues in the form of some rhyming couplets. That -- for example -- this one:

I know why the yellow bird sings...
In the lobby today with no need for wings

And if you check out that enormous antique birdcage in the hotels' lobby ...

Photo by Nancy Stadler

... Sure enough, there's a gnome inside.

Photo by Nancy Stadler

So if you follow the clues as you wander through the Gaylord's Florida-themed atriums, you should soon spot the statue that's hidden in plain sight in the hotel's Key West area.

Photo by Nancy Stadler

No to mention the gnome that's right out in the open in the Gaylord's St. Augustine-themed section.

Photo by Nancy Stadler

There's even a gnome hidden in the hotel's ICE! attraction. Though I would imagine that -- given what's waiting for you at home in Michigan -- touring a 9-degree room that's loaded with colorful ice sculptures wouldn't be all that appealing for you & the family right about now.

Speaking of ICE! ... This seasonal exhibit -- just like the Gaylord Palms' Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt -- ends on Sunday night. And while that ice sculpture exhibit is open to the public, only guests who are actually staying at the Palms are eligible to take part in this hidden statues sweepstakes.

Here's hoping that you make the most of the rest of your visit to the Orlando area, Paul. More importantly, that you and your family don't have too tough a time digging out once you get back home to Lansing.

Next up, Thomas P. writes in to say:

I really enjoyed Shelly Smith's interview with Tony Baxter about the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough. Do you have any other articles in the works about Disneyland? If not, I think you need to post more stories about that theme park.

Photo by Shelly Smith

Dear Thomas --

Actually, I do have a few articles about the Disneyland Resort in the works. The first one may turn up on the site as early as next week. But until then, why don't you check this podcast that JHM alumni Roger Colton recently posted over at his Blue Parrot website? Which actually features audio of Shelly & Roger's talk with this veteran Disney Imagineer.

And finally, Frosty the Showman writes in with a loaded question:

You've been writing about the Walt Disney Company for a number of years now. What's the stupidest thing that you ever saw the Mouse do?

Ah, it's a little too early in the year to go so negative. So -- instead of talking about the stupidest thing that I ever saw the Walt Disney Company do -- why don't I talk about one of the silliest?

Seriously, folks. Not three weeks ago, I came across this product in my local CVS.

Photo by Nancy Stadler

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This is officially-Disney-sanctioned "Little Mermaid" -themed toilette water.

Okay, I know. Toilette water isn't really toilet water. But -- that said -- isn't this still kind of an odd product to slap Ariel's image on? As the very least, this whole toilette / toilet water thing puts a different spin on that lyric from "Under the Sea" ...

The fish on the land ain’t happy
They're sad 'cause they're in de bowl

... don't you think?

And -- on that somewhat juvenile note -- we now close out this week's "Why For." If you'd like to see your own Disney-related question answered in this column, please send it along to jim@jimhillmedia.com.

Have a great weekend, okay?

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Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

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