Where is the LandBaron?

[OnWithTheShow]

See subject...

 

[Planogirl]

I've been wondering about him too. I miss his cheerful posts. Maybe someone should e-mail him?

 

[JeffJewell]

...I believe he's at WDW, right now. Or just recently returned from WDW... it was supposed to be sometime within the last couple weeks of April.

I think he was setting Pirate-traps in preparation for the May meet.

Jeff

PS: As to why he hasn't posted much, I'd hazard the guess that there're not many new rumors and almost no hard news right now. Without significant new data, quite a few of the discussions 'round here feel a lot like the discussions we had, like, last year and stuff.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Traps for the Pirate? Man what is he going to do...put extra non-crutch grip wax on the floors, throw marbles out as I walk by or tie little trip wires at crutch level? Ahhh, me hearties will have to be running some scouting missions before the 'scurvey one' can safely make an entrance!

Now as to the Bob O & Landbaron rumor...You know, I never have seen them in the same room together!

 

[Planogirl]

Now that is VERY funny!

 

[HorizonsFan]

I know it's overused, but I'm actually laughing out loud!

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Thank you my friends, I am alive and well. As to why the very few posts, well, once again JJ hits the nail on the head.

I believe he's at WDW, right now. Or just recently returned from WDW... it was supposed to be sometime within the last couple weeks of April.

I had a wonderful time (but only four days). I did notice a few… well… let’s say… potential problems, but I decided not to make a big deal of it here (at least not now anyway!). I also didn’t want to steal any of Scoop’s thunder relating to his meet by announcing my trip (with only four days I didn’t have time to meet with anyone!! That will change in July when I will there for three and a half weeks!! ).

But that’s not all! Some knucklehead in the Police Department downloaded some child porn and that has had huge ramifications on the Internet use of others (myself included ). Anyway, since I can’t access the net during the daylight hours lately, I am forced to use the home computer after 6:00 pm. HOWEVER, five kids, doing homework and IMing a dozen and a half people at the same time, it turns out that my time is really limited to a few quick reads right before dinner with no time to answer anything (although, trust me, I have wonderful thoughts that really should be shared!) and very late at night, after JJ and AV have said exactly what I would have (but with way fewer words)! So I lurk, laugh at the sameness of our little Internet world and cheer my fellow car passengers for their terribly insightful posts.

But that’s still not all!! I have come to an understanding in my disappointment with Disney and, in a way, have come to terms with it. AV – You are to blame. I have, for the past year and a half, led the charge of car #3. At first, I believe, I was a lone voice. There may have been others before me, but I was the obstinate one. I wouldn’t let it go. I went many, many rounds with Mr. DisDuck (a truly great guy) and my favorite and first real internet friend, Peter Pirate. I really thought, as JeffJewell alluded to a couple months ago, that our conversation could make a difference and with enough of us, Disney would ‘magically’ wake up and start doing things right again. HA!!! As Bugs Bunny would say, “What a maroon!!!” After a few months here I changed direction. I realized that I couldn’t make a dent in new Ei$nerized Disney philosophy if I couldn’t convince a duck and pirate that I was right. But I still had quite a bit of fun thinking about, defining and laying out my philosophy of the way things should be and conversing with some truly great people.

That feeling deepened lately. AV started to post about ‘Walt’s Disney’ vs. Disney®. That defined the difference to which I felt but had not really defined or articulated. I finally realized that for the past year and half I had been attacking symptoms. I always said it was a philosophical issue, but deep down I was in denial (or D-Nile for Safari Steve). I still had hope that is was only a bunch of missteps on Disney’s part. That strong medication or perhaps a body cast and some rest would cure the patient. But instead it finally dawned on me that a brain transplant was the only answer. And that little ® did it. I finally understood.

But that’s still not all!!!

Without significant new data, quite a few of the discussions 'round here feel a lot like the discussions we had, like, last year and stuff.

Again JJ is right. For almost two years I have thought about, defined, refined, and solidified my take on what the Disney philosophy should be. I am comfortable with my definition. On almost any issue I can apply my philosophy and form a reasonably coherent response, consistent with what I believe would be Walt’s ideals and the direction which I think Disney should go. But I must admit that it sometimes feels as if we’re not getting anywhere. We just spin out the same ‘stuff’ over and over.

I sometimes feel, after I read a typical Scoop post, that I could simply answer with a “LandBaron standard response #4” and everyone on these boards would know what I would say! Scoop would then counter with a “variation of Scoop #7 response” and I would ignore most of it, quote some obscure line that was probably hyperbole anyway, and answer with a “LandBaron #1 and #6 combination”!! I would applaud the posts of AV, JJ or AirLarry and then leave the thread agreeing to disagree with a parting shot about the Captain not “getting it” even though he hadn’t said anything in the thread at all!!!

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! And... I think I needed a break!!

.....he's been posting under the moniker "BobO" for about five weeks now......

Nothing personal, BobO but… NOT FUNNY MR. SCOOP!!!

Traps for the Pirate? Man what is he going to do...

Pirate, my very good friend, be careful! Be very careful!!!

 

[Micca]

Whew, for a minute there I thought we'd lost him

 

[airlarry!]

Sir Baron,

As usual, I got a kick out of reading your post.

I would love to see that 'list' of arguments from both the Car 1 and Car 3 camps!!

 

[Another Voice]

Sir Baron,

I have been accused of ruining many things in my life. Accused of ruining careers, parties, relationships, marriages, $80 million movies, camping trips, and my favorite – accused of ruining someone’s “artistic vision”. I can live with all of those (expect for the alimony bit).

But to be accused of ruining the will to fight the good fight…. Now I’m depressed.

There is another way to look at the difference between “Disney” and DISNEY®. The later is a large corporation filled with thousands of talented and hard working people (and a few others as well). It is a company that exists to make money for its shareholders and to perpetuate its own existence. This company had a tremendous beginning, one that is both unique in business and one that has defined a large part of the American culture. But a company is just a group of people. They are bound to make mistakes – and more often than not these days they seem to wandering away from the philosophies that made the unique and strong to begin with.

But those philosophies, those ideals, the “Disney”, isn’t dependent on the whims of a single executive or the collective actions of a corporation. The idea lives separate from all of that. “Disney” is a process, not the end result. “Disney” is a thought and it can not be owned. Ideas exist even if just one person believes in it. And they are always royalty free.

To me, “Disney” has never been about merchandise, escapes from reality, themeing, plush, thrill rides, buildings, films or any of the tangible items that get stamped with DISNEY®. Those are just products. To me, the idea of Disney is the joy of creating, the place of imagination in the world and the way of harnessing the power of both.

Disney is the way I felt when I saw ’20,000 Leagues under the Sea’, my first “grown-up” movie when I was six years old. Disney is the way I remember my dad being so immensely happy just being a dad and taking his kids to Disneyland. Disney is the look in my own son’s eyes when it he suddenly realized what dinosaurs were – and that real life can be more wonderful than any storybook. None of those moments are the exclusive creation of a single corporate entity. They are the result of people who understand and who created experiences that elicited those emotions.

In the end, it’s not as important what DISNEY® does with the idea; what’s important is what we do with the idea. Good ideas can be used by anyone at anytime. And good ideas take root and grow. It certainly seems to spread to Pixar. You can find it in many other places as well. All you have to do is look – and understand the difference between the ideal and the brand name.

If the idea eludes the current management of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) than it will be a loss, but not a tragedy. Managements come and managements go, but ideas can stay around forever if people want them to.



P.S. – As to the issue that none of this making an impact. I have heard rumors that these boards are read occasionally. Perhaps the people being influenced are not the ones posting. All it takes is a single person saying “we’ll do it this way” to make a difference.

 

[Planogirl]

Eloquent posts such as these are a major part of why I enjoy coming here. I thank you for giving me ideas and for helping to keep the DREAM alive. I strongly suspect that I'm far from the only person who feels that way.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Look what I started,,,,Why did I even ask???

I think that something the car #3 people don't realize that there are still people within the company who believe in the vision and magic that is "Disney". The future of the company truly depends on these people. (I will henceforth include myself in this group if that is acceptable to those of you who have met me) We must strive to make our voice heard. We must say, "no that is not up to the Disney standard". Or "That light bulb has been out for months, if you get me the bulb I will replace it myself" (believe it or not this one sometimes spurs some action)

In many ways the top level of the company has become totally "corporate". With their total fixation on shareholder value and quarterly earnings the top level has forgotten the imagination and magic that is the company. Fortunately I feel that the Disney fans of my generation and my peer cast members (for the most part) see the course the company is taking and want a great deal to change it. It is only a matter of time before we occupy enough positions of power to actually do something about it.

As a additional subplot to this story, the company has become too large. The urge to expand out into every possible industry has cost the company a great deal of magic. The core businesses that are quintessentially Disney have been forgotten. Although Synergy is an excellent concept it has been taken to the point that it is the primary motivation for every new product.

My solution to the problem: I truly believe that the best solution to the way things currently are is that the parks be split into a separate entity. If the US parks were operated on the same basis as Tokyo Disney Resort I believe many problems will quickly evaporate. So if any one wants to contribute to the Rob's WDW Purchasing Plan Fund, PM me and I will give the address to send your checks to.

 

[HorizonsFan]

Great post, AV!
Every time you write from the heart like that, I get a little closer to car 3...

 

[airlarry!]

Sir Baron:

Let's just say that 'certain' people are actually reading our little arguments. I wonder if I shouldn't be more careful to couch my language more correctly.

In other words, when I visit a fan's site, and see ugly epithets about the corporation behind the game or movie, or read invective that seems a bit too familiar with the people involved, I always tend to filter out those statements and dismiss them as 'fanatic' drivel rather than 'fan' commentary.

I love to poke fun at ME by calling him "Cousin Mike" or your term, "Ei$ner," instead of Uncle Walt. Kind of a parody.

But I wouldn't want our little community to think that it is anything other than for sheer fun. I wouldn't want you to skip my comments just b/c I call him 'Cousin,' and not Mr. Eisner.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

… Nothing more and nothing less. Taking care of all those passengers in car #3 is an awesome responsibility. I needed to stop and smell the audioanimatronic flowers for a while…

But to be accused of ruining the will to fight the good fight…. Now I’m depressed.

No, my liege! Not ruining the will to fight. That will never leave me. And you (or anyone else) will have no bearing on it. But you have put things neatly in perspective. I just happened to be at the same time that I started to feel like a broken record.

I have written hundreds of thousands of words (sometimes in the same post!) but nothing I’ve written defines it any better than that little symbol. “®” says it all.

To me, “Disney” has never been about merchandise, escapes from reality, themeing, plush, thrill rides, buildings, films or any of the tangible items that get stamped with DISNEY®. Those are just products. To me, the idea of Disney is the joy of creating, the place of imagination in the world and the way of harnessing the power of both.

I wholeheartedly agree with the more intangible essence of this passage. Creativity and imagination is really what it’s all about. However, never having the pleasure of working for Disney (creative or corporate) the only interaction I have had with the company is through what you term as “just products”. And to tell you the truth none of their ‘products’ really grabbed me in my childhood years. I always thought Mickey cartoons were lame and much preferred Bugs Bunny or even Huckleberry Hound (Pixie and Dixie still get me!). While I was growing up I considered Disney feature films as “kid’s stuff”. Nice, but I’d much rather see The Great Escape or The Magnificent Seven instead of Mary Poppins or even 20,000 Leagues.

I remember in 1968, while traveling to California for the first time, asking my mother what this Disneyland thing really was. She said that her friend Marie told her about after she had stumbled on it six or seven years previously. And since that time they traveled every year to California, primarily to visit Disneyland. My mom kinda rolled her eyes as if to say “Well, you know I love Marie, but she is crazy”! And I thought so too. After all, I was amusement park literate. I grew up with many visits to Riverview. And I loved it! But I wouldn’t travel to the very edge of the country every year, forsaking all other destinations, just to visit an amusement park! Even as a mere eighth grade graduate I could figure that much out.

Needless to say, within the next few days, we paid a visit to this “Disneyland thing”. It was my interaction with this ‘product’ on that defining day that caused me to spew forth over a thousand posts on the DIS (and other sites) over thirty years later. So it’s very hard for me to divorce the intellectual content (the joy of creativity and imagination) with the product, in my case, Disneyland and WDW.

I think that something the car #3 people don't realize that there are still people within the company who believe in the vision and magic that is "Disney".

I don’t know about my fellow passengers, but I fully realize it. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be spending over three weeks down there this summer and spending ridiculous amounts of cash! Yes! I agree that there are many within the company, especially the front line CMs, who hold the “Walt” philosophy close to their hearts. Unfortunately that really doesn’t make any difference for the big picture.

While an individual CM can dish out handfuls of pixie dust, one corporate policy change can either negate those handfuls or unload pixie dust by the truck load. Unfortunately, current management has been sweeping up the pixie dust faster than the individual CMs can dish it out!!

Fortunately I feel that the Disney fans of my generation and my peer cast members (for the most part) see the course the company is taking and want a great deal to change it. It is only a matter of time before we occupy enough positions of power to actually do something about it.

I hadn’t thought of this before. And it does give me some measure of comfort. But if that is true, why hasn’t it happened already? Do they promote to executive levels from within?

As a additional subplot to this story, the company has become too large….

And every single word in your last two paragraphs. You worded it perfectly!!!!

ABSOLUTELY!! You and I seem to share a like mind on this subject. JJ, open the door for Mr. Show and slide over a bit. There’s plenty of room!! You can even have a window seat!!

P.S. – As to the issue that none of this making an impact. I have heard rumors that these boards are read occasionally. Perhaps the people being influenced are not the ones posting. All it takes is a single person saying “we’ll do it this way” to make a difference.

Hmmm. I hope no one has been offend by the “$” stuff. It was all in fun after all and I think it was Airlarry that started it anyway. OK? Are we friends now Mr. Eisner?



(Résumé available upon request)