4. Massive closures

Image: Rod Ramsey, Flickr (license)

The downside of the Disney Decade was perhaps its radical overhaul of the Disney experience visitors had long come to expect. Much-loved classic rides were drastically changed or shuttered for good. Some were replaced by supposedly next-generation attractions that failed to find the heart of the originals (Journey Into YOUR Imagination and Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management come to mind). Others just sat as silent reminders of what once was (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which officially closed a whopping 2 years after it actually closed, and was not filled in for another 6 years after that).

5. Homogenization of experiences

Pre-Eisner, the Disney parks were full of interesting little shops, each selling unique merchandise that couldn’t readily be found elsewhere in the parks, let alone outside them. In fact, Disney used to issue 2 hour shopping passes to guests who just wanted to enter a park, pick up some merchandise, and leave again. As long as you left within the allotted 2 hours, you were not charged admission. Thanks to the Disney Decade, these became superfluous, since all the shops sold the same things.

The restaurants also had unique menus, and each chef had a lot of latitude in both the menu and the suppliers. During the Disney Decade, however, standardization and homogenization of menus became the new rule. Things are gradually getting better now, but thanks to the Disney Dining Plan, it is unlikely that we will ever see a full return to the variety we once enjoyed.

6. Roy Disney’s “Save Disney campaign” and Michael Eisner’s ouster

Image: Disney

Overall, the Disney Decade failed to deliver on its hype. By the turn of the 21st century, many of its promises had never been fulfilled. The movie studio and ABC TV channel were struggling to match earlier successes, and the tides of both internal and external opinion had changed.

In 2003, Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, began a very public “Save Disney” campaign. He stepped down from his roles as chairman of Feature Animation and company vice chairman, and began working to have Michael Eisner removed. In March 2004, Eisner received a stunning 43% no confidence vote at a shareholder meeting. The battle was fierce, but a year later, in March 2005, Eisner agreed to resign in September, a full year before his contract expired.

Today, Disney is at a sort of crossroads. Legacies of the Disney Decade, both good and bad, are still found throughout the parks. Current CEO Bob Iger has received steadily mixed reviews, undoing some of Eisner’s less popular decisions, but keeping the company moving in an overall direction that a lot of people don’t like. With ever-intensifying pressure from Universal, especially in Central Florida, it is prime time for Disney to make some bold moves to revitalize the parks and finish healing the scars of the past.