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4. Heavy-handed use of IP’s

Mickey and Minnie gold statues for 50th Anniversary
Image: Disney

This one comes up enough in fan conversations that it’s worth mentioning—many Disney loyalists are getting weary of the company’s heavy-handed pushing of intellectual properties (characters, films, etc. owned by Disney).

This area has been a long-brewing subject of controversy. It’s not that Disney isn’t supposed to incorporate their most famous characters and films into the parks—they absolutely should. The problem is that over the past decade, Disney has made a sharp shift towards treating every new venture as an opportunity to push popular IP’s, sometimes to the exclusion of actual creativity.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration—a celebration that has included almost zero nods to the park’s actual history, opting instead of seize every opportunity to push IP’s from Disney’s films and TV shows. Disney’s nighttime spectaculars have all shifted towards blasting guest eyeballs with as many IP’s as possible to the point of feeling smothering and bland.

The problem with heavy-handed pushing of Disney’s IP’s is that it makes every experience in the parks feel like a commercial—a blatant manipulation meant to sear the Disney’s brand into the subconscious. The message shifts from “Come play and dream” to “Buy! Subscribe! Consume!”.

I’m not saying Disney shouldn’t sell their merchandise or push their characters—they’re a company that needs to bring in revenue. The problem is the blaring transparency of this shift has sucked some of the magic out of the parks and stifled originality.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was uniquely refreshing in that, even though it took place in Star Wars (even in a particularly controversial spot in the timeline), the land brims with original story content. It feels like it belongs in Disney, and the efforts made by Imagineers to create an environment rich for imagination, immersion, and storytelling are incredible. Both Galaxy’s Edge and Avatar: The World of Pandora beautifully capture the essence of the classic Disney experience—to dream, imagine, adventure, and feel like a kid again.

By all evidence, Disney appears to have long abandoned original storytelling in their parks—everything must connect to an IP, even if the end product is ultimately mediocre. This is a sad state of affairs considering the achievements of the Imagineering department. Instead of being invited to adventure and dream, far too often at the parks, it feels like the curtain is pulled back and all that’s left is a corporate agenda.

Rey with lightsaber
Image: Disney

How Do They Fix It?

Integrating Disney IP’s is fine, but not at the expense of creativity, innovation, and originality. A lighter touch with IP’s integrated with a new push for original storytelling could provide a refreshing boost to the atmosphere of Disney parks.

There are many ways this could be done—embrace originality, educational entertainment, and the unorthodox. Bolster the Imagineering department and cut them loose to dream up ideas to address areas needing revitalization, like Dinoland U.S.A. or even beloved Tomorrowland.

Let the creative minds dream and take risks in the realm of originality not directly tied to IP’s—IP’s can be creatively incorporated but not incongruently. Not everything has to be a commercial. As mentioned, the company was trending towards taking some of these risks before the pandemic hit—return to this bold mindset.

5. Smothering the magic

Cinderella Castle with stained glass projections and fireworks
Image: Disney

As mentioned, prior to the pandemic, Disney was headed on an exciting trajectory breaking the parks out of a lengthy period of stagnancy. The arrivals of The World of Pandora and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge were to mark the beginning of this marathon of unfettered creativity.

Unfortunately, we seem to have shifted back into this stagnancy with the reopening after the pandemic (with the exception of effort put into expensive upcharge experiences like Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser). It’s not that Disney doesn’t have promising ideas—some of those are slowly starting to be finished. It’s that all signs indicate Disney doesn’t want to take any risks on the parks right now.

The last time Disney played it too safe with their parks led to the failed launches of Disney California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. It led to head-scratching additions like Dinoland U.S.A. and Camp Mickey Minnie instead of Beastly Kingdom (which instead formed the seeds for Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter). There is a very real danger Disney could repeat these mistakes if they smother innovation and creativity in developing their parks in favor of safe, cheap additions and upcharges.

Related to this stifling is a troubling trend we’ve noticed among Cast Members—increasingly, Cast Members seem on edge, and pixie dust moments are becoming harder and harder to come by. We’ve heard reports of ride operators being told they can no longer dole out pixie dust when it comes to giving kids surprise line-jumps or special seating for fear they will get in trouble for “stealing” from Genie+ purchases. If this is true, it marks a sad turning point.

Unexpected magic and the rich, human connections made between cast members and guests have set Disney parks apart from the competition for years—these moments are what makes the parks feel magical. It’s letting Imagineers dream wild dreams and bring them to life without mangling every concept through the marketing machine. It’s letting cast members dole out tangible kindnesses just for the heck of it. The most magical moments don’t have to have an extra price tag.

Penguin puppet, cast member, and guest at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Image: Disney

How Do They Fix It?

This really comes down to two issues, one of which we have already mentioned—bolster the Imagineering department, encouraging creativity. Find new ways to enrich existing lands in ways that won’t require a new upcharge.

As for Cast Members, they need freedom to cut loose as well—to do more than just manage ornery guests. This might mean bringing back something like The Year of a Million Dreams--empower cast members with creative tools to make guest days brighter, encouraging unexpected and magical interactions. Release the iron fist fixed on the bottom line—people will keep purchasing Genie+. Indeed, they might be more inclined to do so if they are in an upbeat mindset instead of a negative one that results in them not wanting to return for a future trip.

How do you think Disney could solve some of their biggest issues? What would you like to see improve in Disney parks in the coming years that might win back fan loyalty? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!

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Comments

Jett, this article is absolutely the best summation of the deteriorating guest experience at the Disney parks I have read. This, along with your article on too much technology brilliantly point out some problems that not only are tiring out the top fans, but also make the parks seem unwelcoming to first time guests. Well done.

I stopped going when they decided to charge $25 to park in their parking lot at the hotel I was paying over $300 a night to stay in. When you needed to formulate a game plan months in advance of going, because everything was reserved already if you waited. It seems Disney only cares about how much they can squeeze out of you. sad.

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