Hopefully, this somehow means better things are in store for Disney. I'm very disappointed that the company has become the Wal Mart of animation and family entertainment, when Walt Disney had much better things in mind. I stumbled across a website some time ago describing the original intent of the EPCOT center as a university in medieval sense; where the world's best minds would convene to solve problems and communicate the solutions to the world. I don't know that it could have worked, but I'd love to have seen the idea tried out.
I've never been to any of the parks, but I understand that the current leadership of the company has been dumbing them down to compete with the likes of Six Flags. I noticed that was one of the reasons for Roy Disney's resignation.
I'm very curious as to how all this will turn out.
I blame a lot of the descent on Michael Eisner, particularly his repealing of the 'No Sequels' policy. Walt and his ideological heirs firmly believed in forcing continued innovation, rather than seeking profit.
I fear that with Eisner in near total control of a rubber stamp board, now, things will get worse for a good while before they get better.
I knew about the original EPCOT plan, too. It's really a fascinating idea. If you look at a lot of the imagineer concepts...it's a shame that so few ever were even partially realized.
Haven't seen the original plan for EPCOT, but I did think it was probbably the neatest of the various park segments when I visited it. Of course, that was back in 1990 during the semi-obligatory family trip, so my recollection isn't all that great.
Still, the letters are a bit of an eye opener. Walt must be rolling in his grave right about now.
The original plans were something...imagine a Manhattan project level of interaction between top minds in nearly every field, devoted to improved lifestyle and social engineering.
Though not quite devoted to improved lifestyle and social engineering, Xerox's Palo Alto Reserach Centre is an example of the idea of creating a think tank that isn't geared towards profit profit profit. They've created all manner of interesting and incredibly useful technologies.
If the Menzies government (here in Australia back in the 1950s) hadn't told the CSIRO to concentrate on agricultural science, we might well have had a similar organisation out here.
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timeasmymeasure
It arrived?
Date: 2003-12-02 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 11:26 am (UTC)I've never been to any of the parks, but I understand that the current leadership of the company has been dumbing them down to compete with the likes of Six Flags. I noticed that was one of the reasons for Roy Disney's resignation.
I'm very curious as to how all this will turn out.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 11:30 am (UTC)I fear that with Eisner in near total control of a rubber stamp board, now, things will get worse for a good while before they get better.
I knew about the original EPCOT plan, too. It's really a fascinating idea. If you look at a lot of the imagineer concepts...it's a shame that so few ever were even partially realized.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 12:50 pm (UTC)Still, the letters are a bit of an eye opener. Walt must be rolling in his grave right about now.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 12:53 pm (UTC)The original plans were something...imagine a Manhattan project level of interaction between top minds in nearly every field, devoted to improved lifestyle and social engineering.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 11:53 pm (UTC)If the Menzies government (here in Australia back in the 1950s) hadn't told the CSIRO to concentrate on agricultural science, we might well have had a similar organisation out here.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-03 04:55 am (UTC)