How Disney operates...

[dazyhill]

I don't know much about him because I tend more toward reading Disney books rather than following blogs (although I do go on periodic blog-reading binges), so I'm always woefully out of date. I do know he appreciates Miyazaki and the Miyazaki English dubs he's supervised were much better than most anime dubs (although we watched them in Japanese anyhow :p: ). Plus he owns a steam locomotive. And he's fun when he gets all excited about Luigi's Flying Tires. :D: He seems to share Walt's enthusiasm for new techniques in animation, and his Pixar stuff is always competent and sometimes quite delights me (except for that grave lack of girls thing).

So I like what I know, but there's no real depth to that knowledge.

I just finished reading the Pixar Touch by David A. Price and you can find out a lot about John Lasseter and the whole history of the Pixar Company there. A bit technical, but a good read.
I love how John gets excited about just about every project he's involved in. When I saw the video of him giving the "thumbs up" on a test ride of Luigi's-I knew it was going to be good.

[Big Wallaby]

Plus he owns a steam locomotive.

If I didn't know anything else, that would be enough.

[shilohmm]

I just finished reading the Pixar Touch by David A. Price and you can find out a lot about John Lasseter and the whole history of the Pixar Company there.

Thanks, dazyhill -- hadn't heard of that, and don't even need to add it to my wish list because the library has it, so I can get it on my weekly run.

[Amphigorey]

If I may comment...

Based on some of the things Lasseter would not allow in Cars Land, I'll have to invoke Walt and say "He'll do."

What are the things he wouldn't allow?

[ktulu]

Plus he owns a steam locomotive.

If I didn't know anything else, that would be enough.

Not just any steam locomotive. It is the Marie E., formerly owned by one of Walt's nine old men, Ollie Johnston.

It even ran at Disneyland.

http://frankanollie.com/Movies/MarieE.mov

What are the things he wouldn't allow?

Speakers and lights for parades. They do not exist in Cars Land, so he wouldn't let them put them up.

[Epeyon]

Wow, that's an excellent summary of the theme park system as a whole, which Disney has created. Nobody sticks their neck out because if you stick your neck out and fail it's getting cut off. There's no room for mistakes, no matter if it's $100 spent on signs or an accounting mistake for millions. Once you're in management and you mess up you're done. And it's entirely zero-sum game, either I get it or nobody gets it.

There will unfortunately not be a vision in the parks until a true leader, not just the BS term the company throws around, steps up and is put into a high position. And that will never happen because if you're good at your job those around you or above you are afraid you can do their job better than they can so they'll stop you from rising up.


Anybody see Lassiter as a replacement for Iger when he leaves?

[hobie16]

Anybody see Lassiter as a replacement for Iger when he leaves?

Nope. You need a cut throat asshole to watch the money and keep the creative types under control.

[dazyhill]

I don't think Lasseter could ever give up his love of animation and running Pixar to be the Disney CEO. He's probably in a good position right now.

[Dann_of_Thursday]

Very interesting reading:

Oranges Are Good for You

Maybe it's just me, but this article makes me feel depressed for the future of WDW, and Disney parks in general. I want to believe that supporting the small improvements will further spur better and larger improvements in overall quality. But I just don't see that happening, either from the fanbase not being supportive enough, or some middle manager seeing the data, and blowing it off as a fluke.

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood today, I donno.