Disney: The World's Worst Tech Company

[@FirstLast-e1y]

Disney is like one of those kids who has all the cool toys but is only interested in showing them off and does not actually know how to play with them and use them.

[@LindseyLouWho]

And they'll be damned if the kid from down the street wants to play with said toys, "No way you'll break it! MOOOOOOOM!"

[@ROWDYBatrulha]

Then theres universal that lets everyone play with there toys

[@tburrrg2502]

It’s all about shareholders

[@SlackerWannaB]

The Bob Iger Corporation doesn’t appreciate the toys they have. They are only interested in getting the next, new toy. (>Repeat cycle)

[@allien.777]

and files patents, so YOU arent allowed to have a similar toy and avtually use it. only theyre allowed to sit on it 😭💔

[@quietchap]

It’s absurd that a THEME PARK can’t have stores or restaurants that have an aesthetic that don’t look the same as your local modern McDonald’s

[@samsaek666]

For the amount of money they spend on whatever little thing they add to the parks, EVERY single restaurant should be heavily themed

[@Ncyphen]

The video explained it well. Both Bobs care more about money than the experience in the park. "People will still buy a ticket whether we spend 1 million or 100,000 renovating a store." They don't care about guest satisfaction dropping a little so long as they are still making a lot of money.

[@expensivepink7]

I think this criticism is overblown online the parks are still extremely themed.

[@inushizzle]

Have you seen a modern McDonald's? They're soulless beige dystopian nightmares. Not every restaurant can be olgas cantina, but even a basic theme like alien pizza planet is well themed for being a high capacity restaurant

[@quietchap]

@ look at the new World of Disney layout, or the connections cafe, or communicore hall. Gives off serious office aesthetic

[@C._Bradford]

I once saw someone comment that "Disney would never do that" in reference to the carefully groomed hedges in Seuss landing. I disagreed somewhat. I think instead they would spend billions of dollars genetically engineering plants that naturally grew that way, then decide to get rid of them because watering the plants was too expensive. I feel like this effectively summarizes your thesis here.

[@Eidlones]

Perfect

[@DWN021]

Excellent way to put it.

[@peteg475]

The sad thing is that OLD Disney was famous for great stuff like that.

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

More specifically the early 2000s Michael Eisner would invest in the vegetation, albeit wrecklessly only for Bob Iger to later down the road just completely disregard said vegetation and let it rot away. Then maybe HE would replace it with rather minimalist concrete structure

[@sierrajohnson717]

Are the carved bushes no longer in Disney? They have the dwarves and others carved into flower bushes, very pretty

[@mathewhumvee]

Disney isn’t trying to be a tech company or a leader in innovation. Their goal is to invest just enough to make you-and more importantly, Wall Street-believe they are. That’s it. Walt Disney said "We don't make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies". I can't imagine Disney's current management-especially Bob Iger-saying anything like this. I can picture him saying, "That sounds amazing, but what will Wall Street think?"

[@ginadoyle4089]

I’m finally admitting that the imagineering is now found at Universal. Disney doesn’t even try. Tower hotels, de-theming everywhere, and of course no original content in parks or on the screen.

[@hamiltoncox7651]

You are very much correct. Much of the talent at Universal is composed of former Disney Imagineers who were let go because of...modern reasons.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

To be fair, Universal is also just building bland or tower hotels. People are hyping up Grand Helios and it doesn't look much different than Riviera or the Coronado and Polynesian towers to me. I'm not upset because Universal has never set a precedent for super themed hotels with cultural depth, but I feel like they could really step it up along with their parks.

[@unknownuser3926]

Didn't universal take in a lot of imagineers when the plans for the fantasy land and the Harry Potter area fell through at Disney only for universal to snatch up the project?

[@alexandersims1613]

​​@@PoseidonEntertainmentuniversal doesn't do their hotels. While they have involvement, Lowe's isn't an arm of Comcast and they do the hotels. You correctly mentioned the tribute stores in your video...case and point

[@LCRAVIAT1ON]

@alexandersims1613True but I think they can choose the design and layout however I think Universal should start making its hotels

[@catellala]

if I can go to sci-fi conventions and see multiple people with working R2D2 and WALL-E robots roaming around the hallways, I don't see why Disney, one of the biggest corporations on earth, can't do the same thing.

[@terri_blueberri]

Not only that, but the plans and instructions to build them are readily available for anyone to create. I do remember Disney selling an R2D2 unit in Galaxy's Edge for like $25,000 though.

[@Sandurz]

R2 is at Galaxy's Edge all the time

[@crann777]

@@Sandurz The one in the gift shop for $25K doesn't count.

[@IamZim11]

Wear and tear is a factor, I can tell you as a cosplayer Cons can be hard on moving props like that. I hate to think what continuous operation would do even with spare units to swap out. That said a semi-static animatronic droid set-up would be perfect for their Star Wars land which desperately needs some more content to tie it to its supposed namesake. They've done it before in the Star Tours ride queuing area after all.

[@msk3153]

Watch Jenny Nicholson's video on Star Wars Land, it offers a much more in-depth look at the economic motivation behind Disney cutting things to the bone. The tl;dr is they want to get people in and out as quick as possible, for as cheap as possible. You have to pay engineers to build the R2 unit, then running it makes people stop and look, requires training and paying an operator, plus having skilled repair technicians to keep it working. Similarly, this is why these rides are all samey automated carts + screens + swinging arm animatronics. Cheaper to set up and eventually rebrand vs a bunch of custom track, custom theming, custom setpieces, etc.

[@spindleclown]

You nailed it with this one. It's been said before by both you and plenty of others, but modern Disney just feels so much like "look at how much we own and what we're capable of" rather than actually wanting to create magical, memorable things.

[@Monti_QM]

name something magical and memorable universal does quickly

[@spindleclown]

@Monti_QM I didn't say anything about Universal? I wasn't saying "Universal is better", I was saying Disney has declined. Universal didn't factor into my statement.

[@A_A610]

@@Monti_QM "Oh, so you hate waffles?"

[@oliviab4079]

A lot of Disney KZbinrs I follow avoided D23 this year because 1) the prices are just getting outrageous and 2) people are catching on to the fact that Disney only showcases their “ground breaking” new technologies not because they actually intend to put it in the parks but to make shareholders happy. Let’s see if Epic Universe pushes them to finally up their game or if they’ll take away the wrong lessons

[@ginadoyle4089]

Unless they are willing to clean house at the top and put guests above shareholders we won’t see change.

[@YeahYeahBeebisI]

would love to see the House of Mouse crumble down.

[@DarMar106]

Disney Dan comes to mind; he’s someone that clearly loves and enjoys the parks and its history. But he also quick to call them out as well

[@Bald_Sauerkraut]

PCDev as well, former CM and has been openly critical of Disney to the point he lost some of his media privileges

[@charliemacsart]

They're not gonna learn anything, because the only meaningful way to get them to change is financially and people have proven they'll spend any amount of money Disney asks of them, regardless of the quality of what's currently offered.

[@shinyagumon7015]

You hit the nail on the head in regards to how Disney uses 1 standout animatronic as a way to cover up the lack of real creativity in their current rides. Like a rather have a bunch of simple animatronics than one super advanced one because the former moves the ride feel more lived in.

[@TheSuper200]

Modern Disney feels like if Islands of Adventure’s Kong ride was the entire park.

[@MKLettis]

Dude, i thought that Frankenstein animatronic was an actual dude when i first saw it. The new Universal animatronics are wild.

[@butterfish-g9f]

I can't wait to visit their new monster theme park in September.

[@ExaltedUriel]

Disney has grown overly complacent in all aspects for a long time, but most so in the theme parks. At this point it feels like their pedigree is the only thing carrying them.

[@MiraBoo]

RIGHT! They looked like performers, not animatronics. So impressive!!!

[@SpezyCoasters]

what I'm really upset about is that imagineering claims all the credit for projects with disney when they often just partner with contractors, "disney built a tron rollercoaster"- no they partnered with vekoma to do it. many animatronics are buildt by garner holt or other manufacturers and while the designs and prototypes are often made in house it's kinda sad that the real people are not at all in the public eye. every six flags park could go up to vekoma and buy a clone of tron for example (granted it wouldn't have any theming but that's not the point) not really related to the topic but I wanted to let it out and this seemed close enough of a topic great videos btw :D

[@deanstownhall]

This!!!

[@christianelzey9703]

Disney also visibly cheaps out on things from the original designs now. The new Tron ride, while a cool design, has cheap looking washed out projection screens in the bright loading area instead of the LED video walls.

[@yankeesusa1]

The old imagineering used to. The new imagineering is non existent. It's just marketing execs that are doing things now by throwing money and removing things and making it the cheapest cost while charging the most money they can.

[@Wolberstyle]

Agreed, although picking out Garner Holt as the animated figure example made me LOL

[@OneFineYouTuberr]

All theme park companies partner on coasters. Itamin designed Velocicoaster and Hagrids.

[@actuallyitsjay8900]

As someone who goes fairly often to Disney world, it’s insane that almost every single “stand out” animatronic in rides at the park is experiencing issues and or completely out of commission with only AT MOST 4-5 years of service. The Kylo Ren animatronic that gets flung out into space? Down (and replace with a really boring projected scene that actively disregards the practical effects of the ride). Mickey and Minnie? The animatronics at the jungle part are down AND REPLACED WITH NOTHING. It shows that these animatronics are not only not of high quality in the long term. But that these were made for the Tech brand aesthetic .

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Ah yes, and Tiana's opened with none of its figures all working at once. Their reliance on B-modes are too much of a crutch for letting shoddy attraction design continue to happen

[@andrew23456able]

​@@PoseidonEntertainmenti mean, once they perma-b-moded everest and realized it doesn't actually harm attendance, well, why NOT rely on B mode? sucks.

[@Monti_QM]

@@PoseidonEntertainment i recall on my trips growing up splash mountain either shutting completely down or the lights were off in the scariest parts and no voices or movement it was like a damn nightmare tech gon tech man

[@lydiagalantmotherf]

​@@andrew23456able To be fair, with the Yeti they discovered structural issues and its movements put too much stress on the structure if I recall correctly. But otherwise? Yeah, it's absolutely shameful. They also ding take care of the older animatronics, how often do you see Carousel of Progress running completely properly, with every animatronic running the way it was designed to? How often do you see the skipping rabbit actually skipping and not just stuck? How often do you see Buzz getting through multiple cycles without failing in some way? The new ones are unreliable, and the old ones experience neglect. It's a shame.

[@andrew23456able]

@lydiagalantmotherf oh yeah I'm not saying they were wrong to do it, it's just the implications

[@SirClerihew]

I like minimalism in the right contexts, but I’m not going to a Disney park to experience business park sensibilities.

[@jenuwine6306]

I miss moving fingers. If you look at the "Advanced AA's" their fingers NEVER move because their hands are basically solid elements bolted to a beam. John from COP has more points of articulation than tiana.

[@spartanalex9006]

Damn, they really don't make 'em like they used to.

[@havenm6181]

thank GOD someone FINALLY mentioned what they did to the world of disney store. i was so upset when i found out but no other disney adult because they were blinded by the merchandise

[@fandomcentralstation]

Watching the state of Disney nowadays is like watching a beautiful and exotic flower shrivel and wilt under the care of the world’s most inept gardener, and all you want to do is hop the garden wall and give the poor thing a heap of fertilizer and a splash of water

[@kMegalonyx]

Aww someone learned about late-stage capitalism!

[@HummingbirdInAHurricane]

Epcot is now basically one enormous Apple Store that just happens to have a World Fair novelty accompanying it.

[@nightisright1873]

a park that should never be boring but exciting has become boring . EPCOT is supposed to get you excited about the future in a hopeful way by showing ng you the future of important fields

[@TheMellowPumpkin]

It's really telling when modern Disney is willing to spend billions into tech demo animatronics instead of giving us a new Wedway Peoplemover at Disneyland, and a new fleet of Monorails at Walt Disney World.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah, the monorails might be held together with tape, but what about this prototype figure that will never make its way into the parks due to guest safety concerns?

[@robertrose9307]

I can one up way farther. They never fixed the Yeti in Expedition Everest.

[@Carriedeeznutz]

I used to have a friend that had worked in Universal’s Parks Technology department for a bit. It sounded like they got to do really awesome stuff. When I went to the park with him, he pointed out a bunch of little details about the technology on rides and throughout the park that I never would have noticed. From my understanding, after a bit of a lull, Universal really re-invested in their park and ride technology during COVID, and we’re starting to see the product of that now! It looks like it paid off! I hope they don’t slow down with the quality theming and innovation!

[@peteg475]

It's hard for me to hate someone like Iger more than I do. Imagine fumbling one of the foundational jewels of modern American culture like this.

[@spinlok3943]

Yeah its like squandering the world's most beautiful playground or sandbox.

[@hamiltoncox7651]

Someone should do a documentary on Iger as a master class in modern corporate leadership. How a no-talent intellectually limited buffoon can secure the top position at a major corporation in perpetuity by stocking the board with sycophants and sabotaging anyone who might be a threat to his power. Real Game of Thrones stuff.

[@sunnohh]

It’s kind of perfect though, disney suburbanifies stories, commercializes them and throws a sheen of palatability does a whitewash or brownwash nowadays and sells it to child brained adults

[@gamertara5903]

I'm glad Disney's being outclassed by Universal. Sometimes that's the only way companies change and do better. If their reputation is a myth, and people finally see it outdone by a competor, good. They need to have their standing challenged, and I'm glad Universal is proving what true theming is. Edited for grammar.

[@hillelhalevi]

@@gamertara5903 Current mngt and BOD are clueless. They'll only figure it out when profits and stock nosedive.

[@Monti_QM]

lets not fool ourselves in believing that universal can produce HALF the themeing Disney's already built. Universal wins on thrill alone, but theyve never been a theme park.

[@LCRAVIAT1ON]

@@Monti_QMThey are a theme park…

[@johnclark926]

This same issue of Disney hoarding novel technologies and then never using it is a problem with their films as well. Historically they’ve been notorious for their aggressive patenting to lock out other studios from keeping up with them, but then they’ll invent things like the sodium vapor process that they eventually abandoned largely because it was under lock and key. Additionally, who could forget Tarzan’s deep canvas technique that had an incredible style yet was completely abandoned during the switch to 3D and has no hope for reaching the hands of outside animators.

[@LadyDarkHatter]

On the topic of Disney shops becoming minimalist and losing its unique theming, I'm not sure if anyone remembers the old Disney stores from the 90s and early 2000s. There were two I visited in the greater Toronto region, one in the Scarborough mall and one in the Eaton Centre. Both had unique themes to them. The one I remember best was the large Eaton Centre one, which was themed after Alice in Wonderland, having many character statues decorating the entire shop. After they were shut down, when they reopened they were all the same boring shop, no novelty in the slightest. Seems the shops have once again disappeared, perhaps for the best.

[@oliviab4079]

Same thing at Disney Springs. Their World of Disney store was littered with statues and creative themeing, every room was different and brimming with charm. Now it’s been gutted into another minimalist department store that could pass for anything, it’s honestly disheartening to see.

[@crann777]

The town I grew up had one of the retro Disney stores up until the pandemic. The animatronics hadn't worked in years but it was still fun to check out the displays when we visited.

[@liz_violet]

there were a few in the bay area that had mini castles inside them, with mirrors and themed minigames. or a wilderness themed lodge, with winnie the pooh themeing. The glittery blue road of a disney store looked really nice! And seeing our local disney store close down was a travesty for my disney adult mama.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Those old Disney Stores were really cool, but I'm actually surprised at how poorly documented they are. The mall where I grew up had one, although for whatever reason, I seemed to prefer KB Toys and and a few other stores that sold "science" toys. In retrospect, it's disappointing to see it gone.

[@BroadwayBrittany]

The one I grew up with had a mixture of Pinocchio and Fantasia theming, with moving figures of the dancing hippos and Figaro as well as Pinocchio himself around the wall near the ceiling. At the back was a sort of mini-castle structure that was built to house the hundreds of plush toys they had for sale. The store had a deep-blue palette that really made you feel like you were stepping into a dream world after walking around the sanitized hospital-white mall-it was magical. It was a place I just loved being in as a child, and it was my favorite part of every mall trip we made (we lived about an hour away, so it was exciting anytime we got to go there). I remember the feeling my heart felt the first time I walked into a modern Disney store and saw how…/lifeless/ it was. The magic had died a long time ago, and a little bit of me died that day too.

[@CatholicSamurai]

WED/Imagineering used to develop industry-changing technology. They used to create astounding immersive beautiful park environments. Now they have no artistic talent, and the only real revolutionary tech they’ve created in the past 10+ years is the new “VR roller-floorboard” where you can walk/run freely while staying in one spot and the computer translates that into in-game movement. A *huge* leap in solving a major VR hurdle, admittedly. But WED is mostly tapped out of any potential. Imagineers today could never design Main Street USA.

[@pre4edgc]

Agreed. Their perceived lack of ability to design is why so many people are incredibly worried about filling in the Rivers of America and replacing it with a new Cars land. There's already the ridiculous notion of living vehicles somehow fitting in with the theme of "Frontierland", but combined with their recent lackluster track record of theming, it's no wonder it's one of the more scrutinized and criticized decisions they've recently made.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Ironically, most of what they show off would have made a lot of sense in DisneyQuest or Innoventions

[@KronoGarrett]

The general public is happy with IP-shaped slop, the investors get giddy when vaporware is demonstrated, and all we can do as enthusiasts is watch as a long-established company that once employed some impressive artists, sharp writers, talented actors, wonderful cast members, and clever engineers rots out. Could be ten years of hollowing out before the company falls apart at the seams, could be twenty-five years, everything looks fine until it isn't. And unfortunately, running a good entertainment company to produce fun things and maybe a bit of art? Not good for share prices, which are more important than even the long-term viability of a company.

[@mrselfdestruct7605]

Using the rainforest cafe as an example, imagine if Rainforest Cafe as a chain announced an overhaul of their restaurant designs only to unveil all of the animatronics and theming revoked, and it now just looked like the inside of a panera bread with only photos of animals or the occasional themed wallpaper. As much chaos that Micheal Eisner caused aside, one thing about him im learning to respect more and more was his dedication to keeping the theme and whimsy alive, regardless of how bizarre or terrible his plans may have been at times

[@anthonyruby2668]

C3PO was Disney's BEST animatronic. C3PO was meant to be a slow-moving clunky robot... OMG!!! THAT'S REALLY C3PO!!!!

[@Drakxii]

Due to the drone industry, small powerful motors are readily available, Disney's recent weak animatronics are their own choice, not a technical limitation.

[@JohnS-ki2zf]

Disney just doesn’t know how to fill a scene anymore. The figures just stand and wave their arms around, there’s no purpose in the context of a scene. I really noticed this on rise of the resistance and Tiana’s bayou adventure.

[@MichaelSar12IsBack]

I fear that Bob Iger has done irreversible damage to Disney and the theme parks. Is it going to continue down this path after he leaves? Do we have any chance whatsoever of getting a CEO who actually understands why people love the parks and company?

[@andrew23456able]

not with the current board of directors.

[@Sedlan18]

I don't understand the point of spending a quarter of the ride budget, on a single advance figure, you are just gonna see for 5 or 6 seconds, in a 2 minutes ride. They don't seem to know how to balance quality and quantity in the right spots.

[@karebear3152]

I saw the title and was like, "what? yeah ok, let's hear the argument." My friend... I have never agreed harder with anyone's thoughts and opinions on current day Disney vs Universal more so than this video... You are absolutely right, in my opinion, on everything you discussed here.

[@iilikeitlikethatii]

You know. The reason why disney had gotten so much hate for the past few years is just sheer disappointment. We know their potential but they just continuously disappoint

[@randomusernameCallin]

Disney was a a great show case for blending old and new tech and tricks in one solded form but that has been mostly forgotten.

[@ryancarter2959]

This is why the Epcot transformation breaks my heart as someone who grew up loving that park. The Epcot transformation’s execution was so botched

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Old tech is important too I think. It's like watching a movie that's all CGI, but everything feels fake. Old makeup and animatronic effects look better, just in the same way that the Pepper's Ghost effect holds up in the Haunted Mansion.

[@hpotter29]

I have come to the point that I no longer trust Disney. I grew up in a time when Disney was synonymous with quality and excellence. Nowadays they show artwork and animatronics that never appear in person (or only for a brief "test" in the parks). This video is great but there are even more illustrations. There was a walking Groot figure that Disney showcased recently, and an AA that could throw a ball and catch a ball you threw to it. There was the brief and oddly designed "Muppet Labs" roaming thing. Again, these were all heavily promoted and featured in Disney media as the next big thing but we still have to see much of this in real life.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm disappointed that I didn't think to mention those.

[@karlstrauss2330]

The sleek, minimalist design of the Apple Store was very cool and edgy compared to the tacky red tiled roofed McDonald’s with cartoon clowns plastered on the walls. There is a time and place for modernist architecture but when it subsumes the entire country, it creates a hallow and uninspired void in its wake.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I remember actually liking the McDonald's redesigns when they started premiering because they felt a lot cleaner than the old design, which always seemed... sticky. That said, oversaturation has made it completely uninteresting and most of the new restaurants are just as poorly maintained, which has now looped back to the same problem.

[@kalzium8857]

While other themepark companies try to get as much from as possible from their little budgets. Disney seems more than willing to overspent to underdeliver. Yeah the animatronics are better than in most themeparks, but if you want to ride a rollercoaster, you want to ride a rollercoaster. You don't care that this one animatronic is super advanced.

[@A_A610]

I think the whole thing with Splash Mountain/TBA is a perfect illustration of this, since the new experience absolutely relies on the flashy tech and character recognition to do the heavy lifting, rather than delivering on any compelling story substance that elevates the ride. The old storytelling on Splash built up to one of the most satisfying drops on a log flume. The new version is a ride through tech demo with drops that have no realistic reason to be there.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

How did Disney build the most expensive rollercoaster ever for it to essentially be another Space Mountain but in a box? It's not bad, but where did the money go?

[@Femmigje112]

The dance scene in Mickey’s Runaway Railway looks so pathetic, but becomes even more sad since it compares to Symbolica, where you also dance in a ballroom. But the ball in Symbolica is way more dynamic, spinning all over the room amongst couples dancing

[@MGEnterprises2]

It seems like wasted potential, honestly. Disney should have implemented a few dancing animatronics and moving parts in that scene. It looks so empty...

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I thought about mentioning Symbolica, but I felt B&tB took that concept and expanded on it as the better example.

[@dr.archaeopteryx5512]

These dumb lil robots would be great for a Jurassic Park like area. A pseudo-zoo with lil dinosaurs. I guess people are trying to do something similar with robot dolphins, too?

[@butterfish-g9f]

Look up Seaworld Abu Dhabi. Dolphin and sea turtle drones swim around the ceiling in one of the ocean hubs.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@butterfish-g9f lol what???

[@butterfish-g9f]

@@PoseidonEntertainment I don't get this reaction. You can just look at videos of this.

[@kalublah]

Thanks for another great video, Posey! Watching the actual whimsy get sucked out of the park is genuinely heartbreaking, and I agree that Chapek and Iger are strangling the parks dry of any character. My roommate gave me an article on how Universal is scooping up the Imagineering talent and this video is a prime example of how that’s devastating Disney in the entertainment sphere.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Do you happen to recall the name of the article?

[@kalublah]

@ I still have it actually! I am home tomorrow and can get you that-actually I think I can do it faster. I have a picture of it on my phone I think

[@kalublah]

@ I may be entirely off base but I think it’s the Wallstreet Journal’s “The Threat in Disney’s Backyard” from April 2024. It’s paywalled on their website so I can’t see it in it’s entirety

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@kalublah Awesome, I'll look into it

[@MiraBoo]

Sounds about right. It's been rumored for years (mostly by former Imagineers) that they’ve been ditching Disney for Universal.

[@unknownuser3926]

Classic enshittyfication, the brand is already established, there are millions of loyal customers to that brand, now all they worry about is shareholder value maximization. What once was good enough to draw in so many new people is dropped in favor of just continuing to milk that already existing base of consumers. People will see the movies and go to the parks regardless of whether or not they spend millions innovating

[@aaronsarchive82]

This video justifies so many unpopular beliefs I've held throughout the years. I never cared for the Apple Store look outside of the store itself. I never thought the Hulk suit was that interesting. (Seriously, what am I missing here? It's just a big puffy suit.) RotR was touted as Disney's best ride when it came out, but despite how impressed I was by it in 2019, I still maintained that Pirates is the gold standard. It's good to see someone take these complaints and make sense of them. It tells me that there's a reason I feel this way, and I'm not just some angry old man yelling at clouds.

[@spinlok3943]

I've had these similar unpopular beliefs too. For the longest time, insane Disney adults kept shooting me down saying "you just don't like change." But I'm glad to see our views are becoming mainstream. But sadly I think its too late. Disney is pretty far-gone now even though everyone knows it.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I think the issue with stuff like this is that it's difficult to explain and break down. People can "feel" it, but they don't know how to articulate it, which makes highlighting these issues difficult. That's part of why I enjoy making videos like this though, because it's easy to just link to the video when you want to explain a point to someone.

[@MatecaCorp]

This almost works like a companion piece to ReviewTyme’s video about Disney’s illusion of luxury. I’ve been saying for a long time that Disney hasn’t innovated in the parks in years. Imagineering is dead, replaced by alumni of Vegas and Silicon Valley who stay at the company just long enough to pad their resume and ruin a classic or two along the way.

[@hamiltoncox7651]

Disney(Garner Holt) animatronics are limited by their insistance on using the "G.I. Joe/Barbie" template from sixty years ago. Imagine a solid torso that can only move its arms in sockets - like a G.I. Joe doll from 1964. Hence the emphasis on the exaggerated flailing arms - the only part that is capable of fluid motion. Tellingly, at D 23 Imagineering had a display that prominently featured their animatronic arms separated from any figure. The facial movements are barely more advanced than a Home Depot Halloween animatronic and in some cases non existent (I'm looking at you Captain Jack and Mama Odie). Universal understands that real creatures don't move like that, so there is more emphasis on articulation in the torso and face. I hope the Walt animatronic is a leap forward and not just another dead eyed, frozen faced manikin jesticulating wildly with his arms.

[@jason555721]

Maybe spend less on animatronics and bring back a proper and free 'Magic Express' shuttle bus?

[@stephenraeburn3263]

Looking forward to another year of amazing edutainment. Thank you for all your hard work PE! Have a Happy 2025!!

[@fireflyfox93]

That's such a good point, the new animatronics seem impressive until you actually look at them and realize they're just standing in one place and waving their arms around. I thought Universal's were CGI also, so that's definitely impressive 🤯

[@dylanahern7039]

Bob Iger is basically a Sad Beige Mom.

[@Flyoff1234]

Modern Disney uses flashy and unneeded tech to try and make up for a lackluster story and little characters. When the new tech has terrible downtime issues, you are left with nothing. For example, most Splash Mountain rides had some characters not working, but there were 100 other working ones to tell the story. In Tiana’s BA, if one character breaks down, you are left with a whole minute of silence and miss a lot of the”story.”

[@Akarpens]

I love how you Dunk on Iger and his tasteless changes to Disney with evidence. I wish more shareholders paid attention and kicked him to the curb

[@EATSxBABIES]

I remember when I first saw the goblins at Gringotts. I was blown away they used animatronics THAT GOOD for a queue and it wasnt Disney doing it.

[@a.y.greyson9264]

Personally, I prefer the aesthetic of the animatronics at Universal. Something about Disneys’ has always been off-putting to me. Perhaps, it’s the wax puppet like appearance.

[@eggbag4182]

Instead of refreshing it like a theme park, they refreshed it like a dying mall

[@Balootoyoutoo]

Bob iger is the equivalent to that abusive partner that tries to mould you into an image of themselves rather than finding someone that actually shares common ground. Every single thing he’s done is for the eventual benefit of himself and his “legacy”. A replacement is painfully overdue.

[@keeleon]

People constantly dismiss videos like this as "theyre just haters", when that couldn't be further from the truth. You only make a video like this because you LOVE what Disney used to be and are sad and frustrated at seeing them stop caring and the magic fade away due to people ruining it with greed.

[@jamesmcdonald1687]

Excellent video, I'm glad you made a focused set of arguments with bringing some history in to support your claims. Well reasoned and researched, one of your better videos of late!

[@GravemindZombie]

Bob Paycheck essentially caused massive braindrain at Imagineering, both by trying to outsource everything to cheaper contractors and trying to force creatives to move from California to the Hellstate known as Florida. I have zero doubt this is why Universal is now seeing so much innovation as Disneys former top talent now works for the direct competition.

[@NinthShinigami]

Once again, phenomenal video man. Disney really feels stagnant in this space when it feels like they can be doing so much more, and I loved that you tied in Universal in the end. Some will see it as you shilling for Universal, but it really does just illustrate the significance of the topic and how unfortunate an industry leader like Disney is coming up short.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I like how people call me a shill even though I've been pretty negative towards Villain-Con and DreamWorks Land lol

[@PeterPanfan13Online101]

26:52 THAT'S AN ANIMATRONIC?! Dude I thought that was a recording of one of their actors from the park to use on a screen in the ride! This next batch of rides from Universal is going to truly be Epic!

[@izolme15]

"Thought this video was going to be about MyMagic+ and the initial delays and the failure of different Disney systems. The promise of magic bands is much greater than the outcome." -SRJ (former Disney employee)

[@darrylkraatz1482]

Yep, sounded like it was a big blunder, think I saw a video on another channel laying out the problems with the Fast Pass system.

[@TNTspaz]

Their theme parks are so dated that I really wonder how "Disney Adults" havent gone insane. Or maybe it's more accurate to say they have. My grandma goes there every single years. I'm always baffled what enjoyment she is possibly getting out of it

[@wildcraftone]

What makes this even worse is if their plan is to show off investors, there’s no ROI on this. Disney will never license or sell any of the tech they develop to anyone because of their “built here” mentality. It would be fine if they were actually utilizing things, but as you’ve pointed out here, rarely do these things make it into the park with any longevity. I work with a few former Imagineers, (some of them former executives), and they all universally say the same thing about Disney: the size of the company is its greatest downfall. They’ll try to do something in Disneyland Paris, it’ll have a smaller budget, but it’ll be a clever use of funds, with a good result - but instead 50 people from Glenndale will get involved, the budget will go 10x, and more often than not will get shut down because it’s too expensive, despite the original project which would have been even better for guests, coming in at 1/10th of the price. Everyone has their hands in the cookie jar, and the core executive team is detached from the workings on the ground.

[@kerokerocola99]

I didn't see the DK trailer/showcase so I had no clue he was an animatronic wtf

[@meoielf]

It’s not It’s a costume

[@BeakieHelmet]

So let me answer a few questions presented by the video: At Avengers Campus, the short run meet and greets are a product of the marketing budgets of the respective films and shows. When the marketing budget is up, the meet and greet ends. The animatronic characters swing their arms like that so that Disney does not have to install brakes in them to slow or stop their movement, reducing maintenance costs. The circular movements slow them down naturally. Ratatouille uses the track less system to improve downtime, as they can take a malfunctioning vehicle off the ride comparatively fast compared to other systems.

[@gabrielgarcia3819]

Disney can afford the maintenance so the excuse is just justifying them being cheap.

[@BeakieHelmet]

@@gabrielgarcia3819 What excuse? That's why they do it, it is because they don't want to pay the cost of maintaining animatronics with brakes in them. It's pretty blatant. This is in contrast to the new Universal Monsters animatronics for their new ride... Watch some videos of that, Disney should be sweating.

[@GravemindZombie]

If so that's a weird way to do things with the Avengers Campus meet and greets, they still have all the costumes, is the cost of a suit actor really that expensive?

[@kamichan127]

Also i do think with the limited meet and greets at the small avengers campus is yes the marketing budgets but also the hype issues . I think it was zombie cap that got one of the biggest crowds , if he or other rare characters where always there , it's not special to have seen him /them

[@kamichan127]

2nd also , just because you can afford maintenance doesn't make it a good thing. Maintenance takes actual humans to physically go do PLUS the cost and paying them . there is so much to be done in general at the parks , it is obviously a good idea to avoid excess needs for maintenance

[@TechySpeaking]

It's a theme park, where the theme is "generic"

[@johanna7254]

I feel like this video goes hand-in-hand with Bright Sun Films' video about how Disney fakes luxury at their hotels. It's like the company forgot why people loved them in the first place-animation, magic, theming, kid-friendly entertainment that is also appealing to adults. It shouldn't be about tech. Or fancy luxury. Alas, it's a massive corporation in the time of late stage capitalism, so I'm not surprised they're going in these directions.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Ah yeah, his videos are great. It's not exactly the same as I focus more specifically on the decline of hotel architecture and theming, but you might be interested in my video on Disney resorts if you haven't seen it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHetenh5pc2LhaM

[@tjmthegreat4009]

Turning Disney into an Apple product is such an insane way to treat a theme park business built on doing the opposite thing haha....but sure whatever makes the stakeholders happy

[@madmaster0015]

I don't hate minimalism. I like the style and it does have a place. But I do hate that its everywhere and in places where it should be colorful and visually interesting.

[@KYLO_JEN]

Can’t forget the actual retractable lightsaber they made one prototype of and then did absolutely nothing with lol

[@patricklippert8345]

I think it was used for the Galactic Starcruiser stage show but the actor playing Rey swaps it out after turning it on for a different prop lightsaber for the combat scenes.

[@goroakechi6126]

To be fair, we know how those lightsabers work. They’re incredibly flimsy, so I don’t blame Disney for using it very sparingly.

[@Balootoyoutoo]

23:29 this is down to programming and not range of motion 23:38 actually the older figures were mainly hydraulic with small faster movements that needed less precision control being pneumatic (most commonly things like eyelids). You can actually hear the “pshhtt” of the eyelids in some cases as the pneumatic system makes a lot more noise due to the exhaust

[@Sableantelopeenjoyer]

In defense of comparing rise of the resistance to pirates. They are two different kinds of rides that have different pacing. Rise is meant to be a fast paced action ride while pirates is slower paced and is meant to take you through the world of pirates. It would be interesting to see a Star Wars attraction in the style of pirates of the Caribbean.

[@A_A610]

A more apt comparison for recent events is the shift from Splash Mountain to TBA, which I feel very much illustrates the shift from "using technology to advance the storytelling" to "ride through tech demo without much substance" he's talking about.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yes, but why not differentiate the aesthetic by exploring different parts of the ship? It's too much sameness, trying to emulate a Universal screen attraction from the 2010s.

[@TechySpeaking]

15:41 That Donkey Kong is definitely a man in a suit, not an animatronic

[@kevinjockey12]

The Man in the Suit mentioned.

[@TheLostWorld-i8j]

To defend trackless ride a little… there is something uniquely zippy about being moved in random directions with such precision that you don’t get with tracked vehicles. For rides like Spider-Man or Transformers, the feeling is definitely more intense, but the feeling of trackless vehicles is different enough that, to me at least, it doesn’t feel wasted. While I agree that having more interesting layouts that better utilize the trackless vehicles, like Pooh in Japan would be better, I don’t think that is a requirement for using trackless vehicles over other types given the unique feeling trackless vehicles give. An example in Rise is when the vehicles come out of the fake elevator and travel down the hall with the canons shooting out the windows… the vehicles travel down the hall not straight, but at a 45 degree angle facing the windows. I’m not sure why, but that feeling while quickly decelerating then accelerating to get out of the way of the canons while traveling partially sideways is really fun. And something I don’t think could be 100% replicated with a tracked spinning vehicle. Especially parts where the vehicle goes in reverse, which to my knowledge, isn’t possible on a tracked vehicle.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah fair, you make a good point there. I don't think it was the intent when choosing trackless vehicles, but I'm glad you pointed it out.

[@jasonbaylor9865]

@@PoseidonEntertainmentit’s absolutely their intent that’s what trackless vehicles are for. Whippy unpredictable movement and accelerations. Just because you say it’s to please the shareholders doesn’t mean it’s true 😂

[@ginadoyle4089]

TEN YEARS. That’s the shelf life of these CEOS… eyes on Eisner and Iger.

[@vinniet2828]

From what I've heard, Iger is going to leave in early 2026 but I hope after the attendance declines when Epic Universe opens... they boot him out earlier (I doubt it but I can only hope).

[@happilyevanafter]

​@vinniet2828 not that it matters. Its too late. The damage is already done. Iger destroyed the florida parks to the point of no repair.

[@vinniet2828]

@@happilyevanafter It sucks that one of the places I enjoyed as a kid is now making Six Flags look amazing!

[@happilyevanafter]

@vinniet2828 it is very sad. I grew up vacationing at walt Disney World. Years ago, i moved to Orlando in order to have the opportunity to go to walt Disney World whenever i wanted. It's sad that there's not much walt Disney World left for me to visit. The only good news is that I've been able to attend every closing day of every attraction I've loved in the past few years.

[@blushslice]

Universal needs to actually hide the wires and other electronics that move the animatronics, kind of shocked more people don’t point it out on rides like Hagrids or Jurassic Park

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I can think of the Skrewt on the pole, but that's about it. Also, when it had the blasting fog effect, I feel like that covered up the pole a lot better. The real question is why hasn't that effect hasn't come back?

[@blushslice]

@ bro all the dinosaurs on Jurassic park in Florida have exposed wires, I am totally on board with the new figures and effects but improve your sight lines and hide your wires 🫡

[@lolers9524]

boy oh boy I do love watching my favorite theme park complainer! (seriously your videos are the best content for this genre!)

[@usn1861]

Remember the X Wing Drones? Appeared once, and I found one sitting in Udar-Havey on display as a donation from Boeing. In fairness to the ride, the trackless vehicles in Remy do scurry like mice, and take you through some neat theming, like the stove burners overhead, its the screen only destinations that make it a one and done.

[@wildcraftone]

25:38 Universal uses Creature Technology Company in Melbourne Australia, and they are far more advanced than Disney. Then again these animatronics cost $1-10 million, they have a wait list of 3 years, right now.

[@crickbed86]

the connections to steve jobs make so much sense. hollow worthless thoughts and products bundled into digestible products for the most mediocre thoughtless consumers.

[@FL0ra_favvn]

My grandmother has been a Disney vacation club member since they started. Every year she took my dad, and now me, for a few days to a Disney vacation. And yet as loyal as we have been to the Disney brand, the more and more time passes, the more inclined we are to go visit universal.....

[@taWay21]

You hit the nail on the head. Removing the fantasy theme really hurt the park's memorability. Hell, I went to Disney as a kid in the 90s and its those memories that stick with me more than the more recent times I've gone.

[@kirkvandewalker3574]

Constructively, I would disagree with you given some recent video on new technology that was developed at Imagineering (like the moving floors tiles.) BUT... unfortunately, I think you're right given that Disney is trying to impress investors with new technology like the moving tiles and absolutely have no creative imagination to tell a proper story with them. Instead, word vomit hashtags, stick those on a cork board, stick something together and nab a sponsorship for that creation. So... a journey through a moving, working apple store? Ultimately, Disney (the company) has a bunch of cool stuff but doesn't have any on how to use it, much less create with it. Creatively, Imagineering designs most of their rides and environments for Disneyland in California for the non-OLC owned disney parks and stuck in that mindset when designing areas (see Tiana's Bayou Adventure at WDW versus DL and you can see that Tiana's was always designed for Disneyland.) And World Celebration at Epcot is an open air environment inspired by california tech business parks in Irvine, San Jose, etc.

[@ceno8yte]

It’s a stretch, certainly, but I suppose you could say that Disney’s newer AAs are just the world’s most advanced and expensive car dealership wacky inflatable flailing tube men.

[@papermr.magolorguy7957]

Part of me feeling like in terms of architecture, Disney’s design philosophy is a horrible style of minimalism without any regard or care for theming.

[@briansieve]

Giant white grey and beige towers, and preposterous Uber gigantic and unsightly show boxes painted in go away green or look away gray. It's so lazy and careless and incompetent. And unbelievably cheap and amateurish

[@CaptainBadNews]

Everybody hates on Eisner and I never understood this, especially in hindsight. I would take a CEO that was actually invested in making things entertaining, better than the competition, and seemingly put guest experience over $. Not to say Eisner wasn’t aiming to make all the money but he seemed to believe by creating an experience you can’t get ANYWHERE else and if the guests had a great time they would trust the brand and its quality, therefore the money would logically would follow. You had to be there in the 90s early 00s but I really miss the deep theming and storytelling done with each area of a park unlike the make-up shotgun approach to parks today. It really feels like “here’s your slop peasants, stop complaining and go buy a something already”

[@colinanthony2011]

Great video as always. I haven’t really been up on Universal, their new stuff looks insanely good. I haven’t been to any of their parks in like a decade, need to change that.

[@BillehBawb]

disney is now an "everything" company - they do everything, but are good at none of it

[@entreprenerd1963]

For me, the trackless vehicles in the _Ratatouille_ ride give a hint of *scurrying* so contribute to theming.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Would it really be that different if designed for a track though?

[@entreprenerd1963]

@@PoseidonEntertainment - I suppose it comes down to one's personal distinction between "different" and "that different".

[@jasonbaylor9865]

@@PoseidonEntertainmentwhy would a track be better? If the technology exists why not use it? If disney had made ratatouille a tracked ride you would have 10 videos on here cooking them for using 1950’s technology while universal is “pushing the boundaries of theme park rides”

[@loneeldritchknight7362]

The other part to this is how often the tech breaks down. From the projected faces going black or to the 3M green screen or Spider Man missing the mark, Disney just isn't focused on quality anymore.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Yeah, it was pretty funny when Spider-Man hit the wall

[@solutionless123]

I honestly don't know how Disney hasn't been sued by its stockholders dozens of times by now.

[@Bopperann]

Iger is so anti Disney. He’s so soulless. He truly does everything within his power to devalue Disney.

[@jamesoniris2647]

Excellent video as always Poseidon!

[@Link1400]

You want to know something ironic? Web slingers isn’t even made by Disney Imagineering, it’s actually made by TrioTech. It shares its technology with the LEGO ninjago rides at legolands Not to say triotech makes bad stuff, they did make Primordial at lagoon, but COME ON For lagoon, that place is a small family owned joint, yet somehow it has a better implementation of the same technology found at a god damn Disney park So ironic.

[@SmoothOper8ions]

technology should be a tool for creating better theming but it feels like its treated as the attraction in and of itself, the parks are more like a tech demo than an immersive experience

[@the.jakeofalltrades]

You knocked this one out of the park! As usual. Disney has lost the ability to tell stories in its rides like it used to "once upon a time" (pun very much intended.) I would much rather have the low movement of the technologically limited animatronics throughout Splash Mountain, telling a very detailed and beloved story, over the seemingly dead husk of a ride that they call Tiana's Bayou with a quarter the animatronics just because they put all their budget into 3 individual animatronics, as you pointed out. It's such a huge let down to Disney fans young and old. In response to your Ratatouille comment, I would add one additional argument FOR the trackless vehicles, being that they are "supposed to" feel more like rats scurrying about. Other than that, I too am sick of the reliance of projections to tell the story. (Although, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! is a SUPERB ride! And that has projections throughout, but I think it's appropriate there.)

[@A_A610]

Mission Breakout is a bit of an anomaly because despite falling into a lot of the Iger/Chapek pitfalls on a lot of fronts...at its foundation, it's essentially Tokyo's Tower of Terror in Marvel cosplay. Since the story is largely recycled from a version developed back when storytelling actually mattered, the story beats still work as a Tower of Terror-esque attraction.

[@Laylahtrix]

I think you bring up great points about how the modern animatronics seem to just throw around their arms and the disappointing use trackless vehicles. But I wonder how much the average tourist even notices stuff like that? At least consciously. I feel like most people (like myself for a while) enjoy those new rides fair enough and don’t really register things like that. That’s why Disney can get away with it. Or maybe the tourists do notice subconsciously. 🤷‍♀️

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I think people subconsciously notice it, but they don't care enough for it to really have an effect. If Epic pushes theming standards forward like I suspect it will though, then I think Disney's issues are going to appear a lot more clearly for the average person.

[@rolfathan]

Universal is doing a better job of doing themes. It's baffling how much Disney has lost sight of this. That hotel that they nearly built a few years ago at Disneyland that just looked like ANY other fancy hotel that already exists in the area just baffles me. Then, meanwhile in Florida, in order to get a themed Hotel with Disney they wanted you to pay so much for it that it failed.

[@CobraDBlade]

The way things have been going it wouldn't surprise me if there was a mass exodus of engineers from Disney to other companies including Universal because of the poor trend-chasing leadership Disney has had since Eisner left.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I'm pretty sure that did actually happen

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

It's kinda depressing knowing people probably won't be able to share their childhood at Disney with their kids not because of outside factors like cost or travel but because Disney is taking away the magic.

[@SPORE9002]

Love watching videos like this because I work for a company who is under contract with Universal AND Disney so seeing stuff like this just makes me think "oooo the girlies are one upping eachother again" because either way i'm getting paid. 😂

[@thrillingadventures4164]

Being realistic though, Disney isn't one-upping Universal.

[@Markimark151]

Disney is the Xerox of animatronics, they’re pioneers in their technology and once having talented engineers, but executive management decided to outsource their engineers just to cut costs on research and development! Disney’s Imagineers used to excite people, now Disney under Bob Iger just cares about brand equity rather than innovation in animatronics.