Disney Headlines for February 9th, 2023
This week: Disney fights Ike Perlmutter via proxy, theme park unions via negotiations, and larger theme park fans via tight-fitting ride carts.
Photo: AP
The Storyliving Update
Photo: Disney
Almost exactly one year ago, Disney announced its next business model.
The company intends to build entire neighborhoods themed to Disney…but not at Disney theme parks!
Photo: Disney
Instead, these new neighborhoods will pop up across the country, giving fans a new way to keep the magic with them at all times.
Disney will start with a few communities in established tourist areas or places with reputations for, well, wealthy residents.
Photo: TAYA GRAY/THE DESERT SUN
The initial location remains under construction near Palm Springs in a city named Rancho Mirage. Disney calls this the Cotino neighborhood.
This past week, Disney performed an update on the planned community:
According to the language of this video, sales will begin in 2023. Please understand that this isn’t the same as residents moving in later this year, though.
Photo: TAYA GRAY/THE DESERT SUN
In fact, based on the state of construction, even 2024 might be optimistic. We’re still in the road-grading phase.
Building out the necessary utilities and other staples of a community will take several months after that.
Photo: Disney
Still, building a house, even a luxury home, should only take a few months. So, this project isn’t that far away from becoming a reality.
I’d expect the second half of 2024 as the move-in date for the earliest adopters and then 2025 for most of the residents.
Image Credit: Zillow
I’m basing that on my own recent experiences with buying a home in a neighborhood that didn’t exist 18 months ago. My house still shows as empty land on Zillow!
Anyway, Disney expects Cotino homes to sell quickly, thereby laying the groundwork for several more Storyliving by Disney neighborhoods this decade.
Photo: Disney
By 2040, I fully expect Disney communities in all major metropolitan areas and several exclusive residences as well.
The Proxy Fight Escalates
Photo: restorethemagic.com
As MickeyBlog’s Tori Carle so eloquently described it the other day, Disney threw down the gauntlet in its proxy battle with Nelson Peltz.
Peltz started the week with a weird Headline-generating request.
(Photo by Kevin Lorenzi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The billionaire asked that Disney shareholders vote him onto the Board of Directors.
Since Disney won’t be adding any new Board seats this year, Peltz at least theoretically must take the place of someone else currently on the Board.
Photo: The Org
So, Peltz chose…Michael Froman. I had anticipated something like this to happen, which is why I wrote about the current members of Disney’s Board.
If I were ranking the board members in terms of professional achievements, I’d legitimately have Froman in the top three.
White House photographer Lawrence Jackson
For me, he’s right behind Bob Iger and Mark Parker and on a par with Susan Arnold. The dude was THE U.S. Trade Representative.
Folks, the United States only has one U.S. Trade Representative at a time, and we’ve only had 19 people EVER to hold the position.
Photo: Walt Disney Company
On top of that, Froman held the position for nearly four years, which makes him the third-longest serving U.S. Trade Representative since the 1980s.
I’m absolutely mystified by this choice. It’d be like an NBA All-Star campaign by saying, “Pick me, not Luka Doncic!”
Photo: Pexel.com
Frankly, I can only envision two scenarios wherein this happens. Either Peltz has dirt on Froman that can take the guy or the billionaire was too lazy to do his homework.
For Disney’s part, the company took a rare aggressive stance by stating it didn’t endorse Peltz at all.
Photographer: Tasneem Alsultan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Then, the press release continued that adding Peltz or his son would “threaten the strategic management of Disney…”
That’s a fighty phrase right there. It’s also code for, “Yes, we still hate Ike Perlmutter.”
The Tron Problem
TRON
We’ve got a quick Headline this week that’s only getting started as a discussion topic.
Some Disney cast members took advantage of ride previews for Tron Lightcycle Power Run.
Disney also allowed its workers to bring guests, and that aspect has led to some uncomfortable conversations.
Generally, the cast members honor Disney’s wishes and don’t speak out about new attractions, not that they would anyway.
Photo: Disney
Disney’s on a hot streak with its rides. The last Walt Disney World attraction that had any naysayers of note was either Alien Swirling Saucers or Na’vi River Journey.
Some folks lamented the lack of shade surrounding Alien Swirling Saucers, which wasn’t really the ride’s problem.
Photo: Disney
With Na’vi River Journey, a vocal minority of guests simply aren’t wowed by the attraction. I wholly disagree with that assessment, but that’s not the point.
For the most part, Disney’s last five years of American attractions have been full of win.
Photo: Disney
Everyone expected the same of the Tron roller coaster, as it’s already proven wildly popular at Shanghai Disneyland.
Alas, there’s something few of us had considered.
Photo: Disney
The average Chinese citizen is 5’5” and weighs 150 pounds. The average American citizen is 5’7” and weighs 185 pounds.
Yes, the average American is 35 pounds or 23.3 percent bigger than the Chinese equivalent. You can see where I’m going with this.
Tron
Some cast members and especially their guests have reported some discomfort with the ride cart.
Apparently – and to my regret – Tron uses the same back-lock mechanic as Avatar Flight of Passage.
Test vehicles
Longtime readers know that I struggle with Avatar Flight of Passage because it makes me physically uncomfortable.
Some guests are discovering the same issue with the Tron coaster. How widespread is the issue?
Based on recent Disney history, it’s likely overblown…but we’ll see.
Walt Disney World’s Latest Union Fight Escalates
Something that has impressed me over the years is how respectful Disney unions are of their leadership.
On occasion, I’ve covered instances where unions went against the advice of their leadership, but it’s rare. The latest example occurred as expected the other day.
Union. Logo
According to a tweet from an Orlando Weekly writer, Union 737 voted against Disney’s latest proposal.
Of the 14,263 workers that voted, 96% of workers voted NO on Disney’s “best offer” pic.twitter.com/VpLpx6eRdG
— McKenna Schueler (@SheCarriesOn) February 4, 2023
That wasn’t the story, though. Instead, it was the voting total. As this boisterous clapping would indicate, 96 percent of union members rejected the offer.
Photo: kindpng.com
Disney had positioned its negotiation as the “best offer” they’d make to the union. Now, we enter that horrible but familiar limbo wherein Disney faces union discord.
The last time this happened, which was a few years ago, the parties worked carefully to hammer out a deal that was mutually beneficial to all.
Photo: Shutterstock
Disney agreed to hourly wage increases that vastly exceeded Florida’s (admittedly way behind the times) minimum wage law.
Alas, the pandemic, supply chain issues, and dramatic increases in housing prices negated the union’s salary gains.
Photo: travellemming.com
In fact, the current cost-of-living average in Orlando is in the top four percent in the world. It’s legitimately one of the most expensive places to live.
A family of four requires an average of $4,463 per month or $53,556 per year to pay for essential needs.
Photo: Getty
That works out to a single income salary of $25.75 per hour for a full-time job.
The Walt Disney World unions only negotiated a $15 per hour salary floor for 2021. So, the gap here is immense.
Photo: TripAdvisor
Disney and its unions must find a way to solve a challenging problem.
This particular Headline is likely to stretch out for months. There’s just no easy solution here.
Photo: MickeyBlog
