Disney Headlines for October 6th, 2023
This past week, history repeated itself at Disney.
Also, a Galactic Starcruiser docked for the final time, Disney+ changed the rules, Disney revealed new toys, and someone sued the company for an “injurious wedgie.”
We’ve had a hectic week of Disney Headlines.
Disney Animators May Unionize
Somewhere, Walt Disney is spinning in his grave, or his frozen head is twirling in a jar if you believe that myth.
I say this because the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finally acknowledged a request from Disney animators.
Specifically, the production workers at Walt Disney Animation Studios requested that Disney voluntarily recognize them as an entity.
Disney didn’t respond to the request. Now, the NLRB has authorized a vote on this matter.
Should the vote prove successful, the production workers would join an existing entity, The Animation Guild.
In the interim, Disney reportedly attempted to thwart the efforts of the production staff to bargain alongside their peers.
This tactic isn’t new to Disney…or anyone involved with multilateral union negotiations. It’s a way to divide and conquer.
The NLRB ruled that the involved parties “share a community of interest with production coordinators and can belong to the same bargaining unit.”
According to Cartoon Brew, “IATSE says it hopes that WDAS will voluntarily recognize the entire unit and negotiate a new contract in good faith.
If not, the vote will be held from October 10-31, with votes counted on November 1.”
With Disney, the genesis of this story dates back to the 1930s, when Uncle Walt infamously feuded with his employees.
Ultimately, the schism between the parties led to the Disney Animators’ Strike in 1941.
At the time, the unionized workers at Disney picketed the company for nearly four months.
In light of the recent Writers Guild of America strike and the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike, I think it’s fair to say that history is repeating itself.
The Galactic Starcruiser Docks for the Last Time
On September 30th, hyperspace travelers ended their luxury cruise on the Halcyon. That’s how the story played out thematically.
In reality, Disney cast members said goodbye to hotel guests at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
When those tourists left the property, Disney closed the Star Wars Hotel after 19 months in operation.
Perhaps no Disney entity better reflects the Bob Chapek era better than this hotel.
Star Wars fans had clamored for the project for decades. Once Disney acquired Lucasfilm, it quickly polled guests on the idea.
Surveys like that rarely form an immediate consensus, but demand for the Star Wars Hotel was off the charts.
Chapek, who held the title of Chairman of Disney Parks at the time, spearheaded the project and prioritized a high-margin offering.
Imagineers pitched ideas for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that eventually became part of the hotel.
As an example, an alien character meal and live performance morphed into Crown of Corelia Dining Room.
Chapek meticulously constructed a paywall for Star Wars experiences.
Anyone who wanted lightsaber training must pay the hefty price of a stay at Galactic Starcruiser.
Also, guests couldn’t control their vacations at the Star Wars Hotel.
Imagineers built hotel rooms without windows, and the campus didn’t include a pool.
Disney controlled the itinerary for most of the stay. Guests gained a few hours of shore leave at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Otherwise, they committed to spending thousands of dollars to live out a Star Wars fantasy.
For a time, Disney found more than enough customers to justify the expense. Then, Disney ran out of diehards.
The Death of the Galactic Starcruiser
Almost overnight, the Star Wars Hotel’s booking switched from maximum occupancy to half-full.
The finances didn’t make sense for Disney to operate this facility at anything less than full capacity.
Eventually, Disney took a tax write-off and announced the shutdown of this project.
This past weekend marked the final celebration of the Halcyon’s 275th anniversary.
Several of the performers from this experience have lamented the closure on Instagram.
You can find tributes here and here and here. Some Star Wars forums have collated countless others if you want to read more.
Now that the experience has ended, speculation has turned to what happens next.
A popular Disney podcast host has suggested that Disney is surveying former guests at Galactic Starcruiser.
Disney’s goal is to identify which parts of the immersive experience fans liked the best.
Company executives hope to find a way to condense this idea into a shorter, less expensive experience for Disney and park guests alike.
Recent reports suggest that Disney has no intention to strip the place to the ground unless it absolutely must.
Instead, Disney prefers to modify a visit here into either a shorter stay or an upsell event related to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
We’ll discuss this possibility more in the upcoming days and weeks. But the reality is that Disney ruined the upside of Galactic Starcruiser through pricing.
Guests have expressed a devout love for the immersive storytelling here.
The problems are the cost, the limited control of vacation time, and the hotel amenities.
Disney should be able to fix these things and offer something similar for cheaper.
So, while the Galactic Starcruiser has docked permanently, something else should take its place over the next couple of years.
Miscellaneous Headlines
An impactful Disney Headline this past week involved Disney+.
Earlier this year, Disney unexpectedly announced a password-sharing crackdown coming to Disney+.
At the time, Disney indicated that it wouldn’t change the rules until fiscal 2024.
Well, that’s technically the fiscal quarter we’re in now, and Disney isn’t wasting any time.
Starting on November 1st, Canadian subscribers to Disney+ will face new restrictions.
At that point, Disney+ will prevent password sharing outside the home unless the user subscribes to a specific tier.
You can purchase service tiers that will allow such users, though. For example, I checked, and I have two users outside my home.
My current package allows for that, but the maximum appears to be two. Also, Disney+ may change those rules later.
So, everything we’re discussing will remain fluid over the next couple of years.
The reality is that Disney priced its streaming service too inexpensively. That’s why it’s lost so much money.
From now on, Disney will act much more mercenary with its streaming business practices.
In other Disney entertainment news, Wish absolutely dominated its first 24 hours on YouTube.
Disney has struggled mightily with its theatrical releases this year, most recently with this past weekend’s disappointment, The Creator.
However, the excitement for Wish is undeniable. Plenty of Wish toys are coming soon, too!
Finally, this injury occurred before the pandemic. As such, I’m confused as to why the lawsuit took so long.
Still, this story includes the words “injurious wedgie.” That’s a new one.
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Feature Photo: (David Roark, photographer)