Seven Things I Think about Disney’s 2023
Each year, MickeyBlog allows me to tell the story of Disney. It’s an honor and a privilege to do this, one I never take for granted.
Throughout the year, I try to stay as neutral and unbiased as possible, which was admittedly challenging the last few years.


Photo: Disney
Still, I do have thoughts I’d like to share about Disney’s 2023 and where there’s room for improvement.
Here are seven things I think about Disney’s 2023.
Disney Has Lost Its Way with D23
I bit my tongue on this topic a couple of times, but it’s gotten ridiculous.
At some point, Disney officials got confused about the purpose of the D-23 Expo, especially when it comes to the all-important parks panel.
Throughout the history of D-23, Disney has used the event to highlight upcoming theme park enhancements and additions.
At these events, we’ve learned about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Pandora – The World of Avatar, and Tron Lightcycle / Run.
That’s the core concept here. Disney announces a new attraction or themed land. Then, everyone applauds and experiences a sense of anticipatory euphoria. The system works.
Lately, Disney has taken a different approach. It does these weird fakeouts wherein executives and Imagineers say things like, “Maybe we’ll do this…”


Photo: Disney Parks Blog
The D-23 Expo isn’t about maybes. It’s about finality. You’re telling your customers, “Here’s where we’re going. Please join us on the ride.”
Disney needs to stop using the D-23 Parks Panel audience as a focus group.
Elemental Deserved a Better Fate



Photo: Pixar
Each week, I cover the Nielsen streaming ratings, and I already know what I’m about to say here is true.
During the Blockbuster era, films would expand in popularity gradually over time. Often, video store clerks would recommend titles for people to rent.


Photo: Disney/Pixar
That’s how word-of-mouth grew in the before times. Life moves faster now, with social media as the driving force.
With Elemental, that knife cut both ways. Disney mistakenly chose to screen the latest Pixar film at the Cannes Film Festival.



Photo: Pixar
That’s like trying to sell hot dogs to a Michelin-star chef. You’re selling to the wrong crowd.
Not coincidentally, early reviews for Elemental proved lackluster, and audiences didn’t give the film a chance at first.
Elemental suffered the worst opening weekend box office performance for Pixar since the 1990s. But then a funny thing happened.
The people who actually watched the film in theaters – and I was one of them – recognized a gentle, kind, and extraordinarily well-intended story of first love and family.
What’s more Disney than that?
Over time, Elemental has turned into a grassroots hit, as demonstrated by the fact that it’s earned a spot on the Nielsen streaming charts for three straight months now.


Pixar’s Elemental
At Rotten Tomatoes, Elemental claims an Audience Score of 93 percent, which is solid even for Pixar.
Elemental is a charming movie that deserves your attention.

The Star Wars Hotel Was the Right Idea at the Wrong Price
Okay, I’m not going out on a limb here when I say that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser cost too much money.
After Disney met consumer demand from the diehards, everyone else voted with their wallets. What they said was that they weren’t going to pay that much for the experience.
We shouldn’t conclude anything finite from that failure, though. The struggles of the Star Wars Hotel primarily focused on the financing.
Disney created a spectacle that was costly to maintain. So, it passed along the cost to consumers, who politely refused to split the check.
Still, the idea of an interactive, free-form Star Wars experience is an exceptional one.
I’ve mentioned several times that survey data strongly suggests that the next two generations of consumers are experiential by nature.


Credit: Disney
Disney finally got the hint by dropping the laborious name of Parks, Experiences and Products to the more streamlined Disney Experiences. That’s the future, and the future is now.
The sticking point with Galactic Starcruiser is the price and nothing else. It’s fixable, a math problem awaiting a solution.


Photo: (David Roark, photographer)
Guests would inhabit a world of Disney characters, though. That’s an objective fact.
Disney Is Totally Right about Reedy Creek
For years, I participated in open dialogue with critics of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.



Reedy Creek
Smart people made strong points against the existence of this private corporation’s legally authorized governance.
Those of us with firm opinions about municipal infrastructure can debate the issue of whether Disney or anyone else should hold such power. That’s perfectly reasonable.



Reedy Creek
Still, any objective critique of Disney’s governance of Reedy Creek will come with an asterisk from now on…and not the one you think.
Enemies of Disney just did the equivalent of counting every grain of sand at the beach. They attempted to uncover any misdoings they could find with Disney’s operations.
These politically motivated individuals offered whistleblower deals and incentives for current workers to narc on their former employer.
For all their efforts, they came up with exactly nothing. Sure, they’ll try to make hay from a few theme park incentives that Disney provided willingly, but that’s a sign of their desperation.


Photo: Fox Business
When your boss gives you a gift card to show they appreciate you, you feel seen, right? Disney did that annually for all its Reedy Creek workers.
Meanwhile, the land, the roads, and the employees all tell the story. Disney did right by Reedy Creek.


Photo: Reedy Creek
Now, someone has taken governance away from Disney for precisely the wrong reasons and as a form of bullying.
Disney is right to defend itself, and, with the benefit of hindsight, it deserves much more credit for what it accomplished here.


Photo Credit: Facebook – Reedy Creek Fire and Rescue Department Emergency Medical Services
I wish that my local government performed its governance at even a quarter of the success rate of Disney at Reedy Creek.
Disneyland Had a Better Year than Walt Disney World


Wondrous Journeys
I know I shouldn’t compare the two because Disney fans are lucky to have both.
Still, as I chronicled the events at the two most popular theme parks in America in 2023, I couldn’t help but notice the difference.


Sleeping Beauty Castle is all decked out!
Disney officials wanted to celebrate the centennial the right way. So, they structured many of the Disneyland and EPCOT projects to be completed in 2023.
In January, Disneyland opened Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which was really just the appetizer for the re-theming of Mickey’s Toontown.


Credit: Disney
This entertaining, inclusive themed land has reset the standard for modern theme parks. Disneyland Resort didn’t stop there, though.
By the end of the year, Indiana Jones Adventure had added a new element, San Fransokyo had debuted, The Villas at Disneyland Hotel had opened, and Adventureland Treehouse had returned in its new form.


Runaway Railway Disneyland
Walt Disney World certainly claimed its fair share of accomplishments. Specifically, Tron Lightcycle / Run is terrific, and I’m in love with World Celebration Gardens at night.
Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana has also won me over with its tranquility, a lovely bit of serenity during a hectic park visit.


Journey of Water –
Still, I must give the nod to Disneyland. In fact, I haven’t even mentioned one of the best parts…
Rogers: The Musical Should Be Permanent
This past summer, Disney California Adventure hosted Rogers: The Musical as a limited engagement.


Photo: Disney
The presentation proved so instantly and incredibly popular that Disney offered a virtual queue, just as it does for rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
The thought of that happening for a show sounds impossible, yet it underscores what a grand slam idea this is.


Photo: Disney
In the first scene of Hawkeye on Disney+, the Avenger must watch in horror as Broadway performers tell the story of the Battle of New York.
The ridiculousness of the scene belies the catchy nature of the music and the charm of the concept itself.
Seemingly overnight, the idea went viral, and Disneyland officials decided to act. They created a real show based on this fictional premise.


Photo: Disney
Remarkably, Rogers: The Musical is somewhat bittersweet, as it recounts the story of star-crossed lovers Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter.
Disney truly outdid itself here, and it’s tragic that the show only ran for a few weeks.


Photo: Disney
Park officials should make Rogers: The Musical a permanent offering at Disney California Adventure AND Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disney Must Improve Its Tech


Photo: Disney
I don’t want to sound hostile during the holiday season. So, not to put too fine a point on it, Disney tech is less reliable than the price of Bitcoin.
Disney tech is like a box of chocolates, only you DO know what you’re gonna get, which is quite angry.
How many times this year did fans complain about virtual queues that failed or digital purchases that failed or attraction wait times that proved wildly inaccurate?
At this point, we all just accept that Disney will have some technical disaster at least once a month. How is that even possible in this day and age?


Credit: Disney
Disney, you’ve got a shaky foundation, and you keep trying to throw stuff on top of the base. It’s a game of Jenga you just can’t win.
You HAVE to fix this. Please.
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