Michael Eisner “Is Not Wild” About How Expensive the Disney Parks Have Become
In the annals of Disney history, few men outside of Walt and Roy have had more of an impact than Michael Eisner.
When Eisner took over Disney as CEO in 1984, the company was in dire straits. At the time, the Disney Parks were bleeding money, and Walt Disney Animation was in a creative rut.
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Eventually, under Eisner’s guidance, the company would expand in numerous ways. In the parks, his tenure saw the opening of Disney-MGM Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney California Adventure, and Euro Disney.
Additionally, Eisner revitalized Disney’s filmmaking apparatus, delivering live-action hits through the Touchstone brand, overseeing the Disney Renaissance in animation, and striking a major deal with Pixar.
Joe Rohde, Michael Eisner, and Roy E. Disney look over a model for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Photo: Orlando Sentinel
While Eisner’s tenure would ultimately end in turmoil and controversy, his legacy continues to loom large today.
Eisner Has Stayed Out of the Disney Limelight
Despite the outsized role that Eisner has played in Disney history, the former CEO has remained largely silent on the company since his tenure ended.
He has, however, weighed in from time to time, endorsing Bob Iger in his last proxy battle with Nelson Peltz and offering his congratulations to Josh D’Amaro on his recent promotion.
Disney
Now, however, Eisner has delivered a fairly major criticism about the state of the Disney Parks.
The Former CEO Criticizes the Disney Park Prices
During a recent appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Eisner gave his thoughts on the current state of the Disney Parks.
He did have one pointed criticism.
Photo Credit: Michael Eisner via Twitter @Michael_Eisner
“I’m not wild about the fact that it is so expensive now to go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World,” he said. “I’m not wild about the fact that it’s harder than ever to have everybody be a VIP at a Disney park because they’re selling certain things.”
As Eisner notes, the cost of visiting the Disney Parks has skyrocketed since he left the company.
Additionally, Disney has continued to lean into upcharge events and premium offerings.
For decades, the Disney experience was characterized by its affordability.
With the introduction of hard-ticket events, the Lightning Lane system, and other concierge offerings, that is no longer the case.
It is interesting to hear Eisner speak out publicly about the change.
