Credit: Inside the MagicFans’ frustration is boiling over when it comes to the lack of care they feel The Walt Disney Company is putting into the US theme parks.
The Walt Disney Company is one of the biggest names in entertainment for a reason. Over the last hundred years, the company has made a name for itself in the various fields it dipped its toes into, be that the theme park industry, filmmaking, and production, or now, more recently, streaming (although the longevity of this investment remains to be seen).
For a long time, Disney was considered the front-runner in its fields, with fan satisfaction at a solid high and audiences happy with the products they saw at the box office.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Disney was affected by the repercussions of a global pandemic, and the road to recovery has been one fraught with difficulty.
From a profound change in leadership, with former Disney CEO Bob Chapek being unceremoniously ousted in November 2022 and returned Disney CEO Bob Iger coming back to the helm, to a whole host of internal changes, The Walt Disney Company has been seeing a lot of disruption in order to return to the status quo.
This said, one common fan complaint has been that Disney’s quality has dropped noticeably over the last few years, be it with their box office failures or with the Disney experience at the theme parks. For the longest time, many still defended Disney, noting the positives of the parks and insisting the parks (particularly the domestic ones) still had their magic.
This changed, though, when Disney shared photos of Tokyo DisneySea’s newly opening eighth port. Now, fans are quite done with the company and some are even proposing Disney selling off their prized assets to another owner.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath.Now imagine a world where The Walt Disney Company sells all of its worldwide theme parks and cruise line to the Oriental Land Company.
— Patrick (@Really_Bad_Egg) May 10, 2024
Noting the quality of the upcoming rides and attractions at Tokyo DisneySea, fans have taken to praising the Oriental Land Company (the owner of the Japanese Disney Parks who have a license from Disney to be able to operate the parks), for their work and effort to deliver a good product to Disney fans.
Be it because of how impressive the animatronics on the Frozen-themed attraction are or how realistic the Tangled-themed land looks, fans are dreaming of a world where The Walt Disney Company-operated parks provide a similar experience for American guests.
Moreover, many have taken to debating why OLC is so much more successful at giving fans a satisfactory experience than Disney itself is.
Lower wages and weak currency in Japan lead to lower prices than the US. Also the Oriental Land Company does a much better job running the parks than Disney themselves. Let OLC take over the US parks and you’ll see little to no complaints from the enthusiasts.
— Alex Brown (@Alex26Brown) May 10, 2024
One explained, “Lower wages and weak currency in Japan lead to lower prices than the US. Also the Oriental Land Company does a much better job running the parks than Disney themselves. Let OLC take over the US parks and you’ll see little to no complaints from the enthusiasts.”
Another noted, “Oriental Land Company doing what American Disney Parks could never. Actually deliever wonder/joy and amazement in their attractions. Walt would be proud.”
Walt Disney Imagineering designs and builds everything for the Oriental Land Company at Tokyo Disneyland Resort. The difference is the huge budget. They told Disney to “spare no expense” when they built Tokyo DisneySea, and OLC recouped its initial investment in 3 years.
— David Ransom (@HollywoodNotary) May 10, 2024
Meanwhile, another fan took the time to point out that Walt Disney Imagineering is actually responsible for designing and building the rides and attractions for the Oriental Land Company at Tokyo Disney Resort.
However, the difference is that the OLC reportedly told Disney to “spare no expense” when they originally built Tokyo DisneySea. OLC had the business acumen to know that they would see returns on that investment, and they did.
Ultimately, Disney isn’t likely to ever sell off its theme parks and cruise lines to the OLC; however, perhaps the Mouse House will learn something from the company!