Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore — 100 Things Disney Can Do For Disney100
What are some things Disney could do for its centennial? Well, I got 100 things. Some are outlandish and some may just happen...
Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore! This month we will be doing a bit of a different format. It’s time to experiment. That’s why our main topic this month is 100 Things Disney Can Do For Disney100. I had a fun time compiling things into this list and it features almost every aspect of The Walt Disney Company.
Also in this newsletter… We discuss Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comments on the health of Marvel Studios and Star Wars, Victoria Alonso’s firing from Marvel Studios, The Mandalorian season three and its viewership, Bruce Vaughn’s big return to Walt Disney Imagineering, Podcast Plugs, and as always the LINKS OF THE MONTH.
But before all that here is our monthly poll question…
100 Things Disney Can Do For Disney100
Create a Disney100 docuseries on Disney+ showcasing Disney’s 100-year history.
Disney gives an update on its “making of Disneyland” film.
To celebrate Disney100, Walt Disney Animation Studios does a new Mickey Mouse project similar to Get A Horse.
Pixar does a crossover short with Marvel.
We get a promising update on the Avengers Multiverse attraction.
A clear goal for the Star Wars theatrical landscape.
Announcements about the future of 20th Century Studio.
Push Disney+ to new heights with new features. Fully embrace the shopping feature as well.
Chart ESPN’s path for the future, by turning it into a sports ecosystem that showcases where to watch all the games.
Disney gives a positive update on DisneylandForward.
Walt Disney World announces new expansions and attractions.
Disney reveals more about the Disney Treasure ship.
Walt Disney Imagineering gets to build a touring, location-based experience.
Make more Disney100 books. (Call me and let me
cookwrite).Disney gives a positive update on the Figment film.
Walt Disney Animation Studios announces more long-form Disney+ series.
Pixar does a crossover short with Star Wars.
Disney announces stronger updates to WEB Slingers.
Lucasfilm during Disney100 announces that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will be doing a film event for The Mandalorian and all those Mandoverse characters.
Reveal even more about the next couple of Avatar films.
Bring in legacy content for Disney100 on Disney+. (Walt Disney Anthology Series, early-era Disney content, etc.)
Do an ESPN special for the Top 100 teams, players, and moments in the Disney century.
Disney gives concrete details on the Avatar Experience coming to Disneyland Resort.
An overhaul of the Disney Genie feature and Disney’s entire app/tech infrastructure for the parks.
Give us news on Disney Cruise Line’s purchase of the Global Dream cruise ship.
Disney confirms that SXSW will become a yearly tradition to showcase Walt Disney Imagineering’s newest technical projects and achievements.
Bob Weis’ Marty Sklar Archives book gets a release date.
Disney announces a new iteration of Pirates of the Caribbean.
With a supporting Pirates of the Caribbean Disney+ series.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit gets a project.
Pixar announces another original Disney+ series in the same vein as Win or Lose.
Marvel Studios delays Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars so they can announce more films for Phase 6. (A good thing!)
Lucasfilm finds another franchise besides Star Wars, Willow, and Indiana Jones.
Disney gives details on the new set of Planet of the Apes films.
Continue the push of doing live specials on Disney+ and maybe even one on the actual 100th anniversary that takes place all over the company!
Disneyland Resort announces a new attraction due to Disney100.
Bring Back Stacey J. Aswad for Walt Disney World Must-Do’s: Disney100 Edition.
Disney reveals the name of its next Disney Cruise line ship after the Disney Treasure.
Rebuild and reload Walt Disney Imagineering to a point where you have to use both the Glendale campus and Lake Nona campus because you have so many Imagineers, you need two campuses.
Do more Disney Scripted Classics books.
Disney highlights its upcoming films based on the parks like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Tower of Terror.
Disney attempts to do a Fantasia project for its 100th anniversary.
Pixar announces some new original films to make up for that Toy Story 5 announcement.
Marvel Studios does more Special Presentations around the holidays.
Lucasfilm gives updates on Star Wars projects in development. (It’s tricky for them).
Disney adds a 20th Century property into its parks for a temporary experience.
Do a second season of The Imagineering Story.
Add pizza balls from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Avengers Campus.
Add more things to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.
Disney announces another Storyliving by Disney community. (Maybe one that represents Disney’s 100 years of history?)
Add new innovative Disney100 experiences across the Disney Cruise Line portfolio.
More updates on Lighthouse Point, Disney’s second private island destination.
Do “The Art of” books for every single Disney Parks project (Disney, just trust me).
Make some worthy individuals Disney Legends. (Michael Eisner, Frank Oz, etc.)
Encanto gets a Disney+ series.
Disney does more with Marvel and Marvel Studios’ history during Disney100.
Disney confirms that Star Wars Celebration 2025 is in Orlando.
Figure out a way to do an Avatar Disney+ series and announce it before the Disney100 hype is over.
Add room for temporary Avengers Campus experiences.
Expand the Disney Skyliner routes.
Make sure the new EPCOT nighttime spectacular is better received than Harmonious.
Resurrect some never built projects for Disney100!
Give Disney+ some feel-good films from Walt Disney Studios.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser gets updates like new eras, special deals, holiday cruises, etc.
Make Disney+ Day matter again.
Random early park openings at Disney Parks across the globe, ideally 100 minutes early.
Add a bookstore to Disney Springs to honor Disney's history.
The NBA Experience becomes a VR exhibit with a rotating slate of Disney IP.
A Disney100 experience at Disney Springs.
Invent a new form of Disney transportation. PeopleMover. Monorail. Skyliner. What’s next? It’s Disney100 figure it out.
Connect Disney D23, Disney Annual Pass, Disney+, and other loyalty and membership programs under one roof for “Disney Prime.”
Add new missions to Star Tours (The Mandalorian, Andor, etc.)
Add new missions to Smugglers Run. (Stealing coaxium is so 2019!)
Ron Moore lays out his timeline for the Magic Kingdom Universe on Disney+.
Top 100 Movies of Disney countdown special on Disney+.
Top 100 TV shows of Disney countdown special on Disney+.
Top 100 songs from Disney countdown special on Disney+.
Re-releasing some Disney classics in theaters for Disney100.
it’s a small world adds Disney characters at Walt Disney World.
100th-anniversary food items that really emphasize the 100. A Mickey Bar but there is a Disney100 logo on it.
Carousel of Progress gets a new, updated finale scene.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World receives the explosion effect (as seen at Disneyland).
Two new World Showcase countries are added for Disney100.
Make Disney100 at Walt Disney World the celebration that Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary should’ve been.
Announce what the new theme of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster is going to be.
Give Mickey’s PhilharMagic an update but keep the charm.
A brand-new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom.
Make a new Muppet film for theaters or Disney+.
Turning Red replaces Canada: Far and Wide at EPCOT.
Add more Marvel to Walt Disney World.
Fix Spaceship Earth so it doesn’t collapse and choose a worthy new narrator.
Bring Duffy back to EPCOT.
Reassess Disney Genie and the upcharges. (Doubtful but hey why not!)
Make more Orange Bird merch for Disney100.
Disney finally asks Defunctland creator Kevin Perjurer to do a Disney+ documentary on the best defunct Disney attractions/experiences of the last Disney century.
Take some big swings for D23 2024 when it comes to presentations, hype, and activities.
Disney decides to make its own A.I. for funsies. Call it Yen Sid. (Disney spelled backwards).
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge gets updates to include The Mandalorian and more. (Potentially a third attraction if we want to get crazy!)
A book that chronicles 100 Disney cast members/employees who helped make Disney better. Maybe do more under-the-radar choices. The unsung heroes so to speak.
Make October 16, 2023, the biggest Disney synergy machine day ever!
I hope you enjoyed my 100 things Disney can do for Disney100. I feel like I gave a fair amount of good and outlandish ideas that Disney can execute. Some are layups and some are a bit tougher. Maybe we will come back to this list sometime in 2024 and see if any happened.
Have a topic you want me to cover? Drop me a line at boardwalktimes@yahoo.com!
Bob Iger Addresses Star Wars and Marvel Studios
Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference. Iger went into detail on a variety of topics but one that caught my eye was his comments on the state of Star Wars and Marvel Studios.
Iger on Marvel Studios:
“There are 7,000 characters, there are a lot more stories to tell. What we have to look at at Marvel is not necessarily the volume of Marvel stories we’re telling but how many times we go back to the well on certain characters. Sequels typically work well for us. Do you need a third and a fourth, for instance, or is it time to turn to other characters?”
Iger on Star Wars after saying they might’ve been too aggressive with doing films:
"We're still developing Star Wars films, but we’re going to make sure when we make one, it’s the right one. So we’re being very careful there."
Iger admits maybe the sequels aren’t working for Marvel Studios and maybe they need to utilize new characters and new stories. When it comes to Star Wars it seems like Disney and Lucasfilm want to get it right. For example, Damon Lindelof was working on a Star Wars film script until he wasn’t. Film development is still a huge issue at Lucasfilm. The Disney+ side is going smoother for Star Wars, but the crown jewel The Mandalorian is facing declining viewership for season three. Was it The Book of Boba Fett? Lack of marketing? Bad day/time slot? Bad release period? Who knows but Dave Filoni is still planning that huge crossover event. I’m waiting til season three concludes before diving into viewership details. Also, The Mandalorian continues to be heartwarming. Ahmed Best, who faced intense ridicule for his role as Jar-Jar Binks, returned to Star Wars as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq.
Iger’s comments on Marvel Studios seemed innocent but later in the month. The successful superhero studio would fire Victoria Alonso, a key Marvel Studios executive who’s been at the side of Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito since 2006. In 2021, Alonso was promoted to President of Physical, Post Production, VFX, and Animation at Marvel Studios.
On March 20, Alonso was fired. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman fired her, and Kevin Feige decided not to intervene. Alonso oversaw VFX which as of late has been getting hammered due to various factors on-screen (not up to standard) and off-screen (harsh working conditions). Many think Victoria Alonso is being used as a scapegoat for the recent Marvel bump in the road. Yet there are conflicting reports on her firing. The Hollywood Reporter says Alonso breached her contract by working on Argentina, 1985 for a rival studio. Alonso’s attorney Patty Glaser said that wasn’t the case.
Glaser went as far as to say the exec was “silenced” by Disney and that “she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible.” Glaser says there will be severe consequences for Disney and Marvel. A spokesperson for Disney has shot down Glaser’s claims and says that it’s “unfortunate” that Victoria Alonso is pushing “a narrative that leaves out several key factors.” To make things even more awkward, Victoria Alonso has a memoir coming out titled Possibility is Your Superpower. Can you guess who’s the publisher? It’s Disney.
There is definitely more to this Victoria Alonso story but sweeping changes are being made at Disney since Bob Iger reasserted control.
Bruce Vaughn Returns to WDI
Bruce Vaughn has returned to Walt Disney Imagineering. On his second day back at WDI, the new Chief Creative Officer along with Walt Disney Imagineering President Barbara Bouza held a Global All Hands meeting for Imagineers. Shockingly, nothing leaked from that Global All Hands meeting. I was expecting a few morsels or news nuggets to potentially leak out of it, considering the amount of work Imagineering has to do. Even Vaughn’s job description clearly articulates why he was brought back into the Disney fold.
“co-leads Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) and will lead a renewed focus on creativity and innovation, taking the unlimited number of franchises and stories Disney has, and developing groundbreaking new experiences to delight our guests.”
It’s clear Iger thought Imagineering under former Disney CEO Chapek was losing its way. (And before someone says “but Josh D’Amaro was in charge of running WDI!”, it’s becoming clear D’Amaro was likely just following Chapek’s orders). Either way, it’s clear Iger wants a renewed focus on creativity, innovation, and franchises. Iger & D’Amaro got their guy in WDI alum Vaughn. At the end of the day, Vaughn’s return is significant for Imagineering and the future of the division is once again hopeful.
Want to write for Boardwalk Times? Check this out.
Podcast Plugs 🎙
Steve Lewis, the owner of Gideon’s Bakehouse, came on my pod and chatted about his inspirations, how Gideon’s came to Disney Springs, and so much more. (Apple) (Spotify)
This is the Waycast is covering The Mandalorian season three! It’s been nice to chat Star Wars with Sara Edwards & Giovanni Delgadillo again! (Apple) (Spotify)
And a quick update on Multiverse of Marvel! We are working on some new and exciting episodes. But check out some of our previous episodes if you haven’t already. (Apple) (Spotify)
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Allegedly, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is on the shortlist to be the next CEO of Disney. The shortlist also includes Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden and Candle Media Co-CEO and former Disney exec Kevin Mayer. I don’t believe Adam Silver has any shot at succeeding Bob Iger. (Front Office Sports)
— Disney makes Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies List. (Fast Company)
— Jon Favreau pitches a Mandalorian attraction for the Disney Parks that gives some serious Disney MGM Studios vibes. (OC Register)
— Disney layoffs are coming in three separate waves. (CNBC)
— Just an incredible Rolly Crump tribute by Todd Martens of the LA Times. (Los Angeles Times)
— Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro on Reedy Creek. (Orlando Business Journal)
— A dive into the private tour business of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. (Wall Street Journal)
— Disney+’s Ad-supported plan is off to a faster start than either Netflix or HBO Max among new subscribers. (Antenna Data)
— Walt Disney World & the unions that represent cast members strike a deal to raise wages to $18 an hour by the end of the year. (Orlando Sentinel)
— "[The villains concept] got pretty good applause," Imagineer Chris Beatty admits. "We took note of how loud the applause was when we announced that." Let’s see if there is any follow-through on this! (Entertainment Weekly)
— Disney Books That Release In 2023 That I Look Forward To Reading. (Boardwalk Times)
If you want to support Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore here are three things you can do.
Share this newsletter with friends!
Subscribe to the newsletter!
Thank you all for reading and supporting Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore. It’s crazy to think Boardwalk Times celebrates its 6th anniversary on April 2. Where did the time go?
Please follow us on social media @BoardwalkTimes and visit boardwalktimes.net for more commentary, news, and opinions on the worlds of Disney and themed entertainment.