Disneyland park announcer Bill Rogers and Disney California Adventure park announcer Camille Dixon will no longer be recording new park announcements.

Voices of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure replaced after decades of service

The most recent significant change was an emotional moment for one Walt Disney Imagineer, not because of what was being taken away, but what was being added. When I was going through the process of us, adding Pirate Redd, which is the first female pirate ...

Changing Pirates Of The Caribbean At Disneyland Was An ‘Emotional Moment’ For One Imagineer

It's a brand new month for Walt Disney(NYSE: DIS). The stakes are high for the bellwether media stock in November. We'll have a critical financial update, a pair of highly anticipated theatrical releases, and a major new theme park expansion debut before ...

4 Dates for Disney Stock Investors to Circle in November

The average cost of a Walt Disney World vacation doesn't tell the full story. There are some big variables, such as your choice of hotel, whether you eat sit-down meals or opt for quick service, and whether you fly or drive. And these are just a few examples.

The Average Family Spends This Much on a Disney World Vacation

Peter "Hopper" Stone/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images. More than 21 million viewers watched in the 2004 Desperate Housewives premiere as Bree Van de Kamp strolled to her neighbor’s widower with a basket of muffins and — to her ...

An Ode To Bree Van De Kamp

T hese days, you can't really escape Disney live adaptations, and next on the list is Snow White. Following re-imaginings of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and many more, Disney is now tapping into one of its most secular movies, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to get the live-action treatment.

Disney’s Live-Action Snow White: Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything You Need to Know

The network has announced the lineup for its annual event, and it includes classic favorites like the Home Alone movies, The Santa Clause trilogy, and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as the Freeform premieres of Disney+ films Noelle and Godmothered. It all begins on Friday, December 1 and runs through Christmas Day.

Freeform’s ‘25 Days of Christmas’ 2023 Schedule: ‘Home Alone,’ ‘The Santa Clause’ & More

Despite coming up short against Blair Davenport on last week's "WWE NXT," things aren't all bad for Gigi Dolin. The "NXT" star announced on Instagram this week that she and Impact Wrestling's Zachary Wentz (formerly known as Nash Carter in WWE) are engaged.

NXT Star Gigi Dolin Announces Engagement To Former WWE Talent

Today' started it off with Al Roker as Lionel Richie, Carson Daly as Lionel Richie, Savannah Guthrie as Taylor Swift and Sheinelle Jones as Diana Ross.

Heidi Klum, Al Roker led the best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2023

Disney's new film 'Wish' is in theaters Nov. 22, as the Walt Disney Company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year

How “Wish” 'Embraces' Disney's Legacy While 'Looking Towards the Future' (Exclusive Video)

Get the most recent info and news about Disney on HackerNoon, where 10k+ technologists publish stories for 4M+ monthly readers.

Disney Music Group is home to Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, Disney Music Publishing, Buena Vista Records, and Disney Concerts. The labels' genre-spanning rosters include Queen (in North America), Andy Grammer, Sofia Carson, American Idol winner Laine Hardy, TINI Stoessel, Dreamers, Joywave, DCappella, New Hope Club, almost monday, Scarypoolparty and more. DMG also releases family music and film and television soundtracks from some of the largest movie franchises in the world – from Disney, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Pixar, including the chart-topping albums “Encanto,” “Frozen 2,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the Oscar® and Grammy®-winning “Frozen,” and Grammy-winning "Guardians of the Galaxy," plus "WandaVision," "The Mandalorian," the Oscar-winning "Soul" score, the Oscar-winning "Coco," and "Moana" soundtracks. Recent titles include “The Book of Boba Fett,” and 20th Century's "West Side Story," plus the forthcoming films “Turning Red,” “Lightyear” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” with the latter two featuring score by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino. DMG’s rich and eclectic catalog has impacted pop culture globally, including music from films such as "Snow White," "Star Wars," and "Beauty and the Beast," as well as recording artist Annette Funicello, and the beloved classic song "It's a Small World." DMG produces Disney’s For Scores podcast series highlighting conversations with acclaimed film composers from DMG soundtracks. Disney Concerts licenses and produces hundreds of shows around the world, including Star Wars in Concert, Disney on Classic, Pixar in Concert, and many more. To stream classic Disney Hits, please visit: http://disneymusic.co/DisneyHits.

Disney

Walt Disney Co. emphasized streaming as one of its primary business strategies for the upcoming year in its fiscal Q1 earnings call on Feb. 8, hoping to make significant gains in profitability for their Direct-to-Consumer services, such Hulu and, most notably, Disney+. After seeing subscriptions decrease from 164.2 million in Q4 to 161.8 million in Q1, Disney said it plans $5.5 billion in cost savings. Major layoffs were announced as part of the company’s long-term plan to improve their streaming business’ profitability, amounting to 7,000 jobs, or an estimated 3.6% of Disney's global workforce. With CEO Bob Iger back at the helm after stepping down over two years ago, Disney is moving forward with an extensive restructuring into three core divisions: the Disney Entertainment unit for all things film, television and streaming, a sports-centric ESPN team, and a unit entirely dedicated to Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. The company’s significant shift in direction is not without its purpose, for the company’s mass reorganization is expected to “result in a more cost-effective, coordinated approach to our operations," according to Iger during the company’s Q1 conference call. “Moving forward, our creative teams will determine what content we're making, how it is distributed and monetized, and how it gets marketed. Managing costs, maximizing revenue, and driving growth from the content being produced will be their responsibility,” Iger said. Despite an increase of 13% for DTC revenues for the quarter, signaling a strong Q1 for Disney, operating losses also increased overall from $500 million to $1.1 billion, coupled with its first-ever major dip in Disney+ subscribership in recent months. The company aims to ensure the growth and profitability of its streaming business, according to the CEO, who noted that Disney+ is expected to “hit profitability” by the end of fiscal 2024. Iger said Disney also aims to capitalize on marketing and distribution opportunities: “We will fine-tune our advertising initiatives on all streaming platforms. We will improve our marketing, better balancing platform and program marketing while also leveraging our legacy distribution platforms for marketing and programming. This may include greater use of legacy distribution opportunities to increase revenue and more effectively amortize content investment.” The company also aims to be more mindful with regard to the quality and costs of the content it produces in order to reduce costs, noting that the company is “fueled by storytelling and creativity” and “virtually every dollar we earn, every transaction, every interaction with our consumers emanates from something creative.” “We're going to look at the volume of what we make. And with that in mind, we're going to be fairly aggressive at better curation when it comes to general entertainment. Because when you think about it, general entertainment is generally undifferentiated as opposed to our core franchises and our brands, which, because of their differentiation and their quality, have delivered higher returns for us over the years. So, we think we have an opportunity to, through more aggressive curation, to reduce some of our costs in the general entertainment side and, in general, in volume,” he added. Iger added that the company aims to be better positioned to withstand future disruption as well as the rising competition and the challenges presented by the global economy and to that end: “We must also return creativity to the center of the company, increase accountability, improve results, and ensure the quality of our content and experiences” Coinciding with data from their quarterly report, Disney rounded out the quarter with a total of 161.8 million Disney+ global subscribers, suggesting a significant loss of 2.4 million subs when compared to the previous quarter’s 164.2 million. Between Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution unit and its Parks, Experiences and Products team, total segment revenues for the quarter went up by 8%, with the company’s segment operating income running at a 7% loss compared to higher figures seen in fiscal 2022. Disney ultimately came out on top of Wall Street estimates, enjoying higher-than-expected revenues and adjusted earnings per share of 99 cents for the quarter versus the 78 cents per share analysts were expecting. A recent rise in park visitations served as a major contributor toward this boost in earnings, making up for the quarter’s outstanding losses caused by lower figures in Disney’s streaming business. To that end, Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division reflected major revenue wins for the quarter, going up 21% to $8.7 billion from the previous fiscal year’s $7.2 billion.

Disney's Subscriber Dip Prompts Focus on Cutting Costs, Improving Streaming Content Quality

ডিজনির সাবস্ক্রাইবার ডিপ খরচ কমাতে, স্ট্রিমিং কন্টেন্টের গুণমান উন্নত করার দিকে মনোনিবেশ করে

Disneys Abonnentenrückgang fordert, sich auf Kostensenkungen und die Verbesserung der Qualität von Streaming-Inhalten zu konzentrieren

La caída de suscriptores de Disney en el primer trimestre hace que se concentre en reducir costos y mejorar la calidad del contenido de transmisión

La baisse des abonnés de Disney au premier trimestre invite à réduire les coûts et à améliorer la qualité du contenu en streaming

पहली तिमाही में डिज़्नी के ग्राहकों की संख्या घटने से लागत में कटौती, स्ट्रीमिंग सामग्री की गुणवत्ता में सुधार पर ध्यान केंद्रित किया गया

Disney の第 1 四半期の加入者数の落ち込みにより、コスト削減とストリーミング コンテンツの品質向上に注力するよう促された

디즈니의 구독자 감소로 인해 비용 절감, 스트리밍 콘텐츠 품질 개선에 집중

A queda de assinantes da Disney no primeiro trimestre leva ao foco na redução de custos e na melhoria da qualidade do conteúdo de streaming

Disney'in Abone Düşüşü, Maliyetleri Azaltmaya ve Yayın İçerik Kalitesini Artırmaya Odaklanmayı Yönlendiriyor

Người đăng ký của Disney sụt giảm trong Q1 nhắc nhở tập trung vào việc cắt giảm chi phí, cải thiện chất lượng nội dung phát trực tuyến

迪士尼第一季度的订户下滑促使人们将重点放在削减成本、提高流媒体内容质量上

Amazon & Disney have teamed up to launch a new voice assistant called, "Hey Disney!" reviving all the childhood memories we share with Walt Disney. Gone are the days when all we heard was, "Hey Alexa!". is all set to introduce a virtual voice assistant that will adopt the same functionalities as Alexa, but with a magical twist! Amazon Very soon you will be able to get the weather updates from Mickey Mouse & the gang, just like with Alexa. You can joke around with the galaxy's funniest droids, venture on the most adventurous journey with Olaf, and listen to your favorite Disney stories - all in one click! Kids these days are always on their phones, and not a day goes by where they don't ask Alexa, or Siri to play any cartoon series, or songs, or ask random questions that are good for nothing. Now, imagine, instead of Alexa, Mickey Mouse, Minni, Goofy, or someone from Disney world answering the questions, what will be your kids’ reaction? This will definitely give them a magical feel of interacting with Walt Disney World characters & this is something that has never happened before! Amazon has finally made the announcement! Amazon announced at CES 2023 that Disney's first home voice assistant, "Hey Disney!" Will be made live soon in the coming months using the same technologies as Alexa. This new feature will be a part of the shopping mode for Amazon Kids+ subscriptions. Kids can simply say, "Hey Disney!" And see the magic happen! The two-way interaction is made phenomenal with some additional features as well, like Disney Trivia, Avatar and Star Wars soundscape, and a lot more. Are you excited to know when this voice assistant will be live, who can access it, and a lot more? No worries, you will find all these details in this article! Any Guesses? Whose Voice Will Be Mimicked In "Hey Disney!"? This "first-of-it's-kind" voice assistant will make fans fall in love, as it's tailor-made, especially for kids who binge-watch Disney shows regularly. However, Disney has opted not to go directly with the Mickey Mouse voice; instead, they will do some auditions, and see which mascot voice will work best alongside Alexa. They're, right now, on a hunt for a voiceover artist who can give users the proper Disney feel. Who Can Access The "Hey Disney!" Feature On Amazon? This new voice assistant will be available in the US soon, but only for those who have purchased the Hey Disney Alexa Skill, or have a paid subscription plan to Amazon Kids+. Users can ask some basic questions and get answers to them like, "What time is it?", or "What's the weather like?". You will get a quick answer to them from any of the Disney characters like Guffy, Micky, Fozzie the Bear, and Donald Duck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T34wwTIxdOU?embedable=true Source: Cnet Moreover, customers will be able to access the feature through Echo smart speakers in their homes, chilling with friends, or in any Disney Resort hotel room. How "Hey Disney!" Feature Correlates With Disney's Magicband+ You can imagine how amazing it would be when the "Hey Disney!" feature will interact with the Disney MagicBand+. If you guys haven't been to the Disney theme park yet, the MagicBank is a watch-sized wearable device that allows you to quickly enter the wonderland, skipping the lines with Disney's FastPass system known as Genie+. The premium version of the wearable watch is known as MagicBand+ that includes some interactive features like lighting up whenever you pass a certain statue at Magic Kingdom. “Hey Disney!” can not do some tasks like playing any song, or answers to simple questions. It will simply pass on the questions to Alexa, saying, "I'll ask Alexa for that", and boom! You will hear the same voice of Alexa continuing the conversation … You know, Amazon has worked with hotels before, but this is the first time Disney is creating disruption and launching their first voice assistant program, to brand their characters, and meet the customers with a new approach. But, you know what? The mastermind behind this is hands down, Amazon! Creating A Wave Of Disruption With Technology Advancement Bingo! So, are you all ready to experience this new feature that will amaze everyone? With "Hey Disney!" You can bring Disney characters home, and have a memorable time with your friends and family. This upcoming voice assistant will be somehow similar to Alexa, but with a sweet twist! Users can control the privacy of their devices, voice recordings can be deleted at any time. The device will only start recording when users say, "Hey Disney!" or "Alexa" and you will see the device light up. So, if Disney is your thing, then, this collaboration is going to bring lots of fun to your daily life! Are you as excited as we're?

Amazon and Disney Take Voice Assistance to Magical Heights with “Hey Disney”

Whether it be for fun in a Snapchat filter, for a movie, or even to remove a few riddles, we all have a utility in mind for being able to change our age in a picture. This is usually done by skilled artists using Photoshop or a similar tool to edit your pictures. Worst, in a video, they have to do this kind of manual editing for every frame! Just imagine the amount of work needed for that. Well, here’s both a solution and a new problem to this situation... References ►Read the full article: ►Loss et al., DisneyResearch, 2022: FRAN, ►GANs explained: ►SAM: ►Discord: ►Twitter: ►My Newsletter (A new AI application explained weekly to your emails!): https://www.louisbouchard.ai/disney-re-age/ https://studios.disneyresearch.com/2022/11/30/production-ready-face-re-aging-for-visual-effects/ https://youtu.be/ZnpZsiy_p2M https://yuval-alaluf.github.io/SAM/ https://www.louisbouchard.ai/learn-ai-together/ https://twitter.com/Whats_AI https://www.louisbouchard.ai/newsletter/

Even Disney is Investing in AI: A Look at Face Re-Aging for Visual Effects

Incluso Disney está invirtiendo en IA: una mirada al envejecimiento facial para efectos visuales

Même Disney investit dans l'IA : un regard sur le vieillissement du visage pour les effets visuels

यहां तक कि डिज्नी एआई में निवेश कर रहा है: विजुअल इफेक्ट्स के लिए फेस री-एजिंग पर एक नजर

ディズニーでさえ AI に投資している: 視覚効果のための顔のリエイジングの考察

Até a Disney está investindo em IA: uma olhada no reenvelhecimento facial para efeitos visuais

Ngay cả Disney cũng đang đầu tư vào AI: Nhìn lại quá trình tái tạo khuôn mặt để tạo hiệu ứng hình ảnh

甚至迪斯尼也在投资人工智能：看看面部再老化的视觉效果

What a difference two years and a pandemic can make. In 2020, Disney CEO Bob Chapek in order to focus on streaming content. The creation of the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) organization under Disney’s Kareem Daniel was widely seen ( ) as a bold way to save the company. After all: reorganized its media and entertainment divisions and praised by writers such as me The pandemic had shut down its theme parks and movie theaters, closing off a huge source of revenue for in-person entertainment. The Disney+ streaming service, launched in late 2019 under Chapek’s predecessor Bob Iger, pointed to a hopeful future. Sure, no one expected Disney+ to be profitable until 2024. But with so many people turning online during lockdown living, the New Hollywood streaming industry seemed like an unstoppable force. And thus, the newera was born. Well, by November 2022, the era had ended. Disney+ was hemorrhaging cash to the tune of $8 billion in losses since its launch, alarming stock analysts. And, perhaps just as worse for a business fueled by creativity, the centralized DMED organization was clashing with Disney creatives. In a shocking move, Disney’s board ousted Chapek. Bob Iger, who had retired after serving as CEO for 15 years, was back. On his return, Iger announced that DMED would be reorganized and that creative control would be returned to the creatives instead of being centralized. And Kareem Daniel was ousted. The changing of the guard has sent the entertainment world buzzing with speculation about the future of the entire Disney brand under Bob Iger, including close scrutiny of Disney+. The management of the New Hollywood streaming service was certainly not the only reason for Bob Chapek’s fall from grace, but it played a big role – notably the ugly lawsuit that erupted between Disney and Scarlett Johansson when Disney elected to stream directly on Disney+ and skip a theatrical release. Black Widow We all know Bob Iger has many issues to address now, such as the pricing of the Disney theme parks. The two that fascinate me will determine the future of New Hollywood: content and commerce. A Focus on Family-Friendly Content? Under Bob Chapek’s watch, Disney+ produced some of its most popular titles , including and the second season of . according to Nielsen viewing data Loki The Mandalorian Disney+ also began to air R-rated content, including movies such as , , and Deadpool Logan Deadpool 2. As noted, Disney+ incurred enormous costs under Chapek, but the subscriber growth cannot be denied either: 12.1 million subscribers worldwide in the quarter that ended on Oct. 1, including 1.9 million in the United States and Canada, lifting its total count to 164.2 million. Disney now finds itself in a content arms race with its New Hollywood competitors, most notably Amazon and Netflix. Between Disney+ and Hulu, Disney spent about $15 billion on content in 2022, with Netflix spending about $17 billion, and Amazon, $14 billion, . In his first town hall with employees, Bob Iger said that Disney’s focus must shift toward making its streaming business profitable, rather than concentrating on simply adding subscribers. according to an IndieWire estimate So, what will Bob Iger do? Will he scale back content spend, and, if so, how? One option: focus on family-friendly, multigenerational content on Disney+ instead of opening up the platform for more R-rated content. With Disney taking complete ownership of Hulu (it’s set to buy out its share of Hulu in 2024 or earlier), the company could rely on Hulu for the content geared toward grown-ups. It’s interesting to note that immediately upon Iger’s return, Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson, urged Disney+ to focus on family-friendly content. And Trip Miller, a Disney investor and managing partner at hedge fund Gullane Capital Partners, told CNN Business. “This consumer is family-friendly, global and multi-generational. That’s the beauty of Disney, right? It’s not just kids, it’s not just adults. When it’s working, it can be everybody.” A family-friendly focus was certainly Iger’s original vision for Disney+. A good example: , which was a hit coming right out the gate in 2019 because it built off the brand power of the Star Warsfranchise and introduced a storyline that demonstrated how family-friendly content can thrill and excite with a compelling story. The Mandalorian Of course, competitors such as Netflix are succeeding with mature content such as Netflix’s . But Iger does not want Disney+ to be another Netflix. The educated guess here is that the future of Disney+ will be multigenerational. As he wrote in his farewell letter to employees (or at least we thought it was farewell) in 2021: Dahmer Most important, never lose sight of what makes The Walt Disney Company such an incredibly special place… our unique culture marked by a shared sense of belonging, joy, camaraderie, and the pride that comes with doing what we do, and that is bringing people from different generations, ethnicities, and backgrounds together with our exceptional storytelling. Whatever happens to Disney+ next, creativity will be rewarded. In a staff email on his return, Iger wrote that he will implement organizational and operating changes to restructure things in a way that “honors and respects creativity as the heart and soul of who we are.” Indeed, when he retired in 2021, he warned Disney executives “In a world and business that is awash with data, it is tempting to use data to answer all of our questions, including creative questions. I urge all of you not to do that.” If Disney had relied too heavily on data, he noted, the company might never have made big, breakthrough movies like and . Black Panther Coco But that was 2021. The days of “growing streaming at any cost” are over for Wall Street. Iger needs to right the ship and satisfy impatient investors. Oh, and we’re entering a recession if we’re not in one already. He’ll need to make some decisions quickly to recoup costs and generate more revenue on top of whatever Disney+ earns from its ad tier. Whatever he does, Iger has already spoken by dismantling the centralized approach to content creation. Since creativity is the heart and soul of the Disney brand, returning power to the creatives could unleash a renaissance. Disney Prime? Disney, like every company that owns a streaming service, needs to monetize its audience even more than Disney has been doing for decades with Disney entertainment and theme parks. So, Disney, like everyone else, is introducing an advertising tier. But under Bob Chapek, Disney had also been trying to figure out ways to create cross-promotional opportunities for Disney+ subscribers – and Bob Iger may very well stay the course here. For instance, , Disney launched a campaign to offer Disney+ subscribers a 20 discount on Walt Disney World lodging. in September And Disney+ subscribers can now unlock special deals on the Shop Disney website. In November, Disney announced a more ambitious pilot program to offer themed themed merchandise alongside certain Disney+ shows and films. For a limited time, Disney offered exclusive access to new products tied to franchises like , , and . The items included light saber collectibles and themed clothing available only on Disney+ profiles in the United States that were verified as belonging to users who are 18 and older. Star Wars Black Panther Frozen The company also seeks use data collected on fans during visits to Disney parks (e.g., what rides they ride the most) to curate offerings on their Disney+ accounts. , this could amount to an Amazon Prime type of experience – or a membership program with perks. As The Wall Street Journal reported Disney already has a special program for superfans, , which costs $99.99 to $129.99 a year and comes with access to exclusive events and merchandise. But what Disney is considering now is a membership program for more casual fans, nicknamed Disney Prime inside the company. the D23 Official Fan Club Kristina Schake, senior executive vice president and chief communications officer at Disney, told , ““Technology is giving us new ways to customize and personalize the consumer experience so that we are delivering entertainment, experiences and products that are most relevant to each of our guests.  A membership program is just one of the exciting ideas that is being explored.” The Wall Street Journal , Chapek told attendees of ‘s Tech Live conference, “When a family comes to our parks, we know exactly what you did. Let’s say you stay a week. We got seven days, 24 hours a day. We know everything that you do in the park. And if you give us the permission and ability through the membership app, we’ll program your Disney+ experience, not according to what you watched last or what other people who watch this show, but to what you did, what you experienced.” In October The Wall Street Journal So, for instance, someone who rode the ride, would then find -themed titles highlighted on their home page of Disney+ upon log-in. Pirates of the Caribbean Pirates The “Disney Prime” label doesn’t quite ring true when it evokes a comparison to Amazon. Amazon Prime members get access to Amazon Prime Video. Similarly, Walmart+ members get access to Paramount+. But Amazon and Walmart are different businesses than Disney. They are retailers who want to sell a bunch of products, and entertainment exists to be a pull-through for products. Disney is foremost an entertainment company that maximizes the value of its content through merchandise sales. Instead, for Disney, a Prime membership would need to attract members first through great entertainment and experiences whether via Disney+, theme parks, lodging, Disney cruises, and the metaverse that Disney envisions. Disney won’t build brand love by selling things. Disney will build brand love by offering lovable experiences. All businesses now want to maximize the value of first-party data they collect from their customers, especially at a time when third-party data becomes less valuable in the era of consumer privacy. Regardless of whether Disney launches a membership program, it seems likely that under the Bob Iger era, cross-promotion based on mining first-party data will continue. It has to for Disney+ to become profitable. But, under Chapek, Disney received increasingly harsh criticism for treating its customers like products, . Disney is already milking its loyal customers with higher prices to theme parks and increased Disney+ subscriptions costs. as this poignantly written editorial discusses Will Bob Iger find a way to build on Chapek’s work? If so, my educated guess again is that he’ll focus on creating extended experiences and talk less about selling products. He was reportedly alarmed by the rising prices for admission to Disney theme parks that were imposed under Bob Chapek. I believe he will try to inject magic back into theme parks, and synchronized experiences with Disney+ will be one way to do that. It’s going to be a crucial time for Disney to figure out the interplay between content and commerce without treating people like products.

Will Disney+ Create Magic through Profitable Content and Commerce?

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” No, I didn’t have Michael Jordan on the latest episode of the Success Story Podcast, but I think my guest would love that I started this piece with a quote from the GOAT (LeBron truthers — talk to him, not me). I recently sat down with Saul Blinkoff to talk about life, career, and happiness. Little did I know I would end up singing songs from The Lion King and getting schooled on my football movie trivia. The filmmaker, podcaster, and inspirational speaker took me on a journey of his life from the moment he sat down to see E.T. with his mom, to walking into the office of legendary Disney animator Glen Keane for a lesson on how to draw Pocahontas. Dotted along the way were nuggets of wisdom that only someone with real perspective could impart, and I came out the other side with more clarity on the life I want to lead. The happiest place on earth Saul doesn’t take no for an answer. When he was still a teenager, wondering how he would ever become an animator, his mom took him to Disney World and walked him around the park until someone finally explained the hiring process. After years of trying to make it into the studio, he finally landed an internship that led to a successful career that included the aforementioned Pocahontas, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, and Tarzan, among many other great films. He’s directed commercials for some of the biggest brands in the world, including ESPN and Mercedes Benz, and now hosts the successful podcast Life of Awesome. More than anything, what I took away from our conversation was not how to become a success in the film industry, but how to become a success in life — no matter what job you have. Push through the pain Saul told me a story from his teenage years when someone at school found out how about his dream of moving to Hollywood and becoming a filmmaker. They were kids in New York, and California was for “weird” people. His goal of making movies like died that day (or at least went dormant for a while) because we often let other people derail our dreams. He didn’t want to be weird. Steven Spielberg It’s something all of us deal with. We’re told something is impossible, and we start to believe it. We give up on a project because it’s too hard, or someone makes us feel stupid for trying. Whether you think that is fair or just, doesn’t matter. It happens, and it will keep happening your whole life. The only way to combat that is to push through the pain. It’s going to suck, and it’s going to be hard, but you have to keep going. The people who make it are the ones who don’t give up when things get tough — they find a way to push through. “You want it to be difficult,” said Saul, right before he found out that I can’t remember the specifics of (it came out in 1993, Saul.) Rudy The green room To get through it, to deflect some of those negative voices, you need to surround yourself with people who believe in you. I’m not talking about your parents or your spouse (although, they matter too). I’m talking about a group of friends, colleagues, or mentors who will tell you that you can do it — even when you don’t believe it yourself. Who we choose to be close to matters, and shows exactly what we believe about ourselves. Saul related something that Tim Storey once told him about how to spot which people in Hollywood were going to be okay. “Just look at the green room.” That is, look at the friends that they bring backstage, and the entourage that they travel with, and you can see who already has a support group that believes in them. The people who are going to be successful are the ones with a green room — a group of friends, family, or colleagues who will tell them they can do it when they don’t believe it themselves. Something sweeter than happiness Believe in yourself, push through the pain, and you can achieve anything! You might have heard all that before, but this is where it is different. Saul had his dream job. He found the love of his life. He was lying on a beach sipping a pina colada with his friends and getting paid handsomely for it. He reached his goal, and found his happiness — and it wasn’t enough. He discovered that life isn’t about abundance. It’s not about having so much money that you can lie around and do nothing. It’s about one thing that is sweeter than happiness, and more important than all the fame and power you can ever achieve: . meaning “We make a living by what we get, but a life by what we give,” said Winston Churchill, as told to me by Saul Blinkoff. It is not about what we achieve, but what we do with what we achieve. Do we help others? Do we make the world a better place? Do we focus on our children and spouse? All of that is more important than any job or title we could ever have. It’s also known by another name: responsibility. “The ability to respond” as Saul puts it. How we choose to take our situation and use it to make a difference is what will determine whether we live an awesome life or not. Stop working (just for one day) To achieve any of this, you’re going to need to get away from the idea that work is the only thing that matters. That was Saul’s problem. He was so focused on his career that he didn’t have time for anything else. It got to the point where he realized he needed to make a change, so he took a break. A sabbatical, if you will. He got in touch with his Jewish roots and started embracing the idea that for one day a week, he would turn off. He would be unavailable. He would not work. He would spend time with his family, and friends, and do things that he loved. There has been a change in recent years toward this idea of work-life balance, but it is still very much a struggle for most people. We are constantly bombarded with the message that we need to be working all the time. That is not true. What you need to be doing is finding what works for you. You don’t have to be religious to practice a day of rest on the weekend. It has only been the last decade or two that work has stretched into the evening for most people. In years past, when you left the office, you were done for the day. You had time for a social life, family, and things that you enjoyed outside of work. The key is to find what works for you, and then make it happen. It might be hard at first, but it will be worth it. Windows of time If you don’t, you’ll quickly realize that time is the most precious commodity anyone has. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. If you have a decision between attending a funeral and a wedding, go to the funeral, if only because it will make you contemplate your mortality and what you want to do with the time you have left. Moments appear fleeting, but usually only because we are focused on getting to the next one. When you pick up your kid from school and have a 20-minute drive home, don’t focus on the emails you have to send later that night. Be present in the moment. Listen to them tell you about their day. It will be over before you know it, and you’ll be glad you took the time to connect with them. The same goes for your partner, or your friends. When you’re with them, be with them. Be present in the conversation and truly listen to what they are saying. If we can learn to focus on the people and things that matter most to us, we can start to make the most of the time we have. Shorten your list One of the things I always ask my guests at the end of our interview is what success means to them. For Saul, it was constantly becoming a better person. He explained that everyone has a list of things they aren’t good at. The goal, every day, should be to shorten that list. “Success is only one thing. It is ‘am I becoming a better person?’ It doesn’t matter how many zeros are on your bank account if you don’t have sensitivity to a person you walk by on the street. The clarity that I have for my life is that I try to work on myself to become a better human being — that’s it. Each one of us should make a list of our negative character attributes. We all have them, nobody is perfect, and that is what it means to be alive. You know what life is about? Only one thing. Take that list and make it smaller.” Final thoughts I’ve met a lot of people in my life that are motivational speakers. Success Story is full of them. But there aren’t many who would throw away all the money and prestige they’ve earned for a chance to make a bigger difference in the world, in their children’s lives, or to the people close to them. For Saul, I believe it. We talked about so much more than what I’ve touched on here, you have to listen to the entire interview. Head over to the Success Story YouTube page to check it out, or just to hear Saul’s pitch-perfect impression of Mufasa. I’ll be back next week with another amazing guest! Also published here.

A Disney Animator’s Tips on How to Live a Life of Awesome

During this week's Nintendo Direct Mini livestream, and Gameloft revealed that the upcoming live simulation and adventure game, Disney Dreamlight Valley, will be hitting Early Access on Nintendo Switch later this September. A new gameplay trailer was also revealed. Nintendo In Dreamlight Valley, players will get to create their own characters to help save Dreamlight Valley, a magical land where the characters of Disney and Pixar live together in harmony. The land has been plagued by a period of lost memories called "The Forgetting," so players now have to help restore their favorite characters' lost memories and uncover the secrets that brought them to the valley. Based on the new footage, Disney Dreamland Valley certainly evokes memories of the classic Disney Infinity game. The game looks like it has a mix of life simulation, township building, along with a narrative adventure story. The narrative aspect woven into the gameplay with the mystery of what caused the characters to lose their memories will hopefully elevate this title and make it a bit more interesting. GAMELOFT IS BRINGING DISNEY STARLIGHT VALLEY TO NINTENDO SWITCH LATER THIS YEAR Thus far, the focus appears to be strictly on Walt Disney Animation and Pixar characters from across various films and television shows. So, there aren't any Star Wars or Marvel characters, similar to later iterations of Disney Infinity, for now. However, having such a nice variety of characters all together in the same place looks like it could be fun for gamers of all ages. Disney Dreamlight Valley is being developed as a multi-platform release. However, it looks like it will be hitting Nintendo Switch first via Early Access on September 6. The game is also in the works for release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Mac, and iOS later on.

Disney Dreamlight Valley Launches Early Access in September, New Gameplay Trailer Released

Disney is transforming its theme parks from a physical experience into a theme park Metaverse, a union of in-person and practical entertainment with data-driven virtual experiences. Metaverse provides an experience that is physical and digital converged, perennial, personalized and social, in-park and beyond-the-berm, and fresh and evolving. Whether we’re experiencing the Metaverse in the parks or at home. The Technological Evolution of Disney Theme Parks When Disneyland opened in 1955, it combined the elements of circuses and carnivals with Walt's unique storytelling technique, resulting in rides, cruises, carousels, and shows. Over the years, the television and film industry changed how we entertain ourselves. During the period of the Disney Renaissance, which lasted from 1989 to 1999, Disney theme parks incorporated film-based attractions and more technically advanced ride systems and show effects. Going into the 21st century, the theme park audience coming to the parks had a very different relationship with entertainment media than visitors to Disneyland had in the middle of the 20th century. People rely on technology products for their pastimes, such as watching movies or playing games on the Internet. To remain relevant to modern audiences, Disney needed new ideas and elements to attract customers in the new era, so Disney launched interactive rides, such as Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters themed after Pixar's . Toy Story Nowadays, as technology evolved, the ways we can access new technologies are significantly diversified. Disney has looked for ways to keep up by making interactivity more immersive inside the parks. And thus, the desire to create the Metaverse — the union of practical and virtual experiences that would keep a generation raised on mobile interactivity wanting to come to the parks. Disney‘s Metaverse Theme Park In this new chapter, Disneyland uses virtual technology combined with physical theme park attractions to allow generation Z to experience the magical magic as much as their parents and grandparents did. In 2018, Disney launched the Play Disney Parks app which allows park visitors to interact with the different areas of the park with trivia, music, and mini-games while actually exploring the park. This app is only the beginning of the Metaverse. In 2019, Disney opened Star Wars: Galaxy Edge, the most innovative and immersive land inspired by the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars: Galaxy Edge makes park visitors feel like they are part of that universe. You become a participant and it’s all systemically integrated to create a personalized and synergized experience. The immersive experience allows you to choose your role and have a unique memory. When you leave Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, you can still watch the shows on Disney+ and play related video games. Disney even further implemented ’s helmet in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge before the show premiered on Disney+. That makes Disney’s films very valuable. When you are hooked to , it means that you won't want to miss walking around the immersive universe in Star Wars: Edge of the Galaxy. This can also be applied to the Marvel Universe. not only brought Disney a whopping $3 billion but also served as a 3-hour commercial for the newly released Avengers Campus land in 2021. The Mandalorian The Mandalorian Avengers: Endgame When you think about how tightly knit these synergies are becoming — and they’re only going further, wait until we can stay in the Star Wars universe on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. The upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World will be the world's first immersive theme hotel, which will provide a whole new personalized entertainment experience, Guests will turn themselves into “Star Wars” avatars in a cruise-like experience. Disney’s Metaverse Plan Started Before the Term ‘Metaverse’ Went Viral In 2013, Disney and launched MagicBand in Walt Disney World. It allows parks visitors to use the band to enter hotel rooms, charge their accounts for food and services, and serve as tickets to enter various theme parks. combined wearable device technology and cloud technology In September 2021, Disney announced the next generation of MagicBand called MagicBand+, set for release in 2022. It will provide the wearer with . haptic feedback, gesture recognition, and LED indicator lights The Magicband+ further combines Disney’s virtual and physical worlds, making the real-world environments in the theme parks seem more immersive. In a Walt Disney World Resort , Disney says the MagicBand+ will allow its wearers to play a “bounty hunter in a galaxy far, far away and find virtual bounties throughout Black Spire Outpost in : Galaxy’s Edge,” amongst other interactive experiences. press release Star Wars Disney always has the magic power to make the jaw drop. Through the Metaverse and its advanced technology, we may one day find ourselves interacting with AI characters in the park. These may all sound like illusions, but if you think about it, we can now fight the First Order with the Resistance, or team up with the Avengers to save the world. In the future, there may be more personalized story experiences, such as princess stories or pirate stories, that we thought could not happen in the past. At this moment, Disney has proved to the world that these are not just a dream. Disney's ingenious and magical efforts have created the mysterious and infinite Metaverse world that people dream of.

Disney's Happiest Place on Earth Is in the Metaverse

It's often said that content is king. For Disney, content is a savior. That’s the takeaway from Disney’s for the fiscal year and fourth quarter of 2020. earnings report Disney’s Painful Year It’s been painful to watch the COVID-19 pandemic crush Disney’s fabled parks and resorts. In September, Disney announced it would lay off 28,000 employees across its parks, experiences and consumer products segments. Disney blamed prolonged closures and capacity limits at open parks for the layoffs. On November 12, Disney reported its first annual loss in 40 years, and declining attendance at its parks had a lot to do with that decline. Disney said that the pandemic cost it $7.4 billion in operating income in the fiscal year, and $6.9 billion of that loss came from theme parks and experiences division. But the numbers tell only one dimension of the story. There are people behind these losses – people who have brightened my life since I was a kid visiting Walt Disney World for the first time. Over the years, I’ve visited Walt Disney World several times with family and friends. You cannot appreciate just how uniformly hospitable Walt Disney World is until you’ve been there. Everyone -- from the cast members who light up the streets in character as Mickey Mouse or Alice in Wonderland to the store cashiers and restaurant servers – uplift each guest. They are the face of a brand that makes magic moments. Those magic moments are going to need to happen in the digital world for quite some time. The general consensus is that live experiences won’t recover for months and even years. What does Disney do until then? Double down on digital content. Disney Builds a Foundation for Its Future Disney has always been one of the world’s most culturally relevant brands through its movies, music, and TV shows. The company has either created or acquired content that has shaped the tastes of generations, ranging from to . In 2019, Disney made two of the most important and fortuitous moves in its history: Cinderella Black Panther In May, Disney agreed to acquire Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu and to take full control of the streaming service. Hulu gave Disney an instant streaming audience of 28 million (at the time) and a prestigious content library with popular titles including . The Handmaid’s Tale In November, Disney launched Disney+ to great fanfare. Disney+ gave Disney an arm to unleash its powerful library of content, including the coveted Marvel franchise, as well as new titles such as the wildly popular , which tapped into the eternal appeal of . The Mandalorian Star Wars Little did Disney know that a global pandemic would trigger a massive shift in people’s entertainment options, from going to the movies to streaming them. By the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, Disney+ subscribers had grown to 73 million, and Hulu paid subscribers had grown to 36.6 million. Counting ESPN+, which Disney launched in 2018, Disney was giving Netflix some real competition: And the financial results reflect the increase in subscribers. In its earnings announcement, Disney said that its Direct-to-Consumer and International division, which includes streaming, had generated $4.85 billion in revenue, up 41 percent year over year. Disney knows where its near-term future is: streaming. And so it’s doubling down. Doubling Down on Streaming Content On October 12, Disney in order to focus on streaming content. Kareem Daniel, the former president of consumer products, games and publishing, will now oversee the new media and entertainment distribution group, responsible for content distribution, ad sales, and Disney+. reorganized its media and entertainment divisions In an announcement, Disney said that its “creative engines will focus on developing and producing original content for the Company’s streaming services” – meaning that Disney’s creative teams, ranging from Pixar to Lucasfilm, will be all-in to support streaming, with Disney+ and Hulu at the center. Meanwhile, a newly created Media and Entertainment Distribution group under Daniel will be responsible for monetizing and distributing that content. And you can be sure that: Daniel is now under enormous pressure to monetize that content with advertising, co-branding, merchandising, and more. The wants and needs of the streaming audience will dictate what kind of content gets created. As The Wall Street Journal , “The various programming arms, including movie and television studios, will be aiming to feed those streaming services, not just legacy outlets.” Disney noted that Daniel’s team will also be responsible for “data and technology functions” – meaning Disney will try to bolster its own data science capabilities to anticipate the tastes of its streaming audiences and create content accordingly, as Netflix does so brilliantly. noted Disney didn’t wait for its restructuring to change the way it operates, either. In September, Disney bypassed movie theaters in the United States and released its feature film on Disney+ (while distributing the movie in theaters internationally). Mulan received mixed reviews and lackluster box office receipts globally. But as Kay McGuire of Screen Rant discussed , Disney+ was a lifeline for : Mulan in an analysis of Mulan’s financial results Mulan was a success for Disney+, significantly increasing the number of subscribers and proving that almost 100,000 people would pay an additional $30 to access the film. While suffered from calls to boycott the film following , alienated Chinese audiences with its all-white production team, and dissuaded American audiences by cutting the songs and characters that made the animated so beloved, it still managed to bring in $35.5 million from streaming alone. If had premiered in theaters with the same opening weekend box office, it would have been a massive commercial failure and the lowest-performing live-action Disney remake, tying with . Because premiered only on Disney+, the total gross is a victory and a sign that future releases that premiere on streaming can still be successful. Mulan Mulan Liu Yifei's comments about the Hong Kong protests Mulan Mulan Maleficient: Mistress of Evil Mulan On December 25, . Another big date to watch: on January 15, 2021, Disney will release on Disney+. is significant because it’s the first series from Marvel Studios to Launch on Disney+. and WandaVision represent even bigger tests of Disney’s streaming-first strategy. Disney will skip theaters and release Pixar’s animated movie on Disney+ Soul WandaVision WandaVision Soul Where Does Disney Go from Here? Clearly, Disney is not taking the pandemic sitting down. The focus on streaming plays to a Disney strength: Disney benefits from a huge library of content. . (For more insight, .) Even still, creating and distributing new content for streaming is a better (if difficult) proposition for Disney than attracting people to its theme parks and resorts, or theaters for that matter. Who knows when people will feel comfortable returning to theme parks or theaters in droves? 2021 is probably a lost cause already. But it remains to be seen how well production studios will be able to create new content as the pandemic continues here’s a fascinating look at what it’s like to shoot a movie right now Meanwhile, author and business professor Scott Galloway another potential way forward: online education. offers “ . . . who is better at capturing and sustaining a child’s attention than Disney?” he wrote recently. “Disney should launch a (remote) educational product for kids in grades K-12.” He elaborated: The market opportunity is substantial. There are 140.8 million primary and secondary school-age children in the US, Japan, and the EU. That’s approximately (assuming 1.93 kids per family in the US; 1.55 kids per family in the EU; 1.44 kids per family in Japan).” 84.5 million families with kids K-12 According to Galloway, online education could give Disney a potential $30 billion a year recurring revenue business as secondary education continues to move online during the pandemic. It’s an intriguing idea. And as the pandemic rages, all ideas are on the table. Note: I am an investor in Disney and Netflix.

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DISNEY

disney.com

501-1K employees

Since 1956

COMPANY RANKING

DISNEY

EVERGREEN INDEX #427

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