Disney Digest 6/24/24 (OLC Speculation, Ollie’s Return, The High Cost of a First Take, and More)

I know it has been a bit… but we are back.

Would You Like to Buy a Theme Park?

Have you noticed how the Yen has crashed? Many savvy Disney fans have realized that they now get more for their dollar in Japan than they have since 1990. But, while checking out Fantasy Springs may be in more Americans’ budgets than before, perhaps an American company is considering a bigger purchase. With the Yen at historic lows and Disney wanting to “supercharge” their experience business, might Disney make an offer for the Oriental Land Company? Of course, there are regulatory and cash flow questions, but now may be the best chance for Disney to bring their only non-owned park into the corporate fold.

Ever since OLC built Tokyo DisneySea at the same time Disney built Disney’s California Adventure, Disney fans have wished Disney would invest in their parks at the same level as their Japanese partners. While this acquisition is just a theoretical at this point, I wonder how Disney fans would react? Would they be disappointed with the presumption that Disney would not maintain the investment at the levels OLC had which resulted in spectacular attractions and entertainment? Or would they be happy at the prospect that the inventive merchandise and experiences that OLC has championed may come stateside as well.

Who knows if this might have come to fruition, but I can’t help but notice that Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro were at the opening of Fantasy Springs but were absent from the festivities surrounding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

The Return of Ollie

Disney Experiences held their annual “Halfway to Holidays” event where they revealed their global plans for the holidays. While not a surprise, they announced that Disney Jollywood Nights is returning for a sophomore year. They seem to have gotten the message that there was not enough to do, particularly in the early event dates. They are adding a “skating spectacular” on Hollywood Boulevard as well as new character experiences including Bo Peep, Lotso, and the TaleSpin versions of Baloo and King Louie.

But will they be able to deliver? When you label something as a “spectacular,” it actually needs to be spectacular to meet expectations. Many Disney events take a bit to hit their stride, so I am optimistic that they will continue evolving the event until it finds its niche.

Sports Page

John Ourand is reporting that ESPN has offered their marquee commentator Stephen A. Smith $18 million a year — a significant increase from the $12 million of his current deal. But the sides are still far apart as Smith’s team is eyeing something akin to Pat McAfee’s $25 million. While this is not apples to apples as McAfee pays all production costs, it is clear that Stephen A. wants to be ESPN’s highest paid talent, no matter what way you slice it.

There is no doubt he is their biggest commentator, but as ESPN transitions to a cord-cutting world, do hot take artists have as much power as they used to? ESPN and its advertisers have been placing more interest and investment in live sports, and few people watch games because of who the broadcasters are. While I don’t fault Stephen A. for wanting to get the best deal possible, how ESPN handles the negotiation over the next year will determine how much they care about the shows that used to be considered shoulder programming.

Quick Hits:

6 Things to Watch For Tomorrow:

Talk to you tomorrow!