An Interview with Paul Pressler, Part One,

An Interview with Paul Pressler, Part One
Page 5 of 5

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Paul Pressler, Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Disney President Bob Iger
at the Disney's California Adventure Press Conference

LP: You are the head of the theme park division of the number one theme park company in the world. What is your vision of theme parks looking 10, 15, 25 years into the future?

Pressler: It’s a good question. I think that our vision around theme parks is to really turn them into vacation destinations so that our guests can come and spend several days with us and completely immerse themselves in a variety of different activities. I think Walt Disney World is the model, and we want you to go to our parks and have a fantastic time and we take you to mysterious places and create a true fantasy. But at the same time there are guests who want to go to our water parks and enjoy a good time there or go to a hotel like the Animal Kingdom Lodge which, to me, is a theme park hotel by itself.

I think that one of the things that we’ve done better than anyone else is to extend the principles of storytelling beyond the berm and into the entire vacation experience like our hotels and our water parks. I think that if you go out (into the future), it’s not just about where theme parks go, it’s about where the whole vacation experience goes.

At the end of the day the most important thing from the theme park standpoint is technological advances. They give us the tools and allow us to make those stories more compelling, more real and more immersive. That’s exactly why Walt was constantly looking to NASA and other areas to find that technology. Sometimes it’s repurposing technology. I mean look at the California Soarin’ ride. It’s amazing that we built this attraction, but at the end of the day it’s just a mechanical device that allows us to do things. We have a new piece of technology that we’re going to use in Mission: Space, down in Epcot. It is clearly cutting edge and for the most part accomplishes what Walt had tried to do for years which was to give guests the experience of going into outer space. Now we’re going to accomplish that with a lot of new technology and a lot of new engineering, but the most important thing is taking you on a mission into outer space. So technology to me is the tool. And by technology I mean not just in the rides but also in conveniences for our guests such as FastPass which allows us to provide a easier, seamless guest experience without the hassles. So we look at both fronts because they are both important.

LP: I know Discovery Cove has opened and I’ve heard Imagineers talk about much longer experiences instead of the normal 5-10 minute rides. Does that interest you?

Pressler: Well it does, and yet at the same time it is a tough code to crack. Particularly when we need to serve the millions that come to our parks. Those kind of one on one experiences are more challenging to do within the traditional theme park experience. But, for instance, on a cruise ship - clearly it’s not as difficult to do. That experience is not about going on rides. It's really about the experience of going to Castaway Cay, the island, snorkeling, there’s entertainment on the ship - that's the kind of more tactile, immersive vacation experience that I think people love. Arguably Epcot, for instance, or Animal Kingdom are more immersive experiences. You go on that safari, there are longer experiences and they’re more in-depth than the traditional four minutes on a roller coaster. So ’m not as passionate about the, exclusive, very high-end ideas that are not as accessible to most people.

Click here for Part Two of this interview in which the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts discusses DisneyQuest, Disney Cruise Lines, The Internet, Theme Park Safety and much more.

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-- Posted July 30, 2001
-- Interview by Doobie Moseley

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