Disney – Page 4

Twenty-Five Years!

In March, I celebrated 25 years of being employed by The Walt Disney Company. Little did I know when I joined the company on March 29, 1990 that I’d be here this long or enjoy the company this much. Disney has a wonderful way of making employees (or Cast Members) feel special. Longevity is rewarded with service pins, congratulatory letters, service statues and even an annual service celebration. Part of my March recognition even included a visit from WDW Ambassador Nathaniel Palma!

But I think the best part about working for this company is knowing that I’m part of something bigger than a job. I’m working to make a difference in people’s lives. Each and every day, thousands upon thousands of people are delighted and entertained at Walt Disney World and I’m so glad that I have played a tiny role in that for over 25 years.

New Merchandise to Debut during Star Wars Weekends

Fresh News from the Disney Blog (Steven Miller)…

Super excited to announce that two new D-Tech Me figurines – a Jedi Knight and a TIE-Fighter pilot – are premiering at Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this year.

First introduced in May 2012, Star Wars – D-Tech Me is a 10-minute experience that uses the world’s highest-resolution, single-shot 3D face scanner created by Imagineering scientists with Disney Research labs. The captured image is later sent to a high resolution 3D printer to create the figurine. This year, the experience will be located inside Darth’s Mall, near Streets of America across from Studio Catering Company.

In addition to the new figurines, we will again offer the Carbon-Freeze Me figurine, Alderaan Princess figurine, and male and female options for Stormtrooper and X-Wing pilot figurines.

For children, the Carbon-Freeze Me and Alderaan Princess figurines will be available in more youthful appearances.

The Star Wars – D-Tech Me 7-inch figurines are $119.95 each, plus shipping and applicable sales tax. For 16-inch figurines, retail is $999.95 each, plus shipping and applicable sales tax. All participants will receive a specially designed button.

Completed figurines will arrive within 6-8 weeks after the experience if shipping domestically (it takes a little longer if shipping internationally).

Guests can book their experience by calling 407-WDW-TECH (407-939-8324) starting March 26. We will only offer the experience during Star Wars Weekends 2015 (May 15 – 17, May 22-24, May 29-31, June 5-7, and June 12-14). Guests attending the Galactic Gathering event on May 14 will be some of the first individuals to experience Star Wars – D-Tech Me this year.

Please note: Separate theme park admission required for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. No discounts apply unless otherwise noted. Guests must be at least three (3) years of age to participate in the Star Wars D-Tech Me experience. Children must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years of age or older during the entire experience. A valid accepted credit card number is required at time of booking. No-shows or reservation cancellations within 48 hours of scheduled experience will result in such credit card being charged a $25 cancellation fee. The experience, due to its personalized nature, is non-refundable and not eligible for an exchange. Certain restrictions may apply. All prices, components and information are subject to change without notice.

World of AVATAR Coming to Life

February 26, 2015

Today the Disney Parks Blog shared this video of a recent walkthrough that took place at the Walt Disney Imagineering campus, as well as this post from Chief Creative Executive Bruce Vaughn:

“Since we first broke ground last year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’ve been looking forward to welcoming guests into Pandora, the mythical land based on the blockbuster film AVATAR. We’re having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees.

This creative process has been one of the most dynamic and collaborative ones we’ve ever undertaken. It began when our then-Chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts proposed to James Cameron that together we might recreate the world of Pandora at Disney. Since that time, our creative development team, led by Joe Rohde, has been working hand-in-hand with Jim, Jon Landau and their team of artists and designers at Lightstorm on every aspect of this project—from overall design to the smallest—yet crucially important—details. And along each step of this process, Tom, as well as Disney CEO Bob Iger have been actively involved in helping guide the creative vision that is shaping the extraordinary world we’re building.

We all recently got together at our offices in Glendale, California and walked through the fantastic progress on the whole land—including the awesome experience of seeing Pandora while riding on a banshee.

When he was with us, Jim said, ‘I think one of the things that people loved about the movie is that they felt as if they had visited Pandora… now, thanks to Disney’s amazing Imagineers, people are going to truly experience Pandora firsthand. From the details in the plants to the production and design, extraordinary thought and care has gone into this entire world. The teams have really created something special, and it’s not going to be like anything else.’

This project is really pushing the boundaries of what is possible. But one of the things that makes Disney Parks so special is that it takes all of our Cast—across the segment—to really bring these experiences to life. We were glad to be able to share our work with the creative teams and thought you might want to see it, too.”

Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Begins Production

February 18, 2015

Production has commenced on location in Australia on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ epic comedy adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki), the fifth entry in the blockbuster franchise inspired by the classic Disney Parks attraction, which has reaped $3.7 billion in worldwide box office. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will film entirely at Village Roadshow Studios and on locations within Queensland, Australia.

Johnny Depp returns to his iconic, Academy Award-nominated role of Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the most beloved characters in motion picture history, newly joined by Oscar^® winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Skyfall), rising young stars Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner, British television’s Skins) and Brenton Thwaites (Maleficent, The Giver) and Golshifteh Farahani (The Patience Stone, Exodus: Gods and Kings). Rejoining the action are Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs and Stephen Graham as Scrum.

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea… including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). The executive producers are Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo Jr. and Brigham Taylor.

Thomas O. Staggs Named Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company

February 5, 2015

The Walt Disney Company

New Mickey Thomas O. Staggs has been named Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company, it was announced today by Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

A 25-year Disney veteran, Mr. Staggs is Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, overseeing the strategy, operations and creative development of the company’s iconic travel and leisure businesses. He will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer immediately, while continuing to lead Parks and Resorts until a successor is named. Disney’s senior management team, including all business segment leaders, will report jointly to Mr. Iger and Mr. Staggs, with the exception of the Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Chief Communications Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, who will continue to report directly to Mr. Iger.

“Tom is an incredibly experienced, talented and versatile executive who has led Parks and Resorts during a time of unprecedented growth and expansion, including the construction of Shanghai Disney Resort. His proven ability to lead a business as well as his successful tenure as Disney’s former CFO make him an ideal Chief Operating Officer, expanding his portfolio into all the company’s businesses,” Mr. Iger said.

“It’s a privilege to step into this role, and I am humbled and honored by the opportunity. I look forward to working more closely with Bob and the talented senior management team across the company to continue to build Disney’s future through unparalleled creativity, innovative technology and global expansion,” Mr. Staggs said.

Since 2010, Mr. Staggs has led Parks and Resorts’ global team of more than 130,000 Cast Members, Crew Members and Imagineers, with the segment delivering record revenue, profit and attendance levels. In addition to overseeing the development of Shanghai Disney Resort, and a new Avatar-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, during Tom’s tenure, Disney has launched two new cruise ships; opened Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, in Hawai‘i; added three new lands at Hong Kong Disneyland; doubled the size of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom; and completed a multi-year expansion of the Disneyland Resort with the addition of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure Park.

Prior to that, Mr. Staggs served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company. He played a critical role in the execution of the acquisitions of Capital Cities/ABC, Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Entertainment. As CFO for twelve years, he spearheaded the realignment of Disney’s performance goals toward the combination of profit growth and strong long-term capital returns and free cash flow. He has been praised by Wall Street for his financial and communications skills, and was consistently voted the entertainment industry’s No. 1 CFO by Institutional Investor magazine.

Mr. Staggs joined Disney in 1990 as Manager of Strategic Planning and quickly advanced through a series of positions of increased responsibility, leading to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer in 1998. Before joining Disney, he worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley & Co.

Mr. Staggs earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

First Look: Shanghai Disney Resort

“This is also a dynamic and exciting time for our Parks & Resorts – with another very strong performance in Q1 and plenty to look forward to, including the spectacular Shanghai Disney Resort. I was in China the week before last and saw amazing progress — we just topped off our signature Shanghai Disneyland Hotel… and we’re nearing completion on iconic features throughout the park, including the largest castle we’ve ever built… and we’re getting ready to start casting the hundreds of performers we’ll need to entertain our guests. It’s thrilling to see Shanghai Disney Resort rapidly coming to life. The artistry, complexity….the magnitude…and the detail….it’s all quite astonishing. As you’ll recall, after we broke ground on this incredible resort, we announced an $800 million expansion, significantly increasing both the size of the park and the number of attractions available to our guests on opening day. Even with that expansion, we will complete major construction by the end of this calendar year, and we’re planning a spectacular grand opening in Spring of 2016, which we believe is the optimal time to showcase the full grandeur of this world class destination.” – Bob Iger.

As you know, Shanghai Disney Resort is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve ever undertaken at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and I know that all of you are as excited as I am to see what’s planned for our first-ever theme park resort in mainland China. Just this week, we unveiled a first look at new creative images of both the reimagined attraction based on the world of Pirates and the new hotels under development.

Shanghai Disneyland will be home to the first-ever Pirates-themed land-Treasure Cove-and an E-ticket attraction called Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. The attraction will feature a combination of new technology and innovation and will take guests on a pirate adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Davy Jones, providing an experience unlike anything else in the world.

The resort also released new aerial images of the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel. The topping out of Shanghai Disneyland Hotel took place just 12 months after its vertical construction started. With 420-rooms, it will be the signature hotel of Shanghai Disney Resort, featuring an elegant Art Nouveau style with a touch of Disney magic and imagination, and stunning views of Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown and the resort’s central lake.

The topping out of Shanghai Disneyland Hotel adds to the list of milestones since vertical construction of the resort started 15 months ago, including: the topping out of the resort’s first building in Disneytown in December 2013, the 800-room Toy Story Hotel in January 2014 and most recently Disneyland’s “mountain” feature in December 2014. All of these milestones showcase the progress we are making to share wonderful Disney stories with the people of mainland China.

Stay tuned for more updates on Shanghai Disney Resort!

Key Licensees Announced for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm revealed at Nuremberg Toy Fair that Hasbro, The LEGO Group, Mattel, JAKKS Pacific and Rubies are some of the global licensees that will support the highly anticipated theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A bespoke range of products will also be available at Disney Stores globally.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the most anticipated movie events of all time. Our mission is to pay homage to the excitement of Star Wars fans around the world and bring the incredible storytelling from the movie to life through our products,” Josh Silverman, executive vice president, Global Licensing, Disney Consumer Products, said. “Our teams have designed product lines that will deliver incredible play experiences, while preserving the surprises filmmakers have in store for audiences in December.”

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens product line-up will be led by best-in-class licensees with an assortment of action figures, role-play items, play sets, diecast vehicles, costumes and more. Additionally, there will be exclusive offerings such as collectibles, diecast action figures, role-play and much more available at Disney Store and DisneyStore.com.

Stay tuned to StarWars.com for more information on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The Walt Disney Company Announces Second Startup Accelerator Program

January 27, 2015

The Walt Disney Company announced that it is accepting applications for its second Disney Accelerator program powered byTechstars. Disney Accelerator will select a class of 10 startup companies for a three-month mentorship and investment program beginning July 6, 2015 and concluding with a Demo Day on October 6, 2015.The program is open to technology-based startups with a vision for making an impact on the world of media and entertainment. Participants will be offered $120,000 in investment capital along with mentor support from top Disney executives, entrepreneurs, investors and other notable business leaders from the entertainment and technology communities.

In 2014, Disney launched its first Disney Accelerator with companies focused on a range of products including connected toys, mobile video, STEM applications, social media, advertising technology and more. Disney continues to work with many of the alumni from the inaugural class, which included Choremonster, Codarica, Jogg, Naritiv, Sidelines, Smart Toy, SnowShoe, Sphero, Twigtale and TYFFON.

The 2014 Disney Accelerator class reached a number of significant milestones during the program. SnowShoe secured $2.2 million in seed financing; ChoreMonster and Codarica both launched mobile apps; Sphero introduced its new Ollie product and Smart Toy was acquired by Cartwheel Kids, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of children’s products.

“The Disney Accelerator was born of Disney’s long term commitment to innovation and its position at the intersection of technology and entertainment,” said Kevin Mayer, Disney’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. “The 2014 Disney Accelerator demonstrated that pairing Disney’s creative and business talent with entrepreneurs can produce an energizing and valuable exchange of ideas and promote tremendous innovation. We look forward to working with a new group of start-ups in the months to come. ”

For more information, please go to DisneyAccelerator.com.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Claims Two Critics’ Choice Awards

January 20, 2015

Hot on the heels of the film’s Oscar nominations earlier last week, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy won the Critics’ Choice awards for Best Action Movie and Best Hair and Makeup.

Director James Gunn and star Chris Pratt took the stage to accept the award for Best Action Movie, and before the ceremony the film received the Best Hair and Makeup award, a recognition it is also nominated for at this year’s Academy Awards.

Disney Interactive’s Nikki Katz Named STEMConnector 100 Diverse Corporate Leader in 2014

January 12, 2015

By Scott Slesinger, Disney Interactive

STEMConnector, an organization committed to linking science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education advocates together across disciplines and distances, selected Disney Interactive’s Vice President of Technology Nikki Katz for its 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders 2014 list. At Disney Interactive, Nikki leads and shapes the platform services group, which creates large-scale tech solutions that are leveraged across The Walt Disney Company.Nikki recently shared her perspective on STEM education and diversity in the workforce.How do we encourage students to continue their study of STEM subjects, particularly women and underrepresented minorities?
Nikki Katz (NK): I fell in love with programming as an 11-year-old toying with DOS and QBasic. I wrote command line games, signed up for every Computer Science class I could find and begged my parents for a Borland Pascal compiler for my Bat Mitzvah. I declared as a Computer Science major within weeks of starting my freshman year of college, but by the end of that first year I changed majors. I had learned that software engineers didn’t look like me, that I didn’t fit the stereotype—I mean, I didn’t even play video games. The stereotype has evolved and changed over time, but stereotypes of who STEM professionals are remain a big deterrent for women and minorities as they progress in their career. To encourage diversity in STEM fields, we have to highlight the diversity that already exists in those fields. We have to help women and minorities see themselves in STEM role models and find challenges to tackle with their STEM education that matter to them.

Leaders are in great demand as business builders and role models. What advice do you have for minorities and women “coming up” in the system?
NK: My advice to anyone “coming up” in the system is to take ownership of and accountability for your own career. There are many ways to attain professional goals, but failure to set them for yourself or to gauge progress towards them is a sure fire way to miss. This needs to be an active and ongoing process. Know where you want to be and assess opportunities in terms of whether they get you closer to that target. Seek out projects that will expand your skill sets and fill gaps in your organization that highlight your strengths. Be appropriately and constructively critical of yourself—essentially apply the principles of continuous improvement to your own skill sets and knowledge base. Good leaders exhibit both confidence and humility—the confidence to trust themselves and to take risks and the humility to always push to be better and evolve.

How do you translate your work into innovation?
NK: Although innovation is defined simply as the act of introducing new ideas into a system, in an applied business setting I interpret it as the ability to predict where you need to be and adjust to be there before the customer realizes they needed you there. Innovation can be revolutionary and take industries forward in huge leaps, or it can also be more subtle and evolutionary. My organization enables innovation by providing common platforms that serve as building blocks and allow teams across Disney to more quickly deliver new products and experiences to market. We focus on efficiently prototyping new concepts and technologies and then rapidly iterating to production-grade quality and scale.

How does STEM leadership with a focus on diversity help your company compete?
NK: Staying competitive means identifying and investing in good ideas and top talent. Good ideas are not hampered by arbitrary boundaries like position, title, socioeconomic status and race, and they can come from anywhere in the organization. In fact, research has clearly proven over the years that the best ideas are more likely to emerge from diverse groups. Disney’s investment in technology leadership with a focus on diversity increases the chances that good ideas will bubble up and be heard. Additionally, our focus on diversity means that we increase our candidate pool and are therefore better able to attract and retain top talent.

To read more, visit STEMConnector.org.