If you have to tell me you're magic...

Have you ever known anyone who just goes on and on about themselves? They talk about how they are doing this, or doing that, how great they are at something, how they know so much about this little thing, they are just so wonderful and great. Annoying, isn’t it?

When someone goes on and on about how they are all that, the one thing for certain it shows is that they are not. Someone who talks about how hot they are isn’t, and the more they insist that they are, the more that they aren’t.

I’ve long been annoyed by the entire “magic” thing that Disney has been promoting. It’s always rubbed me the wrong way. I never realized why. I would just respond with “There’s no such thing as magic” when people would talk about it. But I’ve finally come to realize just what is wrong with it.

Just like a bad date where the other person does nothing but talk about themselves and how wonderful they are, Disney does nothing but tell everyone how magic they are, and how they make everyone’s dream come true. It is exactly the same thing, and it is annoying for exactly the same reason.

I will decide if I think you’re a wonderful person. Your telling me that doesn’t convince me. Likewise, Disney telling me they are my dream come true is a decision that I am to make, it is not up to them to tell me such a thing, and making such presumptive comments only pushes them further from their stated self-importance to me.

It smacks of desperation. In previous years, Disney would just present what it had to present, and the public would decide that it was a magical experience for them. Or maybe they’d decide it wasn’t. Disney did not tell people how to think. Now, with their offerings slipping into second-rate, they have to tell the public that what they are offering is wonderful, because if they don’t, the likelihood is that the public might just realize it isn’t all that.

A very good example of this is the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (or factory, or whatever it’s called) in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. In the waiting area of this show, you are told over and over again that the show you are about to see is FUNNY. FUNNY, damn it. The fact is if it really was funny, you wouldn’t need to be told, you’d simply laugh, because it’d be funny. The sad truth is that it is not funny. It’s actually a rather painful experience. This show is particularly sad because you can look about the room and see where the CircleVision screens used to be. CircleVision was the previous attraction at this location made when Disney was actually an innovative entertainment company offering experiences you could get nowhere else. That was magic. Monsters Inc Laugh Factory (Floor) is not. It’s pandering. Cynical pandering to a public they think is blisteringly stupid enough to believe whatever Disney tells them to believe.

Disney needs to put itself back into the position of being confident in the products that they produce. The attitude should not be “Isn’t this great? Aren’t we great? You should be SO VERY entertained!.” Instead, it should be “Here. This is our presentation.” Then my reaction should be “Wow that was great. They are great! I’m so very entertained!” But because they have tried to juice my reaction to what they are doing, they have raised my expectations to an unrealistic level, and when they do not meet it, I sense cynicism on their part, which makes me feel it more so towards them.

Nothing shows this attitude on their part more than when they stick the word “Disney’s” onto something they are doing. Disney’s California Adventure. Disney’s Animal Kingdom. And so on. It even started extending to movies. There is one film out called “Disney’s The Kid.” You know why they do this? Because they know they have (or had) a brand name that is almost an endorsement of quality with the public. If they could slap that name on something that may not otherwise be a good offering, the public will still flock to it. They have actually done studies with animated films that score lower when the makers are a different studio than Disney. If the Disney name is on the exact same film, then the film that scored poorly before then scores higher. It is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for family entertainment, and people respond to it. However, they squander that by putting the name on things that are not just lesser efforts, but things that are absolute embarrassments.

In order to keep that good name, they have to make sure that everything they do is superior, and they shouldn’t need to crow about it. Instead, they slap their name on things not worthy to have it, and tell people how wonderful it is, when it usually falls far short of wonderful. Then they wonder why people complain.

Confidence in their productions and presentations is an essential component to making Disney what they claim to be. You cannot force that confidence, and you cannot lie about it. The public knows what they are getting, and will only tolerate so many mistakes. While they are willing to forgive a misfire now and then, a steady diet of cynically presented junk creates an aura of anger and resentment. This eventually results in loss of status, customer base, and money. The confidence can only come from knowing that what you are doing is uncompromisingly the best quality you can hope to do. You don’t get confidence from throwing out schlock that you think the public will suck up because you are manipulating them through the loyalty towards your good name.

The folks at Disney must know they are now slipping into second-rate status. Perhaps they feel they were so far ahead of anything anyone else was doing, it really isn’t a problem, and perhaps they are right. They still make a lot of money on millions of visits per year. Nevertheless, their behavior shows that there is a creeping awareness that what they are doing is simply not as good as it once was, and whereas before people once innately understood it was a quality class act, now they have to be reminded.

And while most people don’t care, those who do pay attention have seen what has gone wrong and watch it as it continues to spiral down. What once was is not how it is, nor how it seems it will ever be again. It used to be a great big beautiful tomorrow. That’s the last thing it looks like now.