From: snopes%club33@stlth.enet.dec.com (snopes)
Subject: Eisner not afraid of big, bad recession
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation -- NOT!!!
Date: 11 OCT 92 19:41:57    



                    Eisner not afraid of big, bad recession

   ORLANDO -- "It's almost as though there were no recession at Disney," said
Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive officer of Walt Disney Co.
"That's why we're so aggressive in marketing new things."
   Eisner spoke at a press conference during Walt Disney World's
"Splashtacular" bash over the weekend, which included the grand opening of
Splash Mountain and a screening of the film "Aladdin" as work in progress.
   Present at the conference were Judson Green, president of Walt Disney
Attractions, and Frank Wells, president and chief operating officer of Walt
Disney Co.
   Eisner described Disney World's ventures as recession-resistant because of
the inherent value of Disney property, the influx of foreign visitors and
competitive airline rates.  "Our position in the recession is somewhere between
full steam ahead and the sky is falling," he said.
   Disney continues to expand in areas consistent with its family orientation.
"Walt Disney World is a pro-family attraction.  We welcome all families,
including Candi Bergen," Eisner said.
   Green cited several of these growth areas at the Walt Disney World resort,
including:

   o Expansion of Walt Disney Animation Florida, at Disney-MGM studios, which
     by 1993 will more than double its team of animators and enlarge its studio
     facility for work on a feature film made entirely in Florida.
   o Construction of Disney-MGM's Sunset Boulevard, featuring the Twilight Zone
     Tower of Terror.
   o Revamping of the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland with a new "Alien Encounter"
     adventure.
   o An updated Starjets fly-around adventure.
   o High tech additions to "Carousel of Progress"

   Other Disney plans include development of the town of Celebration;
construction of woodland retreats in a national park lodge setting at Fort
Wilderness Lodge and the All-Star Sports and Music Resorts near Disney-MGM;
development of a third water park based on the success of Typhoon Lagoon and
River Country; and creation of the Disney Institute, a cultural vacation
focused on the arts, fitness and learning.
   Green said the company is close to wrapping an agreement for acquisition of
the 8,500-acre Walker Ranch in Central Florida to be used as a preservation
area.  Located 12 miles south of the Disney property, the ranch will be donated
to the Nature Conservancy, which also will manage it for educational and
preservation purposes.
   Disney came under fire from the state, environmentalists and the media for
its killing of nuisance birds at Disney World several years ago.
   The press conference was part of a "Splashtacular" weekend to open Splash
Mountain, newest water attraction in the Magic Kingdom.
   Fireworks illuminated the cloudy sky and a dramatic gush of water sprayed
down a five-story drop into a re-created briar patch based on yesteryear's
animated film, "Song of the South."
   The popular movie -- issued in 1946 and reissued in 1956, 1972, 1980 and
1986 -- inspired a ride that features Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear in swamps and
bayous.  The film's Academy Award-winning song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," a longtime
anthem in Disney theme parks, is heard after the ride's final drop into the
briar patch.
   The weekend also included several screenings of Walt Disney Picture's 31st
animated feature, "Aladdin," on which Disney-MGM's new parade, Aladdin's Royal
Caravan, is based.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|"On January 5, 23-year-old Jay Fosdick died, only to be cut up and boiled    |
| by Mrs. Foster over the protests of Mrs. Fosdick.  Soon after, the frenzied |
| Mr. Foster chased down, shot, and killed two Indians to eat them."          |
|                                                                             |
|                          Jayred Diamond - "Living Through the Donner Party" |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  David P. Mikkelson   Digital Equipment Corporation   Culver City, CA  USA  |
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Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney