Organizational Technology Plan for Disney

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN FOR DISNEY

Organizational Technology Plan for Disney

Author Not Disclosed

University of Phoenix

Human Factors in Technology

TEC/401

Lorelie Kaid

Apr 03, 2006

Organizational Technology Plan for Disney

Technology has changed the way we do business in America, and in the world. The marketplace tempo and pace has quickened from a light trot to a sprint, and the global consumer has placed new demands on corporations worldwide. How companies have responded to these demands has been the fruit or the poison of their survival. To keep up to date with technology, companies must plan for and analyze current and future trends in available technology. One company that has done so is Walt Disney Company, the famed children's entertainment corporation.

Company History

The Disney Company was started on October 16, 1923 by a partnership of two brothers, Walt and Roy Disney. It was originally known as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which later became Walt Disney Studio. One of the first memorable creations Disney films made with sound was the Mickey Mouse cartoon call Steamboat Willie, which opened in New York on November 18, 1928. This was Mickey Mouse's introduction to adults and children everywhere. This new character instantaneously became very well-liked. Their first full-colored cartoon, Flowers and Trees, won an Academy Award in 1932 for "Best Cartoon", and Disney would win an Oscar every year for ten years. Not only was Disney growing in leaps and bounds with their success, they were also hitting it big with both their movies and their merchandise. About twenty years later, Disney created their first live film called Treasure Island.

With all the success that Disney was having in both film and television, the thought of expanding and reaching new heights was created. The one area that fascinated Walt Disney was amusement parks; however, he wanted to create an amusement park that both the parents and their children could have a great time. This is how Disneyland, located in California, came about and opened on July 17, 1955. On December 15, 1966, Walt Disney died.

For anyone who has been to Disneyland, you can understand and relate that it is not just an amusement park. This is a place where a person of any age can go and act like a kid. In 1971 Walt Disney World was opened in Orlando, Florida. At this location you would not only have the Magic Kingdom, but places that cater to its visitors such as hotels, camps, shopping, etc. and become the greatest vacation destination in the world.

Before Roy Disney's death in 1971, the thoughts that were being considered were EPCOT and Community of Tomorrow. Card Walker, Donn Tatum, and Ron Miller, who were trained by the Disney brothers, made this dream of Roy Disney a reality when Epcot and the World Showcase opened in 1982. This is when you can see the technology of Disney starting to grow in leaps and bounds. From the animatronics that were being used in most of their rides in both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, it was important that this type of technology was continuously challenged and monitored closely.

Current Technology

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is where the magic lives and home to Disney's beloved characters. The segment traces its roots to 1952, when Walt Disney formed what is now known as Walt Disney Imagineering to build Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Today, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts operates or licenses 10 theme parks on three continents with an 11th park currently under construction in Hong Kong, along with 35 resort hotels, two luxury cruise ships and a wide variety of other entertainment offerings.

The Studio Entertainment unit is the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built, and at its heart are world-renowned animated features and live-action motion pictures. Movies are distributed under Walt Disney Pictures, Touchtone Pictures, Miramax Films, Dimension Films, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Disney merchandising began in 1929 when Walt Disney was approached by a businessman interested in placing Mickey Mouse on the cover of a children's writing tablet. The Consumer Products segment now extends the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home dйcor and books to interactive games, foods and beverages, electronics and fine art.

When it comes to technology, the biggest plan that came about was Walt Disney Imagineering. "These talented 'imagineers' are the ones that are responsible for all of the creation of Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, hotels, water parks, real estate developments, regional entertainment, cruise ships and new media technology projects" (Disney, 2006). All these imaginative and ground-breaking technological developments, Walt Disney Imagineering brought all the stories that you and your children have been growing up with that Disney has created over the year, come to life with the technology of Audio-Animatronics. The Audio-Animatronics made parents and children alike feel as though they are becoming a part of their favorite stories. From flying over the stories of Peter Pan and Wendy on Captain Hook's pirate ship or walking through Cinderella's Castle, these audio-animatronics or props can make the child at heart feel like they are part of the fairy tale.

With the popularity of the experience you receive when you are at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, it was important to keep the families happy when they come and visit. During the last five to seven years, Disney World introduced a new technological improvement with the introduction of FASTPASS computerized systems. FASTPASS issues tickets indicating a window of time when you can go to a ride with little or no wait time. The FASTPASS would be utilized for the most popular rides throughout the Disney properties, so a customer would be able to return to their "favorite" rides during a specific period of time, without having to stand on line for a long time.

When you think of Disney, and if you have been there, you can relate to all the technological advances. From the Audio-Animatronics to Epcot's Imagination Pavilion, these are just a few places that you see Disney's technology growing in leaps and bounds. Every opportunity they get, they