State of UOAP & General Theme Park Fandom

[Lucky Planet]

Yep, it's time to spin this conversation to its own thread. I think it's a valid discussion, just not here.


The great entertainment purge was mentioned. Off-Kilter, Four 4 A Dollar/Return 2 Zero, Mulch Sweat and Tears were really the big ones. The short-contract rotations are a big benefit to that end. Also, for most of their other long-term entertainment (like the Dapper Dans and Voices of Liberty), they work by committee. It's not the same core guys for every show, plus a couple of swings. The way it was set up with the same guys every show, guests actually had time to develop specific habits and "relationships" with them that get murky. Variation and "group fronts" (Voices of Liberty aren't several people but just the Voices of Liberty) are the best way to combat this.

Disney is also very strict about role presentation. The characters are the characters and, while we know it's kayfabe, the performers who play them are completely separate from them. You don't really see Pixiedusters say, "Oh, Mike is the crappy Gaston so I'm not going back until Ken, the good Gaston, comes back from vacation." (I know it happens, but it's extremely rare and it breaks the unwritten rule of loving Disney which is "Don't ruin the magic.")

Universal messed up (either intentionally or not) and blurred that line. I can say, James, Erin, Jason, and PJ, and everyone knows I'm referring to Jack, Chance, Bill, and Ted. Some of it happened because of the designer forums when they introduced the performers as "who plays X." A lot of it happens through Twitter where management congratulates performers on their performances publicly. That would never fly at Disney. Jack the Clown would be MORE effective and scary if we had no idea who played him (which is one of the reasons why Bloody Mary worked so well). Imagine the emotional impact if Bill and Ted calling each other by their real names for the final show was the first time there was any acknowledgement or recognition of who they were as people (and prior to then we didn't know).

That's why I'm glad Matt Korn isn't THE guy to talk to for APs anymore. It shouldn't be a specific guy representing the entire company. The company should represent itself. Individual APs can have their specific reps (like season ticket holders for a sports team), but it shouldn't be one person who does EVERYTHING. When you do that, obsessives start to feel entitled because the business transaction starts to feel like a genuine, mutual relationship. That's not what it is.

The same barista takes my order at Starbucks every time I stop in. We know each others' names. We're friendly. We're not friends. That gets lost with a lot of obsessives.

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate the insight.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The same barista takes my order at Starbucks every time I stop in. We know each others' names. We're friendly. We're not friends. That gets lost with a lot of obsessives.

Quoted because I think this is a fundamental issue and why we see disrespect and stalking over actors and employees.

They are not your friends, this is their job.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I think their overly joyous and smiling, friendly attitude of the actors make people get the wrong idea and think they are their friends, ive seen it happen with the parades

 

[JoeCamel]

I think their overly joyous and smiling, friendly attitude of the actors make people get the wrong idea and think they are their friends, ive seen it happen with the parades

And the ones that work for tips work for tips..... Just good business.

 

[Imperius]

Yeah the UOAP group is full of strange people. He was a guy paid to make the brand look good. The people stalking him in the Park was just weird.

 

[Ryan]

I liked the camaraderie of the UO Twitter and such run by Korn but at this point I can see why it's becoming a bit much. I was surprised with how weirdly close everything had become.

 

[Bobharlem]

This type of thing isn't new. The old Ghostbusters street show had a cadre of obsessed (mostly female) fans (As well as Beetlejuice).

 

[Scott W.]

I liked the camaraderie of the UO Twitter and such run by Korn but at this point I can see why it's becoming a bit much. I was surprised with how weirdly close everything had become.

He was becoming a celebrity within the parks and the way he communicated with the fans, it seemed like nothing was off limit for the fans.

 

[Legacy]

This type of thing isn't new. The old Ghostbusters street show had a cadre of obsessed (mostly female) fans (As well as Beetlejuice).

I think there's a bit of a difference though (which may just be the result of accessibility our new age brings). The older show obsessions were character-based. Those fans are responding to a character. It make sense, to an extent. These are fictional characters that people have imagined and escaped reality with for years that are now right there and accessible. That's why kids flip for SpongeBob.

What we are starting to see are fans obsessing over the people who play the characters. Dudes aren't stalking Chance the murderous clown; they're stalking Erin. They're seeing her when she's playing Lucy Ricardo and staring at her for uncomfortably long periods of time. With fans looking for PJ at Disney, it's extended beyond an appreciation of the character to an unnecessary degree. In the case of them stalking Matt, they're literally stalking some random dude who was doing his job. There is no cognitive connection to justify that sort of behavior. It's just friggin' creepy.

I think the cult of personality around a lot of Universal's employees is too much. It's unsettling.

 

[Imperius]

Yeah I really don’t get it. These people are adults and stalking another adult. I’m glad he’s leaving the group for his sanity and being tagged 708747 times a day for how late is the park open?

 

[Scott W.]

Yeah I really don’t get it. These people are adults and stalking another adult. I’m glad he’s leaving the group for his sanity and being tagged 708747 times a day for how late is the park open?

The weird thing that people don’t seem to understand is that for a lot of these people, it’s just a job. Sure they can love their job but it probably doesn’t define who they are.

We can obsess over theme parks and new rides getting built but the people building them clock out at the end of the day and go back to their own interests.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Yep, it's time to spin this conversation to its own thread. I think it's a valid discussion, just not here.


The great entertainment purge was mentioned. Off-Kilter, Four 4 A Dollar/Return 2 Zero, Mulch Sweat and Tears were really the big ones. The short-contract rotations are a big benefit to that end. Also, for most of their other long-term entertainment (like the Dapper Dans and Voices of Liberty), they work by committee. It's not the same core guys for every show, plus a couple of swings. The way it was set up with the same guys every show, guests actually had time to develop specific habits and "relationships" with them that get murky. Variation and "group fronts" (Voices of Liberty aren't several people but just the Voices of Liberty) are the best way to combat this.

Disney is also very strict about role presentation. The characters are the characters and, while we know it's kayfabe, the performers who play them are completely separate from them. You don't really see Pixiedusters say, "Oh, Mike is the crappy Gaston so I'm not going back until Ken, the good Gaston, comes back from vacation." (I know it happens, but it's extremely rare and it breaks the unwritten rule of loving Disney which is "Don't ruin the magic.")

Universal messed up (either intentionally or not) and blurred that line. I can say, James, Erin, Jason, and PJ, and everyone knows I'm referring to Jack, Chance, Bill, and Ted. Some of it happened because of the designer forums when they introduced the performers as "who plays X." A lot of it happens through Twitter where management congratulates performers on their performances publicly. That would never fly at Disney. Jack the Clown would be MORE effective and scary if we had no idea who played him (which is one of the reasons why Bloody Mary worked so well). Imagine the emotional impact if Bill and Ted calling each other by their real names for the final show was the first time there was any acknowledgement or recognition of who they were as people (and prior to then we didn't know).

That's why I'm glad Matt Korn isn't THE guy to talk to for APs anymore. It shouldn't be a specific guy representing the entire company. The company should represent itself. Individual APs can have their specific reps (like season ticket holders for a sports team), but it shouldn't be one person who does EVERYTHING. When you do that, obsessives start to feel entitled because the business transaction starts to feel like a genuine, mutual relationship. That's not what it is.

The same barista takes my order at Starbucks every time I stop in. We know each others' names. We're friendly. We're not friends. That gets lost with a lot of obsessives.

Quick note on Disney:

If Pooh starts getting more popular than Mickey, they'll cap his knees. In that, they'll limit his exposure, marketing, etc.. until Mickey is put back into position in the metrics. Pooh is just the example I know of, I'm sure others exist.

At EPCOT Center they canceled the "person of the century" vote at the EPCOT Poll exhibit because Disney didnt like the results (a certain CM).

Universal has always skirted the line with their fundamentals. The first area that really hardcore put down a Disney-fundamental of "you are PART of the show, YOU are NOT the show" was Potter. The TMs there don't know Harry personally, don't have classes with Luna or Draco, they know "he who shall not be named" and "the boy who lived" and such - they'll tell you Professor Binns is dead boring, but they wont tell you any stories about how they defeated LeStrange in the Battle of Hogwarts.

They are part of the show, they are not the show. It's drilled in for training for all of Potter, but very specifically for Hogwarts students.

It's not something that Universal generally does, or at least didnt, before Potter.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I know losing bill and ted sucks and a lot of people are super sad, but some of that fandom started getting out of hand a little. One thing is to watch the show every night or take ONE picture with bill and ted, but some people starting to call them "family" and going to take pics with them every day. It felt like too much. Or quoting the actors' names on fb posts when complaining about problems with security not letting them sit on the reserve seats or the front line when there was no Space.
( or finding out where they work at disney to "visit" them lol.
Im not judging but u can tell when someone knows them personally or someone is just a fan.

You mentioned disney, how do they avoid this?

Man, you have me recalling going to Star Wars Weekends and talking to Linda Skywalker....she seemed like a nice person, but wow...I assume there are some trustapharians that moved to Orlando that decided to live inside theme parks or something?!?

 

[UNIrd]

I'm not really familiar with any of this since I don't have FB and am not a part of the UOAP group but.. isn't this true of any personality with any kind of audience?

 

[Teebin]

What is the point of this thread?

 

[Frank Drackman]

What is the point of this thread?

Today, company's use social media to generate buzz...Disney has had rabid fans forever...now that Company's are people and the world is socially small, some folks feel UNI is trying to capitalize on a rabid fan base at the cost of the privacy of folks who get paid to role play since strange folks start to stalk them...I think that is what we are talking about.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I'm not really familiar with any of this since I don't have FB and am not a part of the UOAP group but.. isn't this true of any personality with any kind of audience?

I read that the tim tracker was told by disney to stop posting for pics or talking to fans, or something along those lines. So yeah i guess so.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I'm not really familiar with any of this since I don't have FB and am not a part of the UOAP group but.. isn't this true of any personality with any kind of audience?

I do not FB either. I tried to join the UOAP thing when they started, but they rejected me or something. My wife had been trying to get me on FB for a long time. She finally got me in...I read about three post and never went back. I guess I am on FB, but I used it for about 10 minutes and then I gave up.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What is the point of this thread?

Something. I can’t put my finger on it yet but something. It’s sociological and not the usual speculation and construction photos. But something is important enough for myself to agree with @Legacy this needs a thread outside of the B&T one

 

[Ryan]

Today, company's use social media to generate buzz...Disney has had rabid fans forever...now that Company's are people and the world is socially small, some folks feel UNI is trying to capitalize on a rabid fan base at the cost of the privacy of folks who get paid to role play since strange folks start to stalk them...I think that is what we are talking about.

I don't think Uni is doing it, it's the fans who are doing it. Universal is just now catching on.

I read that the tim tracker was told by disney to stop posting for pics or talking to fans, or something along those lines. So yeah i guess so.

Posting for pics?