Bit by Bit, Putting It Together, The Story of Splash Mountain

First published August 26, 2003

By C. W. Oberleitner

C. W. Oberleitner is back on the Disney beat. Today Chuck gives us an inside view of just how difficult it can be to accurately report stories about the entertainment industry and the people within that industry who tell stories for a living.

I'm one of those people who believe things happen for a reason. I don't believe that every single second of our lives is predestined but I do believe that there are forces far beyond coincidence at work in nature.

This story was due weeks ago. I've been casting about for days trying to find a way to make it all come together. It needed what's known in the trade as a hook and I just couldn't find one. I stalled. I slipped in a column about the California Gubernatorial Recall and in the process really PO'd my editor, the fellow whose name graces this site.

My procrastinating paid off. Last week on our discussion boards one of our readers took exception to some of Jim's recent remarks about the new Mission: Space attraction now open at Epcot at Walt Disney World.

Once again, Jim Hill shows shoddy journalism at its finest, hiding behind the word "reportedly" to feed us a nice, thick <<Expletive Deleted>> sandwich. . .

Jim Hill will undoubtedly defend this blatant error saying his "source" supplied him with incorrect information.

And there lies the heart of Hill's credibility problem. . .

If his sources cannot even get a basic, verifiable fact correct, why should we believe ANYTHING that Jim Hill writes?

Journalists frequently use anonymous sources-- but most VERIFY the facts with MULTIPLE anonymous sources. . .

And if MULTIPLE people confirmed the (Mission: Space) carpeting story-- then this guy doesn't just have bad sources-- he's being played like a fool!

I had my hook.

The idea that verifying facts is something we forgo simply because we're a fairly small operation is a concept that I have repeatedly run into. Recently, while shamelessly begging for permission to be placed on the approved list of journalists at a major motion picture studio, a young woman in the studio's media relations department asked me why I was trying so hard to gain access to their media events. "Don't you just reprint rumors?" She asked.

This young media relations professional, and countless others like her, labors under the delusion that unless a website's name is preceded by the letters CNN or MSNBC the site itself is run by misguided malcontents with some type of an agenda or axe to grind. Not that the Internet hasn't provided us all with more than enough evidence to suggest such a thing is possible.

The fact of the matter is that all of us here at JimHillMedia work very hard at checking facts and getting our stories straight before we publish them. It isn't easy and we don't succeed all of the time. People volunteer all sorts of information and they have almost as many reasons for doing so as they have stories to tell. And a great deal of that information is just plain WRONG.

Case in point. Last winter I received a message from a good friend of mine who had recently visited Disneyland. Pirates of The Caribbean and The Blue Bayou restaurant were both closed during his visit. He was writing to tell me that during his visit a cast member, whom he had a great deal of faith in, told him that due to ongoing budget cuts the Blue Bayou would not reopen.

My friend went on to say that his source made it, ". . . quite clear that what he'd heard was business at Blue Bayou had been 'way down' and that it was losing money hand over fist. He said that the internal rumor of its permanent closing was quite a strong one."

Thanks to this job I was quite certain that not only was the Blue Bayou not losing money but also that quite the reverse was true. Thanks to long lines of guests without reservations waiting to get in the Blue Bayou is actually a big moneymaker. It took three trips to Disneyland and a chat with the manager of the re-opened Blue Bayou for me to convince my friend that what he'd gotten was a big dose of cast gossip.

The problem is not one of maliciousness but rather that of human nature. We all love a good story and many of us love telling a ripping good yarn even more. Accurately reporting about the comings and goings of The Walt Disney Company is compounded by the fact that the Disney Company is full of people who tell stories for a living and generally love doing just that.

I discovered how difficult getting the story right could be last March when Jim and I conducted the first JimHillMedia tours of Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. While conducting the first tour through Critter Country Jim told the story of how Splash Mountain came into being. I was amused to discover that while Jim and I both knew the story behind the creation of this Disneyland favorite we each had a slightly different take on the events that lead up to it's eventual approval by Disney Company management.

Later that day I mentioned to Jim that I had heard virtually the same Splash Mountain story he had but that mine was just a bit different. I asked who his source was. Like my source, the person who supplied Jim with his information was a well-known member of Walt Disney Imagineering team. Based on their reputations within The Walt Disney Company and the Disneyana community there was no reason to doubt the veracity of either of these people. And, no I'm not going to tell you who they are. I will, however, tell you the two stories of how WDI got the go ahead for Splash Mountain from Team Disney Burbank.

Greenlighting Splash Mountain Take 1

Here is the version of the story I heard. In 1984, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells had just come on board at Disney and were taking control of its day-to-day operations. One of the first things they wanted to do was address the problems facing the company's flagship theme park Disneyland.

In the early 80s Disneyland's attendance had been slipping for several years and it was in danger of losing its status as a destination theme park. The percentage of single day visitors was increasing as the percentage of overnight multiple day visitors shrank. The park was at an increasing risk of becoming just a regional attraction. Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Eisner and Wells set up a Saturday meeting with WDI to look over plans for future Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions. WDI is a fairly political workplace -- as are divisions of most major corporations. With news that the mouse house's two new big cheeses were about to visit every Imagineer who had ever dreamed up a ride, pavilion or showcase dragged out their models and plans, dusted them off and filled Imagineering's lobby and halls with wonders for Eisner and Wells to see.

The creative head of WDI, Marty Sklar, positioned himself to welcome the company's two new senior executives and personally conduct them on a tour. As my source originally told the story "Marty had been preparing for days to walk Eisner and Wells through all the projects they (Imagineering) hadn't even been able to get previous management to come over to Glendale and look at."

"So," he continued, "imagine his (Marty's) surprise when he greeted not only Michael Eisner and Frank Wells at the front door but two of their children as well." As the story was told to me both Eisner and Wells brought along one each of their sons. When my source first told me this story neither of the boys was named. In later conversations he identified the younger Eisner as Michael's son Breck.

Again as my source told the story, Marty Sklar expecting to give a full blown presentation to the new CEO and new President was more than just a little "flummoxed" when the two top execs informed him that being from the movie business neither of them really knew much about theme parks. More to the point they didn't see themselves as the target market for theme park attractions. They did, however, feel the two teenage boys they brought along would be able to provide very valuable guidance as two what would be appealing new additions to the Disney theme parks.

Poor Marty, as the story goes, struggled valiantly to keep up as two teenagers ran wild in what had to be the biggest model shop they'd ever seen. They sailed past the "pavilion" style attractions and turned a blind eye to anything that even remotely smacked of education or sit down entertainment. All the while Marty was desperately trying to make an impression on his new bosses.

Eventually the boys zeroed in on two attraction models that caught their attention. The first was based on then little known "motion simulation" technology and featured characters from George Lucas' Star Wars motion pictures. It was a prototype of what would become Star Tours. The second was a replica of a hollowed out tree stump the size of a mountain in relationship to its surroundings with a log full of screaming people about to go over a seemingly bottomless drop. It was Tony Baxter's model for what would eventually become known as Splash Mountain.

The punch line of my source's story being, that day two teenage boys acting as unpaid consultants committed over $300-million dollars of Disney funds on what would become two of Disneyland's most successful attractions because they thought they were "cool."

Greenlighting Splash Mountain Take 2

In the version of the story Jim was given neither Frank Wells or any of his children attends the presentation at WDI. WDI creative head Marty Sklar meets Michael Eisner at the door expecting to spend the next "several hours" giving the new CEO a complete tour followed by a series of potential project presentations. Instead Eisner informs Sklar that he has just barely an hour to spend at Imagineering.

In this version of the story Eisner apologizes for not being able to spend more time on this his first visit to WDI. He had combined taking his young son Breck to hockey practice, which was due to start in little more than an hour, with his scheduled visit to the Glendale facilities.

While Marty rushes about "trying to make a good first impression" on the new company CEO Breck Eisner, as teenage boys are want to do, becomes bored and disinterested in all the corporate butt kissing. He wanders about the halls looking at all the various models and displays. Finally it comes time for the senior Eisner to end the meeting and take his son to hockey practice. He and his hosts look about and the boy is nowhere to be seen. Finally they find young Breck in the back recesses of the projects on display playing with one of the models. He tells his dad how cool he thinks the model is to play with and how great it would be as a full-blown ride.

As in the first version of the story the model young Breck Eisner was playing with was that of Splash Mountain. And like the first version all the best efforts of WDI to impress the new boss are completely lost on the whims of a teenage boy.

Common Themes

The common elements of these two versions of this story are that a meeting did take place on a Saturday at Walt Disney Imagineering early in Michael Eisner's tenure at The Walt Disney Company and that Marty Sklar the senior Eisner and at least his son Breck Eisner were present. It also seems pretty safe to conclude that Marty Sklar was anticipating one type of meeting and got something else altogether different.

Remember the people Jim and I first heard these stories from were highly regarded members of Walt Disney Imagineering. There are many possible reasons for the differences in the two versions. One such reason is that almost twenty years have passed since these events took place and over time memories have a way of taking on new elements. Another is that part of human nature I spoke about earlier. The innate desire many of us have to be really entertaining when we're regaling our friends and colleagues with tales of our exploits.

This past July while attending the NFFC National Convention I ran into Disney Imagineer, and Splash Mountain designer, Tony Baxter. I told him I was working on a story about the different accounts surrounding the approval process for Splash Mountain. This is what Tony had to say.

Yes it was a Saturday meeting where the management and staff of WDI would have there first opportunity to see and be seen by Frank Wells and Michael Eisner. And, yes Breck Eisner did accompany his father to that meeting. Tony seemed to feel that the senior Eisner had invited his son along but he wasn't quite sure for what reason. In any event the boy's presence was unexpected.

Tony would not directly comment on how the change of plans effected Marty Sklar's presentation to the two new executives. He did smile and allude to the fact that during his career Marty had given smoother presentations. As to the approval for Splash Mountain Tony, whom I've always found to be honest and forthright, gave credit to everyone at The Walt Disney Company connected with the project that helped bring Splash Mountain to Disneyland.

Getting Tony Baxter's take on the various events surrounding Splash Mountain's approval should have been enough verification of facts to tell this tale. But even as I started to write it I just wasn't satisfied that I had done enough to confirm all of the details. What I needed was a first hand account.

And You Would Be?

I wanted to prove to all those media relations people that not everyone writing for the Internet -- outside of the major media -- is a loon. That many of us do go that extra mile to make sure we get the facts straight before we take to our keyboards. But who could I ask about those events at WDI back in 1984?

Regrettably Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash in 1994. Beside that neither he nor Michael Eisner nor Marty Sklar would ever return my calls. I know from practical experience if you contact any executive at The Walt Disney Company seeking comment on any subject for whatever reason that, as a matter of corporate policy, you will be referred to the corporate communications department. Where every single request for information I've every placed politely disappears into the corporate ether.

There was one other person who directly participated in the events that took place at that meeting that day, then fifteen-year-old Breck Eisner. He's not fifteen anymore. Breck Eisner is a successful, thirty four-year-old film director. Among his directorial credits is the Jacob and Jesse episode of the SciFi Channel's very popular Taken mini series as well as the pilot episode of the syndicated Invisible Man series.

As a director Breck Eisner belongs to the Directors Guild of America. The DGA makes a list of its member's agents available through their website. I contacted Breck Eisner's agent, Gregory McKnight of The William Morris Agency. I spoke with Mr. McKnight's assistant Cynthia. I explained to her that I am a writer for a website known as JimHillMedia and that I was trying to do some fact checking about a meeting that, as a boy, Breck Eisner may or may not have attended with his father.

Cynthia understood perfectly why I wouldn't be able to reach Michael Eisner for comment. Surprisingly enough she didn't know a thing about JimHillMedia. <<Winking at audience.>> I thought everybody knew about us.

It took her several repeated attempts but true to her word Cynthia, presumably after consulting with Gregory McKnight, contacted Breck Eisner's PA. Breck Eisner's personal assistant called and, like Cynthia before him, asked me again what I wanted to talk to Breck about. He promised to get back to me by the end of the day. Late afternoon of the same day while pulling into my driveway my cell phone rang. It was a young woman from Disney Corporate Communications, she had been referred to me by Breck Eisner's personal assistant.

After repeating my reasons for wanting to speak with Breck Eisner to the Disney Corporate Communications rep I was politely told that she/they would get back to me. That was two weeks ago and I haven't heard a word back from her/them.

I was now a full four weeks behind the original promised deadline for this column and Jim was still grousing about my slipping the California Recall story in on him unannounced. Admittedly that wasn't a very professional thing to do but I was desperate.

In my desperation as I sat in my office staring at the blank word processing screen before me I mulled over the idea of just picking up the phone and desperately pleading my case with Michael Eisner's secretary. And then a thought occurred to me. I have a copy of Michael Eisner's autobiography, Work In Progress. When I first got it I used it to accurately quote him, however, for the past year or so it has just been sitting on the shelf gathering dust.

Was it possible the confirmation I was seeking for weeks had been sitting on the shelf right in front of me? I jumped up, grabbed the book, blew off the dust and raced to the index. I checked under "S" for Splash Mountain and flipped to the first entry, page 209 for those of you keeping score. There I found the following:

Perhaps the most ambitious project we undertook at Disneyland was a water ride we eventually named Splash Mountain. It grew out of a visit to Imagineering that Frank (Wells) and I made with my son Breck, then fifteen, on a Saturday afternoon just weeks after our arrival at Disney. Over the years, I've often ameliorated my guilt at being away from home on a weekend by taking one of my sons with me to work.

Mr. Eisner was much kinder to Marty Sklar than the Imagineers Jim and I spoke with, however, I still think we probably got the more accurate account of Marty's participation that day. Here's what Michael Eisner had to say,

. . . we were met by Marty Sklar at an Imagineering warehouse in Glendale not unlike the one that housed animation. With his passion and unending flow of ideas, Marty embodied the Disney spirit.

Having listened to Marty recount many of his Disney experiences I can tell you this last part about his embodiment of Disney spirit is quite true.

Curiously enough Mr. Eisner never actually says whose idea it was to go ahead with Tony Baxter's idea for Splash Mountain. And other than mentioning that it was his idea to bring young Breck along with him he (Michael Eisner) never again mentions Breck's participation in those events.

As for Star Tours, Michael Eisner says that it was he and Frank Wells who approached George Lucas about the idea of creating attractions for Disneyland, "where it seemed possible to make a difference most quickly and easily." And, that it was George Lucas who, "quickly set his sights on an Imagineering project based on NASA-developed flight simulation technology."

If it's still in print you can get a copy of Michael Eisner's Work In Progress at the Amazon link at the bottom of the page. The complete SciFi Channel mini series of Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, including the Jacob and Jesse episode directed by Breck Eisner, is now available on DVD and is also available through Amazon.

That's enough research and fact checking for me.

C'ya real soon!