Disney vacation part II - the business analyst

Having spoken about the emotional impact of a disneyland vacation, I had a lot of thoughts about Disneyland from a business standpoint. Some of my favorites:

• I've never seen a better example of how valuable brands can be or of brand management. Disney has a bunch of very strong brands/characters that they've jealously guarded over the years, and they use them supremely well in Disneyland. I can really understand why disney is fighting so hard for those intellectual properties.
• Disney vs. Warner. Both Disney and Warner Bros. had a valuable stock of characters created in movie theaters in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. When I was growing up, Warner harvested value from these by running the Looney Tunes cartoons constantly. I've seen every one 10 times, but they also feel kind of "used up". By contrast, Disney never ran their HUGE stock of cartoons on afternoon TV. This would have made some money, but their characters feel somehow more historic and precious today.
• Disneyland uses these brands in big ways. They do have a lot of modern characters (Stitch, Muppets, Pixar) but those are used very differently from the "golden age" characters. Those are put into a much more sparing and special place in the pantheon. As a result, Disneyland feels like a historic place - it's been around since the 50s and they are mindful of that legacy. It must be an interesting challenge in balance using vs. preserving the brands.
• Disney vs. Lego. We also went to Legoland. A very different experience. Lego feels much more greedy and monetizing...trying to sell you things at every corner, full of "premium" rides that cost more, lines are much more of a problem. My kids had a good time there, but much less so than at disney. Legoland is an amusement park - Disney is much more of a family experience. Part of the difference is operations, but a much bigger part is the presence of the characters and brands. "Pinnochio's Amazing Adventure" wouldn't be quite the same ride if it were more generic.
• Disney and the art of monetization. Disneyland sucks your wallet dry, but you mostly feel happy about it. Admission is pricey, but absolutely worth it. All the rides are free. Food in the park is expensive, but not quite to the point where you feel ripped off. Souvenirs are for sale all over the place, but they're nice and placed in context (e.g., muppets near the muppet ride). One day they gave us a set of necklace ribbons with "pins" and characters. You then are free to "trade" pins with any park personnel who have a necklace. A really fun game - and oh, if you can't trade to get the right Kermit pin, you can buy them at a nearby shop. Clever....
• Disney People. I don't know what microchip they've stuck in everyone's head, but the staff are awesome. They are great with your kids, and genuinely seem to love their jobs. These folks are a huge part of what's good about the experience. The people are smart and trusted and given autonomy to break rules when necessary to make your experience better. They let my poor wife skip up in line to me when we got separated and she showed up late with our 2 yr old. Things like this happened a lot - they appear to me to genuinely have giving you a great experience at the absolute top of their priority list. This feels very deep and cultural.
• Attention to making sure everyone has a good time. Legoland was really all about my son, the lego fan. Disneyland makes every experience fun for the whole family, from my 2 yr old daugher to 42 year old me. This isn't an accident. They use a combination of thoughtful design, parental love, middle-aged nostalgia, and fun experiences to make this happen.