Disney Renaissance 2/Disney Revival

[EricJ]

That didn't stop Pixar, or its fans, from wondering Who Was Minding the Store.

[Ben]

But, alas, we were all still but just customers.

[ShyViolet]

Short Iger portrait from NPR:


https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/76432916 ... quiring-it


I find this passage particularly interesting:

In his book, Iger writes that managing the creative process requires both empathy and resilience. To turn Disney around, Iger set about acquiring other companies — starting with Pixar, the studio behind a number of animated classics, including Toy Story and The Incredibles.

Iger also struck deals to buy Marvel, Lucasfilm and, most recently, 21st Century Fox.

Also this:

“There's a culture and a way of life at the company that you've bought that sometimes can be integral to the creative process or the process of creating product at that company," Iger says. "And if you go about it in too heavy-handed a way, you can destroy spirit and culture and a sense of purpose — and in doing so, destroy the very essence of what you bought, or reduce value.

Yes, let’s enhance creativity at the Walt Disney company by buying label after label, the creative content of which bears no spiritual connection whatsoever with the original “essence” (to quote Iger) of what Disney (in one form or another) has been for so long.

So rather than hosting TV specials or visiting the parks to interact with employees or fostering a nurturing environment for the animators who work for him, Iger drones on and on (using nice friendly words) about how important buying these labels and leaving them alone so they bring in lots more cash is, rather than actually focusing on the company he’s the CEO of.

Or, as Iger himself said: “destroy[ing] the spirit and culture and a sense of purpose.” Ah, the irony.

[ShyViolet]

Interesting (but should also be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s mostly speculation at this point) story on who might possibly succeed Iger when he leaves in two years:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... evin-mayer

“He’s a closer, he’s a benevolent killer,” said Michael Burns, a friend of Mayer’s and vice chairman at rival Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. “This could ultimately be the crown jewel at Disney.”

“Benevolent killer”. Yup, could just see him posing in photo ops with Mickey. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure that CEO tradition will be gone by the time Iger’s successor—whoever he may be—takes the helm.

I also can’t help wondering, and I know this sounds insane, whether or not Mickey will remain the mascot for the company. It’s already lost so much of its identity that it almost seems quaint and outdated to keep that character as the worldwide face of the company. These characters may seem indestructible/immortal to us, but don’t forget they were almost lost in 1984, when Saul Steinberg was about to take over Disney and sell off its movies/characters piece by piece. Meaning Mickey could have ended up at one company, and Donald at another. I really hope whoever ends up succeeding Iger will have a better understanding of how vital these characters are.

[ShyViolet]

So ridiculous. I never heard of copyright rules like this before, or at least them actually being enforced. Why should a primary or even secondary school get into trouble for screening Disney movies without paying a huge fee (250 dollars)—it’s not like they’re actually making money when they’re showing them to students. (Yeah, I realize they were showing it during a school fundraiser but in my opinion that’s not at all the same as having students/parents actually BUY TICKETS—that would certainly justify action by Disney.)


Whether screened for educational or entertainment purposes, it’s insane to ask schools, particularly public schools, (many of them already cash-strapped with a minuscule budget) to have to fork over this amount of money—or any amount in my opinion.*

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/media/di ... index.html

I still find it so unbelievably ludicrous how the media fawns over Iger and rationalizes his actions no matter what he does. Yeah, that’s nice, he “apologized” to the school and donated a bit of money; do you really think he would have done so had this incident not become public? And of course there’s no mention of whether or not the mandatory fee for screening Disney films for large groups of children will continue to be enforced (which it almost certainly will )


*I know that different countries have different types of school systems and that many are characterized by the national government playing a much larger role in the workings of schools. But I surmise that the government paying a fee like this every time a school wants to show a Disney film is not very likely in most places. (Again, just my guess.)

[Daniel]

If only Iger would apologize for the soulless cash grab existing in the first place...

[ShyViolet]

Yeah...now that some time has passed since its release it actually looks worse, not better.

[Randall]

Sorry, but I am on Disney's side here. Copyright rules are pretty well known, and are shown at the start of every single DVD or Blu-ray. No public exhibition, period. The school knew they were breaking the law. Let's not act shocked when the copyright holder exercises its rights. Even a free showing is not allowed, never mind a fundraiser. It is Disney's choice whether to participate in a fundraiser or not. And copyright law actually DEMANDS that copyright owners act to protect their copyrights, or risk losing them.

[ShyViolet]

Yeah... I can see that. I do realize the law is the law and everything. I guess I was sort of thinking back to how my own middle school always had movie screenings for us on Thanksgiving and Christmas (some of the films were Disney) and how fun those were. Sort of a staple of the “festive” time right before vacation.

I doubt my school paid a ton of fees, but then I really have no idea. It just makes me really sad, however, to think of children nowadays in horribly underfunded schools (which are sometimes so crowded that some children are forced to sit on radiators or have class in the cafeteria) being denied this small bit of joy because Disney might only make a trillion dollars off of their films this year instead of a trillion and one.

And copyright law actually DEMANDS that copyright owners act to protect their copyrights, or risk losing them.

I do see your point...laws are laws. But honestly, if you think about it, to the Disney company 250 dollars isn’t even the equivalent of 25 cents! To an American public school this amount is basically a king’s ransom. Couldn’t they at least lower the fee to something a school could actually AFFORD??

[Randall]

In the old days, schools rented educational films to show their classes. Today's entitled generation thinks everything should be free.

But yes, a large corporation can afford to be more generous with their fees and policies.

On the other hand, I do not see why schools need to be movie theaters, either. Educational film's are one thing, but...

[ShyViolet]

Oh yeah, definitely not not on a regular basis. But I don’t see anything wrong with once or twice a year. I know it might seem like a small thing to us, but to a kid living in poverty (or dealing with any other difficult issue) seeing a fun Disney animated classic right before Christmas break, especially with friends, can make a huge difference. (Especially since many poor families may not even be able to afford any kind of streaming services like D+ (or even a DVD player/low-priced flatscreen).

[Bill1978]

The way I've interpreted the story is that the issue from Disney is that the movie was shown during a fundraiser. If a teacher has decided to show the movie during a regular lesson, Disney wouldn't have cared. Mostly because there wouldn't have been any for of paper trail to bring it to their attention that the movie had be shown in public.

Although maybe my interpretation is influenced by the fact that as a teacher in Australia I can show 'Hollywood' movies during my lessons if they have educational value etc. without fear of breaking copyright.

[Randall]

Movies get shown in class all the time here, too--- normally the last day before summer or Christmas break. Or, perhaps after reading a book that the film is based on; that's very common. And I think you're right--- once you open it up to a more public viewing, then it becomes a bigger issue for the copyright holder.

[ShyViolet]

Kinda random, and really has nothing to do with the body of this article, but the headline:
Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger Hands Keys to Magic Kingdom to Its 7th Chief.


How did they get seven?? I only count five: Walt of course, Ron Miller, Michael Eisner, Bob Iger and now Bob Chapek. Unless they’re counting Walt’s brother Roy O. Disney, who co-founded “Disney Pictures” with Walt and ran it jointly with him until their estrangement years later. But still, that’s only six.



https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/busi ... y-ceo.html

[Ben]

It was originally the Disney Brothers Studio, not Disney Pictures, but Walt ran things from the start. Roy was the money man but actually made the suggestion to change the name to the Walt Disney Studio since he recognised his brother had the name on the films.

There was never an "estrangement"? Roy stuck with Walt all through everything and briefly took on duties when Walt passed, although there was a transactional time between Walt and Ron Miller, when Card Walker kept things going for a few weeks/months, but that’s not usually counted, just as Roy isn’t.

In terms of CEOs, there are just the five you mentioned, but I wonder if they’re including Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg in there? When the three came in in 1984 they were widely trumpeted as a team, although Eisner held the reigns. That’s the only thing I can think of that would get us up to a seventh...?