Disney Pixar Discussion

[GeorgeC]

Wow,

I can't believe there are people left still supporting Stan Gold and Roy Disney OR Michael Eisner!

P.T. Barnum might not have said this exact phrase, but this situation sure does illustrate that there are "suckers born every minute!"

At one point in time, I really believed in Roy & Stan's mission and that they honestly had the best intentions to fix Disney. After more financial terms started flying back and forth, seeing the focus was increasingly fixated on Disney's stock performance, and that very little was said about the massive betrayal of fans and ex-Disney employees by the current Disney board and CEOs, it became more obvious that this was about a battle of egos between the ex-board members and the big butthead himself, Michael Eisner.

In other words, I was very disappointed and let down by these two men. Whatever fire they had in their collective belly was snuffed out by the end of 3 months it seems and they let down a lot of people. I can imagine the majority of people who've stuck by them to the bitter end feel used and manipulated by this point in time. I know I certainly would feel that way if I hadn't woken up halfway through this mess.

With the general level of mediocrity of Disney product nowadays and the fact that there's very little classic Disney (anything made before the mid-/late-1980s that's really good) actually airing on the Disney Channel or anywhere else on television, I amazed that fellows like askmike think that Michael Eisner is STILL good for the Disney Company. If anything, Eisner's part of the good old boy network in Hollywood and is running Disney just like any other company and that's really not the way things should be going now.

There's no effort being put into most films coming out of Disney nowadays to elevate them above being merely good. The current TV product and direct-to-video stuff is a joke. There's no way any of this stuff compares to the best films made before 1994! It's all done on the cheap and has had a massive corrosive effect on perceptions of the Disney Company and the quality of its product. Far from being the Tiffany's of studios, Disney has become Wal-Mart or McDonald's. The average Disney direct video really is no better than a typical Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon TV episode.

And it's not just the film division that's suffering from Eisner's manic quest to maximize profits at the expense of everything else in the operations. The Disney Stores have become a joke and no longer really sell anything exclusive that you can't find practically everywhere else CHEAPER! The theme parks themselves have gotten more expensive but overall maintenance and cleanliness has suffered a bit because of drives to maximize employee productivity (working more for less pay) which has led to several ride accidents, noticeably deteriorating attractions, higher employee turnover, and more guest complaints about the way the parks are being run.

Until very recently, there was really nothing worth watching on ABC. That network has basically been in the dumpster ever since the acquistion and merger with Disney. They've got maybe TWO shows actually worth watching after the better part of 8 years? Another "bright spot" that should inspire confidence in Mr. Eisner and his subordinates?

[mr. squarepants]

Until very recently, there was really nothing worth watching on ABC. That network has basically been in the dumpster ever since the acquistion and merger with Disney. They've got maybe TWO shows actually worth watching after the better part of 8 years?

Three- don't forget Alias!

Still, even though ABC's series aren't the greatest, the network certainly knows how to make good, big-event television movies.

[MusicFan]

Until very recently, there was really nothing worth watching on ABC. That network has basically been in the dumpster ever since the acquistion and merger with Disney. They've got maybe TWO shows actually worth watching after the better part of 8 years?

Three- don't forget Alias!

Still, even though ABC's series aren't the greatest, the network certainly knows how to make good, big-event television movies.

They must be doing something right, I'm pretty sure ABC is the most-watched network at the moment.

[Stego]

The theme parks themselves have gotten more expensive but overall maintenance and cleanliness has suffered a bit because of drives to maximize employee productivity (working more for less pay) which has led to several ride accidents, noticeably deteriorating attractions, higher employee turnover, and more guest complaints about the way the parks are being run.

Back in the summer of 2000, i was a part of the College Program and as my session was ending they were starting a new system of what George is talking about here. I forget the term they gave it, but this particular decision basically had to do with each person at a particular restaurant or store (in addition to their regular duties) also cleaning up the exterior of the facility...in such a fashion that would replace the need for the formerly abundant park custodians.

I have no problem with doing my part, so to speak, but while i was down there, there was definitely an air of deflation among all the cast members...old and new. The word on the street was that pretty much most of the cast members wanted Eisner out. When there's that much dissension among employees in the 'happiest place on earth', something must be wrong.

[GeorgeC]

Egads,

Looks like the Disney Company board may be set to stick in another unremarkable CEO in 2006.

The word about Iger isn't any better than Michael Eisner.

If the Disney Board is serious about making change for the better, it needs to look OUTSIDE the current Disney Company for potential successors to Eisner. (Heck, I'd say that at least half the vice-presidents at Disney need to be let go, too.)

Someone like a Steve Jobs or a calculated RISK-taker like Richard Branson is needed for Disney... not another Hollywood suit.

At best, Iger might be a caretaker and the Disney Company could potentially slide back into a blase period like the 1970s and early 1980s but definitely not be innovative and exciting. At the worst, he could be a repeat of the last 10 years of Eisner...



For all you Eisner-lovers and boosters out there,

Michael Eisner was voted among the worst CEOs/managers in American Industry a few weeks ago in Business Week. Business Week is fairly bipartisan so there's no real agenda there. While there's disappointment that the article focused mainly on the poor returns on Disney stock and the ratings debacle of ABC and the parks' recent poor fortunes -- no mention of the blandness that passes for Disney entertainment these days --, the fact is that this latest report is only another nail in the coffin of the Uncle Mike legacy.

Eisner needs to go and leave his keys to the Magic Kingdom on his way out... Let's just hope the Disney Board doesn't give those keys to his groomed successor otherwise it's more likely the Company will see more of the same mess Eisner created in the last 10 years.

[PatrickvD]

yeah, people need to stop defending him. Like when people say it wasn't his fault traditional animation is gone. Well, newsflash: IT IS. He's the CEO of the friggin' company and wether he gave the final word or not, he didn't do anything to stop all those animators from being fired or desks from being sold of. So sayinghe's innocent is bullcrap. This guys is the worst thing that can ever happen to a company. I hope Steve Jobs gets the job and turns it all around. Eisner has done enough damage. He honestly makes me sick to my stomach.

[Christian]

People keep bringing up Steve Jobs but what if Steve Jobs doesn't want to do it?

[Josh]

yeah, people need to stop defending him. Like when people say it wasn't his fault traditional animation is gone. Well, newsflash: IT IS.

What? You mean that Eisner forced Warner Bros. and DreamWorks to quit traditional animation? That tyrant!

Seriously, what Eisner did was wrong. But to say that he's terrible mainly because of the downsizing- not absence- of traditional animation at Disney is to hold the CEOs of Warner Bros., DreamWorks, and any other major studio scott-free, which is far from fair. Disney still puts out more traditional animation than probably any of the major studios. Therefore, why should we hold them unaccountable? Does putting the full blame of the downsizing of traditional animation on the shoulders of Michael Eisner make what the other studios did okay? If not, then why simply name Eisner as the one responsible for traditional animation's demise? Like I said before, what Eisner did was wrong, but it does not erase the wrongs of the other CEOs.

And for those who think of me as Eisner's cheerleader, I wouldn't mind seeing him replaced as well. But not with Iger.

[ShyViolet]

On VH1's I love the 90's, there's a clip of him addressing a Parisian audience in not-so-great French when EuroDisney opened (I love '92).

[PatrickvD]

yeah, people need to stop defending him. Like when people say it wasn't his fault traditional animation is gone. Well, newsflash: IT IS.

What? You mean that Eisner forced Warner Bros. and DreamWorks to quit traditional animation? That tyrant!

unfortunately nobody really cared about their traditional animation divisions. The only good tradtional film outside of Disney I can think of is The Iron Giant. Traditional animation = Disney. Disney = traditional animation. period. And Eisner killed it! I sure hope someone fires him... ships his desk of to Thailand and sues him for all his money

[PatrickvD]

People keep bringing up Steve Jobs but what if Steve Jobs doesn't want to do it?

ah, we'll make him do it

[Josh]

The only good tradtional film outside of Disney I can think of is The Iron Giant.

These films aren't too shabby:

The Prince of Egypt
Anastasia
The Secret of Nimh
The Land Before Time
Charlotte's Web
An American Tail
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas


And there's more where those came frome!

[PatrickvD]

sure some of those are good. Unfortunately none were hits. What I meant to say was that no major filmstudio was capable of establishing a succesful traditional animation division. However Fox, WB, DW and Pixar are all succesful in CG animation. While Disney, who has been succesful in traditional animation even recently with Lilo and Stitch has had 1 CG project and it bombed: Dinosaur. Isn't that a little strange. Why jump on the bandwagon now? I just find it so unnesacery... I miss 2d

[Special_Ed]

In an investor conference call, Jobs repeatedly said that it was unlikely that a new deal with the Mouse House will happen. The prospects of a renewed deal have apparently been further squashed by Disney chief Michael Eisner's recent statement that the quality of the artwork on some Disney/Pixar projects has been "pretty pathetic." In yesterday's conference call, Jobs took a direct jab at Eisner with the response, "I know our films don't stack up against Atlantis or The Emperor's New Groove or Treasure Planet," a reference to some of Disney's more recent animated flops.
In the meantime, Jobs is staying quiet on who will replace Disney as Pixar's distribution partner.

[James]

And in other news, Pooh's Heffalump Movie opened a little below expectations in 5th place with $6 million according to Box Office Mojo. The film is getting good reviews however, with a 75% freshness rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.



Seriously though, yes, Eisner just might be that ignorant! The "pretty pathetic" line was in reference to the human characters created by Pixar when compared to Disney's humans in Rapunzel Unbraided. What Eisner fails to realize, and this is a problem with a lot of people, is that more realistic looking does not necessarily mean better.