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It is a good time for Disney fans and shareholders alike. Until recently, The Walt Disney Co. has had almost nothing but negative press. Between the lackluster support of Disney's latest domestic theme park, Disney's California Adventure, the general opinion that former-CEO Michael Eisner turned a once-magical company into a money-focused corporation, the demise of Disney's Feature Animation unit, the division that basically launched Disney into success nearly a century ago, and the loss of a working relationship with Disney's only recent successful film partner, Pixar Animation Studios, there was not much for a Disney fan to be proud of. Fortunately, this general negative sentiment did not stick around for long. In the time that passed between 2005's anger-filled meeting between The Walt Disney Company's shareholders and its executives and the 2006's version of the same meeting that took place just a few days ago, much has changed. The feelings held by shareholders and fans of The Walt Disney Co. have gone from ones of frustration and boredom to ones of relief, excitement, and anticipation. Robert Iger has stepped in as the new CEO of The Walt Disney Company and is listening hard to those who took Michael Eisner out of his position: Disney's faithful shareholders, fans, and guests, who are often one in the same. Iger's new plans for The Walt Disney Company do not revolve around budgets, cutbacks, or closings. Instead, they are centered around the themes of creativity, innovation, and technology. In a complete turnaround from Eisner's recent rulings, Iger is insisting that feature animation, the cornerstone of what Disney has always been about, must return to The Walt Disney Company. With quotes from Iger like, "It really hit me hard that we had had 10 years of real failure. Keeping animation strong is incredibly vital," how can a Disney fan not be excited about what's to come? But it doesn't stop there. Disney, under Iger's leadership, has now managed to work out their differences with Pixar Animation Studios to the extent that they went beyond a simple partnership; they actually purchased Pixar for $7.4 billion. On top of that, John Lasseter, one of the main creative forces at Pixar and director of the hugely successful films, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, as well as the upcoming Cars, has now been named Principal Creative Advisor at Walt Disney Imagineering where he will be overseeing the creation of attractions for Disney's theme parks. He, along with partner Ed Catmull, are also working on bringing back some of Disney's released-but-not-forgotten talent that created classic films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, in an effort to return The Walt Disney Company to the top of the animation pedestal. What is to come, then, of Disney's California Adventure park? At the recent shareholder's meeting, Iger reported that "numerous" changes are in the works for the less-than-popular park, including changes to the park entrance's theme, and that John Lasseter has been hard at work on various plans for improvement. As for the technology side of Disney's future, Iger plans to find ways to release Disney-created content to its fans in every method possible. Many of Disney's old shorts, along with current Disney-owned ABC television shows, are already available for download on Apple's iTunes Music Store. It was announced at the recent shareholder's meeting that ABC.com will also soon offer viewing of television shows as well as older, archived Disney material. It can't be long before feature-length films become as easily accessible. So, once again, it is finally a good time for Disney fans and shareholders alike. Gone are the days of complaining about poor management and layoffs. Here are the days of growth, entertainment, creativity, and innovation. Welcome back, Disney. Ricky Brigante is Host of 'Inside the Magic' The Internet's First Orlando-Based Disney Podcast |
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