News Chapek FIRED, Iger New CEO

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Did he, though? The continued focus on headliners without a supporting cast leaves all the parks desperate for additional capacity. There's not been a net new add anywhere since God knows when. Everest? Soarin' was a replacement. Maybe the FLE and its 2 rides.

New Fantasyland improved MK over what was there and added capacity.
Pandora vastly improved AK over what was there and added capacity.
Star Wars/Toy Story vastly improved HS over what was there and added capacity.
Rat, Guardians, and the work in progress vastly improves Epcot over what was there and added capacity.

DCA is infinitely better than what was there and has vastly added capacity.
DL is probably the least changed but even that has been improved and added capacity with Star Wars.

I‘m not saying Iger was great, I wish he added more as much as the next guy, I’m just saying from a simple better or worse perspective all the parks are better.

Compare that to Chapek, who as I said I don’t blame for not announcing new additions during a pandemic, who implemented reservations to save on labor, monetized FP, cancelled Magical Express, etc. I can’t think of a single change Chapeks made that has improved the parks in any way.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Say what you will about Iger's predecessor, but the company culture then understood that the parks and resorts division of the company was the crown jewel of the company. Though Eisner's Disney Decade ended with a bit of a wet fart and ultimately his ouster, there was always a keen understanding that the company can always find opportunities for growth in the division. The what-ifs at the end of his tenure can take many branches (what if Euro Disney wasn't a bust? what if he didn't have to navigate through the biggest externality to hit American tourism ever? what if Steve Jobs liked him?) I'm not trying to wallpaper over the birth of strategic planning, the rise of Pressler, and the failures of DCA and DAK at open, but the parks were treated as a place to grow under him until the bitter end.

Meanwhile under Iger, the philosophy of treating the division like an ATM grew from a festering boil to a painful whole body rash. The disregard of the most unique asset any media company had allowed the literal Comcast Corporation to come in and define creative development of the industry. The coup de grace of course, being the merger of the prestige brand of parks and resorts, with the part of the company that sells Elsa's face on paper plates, and putting the guy that ran that division in charge of the combined venture.

Eisner saw the parks division as the cornerstone of his legacy. Bob saw it as a tool at best, and a dead weight at worst. The division never really had any interesting domestic growth until after Iger's whirly merge era began to cool off, and he had a chance to put his products in the parks.

Eisner lost his fastball…the world was changing and he didn’t have the stamina for it…

But any contention he wasn’t 3x better than Bob and 3000 better than Sir Slaps A lot is flat wrong…

And yes…I know California adventure sucked. That’s the ONLY thing that is ever pointed to…not that they increased their footprint and pull by at least 2x during his tenure. Judge by the worst day…which is what Iger apologists adamantly won’t do.

He bought and screwed up Star Wars…laughably after the template to NOT do it was written…start there

 

[mikejs78]

Walt + Roy > Roy > Eisner + Wells > Iger > Miller > Eisner alone > Walker > Tatum >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Chapek

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Walt + Roy > Roy > Eisner + Wells > Iger > Miller > Eisner alone > Walker > Tatum >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Chapek

Ouch…

Ok…honestly…you have a Iger a little high and Walker a little low…

Iger started fundamental creative rot that won’t shake out for years. Disney will be bought/merged and it will lead back to STB.
How that ends? - no way to know.

 

[mikejs78]

Ouch…

Ok…honestly…you have a Iger a little high and Walker a little low…

Iger started fundamental creative rot that won’t shake out for years. Disney will be bought/merged and it will lead back to STB.
How that ends? - no way to know.

I knew this post would get a response from you.

Taking out the parks, Iger led:
* The resurgence of Disney Animation
* Brought in Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm (we can debate what happened with the new trilogy but the Disney+ stuff has been solid)

I'd hardly call that creative rot. Iger made it very difficult for a merger to happen (though Chapek is doing his very best to get to that point).

I struggled where to put Walker. On the one hand I think Miller was the better CEO and put a bunch of good things in motion, but not aggressive enough. But Walker got us Epcot Center, so....

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I knew this post would get a response from you.

Taking out the parks, Iger led:
* The resurgence of Disney Animation
* Brought in Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm (we can debate what happened with the new trilogy but the Disney+ stuff has been solid)

I'd hardly call that creative rot. Iger made it very difficult for a merger to happen (though Chapek is doing his very best to get to that point).

I struggled where to put Walker. On the one hand I think Miller was the better CEO and put a bunch of good things in motion, but not aggressive enough. But Walker got us Epcot Center, so....

Yeah…but the parks are not positioned particularly well…I know that’s sacrilege here…but they aren’t. Especially Orlando.

And he bought those things…but they’ve mined them or in some cases blew up the mine.
Star Wars can’t get a movie made…Pixar just bombed a toy Story movie and they cant really get traction on new franchises…marvel is strong but they are definitely oversaturating now.

D+ is a streaming service. They can tell Wall Street they can be different than all the others…but it’s get to be proven. Just bluster right now. They’ll need $100 bil per year to outrun consumer boredom. Not joking.

 

[UNCgolf]

New Fantasyland improved MK over what was there and added capacity.
Pandora vastly improved AK over what was there and added capacity.
Star Wars/Toy Story vastly improved HS over what was there and added capacity.
Rat, Guardians, and the work in progress vastly improves Epcot over what was there and added capacity.

I don't think anyone would argue AK was better before Pandora.

As for the other parks, though... I think DHS was a better/more interesting park overall before TSL/Galaxy's Edge, but you really have to go back a decade or more instead of to just before they built those areas. New Fantasyland is similar in that it's not really a major improvement over what was there years earlier (20K was a much better attraction than 7DMT or Little Mermaid), but it is an improvement over what the area had become. EPCOT is a whole other thing with different issues.

I think the larger issue is that both NFL and Toy Story Land are massively disappointing compared to what they should/could have been (TSL especially is a design disaster in terms of efficient land use regardless of how anyone feels about what's actually there).

I don't think any of those three parks are better now than they were 25 or so years ago, which is a real problem. That's not all on Iger (Eisner had a hand, especially regarding EPCOT), but he's at least partially to blame. I'm not sure how much credit someone deserves for attempting to fix a problem they themselves helped to create, although it is, of course, better than doing nothing.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don't think anyone would argue AK was better before Pandora.

As for the other parks, though... I think DHS was a better/more interesting park overall before TSL/Galaxy's Edge, but you really have to go back a decade or more instead of to just before they built those areas. New Fantasyland is similar in that it's not really a major improvement over what was there years earlier (20K was a much better attraction than 7DMT or Little Mermaid), but it is an improvement over what the area had become. EPCOT is a whole other thing with different issues.

I think the larger issue is that both NFL and Toy Story Land are massively disappointing compared to what they should/could have been (TSL especially is a design disaster in terms of efficient land use regardless of how anyone feels about what's actually there).

I don't think any of those three parks are better now than they were 25 or so years ago, which is a real problem. That's not all on Iger (Eisner had a hand, especially regarding EPCOT), but he's at least partially to blame. I'm not sure how much credit someone deserves for attempting to fix a problem they themselves helped to create, although it is, of course, better than doing nothing.

I’d say DAK is better…but about to become an aging zoo and that’s dangerous

Epcot is not close…even with 2 new good rides the mothballing of whole pavilions and taking the cultural stuff out of showcase as they age is a bad trend.

Studios is “more shiny”…but not a Better park. That’s alot of work for that. And the Star Wars land is gonna need changes very soon. They’ll deny it…but it’s happening regardless.

Magic kingdom is still solid…but is falling to attendance and they can’t really stop that.

 

[Robbiem]

“in the years leading up to his exit, Iger felt that the board had not fully appreciated his leadership. "He said he was tired of being harangued about [succession] and said, 'Fine, you guys have someone else run the business.'"

He once had aspirations of being a president, a senator, or at the very least a cabinet member or ambassador. Instead, he’s a billionaire trying to sell NFTs to remain relevant. He likely desperately misses the spotlight and is struggling with his dwindling relevancy and legacy.

IMO this sums it up. Iger bailed because his ego made him think he could be president (how many other company bosses think if Donald did it I could as well). He bailed and his hubris left him high and dry when no one come knocking. Remember all those articles where he was willing to reluctantly accept the democratic nomination, or willing to serve in cabinet or as an ambassador.

the fact is Bob’s power came from his position not his personal self as he believed. Once he went he wasn’t much value to anyone in power and people down the chain didn’t need to stroke the ego once he wasn’t on the payroll

The whole Disney boardroom saga would make a great series on Disney plus if someone was brave enough to commission it.

 

[peter11435]

and taking the cultural stuff out of showcase as they age is a bad trend.

I think this is a bit misleading since we all know why the cultural reps disappeared and we also all know they are in the process of restoring them now.

 

[Lilofan]

Compared to Chapek Iger was a saint.

He didn’t build enough but he still left every park better than he started with, Chapek has made every park worse since he took over, I can overlook most of it due to the pandemic but the nickel and diming and eliminating everything he can is unforgivable.

Walt - It's kinda fun to do the impossible ( aka - Disney Board unanimously renewing Chapek contract ).

 

[Kamikaze]

Iger’s cultivated decades of relationships in the media, and he’s been dropping this stuff periodically. He once had aspirations of being a president, a senator, or at the very least a cabinet member or ambassador. Instead, he’s a billionaire trying to sell NFTs to remain relevant. He likely desperately misses the spotlight and is struggling with his dwindling relevancy and legacy.

Yeah he probably cries into his $700 million net worth every night.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think this is a bit misleading since we all know why the cultural reps disappeared and we also all know they are in the process of restoring them now.

I wasn’t talking about employees…was more saying the performance groups, Norway, etc

 

[el_super]

"He got tired of all the things you have to do," added the Disney exec, who recalled going to Iger with day-to-day business issues in those final years — only to be told that the boss didn't want to engage. "He really wanted to play around with creative and not worry about all the business crap."

This was easily corroborated by additional things Iger said at the time, at the employee Town Hall and also at one of the investor conference calls. Iger was definitely tired of running the business side.

Which also adds some validity to other points in the article, one of the first being posted with a strangely negative Iger slant (where previous articles seemed to be coming from the Iger camp directly).

What is interesting to think here is that Chapek would have been one of Iger's direct reports at this point, so Chapek would have been aware of Iger's malaise.

Two former Disney executives told Insider they are piqued at their former leader for stepping down when he did. They are powerless to do anything but wring their hands as the stock price and their 401(k) plans languish. One close associate of Iger's told Insider it still pains him to see Chapek stripping Disney of all that he built.

This seems to counter other stories we have heard about most of the org changes and structure changes that were implemented were devised under Iger. What exactly has Chapek torn apart that Iger built? I don't see it.

The former Disney exec said that in the years leading up to his exit, Iger felt that the board had not fully appreciated his leadership. "He said he was tired of being harangued about [succession] and said, 'Fine, you guys have someone else run the business.'"

Seems to parallel Eisner's speech to the board about Bob not being able to run the company.

This article paints Iger in a negative light, so it's noteworthy compared to the other pro-Iger articles we've seen. Sounds like Iger is just having a hard time dealing with obsolescence. Maybe he should watch Obi-Wan.

 

[Tha Realest]

As far as the Bob comparisons, does Chapek do the Fox acquisition? I don’t know what the general consensus is in terms of the worthiness of this undertaking. I feel like Disney has underutilized the IP they acquired so far

 

[mikejs78]

This seems to counter other stories we have heard about most of the org changes and structure changes that were implemented were devised under Iger. What exactly has Chapek torn apart that Iger built? I don't see it.

I don't think that's the case. Most stories I've read point to Chapek as organizing everything under Kareem Daniel, who is Chapek's guy.

 

[fgmnt]

Yeah he probably cries into his $700 million net worth every night.

All of the money in the world can't sate the desire to be the center of attention.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Yeah he probably cries into his $700 million net worth every night.

"Look what that bald loser has done to my nest egg!"

 

[el_super]

I don't think that's the case. Most stories I've read point to Chapek as organizing everything under Kareem Daniel, who is Chapek's guy.

I'm referring to this specifically: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/20/disney-ceo-chapek-iger-falling-out.html

If Disney wanted investors to see its burgeoning streaming service as the growth engine in a digital-first world, Iger realized he needed to centralize power around Disney+. According to two people familiar with the meeting, Iger urgently asked then-Disney head of strategy Kevin Mayer to return from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas so Iger could show him a new organizational structure, which he drew on a whiteboard in front of Mayer. Mayer would become the head of Disney’s new direct-to-consumer unit, in charge of the company’s streaming platforms: Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Disney officially reorganized in March 2018.​

​

Power struggles followed. Mayer and Disney TV studio head Peter Rice fought about who had the authority to decide which shows aired on Disney+. Rice’s principal issue was that content executives could no longer have direct conversations with Hollywood talent and tell them whether Disney would make their show or not. Rice feared losing greenlight power would affect Disney’s relationship with Hollywood.​

​

The power struggles and in-fighting starting under Iger actually does track with the rest of the article. Iger wanted to pivot Disney to be a technology company (following in the footsteps of the giants) and found it was harder than he thought, balancing all the egos at the company (something that would eventually burn out Eisner as well). Eventually, after being tired of having to make decisions on the fly and answer to all the executives below him, he bowed out and handed the reins to the one person who wouldn't upset all the movie studio egos: a parks guy.

This is definitely starting to paint the picture of a leader who had outstayed his usefulness.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This was easily corroborated by additional things Iger said at the time, at the employee Town Hall and also at one of the investor conference calls. Iger was definitely tired of running the business side.

Which also adds some validity to other points in the article, one of the first being posted with a strangely negative Iger slant (where previous articles seemed to be coming from the Iger camp directly).

What is interesting to think here is that Chapek would have been one of Iger's direct reports at this point, so Chapek would have been aware of Iger's malaise.




This seems to counter other stories we have heard about most of the org changes and structure changes that were implemented were devised under Iger. What exactly has Chapek torn apart that Iger built? I don't see it.




Seems to parallel Eisner's speech to the board about Bob not being able to run the company.

This article paints Iger in a negative light, so it's noteworthy compared to the other pro-Iger articles we've seen. Sounds like Iger is just having a hard time dealing with obsolescence. Maybe he should watch Obi-Wan.

What’s funny is he spent the first ten years doing nothing but looking at money and kissing the block investors butts…then - conveniently - when he decided he wasn’t getting “creative Street cred”…he decided he was a creative. It was close to his predecessors arc in reverse.