Iger rumored to extend his term as CEO

[L.C. Clench]

He certainly did cut some things in the works before her got there.

The move to Glendale was at the direction of Eisner so that he could reuse the area. It was not Katzenberg's idea.

That last bit is a great anecdote, but hardly germane.

Do you not give him credit for the string of hits including Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc.? In fact, it was after he left that animation began to slump again. Even the animators who initially hated him were drawn to Dreamworks and Disney had to massively increase salaries just to hold onto talent.

Which helped lead to an antitrust lawsuit based on all of the studios agreeing not to poach talent so they could keep salaries down.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I'm crying...

No one can objectively argue Iger has been good for WDW, at least when it comes to adding. He has a lot of good qualities in other areas, but the lack of expansion and meh attractions we did get make him a huge negative for WDW.

He still has a chance to execute poorly on what should be a no brainer homerun in Star Wars, but we'll see. I do credit him for the acquisition.

I think Avatar was a mistake (Although it can turn out great if executed well) and Pixar Land seems a bit underwhelming. New Fantasyland gave us much needed expansion, but fell flat.

Snow White was closed. Yeti wasn't fixed. EPCOT is a graveyard. Hollywood Studios has been an attractions disappointment for 10 years. Backlot closed, LMA closed. Tower of Terror ruining rumors.

He spent too much on the MagicBand platform....way too much in a time EPCOT and DHS were dying for TLC.

Most of all, the expansions we did get came too late and took too long to come to fruition. We are still waiting on many of his major projects. His only major project was New Fantasyland and it took wayyyy too long for what we ended up getting.

I could go on. Just not an Iger fan, but he has increased shareholder value...his #1 responsibility and made some good acquisitions. Selfishly, I just want WDW to be better and he's been focused on many other things. I guess with the extra time, he could redeem himself at WDW.

 

[RobidaFlats]

Which helped lead to an antitrust lawsuit based on all of the studios agreeing not to poach talent so they could keep salaries down.

True, but that was actually down the line. At the onset, salaries did indeed rise because many of the animators actually preferred to work for Katzenberg.

I am in no way singing his praises, just making the case that Iger's turnaround of animation is hardly unique and could certainly be argued to be less impressive than that of the early 90s.

 

[PB Watermelon]

He certainly did cut some things in the works before her got there.

The move to Glendale was at the direction of Eisner so that he could reuse the area. It was not Katzenberg's idea.

That last bit is a great anecdote, but hardly germane.

Do you not give him credit for the string of hits including Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc.? In fact, it was after he left that animation began to slump again. Even the animators who initially hated him were drawn to Dreamworks and Disney had to massively increase salaries just to hold onto talent.

I take the view that people are not all one thing, we're kaleidoscopes. One moment Katzenberg goes to bat for Roger Rabbit, the next he wants to cut "Part of Your World" from Mermaid, the next he brilliantly overhauls Aladdin, the next he says there's no future for CG animated features, etc.

 

[BubbaQuest]

However, if Iger takes this on, he will be immediately accountable for the 'next' strategic plan. The plan that has to deal with 'what's next' for ESPN, and the next growth cycle. I've seen analysts give him a break on ESPN, saying the next CEO needs to figure that out. If the next CEO is more than 2-3 years out. Then he has to own it now and that may mean some ugly decisions, ones that could tarnish his legacy. I have to imagine that he has a real fear of being the next Eisner or Dauman.

Definitely agree. I think he has the same problem waiting for him at DLR. I'm sure SWL will be a huge success. But with DL already at capacity, this may only keep attendance high with no room for increased attendance. He's been very good at adjusting the knobs based on price and attendance, but I'm sure stockholders might start questioning billion dollar investments that only keep the levels current, not significantly higher.

At some point you run out of wealthy 1%'ers willing to pay higher prices for access, right? Well, maybe in LA that's not a problem

 

[RobidaFlats]

I take the view that people are not all one thing, we're kaleidoscopes. One moment Katzenberg goes to bat for Roger Rabbit, the next he wants to cut "Part of Your World" from Mermaid, the next he brilliantly overhauls Aladdin, the next he says there's no future for CG animated features, etc.

Certainly true. But it doesn't answer the question. Does he not deserve at least some of the credit as head of the department for the incredible turnaround and string of hits? It seems unfair to me to give Bob credit for the current turnaround (whether it is equal to the 90s one is debatable) when he is the CEO and not consider the role of the actual head of animation during the last turnaround.

 

[PB Watermelon]

That was a long article... most of which was quick history lesson (although claiming that Bob became Michael's heir-apparent in 1996 is laughable). In any case, I don't argue that the deals couldn't have been done with Eisner. I'm merely stating that Bob isn't the only one who could have come in and done the two things necessary:

1. Not be Michael Eisner
2. Offer to let the companies keep their own creative teams.

Yes, Bob was there and got to pull the trigger, but he was by no means the only one who could have done it. I think "right place right time" is more appropriate than "right person". The only right person for those deals was anyone who wasn't Eisner.

#2 is a big one, though, at least from where I sit.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Good for Bob - he's great with talent, and in my opinion, easily the best leader of the company since Walt.

Bob? Is that you?

 

[PB Watermelon]

Certainly true. But it doesn't answer the question. Does he not deserve at least some of the credit as head of the department for the incredible turnaround and string of hits? It seems unfair to me to give Bob credit for the current turnaround (whether it is equal to the 90s one is debatable) when he is the CEO and not consider the role of the actual head of animation during the last turnaround.

I think the success of Universal/Amblin's An American Tail woke the sleeping giant. Somehow, the great legacy of Disney music got lost in the 70's, and I'll never understand it. Spielberg certainly didn't forget that lesson. With one hit song, "Somewhere Out There", An American Tail became a smash (at least, in terms of animated features at the time). Katzenberg paid attention, and his best decision was to turn to new musical talent -- approaching Ashman and Menken was a masterstroke that paid off in ways that still reverberate to this day.

 

[Bandini]

So uh... term limits for CEOs?

I wish! Could you include term limits for our Senators and Congressmen while you're at it?

 

[Sonconato]

I hope this rumor doesn't come true. So sad. the guy obviously only cares about his paycheck. I just wish he loved the parks or at the very least appreciated them for something other than a cash cow!

^^^This.^^^

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Same ----, different day.

 

[Laketravis]

Haha I remember distinctly some little boy asking Iger "how can I get your job?" This was before Staggs left and I remember just thinking that's exactly what Staggs was wondering too! We all know how that ended...

I think Staggs decision ultimately boiled down to three words from Iger: "This better work".

 

[Bandini]

I think Staggs decision ultimately boiled down to three words from Iger: "This better work".

I read that there was another word in that statement. The word rhymes with Trucking.

 

[Earl Sweatpants]

Katzenberg cut twelve minutes out of the Black Cauldron (I consider it a lost film, like Lost Horizon and The Magnificent Ambersons), and slashed the budget for Basil of Baker Street in half and retitled it "The Great Mouse Detective". He moved the animators off the lot to portables in Glendale. Katzenberg was stopped by security trying to take materials out of the Animation Research Library. Roy called him the next day and asked him what he was doing. Katzenberg said Walt used to take artwork home. "You're not Walt Disney." Roy said. Katzenberg replied, "I'm the new Walt Disney."

For me, the main difference between animation under Katzenberg vs Iger is that Katzenberg actually believed Disney had the talent in house to pull off amazing standalone movies (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin etc.) On the other hand, Iger simply bought out Pixar and put them in charge of Disney animation.

Another major difference is that, under Iger, it seems like there is a huge push for sequels and a "franchise" mentality. Sequels were largely looked down upon under Katzenberg, and were often relegated to their own direct-to-video division. I seem to recall when Lasseter took over, he swore the awful sequel machine would get shut down. But it appears instead, he's just moved them from the minor leagues and put them in the hands of the big boys.

 

[HMF]

I think Staggs decision ultimately boiled down to three words from Iger: "This better work".

Anyone with two functioning brain cells could tell that "NextGen" would never work.

 

[RobidaFlats]

For me, the main difference between animation under Katzenberg vs Iger is that Katzenberg actually believed Disney had the talent in house to pull off amazing standalone movies (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin etc.) On the other hand, Iger simply bought out Pixar and put them in charge of Disney animation.

Another major difference is that, under Iger, it seems like there is a huge push for sequels and a "franchise" mentality. Sequels were largely looked down upon under Katzenberg, and were often relegated to their own direct-to-video division. I seem to recall when Lasseter took over, he swore the awful sequel machine would get shut down. But it appears instead, he's just moved them from the minor leagues and put them in the hands of the big boys.

I agree wholeheartedly with the first paragraph.

I think the second is a little more complicated, but probably accurate for the most part. I will, however, point out that Lasseter was actually on the pro-sequel side for Toy Story while he was at Pixar. He was fighting for it while Disney was fighting against it. Obviously those sequels are a little different (polite way of saying much better) than most, but I don't think it can be said that he was ever really against the concept.

 

[Earl Sweatpants]

I agree wholeheartedly with the first paragraph.

I think the second is a little more complicated, but probably accurate for the most part. I will, however, point out that Lasseter was actually on the pro-sequel side for Toy Story while he was at Pixar. He was fighting for it while Disney was fighting against it. Obviously those sequels are a little different (polite way of saying much better) than most, but I don't think it can be said that he was ever really against the concept.

Lasseter was against poor quality sequels, not sequels themselves. Sorry if I misspoke.

 

[willtravel]

I don't know, if I was 65 years old and was worth ($44.9 ml as of 2015 per wiki), I would be saying see ya and start doing a lot of other things...................

 

[L.C. Clench]

Iger simply bought out Pixar.

Swap Pixar with Lucas or Marvel and it sums up the Iger era. There was a time when Disney actually had creativity to build IPs and didn't have to buy them to survive.