On layoffs, very bad attendance, and Iger's legacy being one of disgrace

[the.dreamfinder]

Do people beyond the fan community think Eisner was a failure?

If they watch Defunctland they do.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The best comp I can think of would be Jack Welch. It wasn’t obvious to many how bad things had gotten until well after he left.

Neutron jack?

I could entertain that concept. I don’t think Iger didn’t enough for that kind of destruction though

 

[doctornick]

And that brings me to Bob Iger. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Gotta Put Yoda on His Wife's Dress to Bury Some Search Engine Leads. That guy. It is my pleasure to announce that he will be soon tossed on his ***. In disgrace. His sins, his poor judgement, his poor treatment of subordinates. His malicious temper and outrageous displays of "toxic masculinity" as the kids call it. All this and more is coming out. Good riddance.

I'd be curious if @pheneix would come back and actually provide more information on his claims from the start of this thread - or at least express if he still believes that Iger will be "disgraced". It's been a while and there doesn't seem to be any indication of this coming about.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'd be curious if @pheneix would come back and actually provide ore information on his claims from the start of this thread - or at least express if he still believes that Iger will be "disgraced". It's been a while and there doesn't seem to be any indication of this coming about.

That ghost account has probably been banned...

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

If either one of these guys was such a failure why do we keep going back. Judging from the crowds and the profits I'd say they've been pretty successful.

Exactly.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Do people beyond the fan community think Eisner was a failure?

I don't think many beyond the fan community think about him at all these days as he's kind of out of the news.

Eisner left following a shareholder revolt led by Walt's nephew and a hostile takeover attempt by Comcast. However it all shakes out in the long run, the circumstances of Iger's departure are significantly different. The premise of this thread was that the whole house of cards was about to come tumbling down. Maybe it will, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[eliza61nyc]

If either one of these guys was such a failure why do we keep going back. Judging from the crowds and the profits I'd say they've been pretty successful.

lol and will get upset if you actually tell them to stop going. I love when folks post how horrible a trip they had and then at the end they say they are going back. ?????
I think it's a combination of various things. many folks on any fan site are pretty deep into their hobby, Disney has the added component that for many it's a visceral, emotional tie. I am amazed at how intertwined people's happiness is with disneyworld. Fans here do take a deeper dive into the parks than the once or twice visitor. so they are more likely to complain that something new looks like "a mall".

Next I think it's also good old fashioned "longing" for the bygone days. change is hard to accept especially when it's some thing you love.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I don't think many beyond the fan community think about him at all these days as he's kind of out of the news.

Eisner left following a shareholder revolt led by Walt's nephew and a hostile takeover attempt by Comcast. However it all shakes out in the long run, the circumstances of Iger's departure are significantly different. The premise of this thread was that the whole house of cards was about to come tumbling down. Maybe it will, but it hasn't happened yet.

lol I wish I had a buck for every time some one pronounced that this was the end of Disney. Good chance I could fund a number of Disney vacations. That rallying cry has been sounding for decades now.

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

The difference between the two things you cite (Chicken Little and the remakes) is that the remakes have been massive commercial successes. I don't enjoy them and haven't bothered seeing the most recent ones. However, they're not perceived as failures and objectively made boatloads of cash for Disney.

I agree with @Sirwalterraleigh here; I don't like a lot of what Iger has done, but it's only amongst some in the fan community that there is a perception that he's a failure. Very few people beyond look at the Disney he left behind as anything other than the grand behemoth of the entertainment world. When Eisner left, the company was coming off a hostile takeover bid and looking like it had lost its way in everything from animation to theme parks.

I also don't agree with 100% of what Iger has done, but I can't stack those reasons up and call him a failure. The stock price tells the tale. What he did with Marvel and Star Wars will bring massive long term benefits to the company. The investments in China would be doing much better if not for COVID, which no one could have foreseen. Just look at where the company is today compared to when he took over. From an objective standpoint, I can't see how his tenure could be called anything other than a success.

 

[Lilofan]

I don't think many beyond the fan community think about him at all these days as he's kind of out of the news.

Eisner left following a shareholder revolt led by Walt's nephew and a hostile takeover attempt by Comcast. However it all shakes out in the long run, the circumstances of Iger's departure are significantly different. The premise of this thread was that the whole house of cards was about to come tumbling down. Maybe it will, but it hasn't happened yet.

The hostile takeover attempt by Comcast was not so hostile. The Disney Board said the Comcast offering price to buy Disney was too low. Anything is for sale at the right price.

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

1. These films are damaging the reputation and standing of the originals, by making the unwary call them “the cartoon version”, in the same vein as how the cheapquels degraded the value of the films.
2. “Woke”, all too often, especially at Disney, comes at the cost of actual entertainment. They spend more time impaling you on their messages than actually entertaining.
3. I see. Fox may have been a little too far, but they had some things Disney needed (Pandora, several Marvel characters, a few early live action Mickey cameos, etc) and they were floundering.
4. Riddle me this; why did they take down Starcade and had no replacement? Why did they turn Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier? Why they removed DCA MV3D? Even Mission Breakout was understandable. (If only we got DanganRonpa tower of despair...)
5. Modern illustrations within the comic pages of Captain Marvel are... lumpy. Newer characters being added have become less and less appealing. Minor point, but still.
6. They’ve been kind of a problem since mid-Eisner, but still... they’re annoying and make older fans wheeze in distaste when they overshadowed their staple products. I do feel like they have their place and are cute and harmless when done right. They were actually more problematic prior to recently.
7. So who’s gonna keep making Epic Mickey? I know Kingdom Hearts and Marvel Vs. Capcom aren’t directly made by Disney, but stil

A company that bankrolls racist, homophobic politicians in FL is not “doing the right thing”. It’s window dressing.

Disney's PAC contributions are 57% Democrat to 42% GOP.

 

[Brer Panther]

Just because the live action remakes make money doesn't mean that they're a good thing.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Do people beyond the fan community think Eisner was a failure?

Eisner was not a failure...only the rather “superficial” diehard fans promote and repeat this.

And I loathed the guy for a few years...but now I keep having to defend him. This is insane...the truth needs to have its day. I feel like I’ve said that with more and more frequency.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney's PAC contributions are 57% Democrat to 42% GOP.

Both those numbers are rather large...

The point is you can’t run with progressives AND rick Scott and claim virtue or disassociation with both.

 

[JoeCamel]

Both those numbers are rather large...

The point is you can’t progressives AND rick Scott and claim virtue or disassociation with both.

I don't think any of this carries much weight in the decision who to contribute to. More that when Disney has a want or need the door to that person's office will be open. Virtue and corporate image building is way down the list

 

[Robbiem]

Disney's PAC contributions are 57% Democrat to 42% GOP.

do we know what the other 1% is or is it a rounding error

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don't think any of this carries much weight in the decision who to contribute to. More that when Disney has a want or need the door to that person's office will be open. Virtue and corporate image building is way down the list

That’s my point...they give to everyone for power...and power is about money.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

do we know what the other 1% is or is it a rounding error

The rest goes to the Sarasota Gardening Club SuperPAC

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

do we know what the other 1% is or is it a rounding error

The full number is 57.66% to Democrats and 42.34% to Republican federal candidates in 2020. They raised $278,025 and dispersed $124,000 - $71,500 went to Democrats and $52,500 went to Republicans. Of course, the MPAA and IAPA carry the largest burden to donate through their own PACs and I don't have the time to pull their records. Disney's spending makes sense given the way things were going politically over 2020. Like all businesses, they just want to make sure their interests are represented by the people who matter - the leaders and committee chairs of jurisdiction they care about.

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

With #1, these remakes reinvigorated the brands. There's simply no argument against them from a business perspective, any personal feelings about them aside. It's not even Iger's idea, either. Disney's done the same thing with straight to video releases of the same titles back in the 1990s.

2 is one of those that's just silly. Disney's doing the right thing. More corporations should follow their lead. Period.

On #3, the benefits of Fox are myriad already and will only grow more valuable over time. As just one example, The Simpsons quietly anchored the first year of Disney+.

#4 isn't much of a riddle. Starcade failed, so they had no reason to replace it. Arcades are extremely niche, and I say that as someone who was literally JUST looking at the Insta of a nearby arcade/bar we like. Pixar Pier makes basic sense from branding AND theming perspectives.

#5 may bother you, but that's only the outer fringe of Disney to begin with. I've got friends within the comic industry -- one who has made millions from selling his earlier drawings from the 1960s and 1970s -- who complain about Marvel, but it's always a discussion of art vs. commerce. Since this isn't art appreciation, the central point stands. None of this has anything to do with Bob freakin' Iger. He's not someone who has a weekly pull list.

#6 is a money industry for Disney and has been going back half a century. I mean, Walt Disney's final words were Kurt Russell. These stupid tween comedies bring in new viewers. It'd be terrible business to throw out the revenue streams of High School Musical, Descendants, Teen Beach, and now Zombies. If you want to say they suck, that's fine. Everyone responds differently to art/entertainment. Those are bread winners, though. I mean, Disney called an entire weekend conference after Hannah Montana's movie overperformed. That speaks volumes about the importance of that demographic to the company's vision.

As for Epic Mickey, if there's demand, they'll license it out to somebody else. The Power of Two came out in 2012. That was two full console generations ago now. And again, none of that had literally anything to do with Bob Iger. The only way he'd even be aware of it is if his kids/grandkids played it.

All of these points get a strong thumbs up!