The Best Walt Disney Company CEO

[wdisney9000]

Eisner, just because the Yacht Club (our fav resort) was built during his reign.

 

[wdisney9000]

How could you forget Jeffrey?

Was the portrayal of Jeffrey in "Waking Sleeping Beauty" accurate? They didnt paint him in the best light.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Eisner and Wells made the best team, post Walt and Roy.

 

[janoimagine]

Was the portrayal of Jeffrey in "Waking Sleeping Beauty" accurate? They didnt paint him in the best light.

100% accurate.

 

[cba]

I voted Eisner. I'm not saying I liked him as a person, but he invested A LOT in the parks and the Disney movies during the 80's and 90's were very successful. And I still remember the "Disney Decade"...

 

[danpam1024]

I voted for Eisner only because I have limited knowledge of any of their runs as CEO, but I know he turned a lot of things around.

me too After he left is when things started getting-um - not so magical

 

[PhilharMagician]

The Eisner/Wells team worked so well and the company benefited from this team. I personally think Eisner did a good job after the loss of Frank Wells, but Eisner's last couple of years were ugly. He had made many enemies and almost lost the company at one point in 2004 to Comcast

Like @marni1971 said, Card Walker deserves a lot of credit for getting Epcot built. Epcot almost sunk the company, but was also a major key to moving TWDC to the next level in which the Eisner/Wells team did so incredibly.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I went with Eisner since he brought quite a bit to the resorts. But, as his popularity dwindled....Then it got Fugly...So what is he doing now..He's going to Resurrect The Garbage Pail Kids.......http://www.imdb.com/news/ni24359394/

Bottom of the Barrel folks....

 

[Computer Magic]

I'm shocked that Eisner is currently leading the voting. I have such respect for Martin, I would like to hear why he views Roy Disney as a lessor CEO. I can understand the debate about Roy as President as he took that role after Walter's death. But it was Roy from 1929-1971. There would be no money for the company to invest w/o Roy. Walt had the ideas and Roy had to find the funds. After Walt''s death Roy had to try and implement Walt's vision.There would be no WDW w/o Roy. IMHO, its was a no brainer WDW property was under utilized and needed resorts and parks.

Chief Executive Officers[edit]

• 1929–1971: Roy O. Disney
• 1971–1976: Donn Tatum
• 1976–1983: E. Cardon Walker
• 1983–1984: Ron W. Miller
• 1984–2005: Michael Eisner
• 2005–Present: Robert Iger

Again, a President compares there could be debates about best President

Presidents[edit]

• 1923–1966: Walt Disney
• 1966–1971: Roy O. Disney
• 1971–1972: Donn Tatum
• 1973–1977: Card Walker
• 1978–1984: Ron W. Miller
• 1984–1994: Frank Wells
• 1994–1997: Michael Ovitz
• 1997–2000: Michael Eisner
• 2000–present:[15] Robert Iger

IMHO, the company worked out best when the CEO and President were held by separate people, Walt/Roy and then Eisner/Wells

 

[Matt_Black]

Eisner, not only for his accomplishments, but a lot of Iger's big accomplishments were built off Eisner's work. Buying Star Wars? Eisner was one of the guys who helped lay the groundwork for the good working relationship that would allow Disney to buy Lucasfilm a quarter century later. Marvel? Eisner wanted to buy it in the 90s. (In fact, the reason Gargoyles went in the direction it did in the second season was to try and develop a Marvel Universe-style property.) Muppets? Disney would have scored that a good deal earlier if Jim hadn't tragically died so suddenly.

 

[marni1971]

I have such respect for Martin, I would like to hear why he views Roy Disney as a lessor CEO.

Thank you

I think of Roy more as what we now call a CFO more than a CEO. Without him I certainly wouldn't think the company would be how it is today, or even survived to today, but IMHO Walt was the creative driving force.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

People seem to forget Wells answered to Eisner, they were not equal in power, if Wells wanted something and Eisner said no that was it. Wells worked for the most important CEO in Disney history, Eisner may go down as important or possibly more important than Walt.

Jimmy Thick- Walt never could have dreamed what would become of his company, and a lot of it has to do with Eisner.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

WDW is the focus of my Disney love.

In that regard, Roy build the best part, Walker the second, and Eisner the third. Except for Roy, whose brief spell was magical and flawless, they all have had very detrimental effects on WDW too.

I voted for Walker, simply because I think history unfairly paints this awesome CEO as a bumbling naive fool.

Walker is discredited for nearly bringing his company down with EPCOT, only for Eisner to save it. But now in its fourth decade, EPCOT is still an ATM machine. Whereas the Eisner parks of DLP, WDSP, HKDL, DCA and DAK all emerged from Eisner's reign hugely problematic.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Whereas the Eisner parks of DLP, WDSP, HKDL, DCA and DAK all emerged from Eisner's reign hugely problematic.

Yet make boatloads from cash hand over fist.


Jimmy Thick- Don't believe the negative hype, they are laughing all the way to the bank with perceived half day parks...

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Yet make boatloads from cash hand over fist.


Jimmy Thick- Don't believe the negative hype, they are laughing all the way to the bank with perceived half day parks...

No, no. DLP and WDSP earlier this week reported worrying losses - twenty years running. DCA just emerged from a very necessary $1.5 billion make-over. HKDL was grossly underbuild and alienated their customer base, requiring massive expansions. DAK is an underinvested problematic half-day park that will end up having taken two decades and the better part of a billion dollars to finally be a functioning theme park.


(Meanwhile, Walker's EPCOT has drawn 11 million visitors since year one, every year. Vying with only DisneySea for the title of world's greatest non-DL type theme park)

 

[lazyboy97o]

No, no. DLP and WDSP earlier this week reported worrying losses - twenty years running. DCA just emerged from a very necessary $1.5 billion make-over. HKDL was grossly underbuild and alienated their customer base, requiring massive expansions. DAK is an underinvested problematic half-day park that will end up having taken two decades and the better part of a billion dollars to finally be a functioning theme park.


(Meanwhile, Walker's EPCOT has drawn 11 million visitors since year one, every year. Vying with only DisneySea for the title of world's greatest non-DL type theme park)

Clearly Euro Disney SCA and the Government of Hong Kong are just run by a bunch of Uni fanboys who will lie to make Disney look bad.

 

[Disneyfan21257]

Without Roy Disney, there probably wouldn't be a WDW.

 

[Computer Magic]

Without Roy Disney, there probably wouldn't be a WDW.

Agreed. Roy could have thrown in the towel and sold all the land. Instead he spent his last breath building that park as he died not long after it opened. I do think MK and EPOT was the foundation of FL. Eisner and Wells realized the park needed more resorts. MGM was only built because UNI was coming into town.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Agreed. Roy could have thrown in the towel and sold all the land. Instead he spent his last breath building that park as he died not long after it opened. I do think MK and EPOT was the foundation of FL. Eisner and Wells realized the park needed more resorts. MGM was only built because UNI was coming into town.

It was Sid Bass who wanted more hotels at Walt Disney World and told Eisner and Wells to build them.

 

[Computer Magic]

It was Sid Bass who wanted more hotels at Walt Disney World and told Eisner and Wells to build them.

Even more reason Roy > Eisner.