Shareholders don’t have the power to oust Disney CEO Chapek

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Via DisDining.com

According to experts weighing in on the subject, shareholders have their proverbial carts before their proverbial horses.

There’s been a lot of talk this week about a shareholder coup of sorts that aims to oust Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek from his post amid a growing distaste for changes across a wide assortment of Disney’s offerings. Disney’s theme park fans are especially angered by price increases across the parks for things like annual passes and the removal of once-upon-a-time freebies like Memory Maker (with an Annual Pass purchase) and Fastpasses.

Bob chapek at hollywood studios

Just how do shareholders plan to overthrow King Chapek?

Disney’s annual shareholder meeting is only a month away, and a proxy vote is on the agenda. Shareholders are planning to vote against Chapek in the election, ousting him from his ivory tower and restoring peace and magic to all the lands of the Disney Parks. There’s just one problem with that. Actually, there are several problems with this.

It’s no secret that many Disney fans do not double as Chapek fans. Chapek has been seated comfortably at the helm of The Walt Disney Company since early 2020, and many fans–especially Disney Parks fans–feel that Chapek’s is an administration of demise, of destruction–an administration that, to some, seeks to undo what it took Walt Disney, his team, the Imagineers, and thousands of others years and years to build.

And they don’t like it.

cartoon of bob chapek

Now, a growing number of Disney’s fans who are also shareholders in The Walt Disney Company plan to make their voices heard by voting not to keep Chapek on the Board of Directors. That’s problem #1. The vote isn’t about keeping or ousting Chapek as it relates to his role as CEO. Next month’s shareholders’ vote is strictly about the Board of Directors, and it’s not just Chapek on the vote, but all 11 Board members. Removing Chapek from the Board won’t necessarily bring about the change that angry shareholders are seeking. Chapek’s CEO post has no “for sale” sign in the driveway.

Problem #2 becomes evident when you consider that most fans who are shareholders don’t hold the number of those shares necessary to bring about a massive change in the makeup of Disney’s Board. So even if ridding the Board of Chapek would satisfy shareholders, it isn’t probable.

Another Disney exec faced a similar fate in 2004 when 43% of the shareholders used those shares to give a strong voice to the growing unrest over then-CEO Michael Eisner. Incidentally, that 43% was thanks to many of Disney’s large shareholders, including Walt’s nephew Roy and PIXAR’s head Steve Jobs. It wasn’t a large enough vote to boot Eisner from his seat, but Disney read the message from shareholders loud and clear. Eisner was demoted as Chairman of the Board and then resigned as CEO only 12 months later.

And Problem #3 might even be the biggest problem of all. The congregation of Chapek-booters is largely comprised of theme park fans angry about change. They’re also frustrated by long lines at the parks and higher prices for annual passes. But many of Disney’s shareholders are investment giants. They aren’t buying shares for the perk of claiming ownership in the House of Mouse; they’re buying shares anticipating a return–a hefty return. So to those shareholders, word of longer lines in the midst of an increase in ticket prices creates a resounding “cha-ching” in their ears. Why would those shareholders vote to make any big change when it’s all good news for them?

Investment giants know about Genie+ and Lightning Lane too, and they don’t have nearly the problem with those so-called “inflated” costs as individual shareholders might. After all, they stand to gain sizable ROIs because of them.

Bob Saget’s Family Reveals His Cause of Death

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

On January 9, 2022, police responded to a 9-1-1 call at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando about an unconscious male being found in one of their hotel rooms. We later learned that that man was Full House actor Bob Saget. There was no evidence of drug use or signs of foul play, so an autopsy was performed. According to reports, Saget was found on his bed with his arm across his chest.

There has been speculation for weeks about how Saget passed away, and now his family has made a statement. According to the family, the coroner has determined that Saget died of head trauma. Saget’s family made the following statement:

“Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us.

The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.

As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter.”

The Saget Family

bob saget

Saget’s unexpected death rocked the television industry. His Full House costars all released heartfelt statements, and America’s Funniest Home Videos dedicated a segment to the actor. AFV has since said that they will regularly honor Saget.

The night he passed away, Saget has performed a stand-up comedy routine at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Saget had been going around the country doing the stand-up comedy that he was famous for. While Saget was known as the wholesome host of AFV and the all-around good guy on Full House, his comedy garnered a lot of attention for its more risqué content.

America's Funniest Home Videos

Saget was laid to rest on January 15. His Full House costars John Stamos and Dave Coulier, as well as Saget’s close friend John Mayer, served as pallbearers at his funeral.

Disney+ ‘National Treasure’ Casts Powerhouse Actress as Series Regular

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

When Disney+ was launched in 2019, subscribers were promised a ton of great original programming. And so far Disney has kept its promise. Fans have flocked to the platform to watch original shows like The Imagineering Story, Loki, and The Mandalorian. Disney has also announced a ton of new shows that are coming down the pike, including American Born Chinese, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, and Superfudge — based on the novel from Judy Blume.

Disney has also turned/is turning a number of its popular films into series. High School Musical has become High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and The Mighty Ducks was turned into The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Next up on Disney’s film-to-series slate?  The 2004 film National Treasure. In 2020, the film’s original producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, announced that not only was a third film in the works, but it would also become a Disney+ series. The original film starred Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha.

National Treasure 2

If you need a refresher on the original film, it is available to stream on Disney+. Here is the official description from Disney:

Ever since he was a boy, Gates has been obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure, the greatest fortune known to man. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he’s dogged by a ruthless enemy who wants the riches for himself. Now in a race against time, Gates must steal one of America’s most sacred and guarded documents – the Declaration of Independence – or let it, and a key clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands.

The new National Treasure series will not focus on the original characters, but will instead introduce an entirely new cast. Lisette Alexis will lead the series as Jess Morales, a 20-year-old DREAMer who goes off on an adventure to discover the secrets of her own family tree. Lyndon Smith, Jordan Rodrigues, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, and Zuri Reed have also been announced to be in the show.

Disney has now shared that a mega-star will be joining the show as a series regular. According to multiple reports, Catherine Zeta-Jones will be playing a character named Billie. Here is more information on the character, per Entertainment Weekly:

According to a character description, Zeta-Jones will play Billie, who’s “a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.”

“She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a shrewd, stylish businesswoman and adventurer,” the description continues. “Billie’s used to getting what she wants — and she wants the Pan-American treasure. But not just for the money. This treasure has deeper stakes for her.”

Catherina Zeta-Jones

Neither a filming date nor a premiere date have been announced at this time. We do know that Jerry Bruckheimer will be producing the series. Rick Muirragui (Suits, Whiskey Cavalier) will be a writer on the series, along with Cormac and Marianne Wibberly — two of the film’s original writers. Mira Nair will be directing — she has previously worked with Disney on the film Queen of Katwe.

Woman Disney-bounding as Elsa makes magic for young fan

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via DisDining.com

True Disney fans understand that anyone is capable of making magic for someone else while they’re enjoying the parks. Stories about making and sharing the magic are often posted on social media about Guests who do selfless things like purchasing Mickey ears just to give them away to the next child they encounter in the parks.

Just last month, the Guest in this video stood in line for more than four hours to get a Figment popcorn bucket and then purchased only two of them–one for his mother for her birthday and one to give away to someone at the very end of the hours-long line of Guests just waiting to buy a bucket. He made the magic happen for a total stranger.

@tattoodisneydad

The Disney Spirit! #figmentday #popcornbucket #tattoodisneydad #purplepigment #disneycommunity #distok

♬ Figment – Whimsical

Now that’s true Disney magic, and seeing such a selfless act like this often restores our faith in our fellow man. We’ve come across another story of a Guest making magic for someone in the parks, and it just melts our hearts. Just watch!

In this beautiful example of kindness, a woman had spent her time at Magic Kingdom that day as Elsa. She hadn’t worn an Elsa costume, as adults aren’t permitted to wear costumes in the parks. But the woman was Disney bounding as Queen Elsa. (Disney bounding is a fun way to dress up as your favorite Disney or PIXAR character without wearing a costume.)

The woman nailed it with her Disney bounding ensemble that day because that evening, just before the park was about to close, a mother approached the woman and asked her for a huge favor.

The mother told the woman that her daughter believed her to be Queen Elsa. It was the family’s last day in the parks, and Queen Elsa was nowhere to be found. So even though Disney’s rules prohibit Guests from impersonating a character (by wearing costumes and also pretending to be Cast Members who work as characters), the Disney-bounding Queen Elsa just couldn’t refuse the little girl.

“I don’t think Mickey will mind just this once,” the voiceover in the video says.

woman and little girl at magic kingdom

The pretend-Queen Elsa posed for photos with the two little girls. You can feel the magic as you watch the video. And though the whole exchange only lasted a few minutes, the magic that the woman brought to those little girls that evening will be with them for a long time!

Young mom dies of cancer days before her Disney ‘bucket list’ trip with kids

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

Via DisDining.com

A family grieving the untimely loss of a young mother has had even more grief dealt to them after a “bucket list” trip for a terminally-ill mother and her babies never was to be.

Disney Parks are places of magic and wonder. And for some, Disney Parks are even places of refuge, offering Guests the opportunity to take a moment away from the stresses and realities of life. In this way, visiting a Disney Park is sometimes among the list of things a person hopes to do before he or she passes away–one last magical opportunity to get away, be close to friends and family, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Such was the case for a beautiful young mother in the United Kingdom named Sophie Collins who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2020 when she was 10 weeks pregnant with her second child. Sophie underwent a single mastectomy, and her procedure was followed by chemotherapy treatments–while she was still expecting. She delivered her daughter Delilah in April 2021.

sophie collins and delilah

But Sophie’s prognosis began to change as her cancer was deemed to be triple-negative breast cancer: a difficult-to-treat malignancy of the breast that doesn’t respond to hormone therapy. When she realized her time was growing shorter, Sophie decided to make spending time with her two daughters the topmost priority.

Donations were made so that the young mother and her daughters could visit the Disneyland Paris Resort before she passed away. The family planned a trip to the Disney Park via Hays Travel, who subsequently booked the trip through Disney and Eurostar, the high-speed train company that offers service from the United Kingdom to France via the Channel Tunnel.

sophie collins and daughter delilah

The trip was to take place during the first week of February this year. Sadly, at only 26 years old, Sophie passed away from complications to her cancer on January 19, leaving behind her two young daughters and a very distraught brother and mother. Before she died, attempts had been made at getting a refund for the trip they knew they wouldn’t be able to make, but to no avail.

“The travel agent met Sophie and knew that this holiday would be her last and something she had on her bucket list,” Matthew explained. “[The travel agent] tried her hardest for us to get a refund, but they kept saying no.”

After her memorial, Sophie’s brother, Matthew contacted Hays Travel to request a refund from Disney and from Eurostar. But the family only received a partial return on their trip: they were refunded for park tickets and accommodations, but they were denied a refund on the train tickets cost.

Matthew was angry with the reply.

“Disney and Eurostar have enraged me,” Matthew said. “We booked the package with Disney, and I don’t like being taken advantage of. We were told we could either move the date or request a refund, but I don’t think we would want to move the date.”

According to Eurostar, the entire package was booked by Hays Travel through Disney, and as such, Eurostar was not at liberty to refund the cost of the train tickets because they had not yet received payment from Disney for the tickets.

“This should have been clearly explained to the family,” said a spokesperson for Eurostar, “and we are very sorry for the additional stress that this has put on them.”

matthew and sister sophie collins

Matthew explained he was disappointed with Disney, saying he “expected more from them.”

“The money to come back is small change compared to what they make.”

Finally this week, Matthew says he got a piece of good news from Hays Travel. The agency called to say the entire cost of the trip booked through Disney would be refunded. He says that Hays Travel had been very kind at every point in the family’s journey with Sophie’s “bucket list” trip to Disney with her little girls.

“They were so understanding when we had to cancel,” he said. “They were still so kind.”

We’re hoping that Matthew, his mother, and his nieces can now begin the process of healing and moving forward with their lives since Sophie’s passing. According to Matthew, the family has many good memories of his sister to carry them.

“We are a very close family,” Matthew said. “So Sophie’s passing will leave a huge part of our hearts missing. She really has touched so many lives. Even the people who didn’t know her followed her journey.”