Walt Disney Company – Page 21 – A Walk With The Mouse

Iger Responds to Rumors of His Disney Return

Posted on February 1, 2022February 1, 2022 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Former Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer, Bob Iger, recently said goodbye to his long-time run with the company at the end of 2021. Rumors among the Disney fandom have hoped for Iger’s return but these are now squashed with a recent interview where Iger confirmed the rumors were “ridiculous.”

The Walt Disney Company CEO, Robert Iger arrives for the World premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 22, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

Iger passed on the Chief Executive Officer reins to Bob Chapek in February 2020 but made his official exit from the company on December 31, 2021. The current CEO, Bob Chapek, hasn’t had the greatest of reputations as Iger left big shoes to fill.

While Chapek has had to endure the uphill battle the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the company, he has turned some Disney fans’ favorites into negatives such as the complimentary FastPass service into the money-making Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane service. He has also taken away small, but important Disney Resort Guest experiences, such as Disney’s Magical Express and complimentary MagicBands.

But, no two CEOs are the same. And while Disney fans petitioned to fire Bob Chapek, their hopes were that Bob Iger would stay on to continue his positive work with Disney. Well, Iger sat down with New York Times for an interview, squashing any hope of that dream becoming a reality.

Bob Iger’s recent retirement from Disney was discussed among many other things with New York Times interviewer, Kara Swisher, just three weeks into his retirement. A full podcast and transcript are available via NY Times with the comments about return as Disney’s CEO below.

The NY Times interviewer, Kara Swisher mentions to Bob Iger, “There are rumors that you could become Disney’s C.E.O. again.” Iger’s response is, “Well, that’s ridiculous.” With that Swisher says, “Ridiculous.” Iger adds, “I was C.E.O. for a long time. You can’t go home again. I’m gone.” Swisher replies, “Really? It’s happened before. Starbucks?” Iger continues with, “I gave my I.D. up, my name tag up”… “My office, my email address— it’s all gone.” Swisher adds, “Right, and all the headaches that come with it. Would you want to be C.E.O. of any other company? Would you think about doing that?” Iger solidifies his lack of interest in running a company with, “No. I think if I wanted to run a company, I’d still be running Disney. No. No, I did that.”

Well, there you have it Disney fans. Confirmation that any rumors of Bob Iger’s return are completely off the table. Iger has noted in previous interviews that he is “excited about life after Disney“, and honestly we can’t blame him and thank him for all he did for the company during his tenure!

Could Disney Lose Copyright Protection For Many Beloved Characters?

Posted on January 3, 2022January 3, 2022 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

As we enter the year 2022, The Walt Disney Company will be facing some intriguing potential battles due to copyright law.

Some of Disney’s most cherished characters are set to enter the public domain and perhaps the most popular among those are the Winnie the Pooh characters that originally appeared in the books written by A.A. Milne. The characters, based on Milne’s son Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals, include Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Roo.

A report from USA Today reads:

Disney acquired the rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh books and their characters from Milne’s estate back in 1961 and has spun them into a multibillion-dollar industry. Investors might be surprised to find that Winnie the Pooh and friends are among the most lucrative in Disney’s catalog.

Winnie the Pooh is, in fact, among the most valuable media franchises in the world, having accumulated revenues of more than $80 billion over the years, putting it neck-and-neck with Mickey Mouse. While estimates vary, some believe that Disney currently generates annual revenue of between $3 billion and $6 billion from Pooh and friends.

All is not lost for House of Mouse

It’s important to note a few important legal distinctions. Beginning in 2022, Disney won’t be able to sue anyone that uses A.A. Milne’s original Winnie-the-Pooh stories as inspiration, adapting the fictional bear for new projects or original creative works. The original line drawings from the book, penned by E.H. Shepard, will also be fair game.

Disney can, however, go after anyone that tries to use Disney’s version of Winnie the Pooh and the trademarked characters it created based on Milne’s stories. The House of Mouse also maintains the rights to Milne’s books and characters created after 1926, including Tigger, who first appeared in 1928.

There is a chance that the Walt Disney Co. could attempt to extend the copyright on Winnie the Pooh, but many legal experts believe that would be a longshot.

Perhaps of greater concern for the Walt Disney Company is the fact that Steamboat Willie, the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, is set to enter the public domain in 2024.

As Winnie the Pooh and his friends enter the public domain, Disney fans should not expect that anything different will happen with the characters from the company other than what we’ve already seen. However, what this could mean is that other companies outside of Disney could begin to look at ways to profit off the characters. They will not be able to use the Disney trademarks but would have to make their own versions.

Upon Iger’s Departure, Disney Suffering From “Crisis of Confidence”

Posted on December 26, 2021December 26, 2021 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Disney+

Via DisDining.com

When Bob Iger announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, he promised that there would be a smooth transition as Bob Chapek took over the role. Well, one pandemic, thousands of layoffs, multiple theme park shutdowns, Cast Member strikes, and multiple lawsuits, the past nearly two years have been anything but smooth.

Unfortunately, company executives and shareholders are seeing that things are quite rocky and are leaving and selling their shares to get out. According to a new report from Bloomberg, company stocks have tumbled 16% this year, and the investment company Morgan Stanley says that Disney is suffering from a “crisis of confidence.”

Per Bloomberg:

Wall Street, meanwhile, is growing skeptical that the company’s flagship streaming service, Disney+, will hit Chapek’s target of as many as 260 million subscribers in 2024. Disney shares are down about 16% this year, heading toward their worst annual performance since 2008. Morgan Stanley said the stock is suffering from a “crisis of confidence.”
“The biggest problem that Disney is facing is Disney+ right now,” said Porter Bibb, a veteran media investor. “It’s not a profit segment. It’s kind of stalling in terms of subscribers. And it’s a question mark whether you can put a supremely popular and winning streamer together with comic book characters that keep getting recycled over and over again…
Bill Smead, a Phoenix-based money manager who has owned Disney stock for 20 years, recently sold all of his 191,747 shares. He thinks Chapek will have a tough time delivering the kind of returns Iger did.
“You never want to be the coach who follows John Wooden,” Smead said, referring to the UCLA basketball legend.

While Disney+ subscription numbers have not climbed as high as the company would have liked, they are still banking on drawing more people in as they add more original programming on the Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm ends. Disney recently announced at a shareholder meeting that between Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, the company has approximately 180 million subscribers.

Bob Iger’s last day at The Walt Disney Company is December 31, 2o21, and 2022 will mark the first time that Chapek will take the reins on his own, so it remains to be seen whether he can bring back the confidence that the Disney name once instilled in the stock market and shareholders.

Toys for Tots Foundation Recognizes Disney for Support

Posted on December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

One of the things we really appreciate about the Walt Disney Company and the hard working cast members is how active they are in charities here in central Florida and beyond. We’re glad to see Disney being recognized by the Toys for Tots Foundation and encourage you to help spread the magic by getting involved as well.

From a Disney Cast Member;

National leadership of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation paid a special visit to meet with Disney VoluntEARS Dec. 18 as they prepared to greet hundreds of families in need who lined their cars up on a warm Orlando morning outside a toy distribution center. The surprise visit was planned to allow the Foundation leadership to officially recognize Disney’s enduring support for Toys for Tots that dates back to the beginning of the iconic nonprofit.

Toys for Tots began in 1947 in Hollywood as the brain child of Marine Corps Reserve Maj. Bill Hendricks and his wife Diane. Maj. Hendricks, an executive in the entertainment industry, was friends with many celebrities who he approached to help support the newly created Marine Toys for Tots program. As a personal friend, Walt Disney designed the first Toys for Tots poster which included a miniature three-car train that was subsequently adopted as the Toys for Tots logo that is still in use today.

In recognition of this decade-long relationship, retired Marine Lt. Gen. Jim Laster, president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and members of his leadership team joined Mickey Mouse to thank Disney cast members during a special recognition ceremony held inside the distribution warehouse.

“Disney has been our foundation’s longest and most loyal supporter for more than 70 years,” Lt. Gen. Laster said. “Our foundation is built upon the dream of one Marine to make a difference for families in need during the holidays and the unwavering support we received from legends like Walt Disney and the company he founded.”

Ongoing support for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has been part of Disney’s legacy of support for the U.S. military dating back to the earliest days of The Walt Disney Company. And, in gratitude for the incredible work Toys for Tots has done for families across the nation and in Central Florida, members of the Disney SALUTE veteran affinity group presented Lt. Gen Laster and his team with SALUTE military challenge coins which are offered in recognition of a job well done.

This year, Disney’s longstanding relationship with Toys for Tots continued with the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive – now extended through Dec. 24 on shopDisney.com. The company kicked off the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive with a $500,000 donation to Toys for Tots to help provide toys to children and inspire hope where it’s needed most this holiday season. As part of this donation, $50,000 directly supported efforts for the Central Florida community. This year, more than 10,000 toys were donated at Walt Disney World Resort, making a world of difference for children and families in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

Walt Disney World Resort has supported the 2021 drive in many ways including in-person donation drop-boxes at Disney Springs, in backstage locations and at special cast events throughout the entirety of the drive. Hundreds of Disney VoluntEARS also helped by taking shifts to sort & distribute the donated toys at local Toys for Tots warehouses for the past several weeks, collectively volunteering more than 2,000 hours.

Many of the VoluntEARS working during the Toys for Tots Foundation leadership visit were members of Disney”s SALUTE Veteran affinity group.

“It was a great day, supporting Toys for Tots and helping make this time of year special for everyone in our Central Florida community,” said Lisa Arney, Senior Manager with Disney Signature Experiences Communications and veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves. “I’m glad I could share this experience with my daughters who could see the benefits of volunteering and its positive impact of on our community first hand.”

These efforts are among the many ways Walt Disney World Resort gives back to the community, joining the recent $3 million in grant donations to important causes in the community made in honor of the 50^th Anniversary celebration.

Bob Chapek Doesn’t Like Being Thought of As a “Cost-Cutter”

Posted on December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

To say that Bob Chapek’s tenure as CEO of The Walt Disney Company has been tumultuous might be an understatement. Chapek has dealt with massive unpopularity — which includes a petition to get him fired that has amassed over 75,000 signatures — as fans see Disney eliminate free programs like FastPass and replace them with paid ones like Disney Genie+, as well as increase prices for something they feel is declining in value.

In his defense, Chapek became CEO right before Disney — and the world — experienced an unprecedented disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced Disney to shut down all of its theme parks across the globe, and the company laid off and furloughed tens of thousands of employees. The Company has stated that COVID had a massive impact on them as they lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but fans are seemingly fed up with that excuse.

Chapek continued to gain the ire of Disney fans when Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson sued the company, claiming that they violated her contract when they chose to release Black Widow on Disney+ the same day they released it in theaters. Johansson and Disney went back and forth, but eventually came to an amicable settlement and Johansson will be returning to the company to work on the new Tower of Terror movie.

Disney fans around the world are constantly referring to Chapek as a “bean-counter” — someone who places extreme emphasis on controlling budget and expenditures — and they also see him as a cost-cutter who is creating a company that is charging more while continuing to give less. Chapek likes to think of himself as having his eye on all parts of The Walt Disney Company and dislikes the “bean counter” and “cost cutter” reputation he is gaining.

According to a recent article in Financial Times:

The notion that he is merely a bean-counter irks Chapek. “I’ve seen creativity in this company through every lens possible,” he says in an exclusive interview. He compares running the theme parks with observing “a focus group every day” that gave him a unique perspective on “what makes the Walt Disney Company so different from any other media company”. He adds, “It ties us to our ultimate constituent, which is the consumer.”

In addition to Disney fans not being the biggest fans of Chapek, there have also been reports about tension between Chapek and former Disney CEO Bob Iger — who recently warned that Disney may face trouble for what he perceives as the current lack of innovation and lack of strategy.

Iger recently fully stepped away from The Walt Disney Company, where he was Executive Chairman after stepping down as CEO in 2020. His departure saw Susan Arnold — who has been with the company for almost 15 years — take over as Chairperson of the Board.