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Five Days Left

Five days left in the most creative, profitable, and controversial rule of outgoing CEO Michael Eisner over the Walt Disney Company. It looks like he’ll be going out with a quiet ‘exit stage left‘, which is anti-climatic after the tectonic battles that have been fought over the direction of the company these last dozen years or so.

Mr. Eisner has yet to disclose his plans. His contract says he can
remain a Disney consultant. In an interview earlier this year with
Charlie Rose, the public television show host, Mr. Eisner said he hoped
to remain in entertainment, perhaps producing Broadway shows or making
movies. He has an apartment in New York and has long expressed interest
in the theater there.

In my opinion, this would be a wonderful thing if it happened. Eisner has always seemed like a frustrated Broadway producer to me. He could join his ‘friend’ Tom Schumacher.

Now it’s time for Robert Iger to official take the helm of the ship, although he’s had the bridge for the last five months or so. As I mentioned before, I hope Iger immerses himself in some of the rich history of this company he now claims stewardship of. Taking a few quick steps to restore some of the ‘quality’ show at the parks and fixing the story issues at Feature Animation (heck bring back some 2-D shorts… you still have Deja on staff) would go a long way to restoring confidence in the company among the average fan.

So Mssrs Eisner and Iger. Best of luck to you both in the next phase of your careers. Remember what Walt Disney said, ‘Quality will win out.’

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