The Mouse under Attack revisited

First off, thank you, thank you, thank you, to my buddy and Museum Volunteer – Joseph!!!  “Storming the Magic Kingdom” is a marvelous account of the attempted hostile takeover of Disney in 1984.  So again Joseph, THANK YOU!!! 

Side Note:

After some travails with one of Amazon’s affiliate sellers, they came through on the second attempt to acquire to the book.  For those who use Amazon’s affiliate sellers frequently, I’d be cautious buying anything from Charleston Wholesale.  While they have a good rating on Amazon, I find the seller to be unreliable, temperamental, with somewhat questionable ethics, and an extreme dislike of the Postal Service.  Buy from them at your own risk.

                                                                                                                                                          

I have been asked by a few people if studying the history of The Walt Disney Company from the management angle destroys the magic for me?  It doesn’t, in fact it actually enhances it.  At least for me, when you learn of the dysfunctional executive management throughout its history, I am in reality more impressed by the “magic” that the company manages to create.  I seem to be someone who has been able to separate the appreciation and enjoyment of fantasy with the need for, and understanding of, reality.  When I’m seeing a Disney movie, or am in one of the theme parks, I don’t give a second thought to how the companies are run, or the personalities of the individuals involved.  If they can allow me, even for a few moments, to escape the bonds of reality and experience enjoyment, I am great with that idea.  But, that doesn’t discount the amazing story of how Disney to where it is today, or how it almost didn’t…  I find that part of the magic very interesting as well.

“Storming the Magic Kingdom” by John Taylor is an account of the individuals who attempted and in some cases succeeded in exploiting the effects of dysfunctional executive management of a company, and management’s efforts to thwart hostile takeover.  Any account of the many hostile takeovers, that have occurred, would be the same.  Some of you may be thinking that I’m being overly negative when I assert the claim of dysfunctionality, it’s not intended to be negative, but rather matter of fact.  Whether it be family, friends, non-profit or for-profit business, any where there are parties great than one involved in control, ego and personal agenda becomes involved.  Dominant egos tend to take or try to take control of the situation.  Supported by “Storming the Magic Kingdom” and several other tomes (check the side bar links for these resources) I have read about Disney management the following is my conjecture:

So what led to this attempted siege of Magic Kingdom’s castle?

The groundwork of this siege was actually laid when the company was started.  With the co-founders being brothers there was, at its inception, a dynamic to the company operation not found in most business.  Add to that, the personalities of the two brother being so diametrically opposed.  Walt Disney, the very gregarious, effusive, and the creative part of the relationship.  Roy Disney, the quiet, reserved, behind the scene, financial mastermind of the business.  To paraphrase Walt, he was a little bee, flying from garden to meadow pollinating the flower (the company’s creative project).  What hasn’t been clearing communicated was Roy’s position of rather quietly following behind Walt, creating and managing the financial requirement needed to allow these flowers (projects) to blossom.  This worked, and worked quite well, as the company began to experience success and grow, but the company grew to the point where this relationship began to create strains on the brothers’ relationship.  Had the brothers been just friends instead of family, we can speculate that the friends would just part ways, and what we have come to know as The Walt Disney Company would have most likely ceased to exist.  But, instead, the brothers soldiered on; Walt building and mentoring his cadre of creative people, and Roy doing the same for his operations people. 

Any hard core Disney fan has heard the company classifications of Walt’s Boys and Roy’s Boys.  Unless someone produces some, as yet unknown to me, recordings or personal notes between Walt and Roy, we will only have the recollections of the people around Walt and Roy to rely on.  I’m not knocking any of these people, but ask any attorney; some of the most unreliable evidence in a court case is eyewitness testimony.  You may see or hear something, but have no idea of the context of the situation.  With that in mind, one simple little comment may have been the catalyst which ultimately became the event and theatrics of 1984.  It is well publicized that Card Walker claimed that Walt once referred to Roy E. Disney as his “idiot nephew.”  Was Walt making a little joke at his nephew’s expense, was he taking a jab at his brother during one of their squabbles, did he really believe his nephew was an idiot.  If he were still with us today, I relatively sure that Card would say he knew Walt well enough to know his intent, but did he, really?  I don’t know of any of Walt’s other boys who have made similar claims to have heard Walt make comments like this about Roy E.  What I have learned about Walt from my research is that he was not a person to filter his feeling that much.  As far as I can tell, if Walt did make reference to his nephew’s intelligence to any of his other boys, they had the discretion not to repeat it to anyone else, a short coming, in my opinion, in Card’s character.

One of the key points I took from “Storming the Magic Kingdom” was Ray Watson acknowledging that Disney had no acknowledged corporate plan in place when he became the Chairman of the Board.  Not surprising, given what I’ve address in the previous paragraph, and Walt’s Boys and Roy’s Boy trying continue management as they’d been mentored by their respective co-founder.  What I don’t think was understood was that Walt and Roy, as brothers, had (my conjecture) an unspoken and therefore un-communicated plan under which they operated.  Even as the rife open and grew between them, this unacknowledged plan allowed the company to continue to flourish.  Unfortunately for the boys, this is something that can’t really be mentored.  Once Roy passed away, after the opening of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the unique dynamic of the Disney Brothers intuitive relationship at the helm was completely lost.

Don Tatum as CEO and Card Walker as COO, lacking the co-founding brothers relationship and without any real plan, where handicapped from the start.  By all accounts, Card became the dominant force in Disney leadership, and with the oft heard mantra, “What would Walt Do?”  …established himself as the protector of Walt Disney’s legacy.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, in protecting his mentor’s legacy, he lost touch with Walt’s forward looking philosophy.  While Walt had, in effect, move on from the studio, to the development of his theme park in the early 50’s, even though the studio was in capable hands he continued to monitor and inject his creative input when needed.  If you look at the movies produced by the studio in 50’s and 60’s, under Walt’s guidance, I see offering, that while rather formulaic and holding to his family entertainment values, were in fact evolving as the audiences began to change.  A look at movies produced after Walt’s death in 1966, and you find a listing of offering that, while holding true to Walt’s legacy and the Disney brand, failed to evolve with changing family entertainment demands, resulting in declining revenues and hence reductions in offerings, and ultimately the perceived importance of the studio to the overall success of the company.

As much as I don’t like to do it, and find it hard to fault the man, in the noble effort to protect and preserve Walt Disney’s legacy, Card Walker almost destroyed it.

When next we meet, I’ll be revealing how I still think Ron Miller is someone how deserves much more recognition for his contributions to The Walt Disney Company then he has received, and how two rather introverted family members played roles important roles in the outcome of the siege on the Magic Kingdom.

In-between now and then watch for a couple of trip reports for upcoming events.

Have a Disney-rific Day!!!

Your comments or questions are always welcome.  If you have a correction or something you think I should look at in my research, please feel free to contact me at mr.grumpyguy@gmail.com

You can find us on Facebook at:  Discovering Disney History on FB

WDFM – The Art of Tyrus Wong

The session today (June 11, 2011) at the Walt Disney Family Museum was “The Art of Tyrus Wong.”  While Tyrus’ tenure at the Disney Brothers’ Studio, later to become the Walt Disney Studio, was short, it has had a lasting impact on artists and animators to this day.

Disney Legend Tyrus Wong was born on October 25, 1910, and we are fortunate that he is still with us today at 100.  So fortunate, so, that we were actually graced with his presences at today presentation.  While waiting outside the Museum theater, waiting for the afternoon program to start, those of us who arrive early to secure good seats – actually there are no bad seats at this venue, but we do like to get down front – were treated to an early appearance by Mr. Wong as he entered the theater.  Crowd of a about a dozen and half people erupted in applause has Tyrus enter lobby to theater.  At 100, he walked in with the help of a cane, but walking just the same.  Alert and attentive Tyrus, seeming somewhat surprised by this show of affection, stopped momentarily to acknowledge this small crowd before enter the theater proper.  I hope that I am lucky enough at age 70, an event that is not too far off for me, to be as vital as Tyrus appears at 100.  All I can say is, “WOW!!!”  For a little more in-depth profile of Tyrus Wong; Tyrus worked at the Disney Studio for a very short time (1938 to 1941), with his primary contribution being the inspiration artist for the “Bambi” feature.  He started at studio as an Inbetweener.  Inbetweeners will draw in whatever frames are still missing in between the other animators' drawings, and Tyrus noted during an earlier interview with Charles, that he did not enjoy this work.  But, after one of the other animators saw some of Tyrus artwork and took it to Walt, Walt decided that this was exactly the look he wanted for Bambi which was currently in production.  Interestingly, Tyrus was no recollection of ever actually meeting Walt.  After leaving Disney, Tyrus went on to design greeting and Christmas cards, and worked at Warner Bros. from 1942 to 1968 as a production illustrator drawing set designs and storyboard for several movies. Including a few John Wayne movies, which will no doubt please my youngest daughter.  I will repeat what I say earlier;  at 100 Tyrus is an amazingly alert and vibrant individual, the only thing I can say is WOW!!!

Waiting for the theater to open, I got the opportunity to visit with some of the friend I’ve made as a Museum member, like Jeff from Mousetalgia.  Jeff was the 25% of the Mousetalgia crew who made it to this session, as the other 75%, Dave, Becky, and Kristen were at a meet-up at Disneyland.  Thank you Jeff for penning me for the second time, Kristen will always be my first, but, yours’ is just as special.  But to make our wait in line even better, I discovered that the gentleman standing right beside me in line was none other than Disney authority Don Peri, author of such books as Working with Walt: Interviews with Disney Artists, Walt Disney's First Lady of Imagineering Harriet Burns with Harriet’s daughter Pam Burns-Clair, and most recently, Working with Disney: Interviews with Animators, Producers, and Artists.  Getting the chance to spend time talking with a Disney authority of Don’s caliber was just one more amazing opportunity in what has become a seeming less string of amazing opportunities.  Thanks Don for spending a few minutes few me, and thank you Michael for introducing me.

The afternoon’s presentation started off with, the Museum’s Director of Visitor Experience and Interpretation, Donna Tuggle introducing the session Moderation, Charles Solomon, and announcing to the audience – for those not lucky enough to be in the lobby early – that Tyrus Wong and his daughter were special attendees for today’s session.  Charles Solomon is a prominent critic and authority on Animation and its history, and considered a notable and very knowledgeable Disney authority.  We had the honor of attending another session moderated by Charles, where Disney Legends Alice Davis and Marge Champion this last December.

After his foreword; Charles proceeded to introduce the two guest panelists, joining him on the dais – Ralph Eggleston, and Paul Felix.  While you may not recognize the names, I am sure you will be acquainted with their works.  These are two truly talented artist.

Ralph’s filmography includes such Pixar productions as:

·   Up (2009 - Art Director)

·   WALL-E (2008 - Art Director / Production Designer)

·   The Incredibles (2004 - Art Director)

·   Finding Nemo (2003 - Production Designer)

·   Monsters, Inc. (2001 - Visual Development / Story)

·   For the Birds (2000 - Director / voice of Bird)

·   Toy Story (1995 - Art Director)

Paul worked in animation at the Disney Channel, his credits include such programs as:

·   Aladdin (TV series)

·   The Little Mermaid (TV series)

·   Darkwing Duck (TV series)

·   TaleSpin (TV series)

And in Features Animation at Disney, his credits include:

·   Winnie the Pooh (2011 - Art Director)

·   Bolt (2008 – Art Director)

·   Lilo & Stitch (2002 – Production Designer)

·   Brother Bear (2003 - Visual Development Artist)

·   The Emperor's New Groove (2000 – Production Designer)

·   Tarzan (1999 - Principal Location Designer)

·   Mulan (1998 - Character Designer/Visual Development) 

Charles started the session, talking about some of Tyrus’ inspiration as an artist, and show some slides of the Chinese art.  This is where writing becomes difficult; it is a challenge to describe for you the breath taking images that appeared on the screen throughout this session.  I have always been a fan of the Oriental art forms, there is, for me, a natural serenity in the images portrayed, images that emphasize nature and the environment and minimize the importance or dominance of humankind in nature.  Charles went on to display some of Tyrus’ drawings, and any attempt by me to sufficiently describe these works, would be feeble at best.  While these images that, at first blush, may appear to be simple and lacking in detail, they are full of color, depth, and action, with your eye draw right to artist’s desired location in the frame.  It is a truly amazing talent and even more amazing to me, the effect on one’s mind as you observe these creations.  But, instead of this meager attempt to describe this man’s art, I’ve managed to find a web link for Tyrus Wong images where you can see it for yourself.

As the presentation proceeded, Ralph and Paul both spoke of Tyrus’ use of color (warm and cold) and framing a scene to perfection with the use of voids and negative space.  They have both been inspired by Tyrus in their own art, and display examples of where they were inspired.  Ralph even relate how he, and his director of photography on Finding Nemo, made many Xerox copies of Tyrus’ Bambi drawings and hung this all round their office.  They were not sure how they were going to show their underwater world, and studied these Bambi drawings trying to figure out how Tyrus conveyed his images.  Ralph then show us some of his drawings and clips from Nemo, demonstrating how he tried (quite successfully IMO) to emulate Ty’s work.  Paul showed us some of his work, including a watercolor of his from Lilo and Stitch.  Charles pointed out how, when using watercolors or pastels, one wrong stroke and you have to start over.  These are not easy mediums to work in, and again, these are two truly talented artists, as well as the amazing Tyrus Wong.

I believe I have said this before, but it bears repeating;  I now watch animated features and cartoons with a completely new appreciation, know the real effort and talent it takes to bring them to us.

Your comments or questions are always welcome.  If you have a correction or something you think I should look at in my research, please feel free to contact me at mr.grumpyguy@gmail.com

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Enter Stage Right, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells

I started this piece about a month ago…  Then my live aside of my Disney passions intervened. Do not fear, I have not lost that passion, I am still reading, researching, and recreating the Disney life.  But, until I can find a way to earn a living with my passion, I must find other ways to support my family, and my Disney obsession.  Since I’ve been pursuing those efforts, it has significantly reduced the time available for my writing.

I’m going to go ahead and post this piece, but, you should know, there’s more to come on the Disney hostile takeover attempt ’84.  I was recently been pointed to some additional documentation I did not have when I originally wrote the takeover pieces… Thank You Joseph, I am really looking forward to reading this new material.   

So in 1984, after a fending off a hostile takeover attempt which caused uproar with other stockholders, Ray Watson and Ron Miller were shown the door in favor of the management team of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells.  Michael Eisner was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board (COB), with Frank Wells coming on board as the President and  Chief Operating Officer (COO).  And finally, Roy E. Disney was appointed to the position of Vice Chairman of the Board.  While it is not a publicly confirmed or acknowledged fact, I believe the appointment of Roy to Vice COB was an effort designed to provide some stability and cohesion in the organization as a tie back to the founding family of the company, after having just transited a very tumultuous period in the company’s history.

For a few brief profiles of the principles in this new era of Disney management:

Michael Eisner worked briefly at NBC and CBS before being hired at ABC by then VP of Prime Time Programming, Barry Diller.  When Diller left ABC to become the Chairman of Paramount Pictures, he recruited Eisner away from ABC to become the movie studio’s president and CEO.  Under Eisner’s leadership, the studio produced such movie hits as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the Star Trek film franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Beverly Hills Cop, and hit TV shows such as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Cheers and Family Ties.  After Diller left Paramount in 1984, Eisner was expecting to be promoted to the studio chief’s position.  When that did not happen, Michael left Paramount as well to pursue other opportunities.  That new opportunity turned out to be head of Walt Disney Productions.

Frank Wells, a 1953 Rhodes Scholar obtaining his BA at Oxford University, had worked for Warner Brothers as Vice President, President, and Vice Chairman until his departure in 1982.  Frank, ever the adventurer and avid mountain climber, missed his goal of climbing the Seven Summits by one.  Bad weather had forced in climbing party to give up one day before reaching the summit of Mount Everest.  One thing that I learned in researching Frank Wells, Frank’s love of mountain climbing has been honored at the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim.  Scattered around a scene at the beginning of the ride is exploration equipment marked with the words “Wells Expedition.” Frank’s life was cut short Easter of 1994 in a helicopter crash while returning from a Nevada ski trip.

And finally, as he will become even more instrumental the Disney story, now is a good time to give a brief profile of Roy E. Disney.  Roy E. is the only child of company co- founder Roy O. Disney and his wife Edna.  Roy E. joined Walt Disney Productions in 1954 as an assistant editor working on the “True Life Adventures” Film series.  Roy also worked and a writer, director, and producer on many other Disney productions.  But, he is probably most well known for the two significant changes in management at the company his father and uncle founded.  He was instrumental in Eisner’s ascension to the top of what has become The Walt Disney Company, and as essential in Michael Eisner being shown the exit.

I’ll be doing a more in depth profile of each of these gentlemen in later as I explore this period of the Disney history, along with a few other notable individuals from the Eisner era.  What I have seen to date, reads like a corporate soapbox, and is quite interesting, at least in my opinion.  I’ve also recently acquire two new tomes on Walt Disney himself, one about rarely heard stories, which I am looking forward to reading.  And, one that gives me hope as a writer that I too may someday be able to publish a book on my passion.  So you can expect some revisiting Walt’s story.

In the meantime, I’m going to try to catch up on some of the recent events at the Walt Disney Family Museum as time is available, and you can expect a couple of reports on Disney events coming this summer.  But, the time requirements of my other endeavors will still affect the time available of my writing, so I ask for your patience. If you like to keep up to date on the post to this blog, you can join the Facebook group I created for you, Discovering Disney History on FB

Thanks, and have a Disney-rific Day!  J

Your comments or questions are always welcome.  If you have a correction or something you think I should look at in my research, please feel free to contact me at mr.grumpyguy@gmail.com