Subsonic Radio

Which one of these CEOs and their leadership team do you feel had/has Walt's original dream more at heart or in their mind while considering changes for Disney Corporation?

Michael Eisner or Robert Iger?

That's a very tough question. I'm sure you're going to get "neither" for many of the answers. Isner certainly did a lot during his tenure (some good - some bad), and I doubt if Walt ever dreamed of owning TV networks (ABC/ ESPN).

I think Walt would be proud that the Disney brand is so highly thought of, and I'm sure he'd be proud that the corporation is successful.

But, he probably would be disappointed at some of the mistakes that were made. And I'm sure that he would agree with many of us that it appears that corporate greed seems to be dominating the decision making at his company right now.

But, the parks are still wonderful and the movies are too. Does that credit go to Eisner and Iger?

That's like when Stephen Colbert forces victims to choose whether George W. Bush is a great president or the greatest president...

One vote for "none of the above".

I think Walt would be proud that the Disney brand is so highly thought of, and I'm sure he'd be proud that the corporation is successful.

Argh. I think he'd be outraged that the brand has gone from meaning "cutting edge" to "utterly bland". I know so many people who are shocked that Walt is one of my heroes, because they associate Disney with pablum.

I agree with neither, but if I had to pick, I would go with Eisner.

I am very disappointed with how Disney has replaced "magic" with money.
- They are the only corporation of their size where I have to pay for the call on my dime to make a reservation.
- They have taken away VMK after taking our money for codes and tried to tell us it was a promotion.
- They continue to raise prices for park tickets, rooms, food, etc, but the guest experience is not getting any better. Mousekeeping is average at best, the transportation waits are long, the parks are overly crowded at most times, the processes for hard-ticket events are poorly organized...I could go on
- They changed their dining plan to remove the pre-paid tipping and appetizer (about a $20-$40 value) but reduced the cost by $1. What an insult to the guest.

I don't think either man cared/cares about Walt's dream....sadly all they care about is their bonus. But overall, I think Eisner cared more.

actually i just know about eisner , i didn't here about the other one

You have to credit Eisner with many of the good things that Disney has today. In the Florida parks alone you had rapid expansion at the beginning of the Disney Decade that saw the arrival of MGM and Pleasure Island, not to mention a ton of great new resorts. True things have gotten a little crazy and I miss things like the sleepy Disney Village Marketplace but things would really be different without Eisner.

Seems to me Disney is going through a serious set of growing pains in trying to become a more "mainstream" company. By that, I mean that Walt started a company that was focused primarily on large-scale, yet intimate, entertainment. It appears both execs have been attempting to move the company toward mass entertainment - period. The intimacy of Disney is slowly leaving, since intimacy in a large park is not only hard to maintain, but it's nearly impossible to garner Wall-Street-friendly profits while maintaining family-friendly ticket prices and a dedicated service staff.

In short, I don't really think either is leading Disney the way Walt was headed in the past, but then again, the corporate marketplace is much different now than when Walt was running things. I hate to pass judgement when I don't know I could do any better...