đ Disney's Most Epic Battle: Off Screen
The story of Disney is more thrilling than anything Disney has ever made. A story worth watching on screen. Disney, will you take cue from your legacy?
This is the story of a banished king and his revenge. A story of friendship and betrayal. This is a story of tragedy and redemption, ego and pride.
Does it end with a âhappily ever afterâ?Â
Well⊠ReadOn!
đ„ The Beginning
The story begins in 1976 when Michael Eisner was appointed the President of Paramount Studios.Â
While Eisner was working at the top, there was someone working as a low level assistant - Katzenberg.Â
Eight years went by.
Katzenberg rose through the ranks to become President of Production under Eisner.Â
But, Eisner was not in luck. He was due for a promotion, when a corporate reshuffle at Paramount Studios denied him the opportunity that he deserved.Â
While Paramount Studios' door closed, another opened: Disney.Â
Paramount's loss was Disneyâs gain.Â
Disney was in constant turmoil ever since the death of Walt Disney in 1966. His legacy continued breathing life to the otherwise dormant company that suffered in the absence of a strong leader.
It had become the target of several hostile takeovers (where outsiders attempted to take control of a company against the companyâs will).
It was under those conditions that Roy Disney, Walt Disneyâs nephew, brought Eisner to take charge of the Disney ship. But Eisner didnât come alone. He also brought Katzenberg along by giving him the bait of heading an entire division.Â
After all, Katzenberg managed to pull off anything that was required of him. He would definitely be a great asset for Disney.
What he didn't know was that their appointment would change the entire course of cinematic history.Â
So, what happened?
Well, it depends on whose lens you are wearing.
đ The Katzenberg Lens
Eisner gave Katzenberg the division that he had very little hope from: animated movies.Â
This division had not given Disney a hit in years. So, he offered Katzenberg 2% of the profits from all the new animated movies that were to be made under Katzenbergâs leadership.Â
What followed was beyond Eisner's imagination.Â
Katzenberg supervised the development of remarkable movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.Â
He vowed to make one animation movie every year (in those days this was unheard of).Â
Animation soon comprised almost a third of Disneyâs profits!Â
With his hardwork and determination, Katzenberg changed the history of cinema.
They say the world can change in the blink of an eye. Thatâs precisely what happened with Katzenberg.Â
In 1994, an unfortunate helicopter crash killed the then COO and President of Walt Disney Co, Frank Wells. His place had to be filled immediately. The world was expecting Katzenberg to become the successor.Â
But, Roy Disney and Eisner wanted their bite. Furious with this corporate politics, Katzenberg resigned and launched the legendary DreamWorks alongside Steven Speilberg and David Geffen.Â
DreamWorks was Katzenbergâs revenge against Disney.Â
This revenge-driven studio gave us legendary films such as Shrek, Trolls, Kung-Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar, and The Boss Baby.
And, what about Eisner?
Remember the 2% profit that he promised to Katzenberg when he brought him to Disney?Â
Well, it came to bite him in the ass as Katzenberg filed a suit against Disney. Disney ended up coughing about $250 million because of Eisnerâs decisions.
This blunder was quickly followed by another blunder. The position that Eisner denied Katzenberg was filled by Eisnerâs friend, Mr. Michael Ovitz. But he was fired too! And, this cost Disney another $100 million.
Now, this wasnât the end of Eisner's dark times. Remember how Eisner and Roy Disney colluded to oust Katzenberg?
Well, tragically a few years later, both the men were drawn in a battle against each other. Eisner pushed Roy Disney to retire from the Board. Roy Disney did not go down alone, he took Eisner with him. 45% of Disneyâs shareholders were rallied by Roy Disney to withhold their votes to re-elect Eisner. Eventually, Eisner resigned.
Eisner looks like the classic Disney villain, no? Let's look at the other side of the story if this image is trueâŠ
 đ The Eisner Lens
Allegedly, the entire animation animation department suffered under Katzenberg. Animators worked day in, day out at the cost of their health. They had no time for family, no time for a social life.Â
Katzenberg didnât care. The department, as described by an animator in the documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty, âwas being driven by a maniac at the wheel with his foot on the accelerator, driving full speed in a very crowded cityâ.
You could say that itâs dedication like this that makes success stories, but this wasnât entirely true in Katzenbergâs case. The decisions that he took, the movies that he passionately supported, often , often did not perform as well as he would have wanted to.Â
The ones who worked with him doubted his taste.
And whatâs often overlooked is that Katzenberg was the Chairman of Walt Disney Studios. He was responsible for all the filmed entertainment that went out from the studio and not just the animated ones. Yet, for every successful animated movie that he made, there was also a disaster that was cooked elsewhere.
Katzenberg was blinded by success. He discounted the role that everyone else played for him to reach there. Roy Disney did not like his attitude and threatened Eisner to prevent Katzenbergâs promotion. And, you know the rest.Â
Pain can fuel creativity. But, for how long?
Katzenbergâs high ambitions and the bitter feelings of vendetta were his undoing. No doubt that he made terrific films. But, why? Was it only for the love for cinema or was it to undermine Disney?
Eventually, Katzenberg had to remove the rose-tinted glasses that he was wearing and come to terms with reality. Running Dreamworks was no longer sustainable. His grandiose plans came crashing down as Dreamworks ran out of money. Eventually, NBCUniversal acquired it.
Katzenberg passionately moved on to OTT, Quibi. Again, it was meant to be revolutionary (of course!). It was a $2 billion project. With top Hollywood talent, it was as glamorous as it could be. Yet, money and fame cannot guarantee success.Â
Quibi was not in line with the current day and time and it failed just after it was launched. Either Katzenberg had lost his touch, or maybe he never had it in the first place?
We donât know which side is innocent and which side is guilty. Truth is often like that. Layered. My story to a simple "What actually happened?" will differ from yours. There is no single truth.
Whatever be the case, this corporate feud revolutionised the entire animation industry.Â
Whose side are you on? Eisner or Katzenberg?
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Informative and terrific đ€đ»
Interesting and engaging story. Thanks