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Disney War James B Stewart Books

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Disney War James B Stewart Books

Interesting and eye opening read. Disneyland may be the happiest place on earth but Disney corporate seemed far from it. I found myself laughing at some of Michael Eisner's antics, although I am sure his former colleagues failed to see the humor. I would have loved to read more about the development of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King. At 620 pp, I wouldn't have minded 20 more pages covering these movies.


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Disney War James B Stewart Books Reviews

Disney is a justly revered name in the world of mass entertainment. Few of us don't hold a special place in our hearts for one Disney character or film (even if we won't admit it in sophisticated company). James B. Stewart has written a terrific book documenting the reign of Michael Eisner over that empire. Stewart quickly covers how Disney came to be and how it stagnated after Walt's (and Roy's) death. This book really gets underway when Eisner, Wells, and Katzenberg arrive on the seen and begin ten years of phenomenal success and growth.

Things changed drastically when Eisner broke with Katzenberg, Wells died in a helicopter crash, and Disney bought ABC. The network became a drag on Disney rather than an engine for growth. Eisner advocated the need for ABC to protect Disney from a hostile takeover. Others never really bought that notion. Some have seen Eisner has trying to recapture his early success in TV, but times had changed no matter what Eisner thought of his ability to make the network successful. Whatever the reason, the integration of ABC into Disney has not been smooth or seamless. The overpriced acquisition of Fox Family and the failed scheme of repurposing ABC programming on ABC Family was also an anchor to earnings and growth.

However, this book is much more than a narrative of actions, acquisitions, and numbers. In fact, there are very few numbers. It provides rich insights into the politics, maneuvering, and outright fights between the many managers and directors involved in this story. The cast of characters the author provides at the front of the book is a real help in following the machinations of the people who make up the fabric of this tale of ambition, greed, betrayal, and boardroom war. The three main sections of the book tell the arc of the story The Wonderful World of Disney, The Disenchanted Kingdom, and Disney War.

I found the background story of how certain programs got on the air, how movies were greenlighted and then backed or abandoned all fascinating. The way failure was assigned to people often had nothing to do with their actual culpability, but rather the need to get someone off the plank and into the sea so that another's career ambitions could continue. It was also fascinating how Eisner's ego never lets him be wrong even when he so clearly was. As his power grew, and he carefully groomed its growth, his identity of self with this public corporation became not only odd, but also a bit creepy. It is clear to me that the board of Disney managed the company for their own benefit and their egos rather than for the benefit of all shareholders. However, I am sure that Eisner and others on the board do not see it that way. One of the many strengths of this book is that the author does not take sides or make anyone out to be a villain (or a hero). In fact, he often points out contradictory accounts of certain conversations and actions. Stewart provides a balanced account that is very clear and lets each character speak for himself (or herself).

For me, the saddest part of the story is the really bad behavior at the highest levels of management in the way they treated not only each other, but the employees they were managing. One person said that Eisner liked to put six pit bulls together and see which five died. Since Eisner was above the firing line, it was easy for him to keep rivals from becoming a threat to him by keeping them tearing each other apart. One of Eisner's methods of staying in power was keeping the board afraid that he would leave because there was no one left who could run the company. Just as a possible successor would appear, something would happen to undermine them and drive them away. All coincidences.

The epilogue does a superb job of analyzing Eisner and his time at the top of running Disney and noting that even though it appears Eisner is through in 2006, that it might not be so. This is a book that should be widely read and I strongly recommend it.
This is a very thorough history. My only regret is that it didn't continue through the end of the Eisner era and tell the story of Eiger's ascension. This is a case for a 'live book' that the author could update (at least a edition)!
I was surprised by this book. Even thiugh I haven’t finished it, I wasn’t expecting to he caught by all the facts that are oresented in this book. My general assumption about Disney was that they were a flawless organization, just like their image and theme parks. Love what I’m reading so far and this is the first book I’ve read from the author, so I’m definitely looking into his other books when I'm done reading this!
Stewart does a thorough job of covering the rise and fall of Michael Eisner. His telling of the progress of the Disney empire from 1984 to 2004 is interesting and thought provoking. If you are a fan of the Disney brand and are interested in Eisner's abilities to revilize the company and build the empire, this is worth the time. I found Stewart to be an interesting storyteller and his ability to keep my interest in the business side was exceptional. The last ten years of Eisner's reign is reminiscent of Macbeth, maybe because I happen to be in the middle of teaching the play to my students; but, the parallels are similar and intriguing. The book was written in 2005, so you will be left wanting. I would be interested to see Stewart's take on the rise of Bob Iger and just how he was able to come into a fractured executive environment and be successful.
A good read, and certainly one I couldn't put down (my backlog of daily blog reading suffered over the 3 days to finish it). Lots of details, leading to quite a few changed impressions (and, after only really knowing Ovitz's history as a bit of a jerk in negotiations as an agent, particularly from the Leno-Letterman era, found him to be a much more sympathetic character in this part of his life).

About my only complaint is the moment it stopped, right in the middle of Spring, 2005 - I was hoping for a little more of an epilogue on Iger's successful transition and the subsequent recovery of Pixar (and ultimate loss of Miramax), as well as a bit of a conclusion to the building story of ABC's turnaround and Iger's focus on the parks. While the book talks about Iger's roles up to that point, it does little to connect the dots between his past support for Eisner in all things and his subsequent tremendous success as a leader once out of that shadow, since that hadn't happened at the time of publication.
Great book but it was so detailed that it was a very slow read. I got about halfway through and decided to do the free 30 day audible trial to listen to the second half as an audio book. It was a great choice, I wish I had just listened to the entire book.
Interesting and eye opening read. Disneyland may be the happiest place on earth but Disney corporate seemed far from it. I found myself laughing at some of Michael Eisner's antics, although I am sure his former colleagues failed to see the humor. I would have loved to read more about the development of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King. At 620 pp, I wouldn't have minded 20 more pages covering these movies.