darrylgorn
Member
I've never cared about the organizational structure of Disney but I doubt this will do much other than act as a symbolic gesture for its most ardent fans.
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Bob Iger Returns as Disney CEO, Bob Chapek Out
- Thread starter Nobody_Important
- Start date
Azurro
Banned
I don't know much about Disney's inner workings, but I still remember that video of Chapek grovelling at the feet of the woke employees. Who knows if they are able to extract the woke tumor that is eating the company. Expelling KK would be a first step, she's killed Star Wars and is now going for Indiana Jones.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Funny how Bob Chapek is seen as the man who ran Disney into the ground but he was the CEO for less than three years (Feb 2020 - Nov 2022) and Bob Iger was still there as executive chairman for the entirety of 2021. Considering the time it takes to greenlight new movies and tv series it was Bob Iger was responsible for many of poorly received movies and tv shows we saw in 2021-22.
Take the Toy Story spinoff Lightyear for instance. Development began in 2016 and the movie was announced in 2020. Marvel Phase 4 was in development since 2016 and the tv series destined for the new Disney+ channel began development in 2017. How was it Chapek's fault that these movies and tv series didn't meet the mark? Wasn't it Bob Iger who made the decision to limit Disney's movie output to a handful of categories: Marvel, Live Action versions of classic animated movies, Star Wars, Disney/Pixar CGI movies?
Take the Toy Story spinoff Lightyear for instance. Development began in 2016 and the movie was announced in 2020. Marvel Phase 4 was in development since 2016 and the tv series destined for the new Disney+ channel began development in 2017. How was it Chapek's fault that these movies and tv series didn't meet the mark? Wasn't it Bob Iger who made the decision to limit Disney's movie output to a handful of categories: Marvel, Live Action versions of classic animated movies, Star Wars, Disney/Pixar CGI movies?
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ManaByte
Banned
Iger left in 2020. Chapek forced him out after Iger hurt his feelings by saying he’ll help during COVID.
Mattyp
Gold Member
Walt’s not back yet but I’m sure they’re working on the tech with his frozen body somewhere.
Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
Is it also too much to ask for Kathleen Kennedy to get the boot as well?
The HOTTEST of hot takes!!!
Ballthyrm
Member
You take the wins with the losses. If she is responsible for the sequels , she is also responsible for Mandalorian, Andor, Clone Wars.
Some really good stuff with some really bad stuff, looks like they are taking chances to me and not everyone is going to "get" what Star Wars is about.
I would put more of the blame on JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson.
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Ulysses 31
Member
Is that entirely true though? Weren't there reports that Jon Favrau had to do things like the Luke reveal in Mando S2 finale behind her back?You take the wins with the losses. If she is responsible for the sequels , she is also responsible for Mandalorian, Andor, Clone Wars.
Some really good stuff with some really bad stuff, looks like they are taking chances to me and not everyone is going to "get" what Star Wars is about.
I would put more of the blame on JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson.
ManaByte
Banned
No that was outrage YouTuber bullshit. Luke was always in the finale, but when they filmed it on set they said Plo Koon was coming so people on set wouldn’t leak it.
Nitty_Grimes
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Thank you Bob, surely?
Majima Everywhere System
Member
I think the company has always been a net negative on culture, so I was impressed by that Chapek guys work. Subtle dismantling.
RoboFu
One of the green rats
this wasnt for wokeness. He basically destroyed everything that made the parks great and cut budgets for all disney proeductions across the board. Fans hated him, employees hated him, and he really didnt understand what made the company tick.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Chapek was also in charge during covid, which hit many companies hard, especially any company with big ties to travel and leisure. Amazingly, Disney stock still had hit its all time high during his tenure too at about $200. The only companies that surged during 2020 were tech companies and consumer goods companies. Everything else dumped into the toilet then had to rebound. He started right before covid shit hit the fan. March 2020 was when companies and governments started doing lockdowns and WFH in many places.
I'm not trying to defend him since I dont know anything about Disney, but just laying down some context of other things during his 2 year stay.
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darrylgorn
Member
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diffusionx
Gold Member
Chapek should have been fired after he blew up the company’s relationship with the state of Florida. I mean, that was one of the biggest own-goals I have EVER seen in the corporate world, it is unbelievable. Yet outside of a few outlets it was rarely talked about in depth because of the politics involved. Hell Im listening to the Bill Simmons podcast talk about it now (and he has had Iger on his show) and they didn’t even touch the topic.
The reason there was no search for a good successor was Iger. He didn’t want to let go as CEO and as such did not set up a good succession plan and groom successors. Ultimately the fact that he is coming back is another sign of that. It’s going to be a problem because he can’t be CEO forever and they’re not going to have anyone to replace him. One of the marks of a good leader is being able to set it up for the next generation and that’s the one thing he has not done and I doubt he will do.
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BadBurger
Banned
Given the timeline of leadership change, this feels like a largely symbolic attempt to gain back some of that 40% share value they lost under Chapek. Because anything Iger sets into motion on the entertainment side, even operational changes, can't bear fruit for a year or more. He probably could make somewhat immediate changes with licensing and at the theme parks and cruise ships, though, and if I recall running the parks and cruises was what Iger was particularly skilled at.
Vestal
Junior Member
Addressing the Parks should be numero UNO for Iger.. It is an absolute mess ever since Chapek took over.
ManaByte
Banned
Tell that to Tom Staggs.
ManaByte
Banned
No. It needs to be:
1. Repair relationship with Florida. Today.
2. Eliminate the Eisner-era creative bureaucracy that Chapek implemented immediately.
3. Fix the parks.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Staggs may have been slotted as the successor to Iger but when it became clear that Iger wasn’t going to leave, he had to go. That’s how the C-suite works. You don’t stay on as heir apparent for a decade until the other guy feels like leaving.
It is not just naming the guy but also stepping aside when he is ready, most CEOs are on the job for 7-10 years max. It’s clear Iger loves doing the job, which is fine, but it does set up a problem when it comes to the next guy.
Interfectum
Member
4. Retcon MCU Phase 4 out of existence.
BadBurger
Banned
I'd be shocked if she goes anywhere or loses any authority. Regardless of how some fandom has accepted her Star Wars work critically, she has been extremely effective as a producer. Huge box office tallies for some (especially Force Awakens), and TV shows that very clearly helped rapidly grow Disney+ subscriptions counts.
Besides, just look at her CV on IMDB. From the very get go she was pumping out classics and Academy Award winners. Her production credits are arguably the greatest ever when it comes to film - truly astounding career really: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005086/
ManaByte
Banned
I seriously laugh at the people who scream how she now has her sights set on destroying Indy.
Raiders:
Temple of Doom:
Crystal Skull:
diffusionx
Gold Member
She’s a disaster. Force Awakens was 7 years ago and Star Wars has become a 2nd tier franchise on her watch. She is movie Bonnie Ross. That said, I remember a few years ago Iger wanted to dump her but couldn’t find an adequate replacement. So she got another chance as SW continues to stumble along.
BadBurger
Banned
As I pointed out, she's one of the greatest producers of all time. There's no denying her record.
Star Wars is obviously one of the most popular franchises in the world.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Star Wars is also obviously not what it was in 2015, which is what really matters.
I don’t see how her producer credits from 1985 or 1995 or 2005 have any bearing on whether or not she is doing a good job now.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
nvm
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BadBurger
Banned
Yes it is, Star Wars as a franchise is even larger now than it was in 2015 given its constant success and popularity on Disney+. The amount of people who watch their new shows weekly and older content daily is astounding.
A massively successful career is a massively successful career. Why would anyone pick some arbitrary year in her career, and then ignore everything prior?
If one doesn't like her Star Wars work, cool. But they can't hand wave away her past and continuing success in good faith.
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
Her whole job changed. She is great at networking and securing funding for projects, and the inner logistics of giving a director what they need. She seems less adept at making creative choices, hiring directors, or managing a brand. It's real easy to acknowledge her previous work and also see issues with her current work.
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diffusionx
Gold Member
Because you don’t pay a person based on what they did in 1988.
I have no idea what the Disney+ numbers are, because Disney goes to great lengths to keep it secret, although anecdotally I see interest waning after the initial excitement of Mandalorian. I know that they had very ambitious plans for a full MCU-style SW universe, with her in Feige’s place, when they bought the IP. I also know that it hit the skids with the lackluster trilogy and all the spin-offs having tons of issues in both production and quality. They canceled a bunch of movies and basically retreated to TV. Fine if it is successful (again, not sure about that), but the fact that Star Wars isn’t putting out billion dollar movies but being used as Disney+ bait tells me that she failed in her primary purpose.
ManaByte
Banned
Solo flopped and the stand-alone movies were cancelled because the dinosaur who was running Lucasfilm marketing at the time (Lucas person who was there for 30 years or so) decided that it was a brilliant idea to not start promoting a May release until late February.
They should’ve had a trailer out for it in theaters in December, but the dinosaur said they’ll only promote one movie at at time. She took her golden parachute not long ago.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
NeoGAF and resetera are both celebrating this news. Odd.
diffusionx
Gold Member
The issues with Solo’s production are a mile long and they had to give Ron Howard a blank check to cobble something together that was watchable. There was no way the film was going to be successful after that, pinning all that movie’s problems on one marketing person is insane.
The primary problem is that all the missteps with the nu-trilogy and other properties they were pushing sucked the life out of the franchise, and mismanagement (with Kennedy as boss) bloated costs of what they did get out.
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ChorizoPicozo
Member
Why?
ManaByte
Banned
They didn’t cobble together anything. Ron Howard reshot the entire movie.
TTOOLL
Member
The sheer number of shows is enough to call it a disaster.You take the wins with the losses. If she is responsible for the sequels , she is also responsible for Mandalorian, Andor, Clone Wars.
Some really good stuff with some really bad stuff, looks like they are taking chances to me and not everyone is going to "get" what Star Wars is about.
I would put more of the blame on JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson.
0neAnd0nly
Member
When the news broke, I was really not enthused.
Don’t get me wrong. Chapek hasn’t done well. At all. BUT I always felt like this was Iger’s goal and that most people that aren’t hard core Disney fans don’t really realize it.
Iger fired basically everyone that fans wanted to get a shot at taking over in the last 10 years. He hand picked Chapek. Iger is the one who stripped multiple benefits from passholders and locals, DVC record price hikes under his administration, and completely destroyed the large majority of Cast Member bonuses and benefits. He also ushered the closure of basically all Disney park outlets and Disney stores.
Ewwww.
Chapek was his fall dude. Hand selected.
Iger needs to go, period. Equally as much as Chapek.
Don’t get me wrong. Chapek hasn’t done well. At all. BUT I always felt like this was Iger’s goal and that most people that aren’t hard core Disney fans don’t really realize it.
Iger fired basically everyone that fans wanted to get a shot at taking over in the last 10 years. He hand picked Chapek. Iger is the one who stripped multiple benefits from passholders and locals, DVC record price hikes under his administration, and completely destroyed the large majority of Cast Member bonuses and benefits. He also ushered the closure of basically all Disney park outlets and Disney stores.
Ewwww.
Chapek was his fall dude. Hand selected.
Iger needs to go, period. Equally as much as Chapek.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
And it still turned out that shit? Impressive.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I'm not a star wars expert or anything but I thought Solo was decent. Then again, a lot of people thought that Dark Phoenix Marvel movie was crap too. I liked it also. lol.
At some point there will be a new series based on the snow scene in The Empire Strikes Back.
Title: Salt & Shovel
Premise: Learn about the secret life of Bhewcacca and 2R2D. The rebels who clear snow off landing strips the fastest this half of the Milky Way. As rebels get attacked, can the frostbitten twosome repair the concrete strips faster than the Empire can ding them up?
If EA and Activision get called out for milking franchises to the bone, Disney is 10x worse.
At some point there will be a new series based on the snow scene in The Empire Strikes Back.
Title: Salt & Shovel
Premise: Learn about the secret life of Bhewcacca and 2R2D. The rebels who clear snow off landing strips the fastest this half of the Milky Way. As rebels get attacked, can the frostbitten twosome repair the concrete strips faster than the Empire can ding them up?
newtypepilot
Member
It's amazing how so many people don't realize this. A lot of things Chapek gets criticized for are really things started by Iger.
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
I think most people get it. Iger has a passionate, disproportionately vocal cult following though.