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Overview
Overview
The dramatic inside story of the downfall of Michael Eisner--Disney Chairman and CEO--and the scandals that drove America's best-known entertainment company to civil war. "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Whistle While You Work," "The Happiest Place on Earth"--these are lyrics indelibly linked to Disney, one of the most admired and best-known companies in the world. So when Roy Disney, chairman of Walt Disney Animation and nephew of founder Walt Disney, abruptly resigned in November 2003 and declared war on chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner, he sent shock waves through the entertainment industry, corporate boardrooms, theme parks, and living rooms around the world--everywhere Disney does business and its products are cherished. Drawing on unprecedented access to both Eisner and Roy Disney, current and former Disney executives and board members, as well as thousands of pages of never-before-seen letters, memos, transcripts, and other documents, James B. Stewart gets to the bottom of mysteries that have enveloped Disney for years: What really caused the rupture with studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, a man who once regarded Eisner as a father but who became his fiercest rival? How could Eisner have so misjudged Michael Ovitz, a man who was not only "the most powerful man in Hollywood" but also his friend, whom he appointed as Disney president and immediately wanted to fire? What caused the break between Eisner and Pixar chairman Steve Jobs, and why did Pixar abruptly abandon its partnership with Disney? Why did Eisner so mistrust Roy Disney that he assigned Disney company executives to spy on him? How did Eisner control the Disney board for so long, and what really happened in the fateful board meeting in September 2004, when Eisner played his last cards? DisneyWar is an enthralling tale of one of America's most powerful media and entertainment companies, the people who control it, and those trying to overthrow them. It tells a story that--in its sudden twists, vivid, larger-than-life characters, and thrilling climax--might itself have been the subject of a Disney classic--except that it's all true.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Stewart, James B.
- ISBN: 9780743267090
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.38 x 1.49
- Number Of Pages: 608
- Publication Year: 2006
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Could've been better
Dominic D. - 6 years agoNot sure what I was expecting going into this one. I love Disney. I love to learn about the history of the company and behind the scenes happenings of the films and parks. I was especially interested because this covered the majority of the time frame of when I grew up with Disney. BUT this one got a little too behind the scenes and into the weeds for me. I guess I should've looked more into James Stewart and realized he wrote more about finances and politics rather than actual history of subjects. I got about 250 pages in and was stuck. There were some interesting parts to learn about opening of some of the parks and how the almost collapse and eventually return of Disney animation happened in the 90s, and the foray into live-action adult movies, but other than that it was a lot of someone disagrees with this person; this person wrote an angry memo; now these two people are having an argument; this person is getting fired over and over again. To be honest, after those 250 pages, I skimmed through the rest. Unfortunately this was 600 pages of repetitiveness and not what I thought it was going to be. It didn't need to be this long of a book. Still, it is interesting if you like the financial and business dealings of large companies. 3.5 stars #SummerReading