Michael Eisner

Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) was the second-longest-serving chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Disney

After Walt Disney Productions, the struggling movie studio renowned for its animated feature films, survived takeover attempts by corporate raiders, shareholders Sid Bass and Roy E. Disney brought on Eisner and former Warner Brothers chief Frank Wells to turn the floundering company's fortunes around.

Related Topics:
Walt Disney Productions - Sid Bass - Roy E. Disney - Frank Wells

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the next ten years the studio became one of the world's largest media companies. Under Eisner and Wells's leadership, Disney rebuilt its once legendary animation department, and the division had a "golden age" with annual box office hits with such regularity that even their creative structure started to be known as the "Disney formula." Disney also broadened its adult offerings in film with its ventures in Touchstone Pictures (created by Eisner's predecessor, Ron W. Miller, and a noted acquisition of Miramax Films in 1994. This tremendous run culminated with a surprise announcement by Eisner of Disney's takeover of Capital Cities/ABC - A stunning move involving the second largest corporate takeover in history up till that point, the largest in the field of media, with no leaks to the very same media which was involved in the deal. Along with ABC (the number one network at the time), Disney acquired a slew of other media sources, including ESPN.

Related Topics:
Touchstone Pictures - Ron W. Miller - Miramax Films

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eisner's role in this turnaround, and Disney's growth into one of the leading media firms, is the subject of passionate debate by many historians and Disney fans, though he is generally given the bulk of the credit for transforming Disney into a provider of entertainment. As the years went on, Eisner would gain further controversy through a rapid consolidation of authority. Wells died in a helicopter crash in 1994, ending the longstanding feud between the two men. Shortly thereafter, Eisner fired Jeffrey Katzenberg. This may have been sparked by Katzenberg's feeling that he was owed money, which resulted in him launching a lawsuit which was ultimately settled in Katzenberg's favor.

Related Topics:
Wells - Jeffrey Katzenberg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~