Abstract

Started in 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney, The Walt Disney Company is currently the world's second largest media company behind Time Warner. Michael Eisner, who joined Disney in 1984 from Paramount Pictures, has focused on turning around the studios and the ailing theme parks. Along with top managers like Frank Well and Jeffrey Katzenberg, he has helped turn Disney into a motion picture powerhouse by the late 80s. Eisner has also taken a serious look at the hotel, TV and home video businesses. Eisner has struck a deal with Pixar Animation to market the latter's animation movies. He has also acquired Miramax, an independent studio to bolster Disney's movie business. But just when everything seems to be working like a well-oiled machine, Frank Wells dies in a helicopter crash and Jeffrey Katzenberg announces that he is leaving Disney to start his own studio DreamWorks SKG. This part of the case covers events from the 1920s to 1995.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

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Keywords

Walt Disney, Roy Disney, Time Warner, Michael Eisner, Paramount Pictures, Frank Well, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Pixar Animation and DreamWorks SKG