Posted on 05/27/2006 2:49:19 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
May 27, 2006
Disney Said to Be Considering Cost Cuts That Include Layoffs
By LAURA M. HOLSON
LOS ANGELES, May 26 — Walt Disney Studios is expecting a big summer with the release of the highly anticipated animated film "Cars" and the next installment in the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.
But not all is well in movieland — and changes are afoot. With a decline in DVD sales and the rising cost of making movies, Hollywood in general has been tightening its belt. And now Disney, as part of a long-term review, is contemplating layoffs, looking to rein in costs and rethinking the type of movies it wants to make at its live-action Disney Studios, according to people apprised of Disney's planning.
It is unclear how many positions will be cut and when. The studio has already pulled back from layoff plans twice. But now, some of those apprised of Disney's plans suggest layoffs could come in July.
Disney's review includes an overall repositioning of the Walt Disney Pictures brand as a home for somewhat daring (meaning PG-rated) family fare and ambitious franchises, including the "Pirates" trilogy and "The Chronicles of Narnia." Already Disney has scaled back production in the Miramax division and is expected to cut production at its sibling, Touchstone Pictures.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I hope they lay off the whole left-wing pro-homosexual company!!
We don't need BAMBI anymore!
It's Disney.
They'll fire all the straight people.
Cutting down on dwarfs sounds discriminatory on so many levels.
Very sad. My childhood memories are full of family Disney trips and it's hard to see them fall like this.
It's not that the parks are going anywhere anytime soon, though. They're the major division that's profitable. It's that they've degraded the experience so that while they're common, not excellent.
Mommy, Mommy, Mickey Mouse keeps touching me....
Disney is not responsible for "Cars." That is a Pixar production, and Disney bought Pixar. Pixar has told Disney that they will not be cranking out schlock films every other month because their excellent productions do take time. Since Disney's offerings of late, with the notable exception of "The Chronicles of Narnia" have bombed, they do not need a stable full of employees working on flops at Touchstone. I think Disney has finally got it.
I would expect higher gas prices to put a damper on the parks this summer, as well.
...Hope this doesn't impact him....
..They were surprised when Disney took over.
Steve Jobs has a huge chunk of Disney stock. He has enough stock to call the shots. Apple has a good chance of swallowing Disney.
I was appalled by the fact that the Disney board ignored a historical shareholder vote. I also I feel the Disney nephew sold out to get back in. It was all about money for him, not about creativity and quality. Yeah, they got rid of Isner. So what? It still appears to be on the same course.
Bottom line is Disney will continue the slow process of bland corporate marketing driven creativity we see in so many other things. The next time I go to Orlando, it will be more from a historical perspective, not entertainment.
What a shame. It was something uniquely American.
Liz, what's your (insider?) perspective on this?
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
Lessee now, I don't suppose that you could get Michael Eisner or some of the other honchos over there to consider lowering their take home pay several hundred million dollars per year, do you?
The truth was Disney was bleeding bigtime, especially when Eisner started hiring homoes by the dozens, celebrating Gay Days at Disney, and began liberalizing Disney's movies.
Anmrican familes could no longer trust Disney to handle its children with care.
While Mikey and his homo cabal made the numbers look rosy, the parks were losing money ---- in some areas of the parks, there was no traffic, at all.
Now the chickens are coming home to roost ..... Bob Eiger inherited from Eisner a lot more than he bargained for.
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