Bob Iger Expected to Address Disney’s Future in Upcoming Town Hall
By Movieguide® Contributor
Having helmed Disney for a full year, Bob Iger is expected to discuss the entertainment giant’s future direction in a company town hall.
Last November, a week after he was brought on as CEO of Disney, Iger used a town hall to outline his plans going forward.
“We have a great set of assets here,” he said. “Nothing is forever, but I am very, very comfortable with each of the assets that we have.”
While many in the industry believed Iger would be able to get the company back on track, he has had more difficulties than expected. Disney saw problems in nearly every aspect of its business this year as its streaming, movie and park businesses all struggled.
However, after a strong third quarter, Iger believes he has finally “fixed” the company, enabling it to enter a new building stage.
“As I reflect on our achievement this past year, I’m mindful of the fact that a lot of time and effort was spent on fixing, both contending with certain decisions made in the recent past, and addressing the numerous challenges brought on by disruption and the pandemic,” Iger said during the earnings call. “And while we still have work to do to continue improving results, our progress has allowed us to move beyond this period of fixing and begin building our business again.”
Iger also reiterated his belief in the company’s existing IPs and stated that he intends to continue to focus the business on them.
“We are focusing heavily on the core brands and franchises that fuel all of our core businesses and reduce output overall, to enable us to concentrate on fewer and improve quality while continuing our efforts around the creation of fresh and compelling original IP,” he said.
During the upcoming town hall meeting, experts hope that Iger will provide more specific details for the future, such as how he plans to keep people on the company’s streaming platforms profitable and the strategy to pull families back to Disney’s parks.
In recent years, Disney has lost sight of its core audience as it pushed strong immoral themes in its movies and shows that alienated families. This was further enforced by the high prices in its parks, making the experience too expensive for middle-class families.
As Iger looks to build the company, hopefully, he will consider the direction it has gone and work to bring it back to its roots. While Disney’s third-quarter report was strong, led by 9 million subscribers added to Disney+, it would be best for the company to refocus on the values held by its family audience rather than continuing down its current path.
Movieguide® previously reported:
After a controversy surrounding the upcoming SNOW WHITE movie, a poll found that people’s view of Disney follows the political divide, as most Republicans have a negative opinion of the company.
In August, Rachel Zegler, the actress playing Snow White in the upcoming live-action remake, shared her disdain for the original movie’s classic storyline.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937,” she said. “[Snow White’s] not going out to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”
Zegler also called the story “extremely dated” and called the prince “a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird.”
Comments like these and Disney’s overall push of a strong liberal agenda—particularly LGBTQ content—have cratered the company’s image among many Americans.
- Content: +2Share:
- Content: +4