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Disneywar

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 1,131 ratings · 125 reviews

"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 Michae...more "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."DisneyWar" is the breathtaking, dramatic inside story of what drove America's best-known entertainment company to civil war, told by one of our most acclaimed writers and reporters.

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 whatreally happened in the fateful board meeting in September 2004, when Eisner played his last cards?

Here, too, is the creative process that lies at the heart of Disney -- from the making of "The Lion King" to "Pirates of the Caribbean." Even as the executive suite has been engulfed in turmoil, Disney has worked -- and sometimes clashed -- with a glittering array of stars, directors, designers, artists, and producers, many of whom tell their stories here for the first time.

Stewart describes how Eisner lost his chairmanship and why he felt obliged to resign as CEO, effective 2006. No other book so thoroughly penetrates the secretive world of the corporate boardroom. "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.

"DisneyWar" is an epic achievement. 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 animated classic -- except that it's all true.(less)

Hardcover, 592 pages

Published February 11th 2005 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2005)

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May 18, 2008 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Stewart takes a fascinating in-depth look at the structure and politics of the Walt Disney Company, focusing on the years Michael Eisner was in power. Reporting in a straight "these-are-the-facts" manner, you still get a breathtakingly dramatic portrait of Eisner: His creative, younger years of success, partnered with talented people, and his gradual loss of his sense of reality as he begins to see himself as the omnipotent king of the Disney empire, and the natural heir of Walt Disney himself....more

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Apr 30, 2013 Dave Tavres added it Recommends it for: Disney fans, business readers

Shelves: disney

As a former Disneyland tour guide, I was very interested in the history of Walt and the park (www.WaltsApartment.com) and to some extent, the Disney Company.

This book intrigued me, as it came out during the time that mike eisnerd and his regime tried forcing Walt's nephew, Roy E. Disney, off the Board of Directors of the Disney Company.

It read like a spy novel. Who did what to whom. When did this person know about that. What was being done behind the scenes to get a certain outcome. For ME, it w...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

It has been a couple of years since I read this but it has stayed with me. Having recently taken a business course many of the events described in the book come back with vivid clarity.
This is a well documented expose written in a narrative style.
It is a joy to read if you are into Disney memorabilia. It gives great historical background to many of the projects that were in the works at the time, ie Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, the Launch of the Disney stores, the development of euroDisney...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Greg Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

A pretty fascinating recounting of the last two or three decades of Disney history, although it suffers somewhat from predating the Iger-era. I would have loved to hear about Pixar's acquisition, but what's in the book is more than enough drama.

Eisner is pretty vividly portrayed as a guy who was a big shot of creativity and energy that the company needed at a crucial time, but who was best when kept in check and when a string of hits staved off the infighting that later consumed the company. Fro...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Bashar rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was one of the most fascinating and informative I've (listened) to. The recording had few hiccups alright, but then the book is rich in history of Disney, and will get you behind the scenes in how the movie industry is run, how the Disney magic happens, the guidelines, and tricks they follow to keep it going. Also it will get you to understand the mystery of the quick fall in Disney movie quality after their successive blockbusters like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and ofcourse the L...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-culture

I never thought I'd find a business book on the inner workings of corporate executives interesting, but then these corporate executives do work for Disney - and that makes it more interesting than most multi-million dollar corporations, if only because of the dichotomy between its public image and the machinations of executives behind the scenes.

This book charts the twenty years of Michael Eisner as CEO of the Walt Disney Corporation, how he went from being the saviour of the company to more or...more I never thought I'd find a business book on the inner workings of corporate executives interesting, but then these corporate executives do work for Disney - and that makes it more interesting than most multi-million dollar corporations, if only because of the dichotomy between its public image and the machinations of executives behind the scenes.

This book charts the twenty years of Michael Eisner as CEO of the Walt Disney Corporation, how he went from being the saviour of the company to more or less the Anti-Christ. If nothing else it's a very credible tale of how power corrupts.

As long as Frank Wells, the Disney chairman, was alive, things worked, if only because Wells was able to serve as a check on Eisner's power, the only one who could, the one who smoothed over the ruffled feathers and was in a position to question Eisner's decisions. Once Wells died in a helicopter crash in 1994 there was no-one to hold Eisner back. He took on Wells' position himself, despite pressure to name a successor, and became increasingly autocratic, positioning himself in the role of the natural heir to Walt Disney.

This book could almost be the handbook on how not to perform as CEO. Eisner seemed to subscribe to the divide-and-conquer technique: he would force employees to report back to him on their bosses; he would tell one executive another one had said such-and-such to him and vice versa; he would second-guess and micromanage every decision; he would put executives in untenable positions and then blame them for failing; he was incredibly jealous of his position and anyone who was posited as his successor swiftly found the rug was pulled from under them and an exit was being arranged; he recouped enormous bonuses despite making decisions that cost the company billions; he oversaw a brain-drain of talent as people such as John Lasseter, Jeffrey Katzenberg and the Pixar group left the corporation because of their inability to work for Eisner; he would apppoint his friends to positions and then immediately fall out with them; the list goes on.

It's a fascinating book, and it makes me view Disney in a whole new light. It's always been hard to look past the magic and see Disney as 'just another evil greedy corporation' but this book surely makes it easy to start. (less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Karen Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book that takes you behind the scenes during the rise and rise of the Disney Empire, particularly under the leadership of former CEO, Michael Eisner. James B Stewart (the B is, I guess, so you don't confuse him with the actor), the author, used to be a lawyer but became a journalist and decided it would be interesting to write the story of Disney, featuring Eisner himself. Initially, he was given unprecedented access to Disney and Eisner - a gift for a write...more I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book that takes you behind the scenes during the rise and rise of the Disney Empire, particularly under the leadership of former CEO, Michael Eisner. James B Stewart (the B is, I guess, so you don't confuse him with the actor), the author, used to be a lawyer but became a journalist and decided it would be interesting to write the story of Disney, featuring Eisner himself. Initially, he was given unprecedented access to Disney and Eisner - a gift for a writer who wanted to understand the machinery behind the empire and extend that newly found knowledge about the Magic Kingdom to his readers. Only, at some point in the journey, around the time the Disney machine realised Stewart's book was also a critique and not another piece of propaganda, the goodwill cut off but not Stewart's determination to write the story.

There's been a great deal written on Disney - applauding, lauding and cursing the conglomerate and, if you read a lot of it, which I do, Stewart, in terms of the big picture, doesn't offer anything new. We know that Disney guardians and legal eagles work endlessly to protect its good name and copyright, to the point of pursing child care centres in Florida who dared to use the images of some of the animated characters to make the young kiddies feel at home, to watering down criticisms within their animated films - of racism, sexism and every other ism you can imagine. Criticisms, I might add, that are fascinating to explore and all too easy to level. But that's the academic in me talking and, just because these same films entertain, does not exclude them from having our eyes turned upon them - it should provide THE reason. But that's another story and many other books. We also know about the various Disney worlds, where facade trumps everything and smiles are worn but not beards and dirt and distress are mere figments of imagination - until you look behind the scenes.

What Stewart does do is give us insights into the daily grind (or not) of the executives and the relationships within the hallowed Disney executive offices - between everyone from Walt and his brother Roy to Eisner and the former creative mind, Jeffrey Katzenberg (who was unceremoniously dismissed and took his revenge by making a huge success of Dreamworks), as well as allowing us to understand how decisions regarding what films would be made and why occur. The stories behind the awful movie, Pearl Harbour and certain TV shows, such as Lizzie Maguire, and the growth of Disney as it expanded its merchandise arm, TV and other media stations is all explored in fascinating detail. As is its reluctance to uptake new media and what that cost. So are the Disney flops and business mistakes - such as certain ideas, actors and shows that were rejected for not reflecting the Disney brand and went on to become HUGE successes. But I won't give any spoilers here.

The book is very well written and I enjoyed every page and every morsel of information. It's amazing but in no way surprising to think that behind every fabulous film and character that enters the global imagination and children's psyches, are such devious politics, huge egos and money.

If ever you've wished upon a star or let your conscience be your guide, then you'll really enjoy this book. (less)

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

Pulitzer Prize-winning Stewart, author of Den of Thieves (1991) about Wall Street insider-trading scandals, and Blood Sport (1996) about the Clintons' Whitewater caper, offers an "often brilliant" business history and character study with DisneyWar (Washington Post). Stewart, who couldn't have timed his investigative reporting any better, had inside access to Eisner, who cooperated somewhat. Balanced, informative, and exceptionally well-researched, Stewart provides a compelling tale of Disney's

...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Gil rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a boardroom drama (I know, another boardroom drama for Gil), but the difference this time is that the book covers a lot of movies and television programming that took place during Eisner's tenure (which was sort of the most memorable 22 media years of my life). The book spent an overwhelming amount of time discussing how the Disney animation was revived, slipped away, and then revived again through Pixar. The book discussed the ABC and ESPN and the additions to the Disney theme park...more This book is a boardroom drama (I know, another boardroom drama for Gil), but the difference this time is that the book covers a lot of movies and television programming that took place during Eisner's tenure (which was sort of the most memorable 22 media years of my life). The book spent an overwhelming amount of time discussing how the Disney animation was revived, slipped away, and then revived again through Pixar. The book discussed the ABC and ESPN and the additions to the Disney theme parks.

There is even a discussion of what its like to attend a Disneyland Park from the perspective of Goofy (one of the best parts of the book).

Characterized as a sort of czar, Eisner's personality comes alive in a way that allows you to reach your own conclusions about the effectiveness of Eisner's leadership. In fact, contrary to the author's opinion that Eisner is a megalomaniacal kingpin who tells half-truths in my opinion the book left me admiring and respecting Eisner.

I work with officers and directors of companies on a daily basis and I think that everyone can be a critic. Realistically, very few of the critics actually are in the trenches and having to deal with the personalities on a day to day basis--not to mention their personal lives.

Eisner reminded me a lot of Lance Armstrong in that they both ended up leaving a path of ruined relationships in their wake. I couldn't believe how similar they were (I've read five or six books about Armstrong so I have a pretty good idea of Armstrong's characteristics). Since I found that their characteristics are so similar, it leads me to believe that Eisner, and most executives in companies such as Disney, are incredibly competitive and focused on their goals.

The reason I cut Eisner a lot of slack is due to the fact that he is dealing with artists and creative talent which is a demographic that can be very difficult to deal with.

That being said, my favorite character in the book is Ovitz. His leadership style is probably how I would be--focused on personal relationships and showing unusual generosity to the great discomfort of others.

The book's author did a great job of giving you a sense of what it was like to work at Disney and to work in the executive suite with Eisner. (less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Darcy Conroy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, non-fiction, business-memoir

I listened to this on audiobook, so I'll discuss the content and the production separately.

Content:
Maybe it's because I'm a trained historian, but I found myself mumbling, sometimes shouting at my kindle: "according to who?" "says who?" "you can't know that was what happened!" There was just too much dramatization in this non-fiction book, too much certainty about people's thoughts, beliefs and conversations to which the author was not privy. I couldn't relax and trust it. Some dialogue is need...more I listened to this on audiobook, so I'll discuss the content and the production separately.

Content:
Maybe it's because I'm a trained historian, but I found myself mumbling, sometimes shouting at my kindle: "according to who?" "says who?" "you can't know that was what happened!" There was just too much dramatization in this non-fiction book, too much certainty about people's thoughts, beliefs and conversations to which the author was not privy. I couldn't relax and trust it. Some dialogue is needed to break up non-fiction, sure, but that should be clear transcriptions of interviews about the incidents (preferably from more than one point of view), or recordings from the time. If the author is going to insist upon dramatizing conversations and phone calls (including stage directions!), it needs to made clear upon whose information the author is crafting his scenes - without such attribution, the reader can neither trust the information as truth, nor enjoy it as biased gossip.
I hate to say this (as someone who directed audio books for seven years) but I might have to get a print copy out of the library to see if it works better on the page than in audio - perhaps Stewart used footnotes to attribute/explain the liberties he took with dramatizations (though it should be in the main text.)

Audio production:
The production is not great. Every gap between sentences, paragraphs and even chapters has been viciously removed, often disturbing the flow of the narration and allowing no space for the reader to reflect and absorb. I, personally, found the Lawlor's accent and timbre a little strident for long listening, but that's subjective. What was disturbing was Lawlor's raging case of 'tag lag' - when a narrator allows the emotion of dialogue to continue into the tag so, " "Oh no!" she said." becomes " "Oh no," she said!" It's not a problem on occasion (though a good director aims not to let any slip through) but it's constant in this book (and probably made worse when the listener is pissed off by the dramatization anyway!)

All in all, I think this book probably suffered for being made into audio :(

(less)

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Jul 04, 2010 Patti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2010

Upon deciding to write a book about the business behind the Disney corporation, journalist James Stewart managed to convince Disney to give him full access to the company's corporate culture for several years. Unfortunately for them, they granted that access soon before the shit hit the fan at Disney and Walt Disney's nephew Roy led a shareholders' revolt to oust Michael Eisner as chairman and CEO. Stewart then produced this fabulously trashy, gossipy book, which effectively paints Eisner as a p...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Ingrid rated it 3 of 5 stars

I initially chose this book because I am fascinated with all things Disney-namely the history of animation and its business wheelings and dealings. I was hoping to get an insider look at how the decisions to many of the elements of my childhood came about, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm going to be honest and say that I picked up the audio book to listen on my commutes to and from work, so I didn't technically read the book myself. Having said that, I think that had I not been on those long ride...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Vince Wu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

DisneyWar is a detailed expose written by James B. Stewart chronicling the rise and fall of Michael Eisner's reign of the Walt Disney Company. Amazing narrative drawn from interviews with Eisner, Roy Disney, memoirs, letters, transcripts, emails and other accounts. First hand accounts describing the creative process that resulted epic films from "The Little Mermaid" to "The Lion King," "The Sixth Sense" to "Pirates of the Carribean, as well as the truth between the initial financial embarrassmen...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Sean O'Hara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-american, business, film, biography

For Disney-haters like myself, this book is the Acapulco gold of schadenfreude. Yeah, you have to sit through Eisner's early successes in revitalizing the Disney animation studio, but once Katzenberg leaves the story becomes absolutely hilarious as Eisner and his underlings make one bad call after another -- EuroDisney, Disney America, not buying Pixar when they had a chance, selling off rights to The Sixth Sense, not letting Miramax produce Lord of the Rings, turning down Survivor and CSI, putt...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Brayden rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fun book about the inner-workings of Disney during the Michael Eisner years. If you're into business scandals or intrigue, there's a lot to chew on here. I felt like it could have been shorter though, which could have been done by excluding the myriad details about every little detail that didn't go his way. (Do we really need to know that Eisner passed on The Sopranos???) In retrospect every top executive makes a lot of unfortunate decisions. The strength of the book is the amount of detail abo...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reads like a novel, and if it were a novel you would question the plausibility of some of the characters decisions, with the book being about the "real" events that shaped Disney under Eisners reign it is staggering to believe just how well the studio performed. Stewart's book is clearly well researched and as a result gives a gripping account of just how Disney went from strength to strength in the 80'90's. A great read if you like the movie industry in general, even better if you want to see s...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Upstatemamma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-books

This book was great. It was a longer read for me then some others. I think that may be the nature of non-fiction, or at least it us for me. My mind is taking in the facts in a somewhat slower nature than it does with fictional tales. None the less I found this book enthralling. I love Disney. I mean I love them. I have for most of my life my one regret being that I did not go to work at Disney World when I had the chance. But this story of the behind the scenes world of Disney the company is ama...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Jeremy Sheer rated it 5 of 5 stars

If everyone thinks they know disney Think again. This tells the story abotu the rotten CEO before Bob Iger, Michael Esiner, There where a lot of good things he did and a lot of rotten things. He hired his best friend of 22 years to be President of Walt Disney Studios (Michael Orvita) Only to fire him 18 months later with no reason.

He almost sold PIXAR and really sent the Shareholders down the toilet. I highly Recommend this book to anyone who loves disney or is seeking knowledge. What im tellin...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: disney, business, narrative-non-fiction

I'm kinda sad this book is over. Never knew what a nutjob Eisner was. And also, not only was he NOT so responsible for many of the things that led to the Disney resurgence of the early '90s, but he was against many of them (he actually wanted to dismantle animation!... no Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast if this guy had it his way). Seems Disney thrived despite Eisner. But then you can't give all the credit to Katzenberg since DreamWorks imho produces garbage, despite the employment of...more I'm kinda sad this book is over. Never knew what a nutjob Eisner was. And also, not only was he NOT so responsible for many of the things that led to the Disney resurgence of the early '90s, but he was against many of them (he actually wanted to dismantle animation!... no Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast if this guy had it his way). Seems Disney thrived despite Eisner. But then you can't give all the credit to Katzenberg since DreamWorks imho produces garbage, despite the employment of many Disney animators. So maybe most of the credit can be given to Frank Wells for being the glue that kept it all together. Maybe we can thank Roy 2. These aren't the exact conclusions of the author--the book is actually more balanced than the more anti-Eisner perception I've come away with. This is just what stood out to me. I'm not a big reader of corporate board room drama... clearly I'm interested in this only because of the subject of Disney itself. And I'm only giving 3 stars (3.5 really) because I only give 4 stars to books that really amaze me, change my life, or stay with me for a long time. I don't see this book as any of these mainly due to the subject matter, but that's not to say that it isn't a very well-written book on the subject. It's more that the subject itself is just not earth-shattering, but still I might be convinced at some point to read another of the author's books in the future, because it WAS enjoyable for the most part. The middle sections about the ABC and Family Network issues were a bit dull for me... a bunch of executives' names that I'd never heard of before that were difficult to keep track of. One thing the book could have used was a better "cast of characters" along with a brief description/history of the person and a photo, rather than the list that was given. On the other hand, it was really interesting to learn about some of the things that I only knew about very superficially, during a period when I wasn't paying so much attention to the current events in the realm of Disney corporate politics--e.g. the on-again off-again partnership with Pixar, the birth of the Swan & Dolphin hotels (yuck--so many Disney fans hate them but I guess I can't complain if they saved the company's ass), what was up with EuroDisney/Disneyland Paris. All in all, I definitely recommended to anyone who's interested enough to have shared bitching sessions with me over the disappointing fall of Disney quality in the late '90s. Apparently we're not the only ones peeved about it. I just wasn't aware at the time that Roy was on our side and Eisner really was not helping matters. People just interested in corporate drama might be interested as well. The state of our socioeconomic classes in this country and some of the main concerns that were brought up in the past presidential election are pretty blatantly obvious in this book--a CEO earns HUNDREDS of millions of dollars despite LOSING hundreds of millions of dollars on ridiculous ego-driven errors, like the failed hiring of his own best friend (cost = $140 million for 1.5 years of work which really amounted to very little work since Eisner basically wouldn't let him do anything), and the breach of contract and treatment of Katzenberg which eventually cost over $300 million*. Who else would get away with such things in "the real world" (i.e. middle class world) and be awarded by becoming one of the highest-paid people in their field, just because they have a contract guaranteeing their job or a huge pay-off if they are released from the contract. Next I'd like to read a book where that crime is the main theme, because it sure is past time for the people to get fed up with these types of practices.

*I'm going off of my not-so-great memory after taking a couple of months to read this, so don't get all butt-hurt if my memory of events isn't accurate.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Amanda Wheet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

I am a Disney fanatic. The words Mickey Mouse bring a smile to my face, I protect the brand probably more than many people who work there, and would give me left arm to be a part of that company. With that said, I have fond memories of Michael Eisner opening up The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, guaranteeing a family friendly movie.

As I'm only 22, the years of Disney turmoil were my childhood, and my biggest concern was that Treasure Planet was a disgrace of a movie and there were n...more I am a Disney fanatic. The words Mickey Mouse bring a smile to my face, I protect the brand probably more than many people who work there, and would give me left arm to be a part of that company. With that said, I have fond memories of Michael Eisner opening up The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, guaranteeing a family friendly movie.

As I'm only 22, the years of Disney turmoil were my childhood, and my biggest concern was that Treasure Planet was a disgrace of a movie and there were no good songs to sing along to after Hercules. Hell, I'd fight people who say Hercules, Mulan, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame aren't upstanding Disney classics. My brain had little knowledge of the Eisner/Katzenberg debacle (Bob Iger runs Disney now you say? I say, no...Mickey Mouse runs Disney), and as a business student, I knew this book had to be added to my must read of 2013. How can I stand in front of someone and fight tooth and nail to use Disney as an example company, when I don't even know their past? How can I praise the Pixar, Marvel, and now LucasFilms mergers as coherent, meaningful movements for Disney, when I can't really remember a time when Disney and ABC weren't connected?

So, I embarked on Disney War, which is nothing if not a journey, with high hopes to find out that the "boardroom drama" was vastly overplayed by my professors. Turns out, they were right. It's not that Stewart paints Eisner as some sort of mouse eating demon, but he is relentless in his quest to tell the truth. And what an interesting truth it is. While this book is supposedly a staple for all Disney readers, it's often lumped apart from the fantastical stories of animation greats and the building of epic parts. But it's just as important. As we see Disney buy up smaller (a laughable term these days) production companies, we question the future. Is Darth Vader about to have his own theme park? Should I be concerned that The Avengers are going to become some sort of innocent child's play? At what point does Disney's own conservatism go out the window as racier films get made?

This book marks the end of an era for the company, with the dawn of what promised to be new management. But Bob Iger isn't new management, and already he's had colossal failures. John Carter was the literal bomb of the year, a plethora of movies about talking dogs with Santa hats has gone direct to DVD, and ABC Family is constantly fighting for any traction it can obtain. Disney Parks have seen their biggest expansion ever in the last ten years, most notably with New Fantasyland. Disney Animation has turned in new hits, with Tangled and Wreck-It-Raplh both hitting box office highs. Yet at the same time, Disney is so reliant on the companies it has acquired, Pixar characters are as recognizable as many of the Disney staples. It's interesting to see that going forward, Disney could have future turmoil, most likely earmarked by great success.

Solid 4 stars, a long read, but worth it. (less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Nathan Beers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, business, history, art, non-fiction, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Stewart's DisneyWar is a fascinating and entertaining look at the Walk Disney Company during Michael Eisner's tenure as Chairman and CEO. It covers Roy E Disney's first Save Disney campaign in 1984 at the conclusion of which Eisner was hired along with Frank Wells as President and Jeffery Katzenberg as head of the movie studios. It includes the dramatic renaissance the company went through during Eisner's first ten years spearheaded by the feature animation department, which was led by Roy and K...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Joel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 30-day-book-challenge

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that even a quote family-friendly unquote company like Disney has a sordid underbelly. What mega-corporation these days doesn't (just a tip, if you enjoy Diet Coke, I wouldn't google their international business practices too hard; it's not pretty).

Disneywar isn't quite that kind of book -- we're not traveling into the sweatshops where orphans with bleeding fingers sew buttons on Mickey's overalls -- but it does air a lot of dirty laundry about the 20-year period...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very detailed account of Michael Eisner's tenure as CEO of Disney. Eisner's rise and fall is meticulously chronicled. The various conflicts within Disney and ABC (Which was bought by Disney) is revealing. The micro management becomes frustrating. You want to say, "Just let them make a decision!" Most of this came from Eisner himself. For example, Survivor and CSI could have been Disney/ABC projects but Eisner didn't like them. ABC almost didn't make LOST either because of pressure from...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those interested in corporate biographies or the business of Disney.

Shelves: non-fiction

I got this one because it was on sale and I read some good reviews about it. I'm not usually big on corporate books, but I did find this one interesting. While I've experienced Disney World (and loved it)and my son has shared some insight from Disney employees in Orlando, I knew very little about the business of Disney. I found it, especially in the beginning, very interesting.

This book, while briefly giving some of the company's history, documents events at Disney from the time Michael Eisner b...more

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Aug 02, 2008 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

I grew up watching Michael Eisner hosting Disney movies on TV and always thought of him as a nice guy. And as a Disney and especially a Pixar fan, I remember their negotiations from several years ago. I was interested in the backstage machinations of the Disney company, so I picked up this book.

Holy moses was there a lot of corporate intrigue running through this company. The book begins in the early 1980's. Eisner actually does start out as a pretty nice guy--an executive on the rise who is bro...more

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Feb 28, 2008 Kirsti rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, mayhem, business

"People . . . root for each other to fail."--executive Lloyd Braun, describing the culture at Disney and its subsidiary, the ABC television network

"What Michael likes is to put six pit bulls together and see which five die." --anonymous executive describing Michael Eisner's management style

"It's impossible to negotiate with Steve Jobs. Jobs is a Shiite Muslim." --Eisner, referring to the Apple/Pixar leader who was then his creative partner

"You don't do something because it's a sure thing. You do...more

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Apr 04, 2008 James rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Business Book fans, Disney Company fans

Like all James Stewart books, this is thoroughly researched. The story starts off promisingly, with the author realizing the magic of Disney while in character as Goofy Park. But the story doesn't show much of the same magic. The story line is disjointed, with events often happening years apart. The cutting back and forth in time is disconcerting. Plus the sagas with Katzenberg and Ovitz drag on. The best part of the book is in the back stories---of Eisner, Disney, and others---Eisner comes off...more

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Sep 07, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

This is a re-read for me as I am fascinated with the Disney cult/culture. It focuses on Michael Eisner and what seems to be a megalomaniac's descent into madness. I don't treat this book as a historical document, just one man's perspective on a key-player who turned a large corporation around. Sure, there are some logic flubs and some skewed reporting here, but it doesn't stop this from being a darned good, ripping, gripping yarn.

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Sep 20, 2011 Cecilie Lee rated it 2 of 5 stars

So I've been reading this for about 2 weeks but it's just overwhelming. I don't often give up on books but it's huge and I'm not entirely captivated. Michael Eisner just a mean man but he lives a very cyclical life. He keeps getting friends that he then turns on. No matter the friend it's the same story. Also, I'm not sure this book was written far enough after the firing. In the book he's still on the board of directors but now he's off. Anyway, I quit with this book, it's too long and repetiti...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Deron rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had heard about Urbanick reading this backstage during THOM PAINE and the Shakespeare comparisons and then my own love for behind the show business scenes, but this book started off interesting and then drug on and on. Rich white people are just not that interesting. Or at least in this version of that tale. It was amusing to learn that Eisner started off with aspirations of being a playwright.

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