Roy Edward Disney: Vision and Resignation - Essay Example

Jonathan Davis Mrs. Julia Ruengert MMC2000 March 17, 2007 Roy Edward Disney: Vision and Resignation Our world since its origination has been a ‘hotbed’ of activity. Activity in the sense, the central component of our world, we humans have been showing activeness both mentally and physically, which have transformed our lives in every possible way. And, among all the humans, certain individuals have shown activeness an extra bit. That is, these individuals have carried out certain actions, which have widespread ramifications both in the positive sense as well in the negative sense. And, importantly that individual’s actions have changed the life of not only himself/herself but also lives associated with them. This situation will be more visible in an organization, when one looks and focuses at the actions of its leader or the main players, and how it changed the lives of the workers and the organization as a whole. That is, these individuals would play the pivotal role of changing the history of the organization. Roy Disney was one these visionary people who changed the Disney Corporation for the better. Roy Edward Disney was born to Roy Oliver Disney and Edna Francis on January 10, 1930. Roy Oliver Disney was the elder brother of the famous name in media and entertainment history, Walt Disney. As Roy Oliver Disney only co-founded the Disney Corporation with Walt Disney, his son Roy Edward Disney got the ideal environment and platform to launch his career in his childhood days itself. Roy Disney spent much of his privileged childhood among the Disney Company’s cartoonists who sketched scenes for “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia.” Roy claims that he was actually the model for Goofy. Speaking about his education, he studied English at Harvard and graduated from the Pomona College in1951 (BBC). Then in 1953, he started his long-standing career in the entertainment industry career, firstly by working as an assistant film editor on the "Dragnet" TV series. Then, he took the next logical step by joining the Disney Corporation as the assistant film editor for television series. There he went on to produce and direct nature films for nearly 20 years. Side by side, he also did editing work for films as well, including "The Living Desert" and "The Vanishing Prairie," both Academy Award winners. And as a writer and production associate, Roy received an Academy Award nomination for his work on the short subject "Mysteries of the Deep" (Portal). After concentrating only on the editing works in the initial stages, he widened his focus to include all aspects of filmmaking. So, at the Disney’s, he started to work as a writer, director and producer. This continued until 1967, when he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the company. And in course of time, he was elevated as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company and chairman of Walt Disney Animation. But, in 1977, he submitted his resignation as an executive due to disagreements with his colleagues decisions at the time. But, he retained a seat on the board of directors. But, he could not maintain this status quo, as he resigned from the board as well in 1984, which occurred in the midst of a corporate takeover battle. That is, the CEO at the time, Ronald William Miller was ousted by Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. After that event Roy returned to the company and took over the previous posts of vice-chairman of the board of directors and head of the animation department (Wikipedia). After settling into his office, he set his goal to invigorate the companys tradition of animated feature films and by the end of the decade there were successes in this department. And Roy’s act of giving enormous amount of artistic freedom to the employees of the animation department, particularly cartoonists, is one of the contributing factors for this success. Although Roy acted largely as a figurehead, he was able to impose many of his thought process into the functioning of the organization, even overriding his boss, Eisner. Because of this style of management, Roys department produced a number of commercially successful, critically acclaimed films and the era has been called a renaissance for the company and animation in general, though there was a decline in profits starting at the end of the decade (Wikipedia). This included his pet project of the film “Fantasia 2000,” which is actually a sequel to the 1940 animated movie, “Fantasia,” produced by his uncle Walt Disney. Roy decided to make this long-delayed sequel and it took nine years to produce. But when it finally released in 1999, its success was average, even though the animation was up-to-date with modern times, at the same time displaying the age old Disney Corporation’s sensibilities. Then, he made headlines for organizing the ouster of another successful top Disney executive, Michael Eisner in 2005. Ironically, he was also the man who promoted Mr. Eisners appointment to the top job at Disney in 1984. However, he was against the alleged poor leadership of Eisner. While submitting his letter of resignation to Eisner and the Board of Directors, he addressed many of the difficulties facing the company, and held Mr. Eisner to account for his poor leadership and lack of vision. He gave seven examples of poor leadership, such as the creative brain drain that happened in Disney for several years and not maintaining a healthy relationship with Pixar (Petition online). For this Roy set up his own web site, SaveDisney.com, through which he and his supporters spread a campaign to fight the company management and remove Eisner. Roy Disney ended the “Save Disney Campaign” when Eisner stepped down and Bob Iger became the new CEO. He also made entry into the Disney Corporation’s management for the third time (BBC). On the personal front, Roy Disney’s life took a major turn. After having a solid married life for 52 years with Patricia Ann Dailey, Roy Disney filed for divorce. He has four adult children. Roy is also well known in the sailing community. He has now turned into an investor and floating a California-based investment company, Shamrock Holdings, which has acquired stakes in radio stations, property, and technology companies. Roy is now one of the last members of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company. He has been compared to both his uncle Walt Disney and his father Roy Oliver Disney not only because he is said to resemble them both in appearance and personality, but because of his success with the Disney Corporation also. His current position in the Disney Corporation is as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors. So, Roy Edward Disney, after entering the Disney Corporation as an assistant film editor rose to this position through his efforts and intrigues: intrigues that changed the history of the organization in a different way. “Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things” (Jackson). Works cited BBC. Profile: Roy E. Disney. 25 Feb 2007 Jackson, Jesse. Leadership Quotes. 25 Feb 2007. Petition online. We support Roy E. Disney. 25 Feb 2007 Portal. Interview with Roy Disney. 25 Feb 2007. Roy E. Disney. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 22 Feb 2007. 25 Feb 2007. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_E._Disney >. Read More