Theme Park Adventure Supports Roy Disney & Stanley Gold

It's Time for Michael Eisner to Step Down

This subject is near to my heart, both as an ex-Disney Cast Member as well as a journalist who has devoted 9+ years to covering the theme park industry in general.

When Roy Disney resigned from The Walt Disney Company, I knew that the issues and concerns that many of us have raised for years were finally going to be noticed.  Until now, if we commented about poor upkeep at Disneyland or the lack of morale at Imagineering or the cheapness of new parks like Disney's California Adventure, we were brushed aside as rabid "fans," with nothing better to do.

Now that the very same issues we've written about, discussed and pleaded Disney to change have been raised by both Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, the business world is taking notice.

To read my own personal comments on this situation, please click here and read the latest entry in TPA's Westworld Editorials.  The editorial also contains the full text of the letter that Roy Disney submitted to the company.  For further coverage of the situation, please visit LaughingPlace.com.

Below is a formal letter written on behalf of Theme Park Adventure and its readers.  I would like for those agreeing with us to "sign" the letter, which will remain open and public for everyone to see for an unspecified amount of time.  It will also be sent to members of the media as well as executives at Disney, if we are asked for a printed copy.

I ask that you take a moment and read the following text and "sign" your name to it by following the instructions at the end of the text.  It's time we all took a stand and let Eisner know that it's not okay anymore and that we resent seeing Roy Disney leave the company that his father and uncle started.  It's just not right, and we're not going to stand for it any longer.

Thank each and every one of you for your support in this effort.

Rick West

Founder/Editor-in-Chief - Theme Park Adventure

We Support Roy Disney and Ask for Michael Eisner to Step Down Immediately

Recently, I was saddened by the news that Roy Disney has resigned from The Walt Disney Company because of his unhappiness with its condition and the continued tension between he and Michael Eisner.  The fact that a Disney has been run out of his family's company by an executive that gave him the job stinks completely and is grounds for enthusiasts and supporters of the company to rise up and make our voices heard.

There is no question that as a part of Team Disney in the '80s, Michael Eisner and his colleagues saved The Walt Disney Company from disaster.  Everyone agrees on that point and has the utmost respect for Eisner and company for doing what they were brought in by Roy Disney to do all those years ago.  As Roy put it, we salute Michael for that and will always respect that and appreciate what he did for the company in those early days.

However, with the loss of Frank Wells and the departure of Jeffrey Katzenberg to Dreamworks, The Walt Disney Company under the leadership of Michael Eisner has been on a downward spiral that has caused it to become the laughing stock of the industry and the butt of jokes on television, in stage shows and throughout the entertainment world.

Once upon a time, The Walt Disney Company was the leader in animation.  That is no longer the case, as we've seen the company's animated treasures plundered and characters whored out to create embarrassing and unnecessary sequels and product aimed only at making a quick buck, regardless of the long-term damage to the overall value of these characters and original animated classics.  Companies like Pixar and Dreamworks are walking all over the Disney name and talented artists from Disney have through the years, left to join ranks with the company's direct competition because of pay and morale issues.

Once upon a time, Disney was the leader in theme park entertainment.  This is no longer the case, as is painfully evident by the "new generation" of theme parks the company has turned out in Anaheim, Paris and soon in Hong Kong.  A company that once reigned supreme and introduced the world to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, The Indiana Jones Adventure and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has instead, focused on cheap re-hashing of existing attractions and small-scale rides and shows as opposed to moving forward and continuing to blaze the trail of "E" Ticket attractions.  It's very sad to note that the only Disney attractions these days receiving acclaim are found at Tokyo DisneySea, in a country that we were once at war with - attractions and a park built mostly with Japanese money and belief in Walt Disney Imagineering.  No longer are companies like Universal and Six Flags lagging behind Disney when it comes to themed entertainment.  Instead, Universal builds attractions and parks that leave Disney fans thrilled and Six Flags builds thrill rides and roller coasters that continue to pull the teen and young adult market further from Mickey and company each year.  When anyone willing to spend the money in Las Vegas can build a resort that makes Disney properties pale in comparison - there is a definite problem that is now too large to be continuously ignored.

Once upon a time, we felt safe taking our families to Disneyland and other company properties.  Continued budget cuts and lack of proper training have left innocent visitors injured or in some cases, dead.  There was a time when we could ride a Disney attraction and not have to worry about it derailing or what else might be wrong with it because management has cut corners.  I don't want to visit Disney theme parks if it means putting myself or my family in harm's way just so a manager's budget is met.

Once upon a time, many of us wanted to be Imagineers, creating the magic for generations to come.  Now, knowing how WDI has been devastated and how senior management has no support for its creative team there, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to put on a WDI nametag and go to work in Glendale.  There is more employee loyalty found at gas stations and movie theaters.

The time has come to gather behind Roy Disney and Stanley Gold and call on Michael Eisner to step down from his post at The Walt Disney Company.  Eisner has out-lasted his welcome and people everywhere are fed up with his style of management and what he's done to the Disney name in general.  Michael Eisner has made poor business decisions that have cost the company millions, yet he continues to receive millions in performance bonuses.  Disney employees around the globe feel cut off from corporate management and feel that Michael Eisner couldn't care less about them or their jobs.  Enthusiasts everywhere are fed up with Disney in general these days and are calling for new blood at this critical moment in the company's history.

We recognize the seriousness of this letter and understand completely that our names may be used publicly by the media.  We also trust that as Disney employees or in the case of the Theme Park Adventure staff, we will not be discriminated against in the future by The Walt Disney Company or its agents for voicing our opinion about an institution we've grown up with and feel very strongly about.

By signing this letter, I wish to publicly add my name to the list of supporters that have rallied behind Roy Disney in the name of his uncle Walt and his father Roy.  We want Disney to return to the glory it once had and we want management that understands its brand and the responsibility it has not just to Wall Street investors with millions to spend - The Walt Disney Company first and foremost has a responsibility to those that buy their product, visit their parks and make up America and beyond.

Disney has a responsibility to Jeff in San Francisco; Susan in Detroit; Linda in Toronto; Eric in Seattle; Bob in Anaheim; Amanda in Orlando; Justine in Great Britain; Kate in Sydney; Don in Kentucky; Hans in Sweden; Irene in Wisconsin.  The list is endless and our voices are many.  We wish to be heard along with Roy Disney and the countless Disney employees just as oppressed by Michael Eisner's corporate insincerity and method of doing business.

We are America and beyond and we will not be silent any longer.  Step down, Michael Eisner.  Your day has come and gone.  We call for change at The Walt Disney Company in unison and wish to be heard.

Sincerely,

Home