Archive for February 27th, 2006

Go BOB Go!

Monday, February 27th, 2006

I was meditating yesterday…mumbling to myself about how much good stuff Robert iger has done in the last few months.

Since stepping onto the top spot at the mouse house on October 1st Bob has done some pretty amazing things - shutting down the Strategic Planning division (which had as head the son of Iger’s old ABC old boss Peter Murphy…); being the first to get content on the new ipod with video (and itunes); buying Pixar; getting Oswald the lucky rabbit back to Disney … e ssentially smoothing all feathers with crashed past management, shareholder and Disney family members.

15122004(003).jpgMost of all what, as a business man, I particularly like about Iger is that he doesn’t try to be creative, he doesn’t’ make creative decisions forcing them on others or pretending to be the next Walt Disney.
Sure the guy follows his instincts. Take the decision to place content on the video iPod / iTunes. Reportedly this was pure instinct on his part, but hey … those are the sort of decisions that in the past were delegated to Peter Murphy’s strategic planning division … and therefore often crashed! (more…)

The Apple Rumor Mill

Monday, February 27th, 2006

Apple...The close knit “fan” community of Apple is well known to produce rumors galore - but this time the rumors are not started by that community but by the veritable website but by a report of the veritable website Marketwatch on a statement of Barron’s from Sunday. Now technology and financial market blogs like The Raw Feed are spreading the word … what word?

According to Barron Christopher Whalen, a managing director of Institutional Risk Analytics, said “Disney is badly undervalued right now. Jobs might get an opportunity to take it out.”. He is further quoted saying “The markets and Disney shareholders would welcome a merger led by their apparent savior, Steve Jobs”. (more…)

Buzz is coming to London

Monday, February 27th, 2006

Pixar: 20 Years of AnimationEuropean fans of Buzz and of his friends from Pixar are in for a real treat this year. Not only is Buzz Lightyear inviting them to join him fighting the evil emporer Zurg in the new attraction Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast opening April 8 in the Disneyland Resort Paris. No, now fans should also make plans for a short trip to London between April 1 and June 10!

Thanks to the blog Luxo for pointing out that the acclaimed exhibition Pixar: 20 Years of Animation, which premiered at the world famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, now comes to the Science Museum in London!! The exhibition features artworks, sketches, models, paintings and much more from the complete past work of Pixar certainly including their smash hits released in collaboration with Disney. Anyone up for a combined trip to London and Paris?

Haunted Mansion 1 (Comic Book)

Monday, February 27th, 2006

HMcomic1.jpgUS comics, it is a passion! So when they announced a comic book about Haunted Mansion I had to have it and placed an order straight away.

When the book finally arrived I couldn’t wait to see what they had done with it. The cover looked promising, so no time to loose, open to the first page and start reading.

But I couldn’t! You see comic books are a form of art. It is the drawing that needs to catch the eye. Well, opening this book and looking at what was inside… it didn’t look good and I could not get to read it at that moment.

Drawings are not everything. How about a good story? It was a comic book that promised me “Stories Inspired by the Classic Disney Attraction”. They could not spoil a perfect ride now, could they? Asking myself this question I could not help myself thinking about this awful movie they made about the ride. Would they do this again with the comic book?

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