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Losing the Mouse Ears

You know which sports team Disney is going to buy by the movies they make.

In 1992, Disney came out with a hockey movie called The Mighty Ducks. A year later, they purchased the rights to an expansion NHL franchise and called it the Mighty Ducks. Apparently, the Anaheim Emilio Estevez didn’t go down so well.

In 1994, they remade Angels in the Outfield. Two years later, the bought the real Angels of Major League Baseball, foiling the plans of some guy named Charlie to buy the team and call them "Charlie’s Angels."

If recent tradition holds true, expect Disney to try to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles and call it the Los Angeles Lion Kings.

This week, word spread that Disney was looking at unloading both of its sports franchises, as the company continues to recover from its recent financial losses.

The sports teams seem like the most obvious target for Disney to cut its losses compared to its theme park, television, film and Internet operations.

For one, Tarzan has produced more revenue for Disney this year than the Angels and Ducks combined. Not only that, but the sports teams and their facilities cost a great deal more to operate than an animation studio and a couple thousand film projectors.

The salaries of the players on the Angels alone amount to more than Tarzan's total box office, even though Mo Vaughn wears a great deal more clothing than the guy who swings around on vines.

With rare exceptions, the most money to be made in sports comes when you sell the team.

Disney bought the Angels for $130 million. It is estimated the team could sell for $200 million. Start saving those pennies now.

The profit would be a lot less if Disney sold the Ducks. About $10 million more than they spent to start them up. On the other hand, $10 million could help fund Estevez’s salary for Mighty Ducks 4.

The hunch is that once Disney looks through their books, they’ll decide it’s too early to sell. The Disney Company isn’t a day trader.

Those who follow the teams will tell you that Disney ownership has been a benefit to both teams.

There were a few foh-pahs early on, especially when it came to personnel moves.

Tony Tavares, who handles both teams for Disney, was getting a reputation not unlike that of Paul Pressler over on the theme park end … Which meant it wasn’t that good.

Over time, however, the Ducks have developed a great following because of a great product. Their rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings has developed into the top sports rivalry in Southern California.

The results were even grander with the Angels. The renovation of the once-ugly Big "A" into a sparkling ballpark rivaling even the beauty of Dodger Stadium is commendable enough.

Mind you, going to a Disney-owned stadium isn’t like going to a Disney-owned theme park … and that’s a good thing. You don’t expect to go to Disneyland to see a baseball game, and you don’t expect to go to the arena for a ride on Space Mountain.

If Disney does go through with any sale, they’ll be missed at the ballpark.

Silly Old Bear: You may not know it, but there really is a Five Hundred Acre Wood (known as the Hundred Acre Wood in the Disney movies), though you don’t have to fear falling off a page or having Tigger pounce on you.

Ashdown Forest in the East Sussex area of England is where author A.A. Milne saw his son Christopher play around with his stuffed bear and his imagination. When he wrote it out on paper, Winnie the Pooh was born.

Today, the forest has several sights that Pooh fans would be familiar with. Gill's Lap, the Sandy Pit where Roo played, the North Pole and Eeyore's Gloomy Place are all distinctly marked. So is Poohsticks Bridge.

Thanks to the popularity of Disney’s Pooh animated movies and television shows, the Five Hundred Acre Wood has become a major tourist attraction. In turn, many of the landmarks of the site are falling on disrepair, especially the Poohsticks Bridge.

The folks who run the forest are asking Disney for about $70,000 to help to repair the bridge. You figure that Disney makes at least that much per day on Pooh, its time they gave a little bit back to Pooh.

On the other hand, honey may suffice.

Something Disney Fans Would Like to See: Mickey just get on with it and ask Minnie to marry him. I mean, it’s going on a 70-year courtship now. Minnie’s patience can only go so far. Any day she’ll go run off with Goofy.

Something Disney Fans Would Not Like to See: New show at Disneyland called, "Great Moments With Lincoln Logs."

Not Milo and Otis: As much as people love Disney’s animated movies, most feel that they’re getting a little too predictable.

With each new release, fans hope for a big change in the formula. Something to wow them as much as Beauty and the Beast and Lion King did.

Mulan and Tarzan made steps, but they seemed like baby steps. For the most part, the tiring formula was still there.

News came out this week of the new Disney project for 2003, and Lilo and Stitch looks like it may just be the groundbreaking movie people have been looking for.

Aliens, an evil six-legged dog, an eccentric Hawaiian girl. It just begs to be different. Keep out the dancing bears and we’ll all be happy.

Epcot, NATO and You: Anyone who hasn’t been to Epcot’s World Pavilion has missed out in an amazing experience where in the course of one day, you could travel the entire World.

Those who have gone welcome the news this week of the World Pavilion expanding to a "Millennium Village" that will include an Israel area with a re-creation of the Western Wall.

Of course, there are some countries that probably won’t be coming to Epcot anytime soon.

No plans for an Iraq featuring a "Saddam Encounter," or a Serbia with a "Milosevic Mountain" ride.

What if It Was a Disney Movie: The Iron Giant would become the nicer-sounding "The Gentle Giant." A robot from space warms his heart to a little boy by singing songs by Elton John.

Until next time …