Jim Hill
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So the Henson family began talking with all the veteran Muppeteers about whether or not it still made sense to still go forward with the Disney / Henson merger. Most of Jim's colleagues agreed that -- had Henson lived -- the combination of Muppet magic plus Disney's marketing might & financial backing could have created a pretty potent product. But now -- with Jim dead & out of the picture now -- nothing much made sense anymore.
Which was why -- in early December of 1990 -- the Henson family announced that Jim Henson Productions was formally breaking off merger talks with the Walt Disney Company.
Was there any one event that made the Henson family finally decide to call off the merger? No. Rather, it was dozens of little things (plus a couple of large things) that eventually made them realize that -- without Jim on hand to provide the necessary glue -- this deal just wasn't going to stick. That the low-key touchy-feely way that Jim Henson Productions staffers did things was just not going to mesh with the aggressive, greedy way that Mickey ran the Mouse Factory.
When this news got back to Disney CEO Michael Eisner, he was reportedly very upset. But not nearly as much as the Henson family was going to be in the Spring of 1991, when Jim's survivors learned that -- in spite of the fact that the merger had been officially canceled months earlier -- the Walt Disney Company was still acting like it owned the Muppets.
In our next installment ... Things get a trifle testy in Toontown as Disney and Henson representatives head to court to figure out who owns what and when. Also -- trying to salvage Jim's theme park dreams.
Related Links
- Part One of this article
- Part Two of this article
- Part Three of this article
- Part Four of this article
- Part Five of this article
- Part Six of this article
- Part Seven of this article
- Part Nine of thie article
-- Jim Hill
Jim Hill can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing him at [email protected].
Jim Hill is this guy who lives 'way out in the woods of New Hampshire. (Hey, it's not like he wants to live there. But the Witness Protection Program has got rules, you know.) He has one beautiful daughter and three obnoxious cats. When he's not looking for real work, Jim writes about the Walt Disney Company and related matters for LaughingPlace.com, AmusementPark.com, "Orlando Weekly" and Digital Media FX.
The opinions expressed by Jim Hill, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the past decisions and future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted August 28, 2001