Speaking of animation… animated features and high-quality animation have been the creative and financial heart of Disney for so long, and that needs to be revived for a third golden age. Disney needs a strong in-house factory for producing films with moving stories, compelling characters, and elaborate settings. It doesn't really matter to me if the animation is accomplished with a pencil or a mouse, as long as the art is worthwhile. There is something to be said for the "moving painting" look of the classic style, but there is also something to be said for the freedom provided by the new wave of animation. Going back to what I said about integration - if Disney creates the original content in-house, Disney can maintain a distinct style and quality that nobody else will have. Plus, this animation factory would be good for not only working on features, but content and effects for theme park attractions, DVD menus, games, toys, live action special effects, websites, advertisements – any number of uses.

Just as a strong animation team is needed for media projects, a strong Walt Disney Imagineering is needed for location-based projects. Here again, if Disney has a strong core team with low turnover mixed with a consistently fresh talent pool, Disney can develop style, quality, and technology that will keep it unique and superior. If a majority of the creative staff floats from company to company, it will be hard to keep your experiences different from everyone else's. That's pretty much what happened with live action films. The public does not distinguish between an MGM, Touchstone, or Universal release.

Frankly, I think the corporation needs a single creative "think tank" that is primarily responsible for producing concepts for content, one that can then feed those concepts to staff who can adapt the content to whatever appropriate form – television, cinema, toys, books, comics, theme parks, DVD, CD, radio, stage. This think tank will maintain the consistency and integrity of the concepts. This isn't to say that the different units can't come up with their own ideas, but there should be cohesiveness to the major gist of what the company is doing. Staff this core creative team with writers of various types, composers, illustrators, sculptors, and anyone else who can create and express a concept in a way that others can understand it. Don't restrict them to only working on films, or only working on theme parks, or only working on games. A good story, compelling characters, and settings that no longer exist in reality or never did are the basis for so much of what the company does when it does something successfully and creates something enduring. This core team would not be married to any single medium of final delivery to audiences/consumers, and thus could continue with the company through changing times.

Keeping in mind what I said earlier about having strong division leaders, one could lead this think tank, others could oversee the actual creation of theme parks/resorts, media entertainment, and consumer products respectively, and still others could oversee the operation of the locations and the distribution of the media, respectively. But since media and communications technologies have changed, there is no need to treat say, a film, a theme park attraction, and a game as completely separate things (the Buzz Lightyear attractions have touched on this). A core creative team could shepherd a concept into various outlets simultaneously, and your consumers can choose to immerse themselves in it or casually enjoy just one of the outlets. Ultimately, my point is that Disney's integration and diversification allow you to position the corporation as storytellers who happen to tell stories in cinemas, theme parks, consumer products, home media, etc. – instead of a theme park company, a film and television company, and a consumer products company that happen to report to the same corporate office.

Okay, I think I've beaten that horse enough.

Keep making unique products for collectors. This goes back to nostalgia being a powerful thing. There have been some irresistible things to buy, especially at the theme parks. That's good. That's much better than just counting on your fans to buy another shirt with a princess on it. Of course, these products needs to be featured in specific shops in your parks and resorts to which collectors will actually have access. That means they need to be open decent hours.

Recent news indicates that ABC is being structured to keep things like the news division integrated with the company. I know I wrote earlier that synergy and integration are good, but ABC News is one area that I think some level of independence, and perhaps even a spin-off, could be a good idea. Disney is an entertainment company, a corporation at that. The Lefties think broadcast news is too corporate now, and Righties think news outlets like ABC are too Leftist. So, consider creating an ABC News operation that is jointly owned by someone else. The broadcast news programs - and accompanying online endeavors - are only valuable in so far as people can trust that it is accurate, informative, and relevant.

You have caused a stir recently, primarily among cinema owners who didn't like your suggestion that feature films could be released simultaneously to home markets to thwart piracy. I think there is merit to that idea. Cable, satellite, and rented/purchased physical media such as DVDs are firmly established and theaters need to adapt to continue to be worthwhile experiences. Theaters can always afford better equipment than just about anyone can afford for their homes, and they can offer a communal experience. That's something on which they need to build, and to keep the negative at a minimum (yammering audience members, shootings at the gangster-focused films). Spielberg says he has something up his sleeve. We'll see. Regardless, pirating and file-sharing are necessitating a new model of generating money from media. What that new model will be, I'm not sure. Maybe Disney can lead the way in that regard.

Disney Magazine and the Wonderful World of Disney are two things that should continue. They are inexpensive publicity for the rest of the corporation. Other companies WISH they could get away with such productions. Can you imagine consumers buying a "Viacom" magazine, or a "Wonderful World of Cedar Fair" TV show? Please keep these long-loved outlets for your products going, and keep them worthwhile. They could exist in the first place because Disney is special, and they were also part of what kept Disney special.

Finally- new media is becoming the dominant media. Make sure reporters from LaughingPlace.com are given full access as news reporters. Are there cranks out there, writing away in a room with fast-food wrappers and "action figures" strewn about, with an audience of ten overly-obsessed people? Yeah, new media allows for that. But sites like LaughingPlace.com are legit and have a real audience. Reporters from LaughingPlace.com are much more likely to present relevant information to your target audiences.

With that, Bob, I'll say – REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! You have access to some of the world's best toys, so play, play, PLAY!

Do you have suggestions for Bob? I know you do. Let's focus on the business of Disney as we discuss what's ahead for Bob.

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