2. Tom Staggs: Heir Apparent
Ever since Bob Iger announced his retirement in 2011, many have questioned who will replace him. While his retirement has been delayed from 2015 to 2018, succession planning has been on the mind of many Disney followers. Swapping the roles of Jay Rasulo and Tom Staggs was seen as a test to see who would be the internal candidate for CEO. With the naming of Tom Staggs as Chief Operating Officer, a job once held by Iger, it became clear that Tom was Bob’s heir apparent. Even Jay Rasulo got the hint, resulting in his departure. While it is possible that an external candidate will lead Disney after Bob, it would be surprising to see such a change for a company that has traditionally promoted from within, especially while it is firing on all cylinders.
It is without question that Bob Iger has been a transformative CEO with major investments in the parks and acquiring franchises that have continued (and will continue) to pay dividends. But with audience fragmentation and cord cutting scaring the entire entertainment industry, it will be fascinating to see where Tom or whoever is ultimately named head of The Walt Disney Company may take the conglomerate as it deals with the transformative impacts of new technologies.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
At this point, creating a list of all the records the seventh Star Wars film has broken would take up most of this article. Needless to say, the movie has won over everyone from critics to casual fans to the hardcores (one notable exception but might George Lucas). After less than two weeks in release, The Force Awakens has already cleared over a billion dollars worldwide as is poised to overtake Avatar’s all-time crown.
If anyone was doubting Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm, one look at these staggering box office returns — not to mention the amount of merchandise being moved — should serve in proving it was one of the best buys the company has ever made (and they’ve had a lot of great ones!). Perhaps the most amazing thing is that this only the beginning. With the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens alongside their Marvel properties, in-house animated films, and Pixar films, Disney has ensured their box office domination for years to come.
Editor’s Picks
FanBoy: D23 Expo
Although the D23 Expo had its fair share of operational challenges and many fans were hoping for even more announcements, I have to include the 2015 edition of the D23 Expo as my editor’s pick. While the Expo featured sneak peeks, exhibits, celebrities and announcements, what truly makes this event special is gathering of all things Disney in one place. Seeing friends that you have lost touch with, bumping into Disney celebrities in the halls, and seeing fans display their fandom in interesting and diverse ways makes this event truly special. Sure the announcements, panels, and pavilions help make the D23 Expo a must-see for some, sharing these moments with my fellow Disney fans is my true highlight.
Besides the oddly timed Star Wars Land reveal, we also learned about Toy Story Land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with Soarin’ Around the World landing at Epcot and DCA. There were disappointments (Disney Store), oddities (The Iron Man Experience bit), and happy surprises (Johnny Depp), but, with everything is considered, the D23 Expo was once again the must-do Disney event of the year.
Doobie Moseley: Galavant
In recent years, ABC has become known for its diversity with shows like Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Black-ish, Fresh of the Boat, Modern Family and others. And ABC has, for the most part, steered clear of CSI and NCIS procedural clones and tried to bring something different to the networks like American Crime (critically lauded) and even Wicked City (critically panned). In 2015 ABC added to its diversity not with casting but with daring content. Galavant’s brand of musical combined with over-the-top comedy hasn’t been seen on network television since… well, I’m not sure it has. The fact that the network that brought us Cop Rock, a show that is still laughed about today, went out a limb to give us Galavant is itself worthy of applause, but the reason I made Galavant my Editor’s Choice, is Disney not only gave it a chance but it also gave it a second chance. In CinemaBlend’s 10 TV Shows Most Likely to Get Cancelled they wrote:
While many people (like myself) love the refreshing take on TV musicals, the double-episode airings haven’t been great for Galavant’s ratings, which have dipped each week. Something tells me Sunday’s broadcast of the final two episodes won’t be the graceful rescue the show needs.
Happily, ABC smiled on the show and Galavant’s second season will begin on January 3rd. One more notch in ABC’s diversity belt.
Alex Reif: The Death of Touchstone Pictures
Ron Miller created Touchstone Pictures in 1984 so that Disney could release movies that weren’t exactly “family friendly.” The Touchstone brand also proved to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Disney marketing to remove the Disney name from films if they were concerned about public reaction. That’s how Disney films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and The Nightmare Before Christmas wound up as Touchstone films in their initial release.
Splash, Adventures in Babysitting, Sister Act, Father of the Bride and Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion are among my favorite films of all time, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Among the most famous films to come from the Touchstone label include Pretty Woman, Beaches, Dick Tracy, Ed Wood, Armageddon, 10 Things I Hate About You and The Prestige. With Dick Cook’s departure from Disney, Touchstone Pictures became merely a distributor of Dreamworks films. In September, Disney announced that their partnership with Dreamworks would end in 2016, with just one more film planned for release under the Touchstone banner. Now that Disney has Marvel and Lucasfilm, who needs Touchstone? I, for one, will miss it.
Kyle Burbank: Disneyland’s “new Fantasyland”
While Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom received a New (with a capital ‘n’) Fantasyland a few years back, Disneyland quietly began updating their’s last year with the brilliant refurbishment of Alice in Wonderland. This unexpected development brought new magic to the classic attraction by beautifully integrating new technology that wowed without distracting. In 2015, the trend continued as my personal favorite ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, received similar treatment.
Fans both in favor and opposed to the changes have noted that the Pan update wasn’t as large in scope as Alice’s but I’d argue that’s what makes this initiative even better. The fact that the Imagineers aren’t trying to overload each attraction with effects just because they can once again demonstrates their respect for these rides and their simple but effective charms. Take, for example, the fiber optic stars above Neverland (that single-handedly make this ride my favorite) which have thankfully remained untouched that could have easily be destroyed in the hands of lesser creatives.
Much the way Star Wars: The Force Awakens succeeded by using “all of the tools in the toolbox” (in that case meaning CGI and practical effects), the subtle makeovers that Disneyland has been giving to their famous dark rides have followed the same path and I think it’s a great road to go down.