DisneyWar [Hardcover]

I am a huge James B Stewart fan (loved The Prosecutors and Den of Thieves) and an ex-Disney exec (I was there for five of the years discussed) so I was looking forward to this book. My net feeling is that it was fun, not a bad choice for the beach bag this summer, but (a) it takes a relentlessly negative point of view, even more than I think is justified, (b) there are some weird gaps in the story which I attribute to rushing to out to press (but maybe there's some other reason), and (c) finally and most importantly, it fails to rise above the facts it portrays to make any larger point. What does it tell us about or times, about corporations, about America, about the people discussed...? Unclear. Somehow Stewart didn't get enough perspective on it or insight into it to make the narrative into something more memorable and insightful than a solid recounting of some important events in Disney's recent history. That's too bad. I hope that in Stewart's next book he finds some larger meaning.

But, that being said, a lot of the events are nevrtheless quite fascinating:

It's unbelievable how Eisner burned Ovitz straightaway after hiring him. Just completely hung him out to dry when only weeks before he had been the most powerful man in Hollywood. Brutal and horrible.

The details with Katzenberg were awful too. That must have been the worst deal ever made (next to the Ovitz deal). And Eisner's carping about Roth, Iger and Wells behind their backs? He really comes off as a psycho freak you wouldn't want to work for.

Some of his problems were legitimate though. Katzenberg was equally psycho at least. What do you do with an employee who is good at producing animated films, has failed to create a profitable live action motion picture division, advocated a failed strategy of producing 40-50 films per year and now wants to be the President and COO of a Dow 30 company? Developing animated films is no better preparation for being the COO of a major corporation than being an agent is. So what was Eisner to do with this jumped up producer? Tough one. But what he did do was probably not the right choice. Katzenberg is in the right job now as head of a free standing Animation studio.

The parts that are somewhat mysteriously left out are the massive increase in value at the Disney Channel and ESPN. I suppose it doesn't fit the "Eisner is an idiot" theme, but if he's such an idiot how did all that happen? That's why I feel the book is a little unfair. Also, the fact that Eisner didn't lose his *** on some horrible internet deal like Gerry Levin probably deserved more emphasis.

I was surprised at a few negatives that were left out: why wasn't there more discussion of the talent exodus -- Dean Valentine, Gerry Laybourne...? I don't know. Also, what about some of those sketchy investments -- magazines? Professional sports teams? I guess the book could only be so long.

I also wish that Stewart put more data in the book. If Eisner's reign was a failure, let's see a bar chart with actual cash flow. Why not? There was essentially no data, which I thought was odd for a business book.

But, again, I wish that Stewart had gotten some insight out of all this. Let's just stipulate that Eisner's a smart guy who accomplished a lot. So why did he make all these horrendous difficulties managing other people? That 'Rosebud' answer is what we don't get here.

I live in Burbank, CA, just up the street from the Disney corporate headquarters. When I heard the DisneyWars was coming out today, I rushed down to the local bookstore to get my copy. As I was making my purchase, the cashier mentioned to me that earlier today, the Disney Company had come to the store and bought out their entire stock of the book. There were a lot of copies on display, so it must have been quite an effort. But then a couple of hours before I came to buy my copy, they returned them all. What strange behavior. The must be afraid of what the Stewart wrote. Their apparent paranoia made me even more eager to read the book.

From what I've read so far, they should be afraid. It's quite a scathing expose. So far, it is proving to be an excellent book. What Walt Disney accomplished through the power of his genius and ability to tap into the genius of others is simply amazing. But this book is a stark revelation of the damage the current management has done to the Disney Company. If you are a Disney fan, I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Pulitzer prize winner James B. Stewart paints a portrait of Michael Eisner that has more in common with a totalitarian dictator than with most CEOs. Stewart is careful, though, to trace the Walt Disney Company's growth and success under Eisner, even though he was really running Disney for the benefit of just a handful of people - including himself. And, just as carefully, Stewart traces the company's spiraling internal chaos. The pluses: the author tells an instructive, intricate corporate saga in intriguing detail. Minuses: He is no expert on the film industry and the narrative doesn't build much momentum. Frustratingly, although no doubt for sound reportorial reasons, he also mostly refuses to draw conclusions until the short final chapter. We recommend this troubling portrait of corporate excess and misbehavior to all managers and to students of entertainment and media as a lesson on the pitfalls of untamed corporate politics and unbridled CEO power.

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