Eisner's Farewell Letter

[Sarangel]

I found this over at Mouseplanet:

Now It's Time To Say Goodbye

From: Eisner, Michael
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005
Subject: Thank you

Dear All,

I'm sitting in my office thinking about how much I have enjoyed working with the people who make up this company. I am about to pack up 21 years of pictures, books and letters and other Disney memorabilia from around the world that hopefully my great grandchildren will not sell on eBay. In the meantime, I will use these objects to trigger fantastic memories of my two decades sitting under the roof supported by the Seven Dwarfs in the Team Disney Building.

I've learned so much over all these years from my partnership with you, from how to build theme parks to how the evening news is put together, from building an animated movie to building a legitimate theater on 42nd Street, from the revitalization of the 100 Acre Wood to the build-out of the thousands of acres of swamps and beet farms and landfill of Florida, Paris and Hong Kong, and even learning what a World Series ring looks like. I even finally learned the precise relationship of Huey, Dewey and Louie to Donald Duck. But I never really learned how to master reading a TV teleprompter. There is still time

In 1984, there was plenty of room in my brain to acquire this much-needed knowledge. At my first speech on the first day on the Burbank lot, at the old gazebo, I met my first cast member, Angela Philo, and asked what department she was in. Her response, “BVD.”“Wow,” I responded, “I didn't know Disney owned an underwear company.”

And it was in search of knowledge during those first few weeks that I met almost everybody who worked for the company, 28,000 at the time, and learned that this iconic institution had the most dedicated and talented and enthusiastic group of people I had seen since I left camp as a staff member for the last time in 1964. There are now 129,000 of us, diverse, unique, and of course proud to be creating the magic.

I wish to thank all of you for your good spirits, your fantastic pride and sense of duty working for this wonderful company. From what we do on the big and little screens to how we program our radio and television stations, from what we do on ESPN and all our world-wide cable channels to how we treat our guest in our parks, nobody does it like you. From how we develop our consumer products to how we imagine our attractions, from how we design our computer-generated worlds to how we envision our business strategies, nobody does it like you. And from the growth of our architecture to the management of our financial and legal lives, from our publishing and music operations to our emerging Internet opportunities, from every morning until every next morning, nobody does all of this as well as you. And you do it all over the world.

This company, which I so love, is poised for a tremendous future, with superb management at all levels, entrusted to the brilliant and steady chief executive officer, Bob Iger. I want to thank everybody for letting me share a piece of your lives for two decades.

While I leave Disney with less hair than I had when I arrived, I do know creative inquisitiveness never ages or tires. I feel as optimistic as I did on Oct 1, 1984.

By the way, I have since learned that BVD stands for Buena Vista Distribution.

Good luck, and go see “Chicken Little.”

Michael

 

[DVCconvert]

Hasta la vista, baby

 

[manning]

I'm sitting in my office thinking about how much I have enjoyed working with the people who make up this company.

I understand there was a one sentence response from the rank and file.

"You don't know how much we enjoy seeing you leave!!!!!!"

 

[BRERALEX]

I am about to pack up 21 years of pictures, books and letters and other Disney memorabilia from around the world that hopefully my great grandchildren will not sell on eBay.

Forget his great grandchildren I hope his grandchildren sell HIM on eBay.

 

[Above_the_Rim]

Was this really wrote by him or ghost written as Camp was? And what was up with that little Chicken Little movie advertisement in the end there, there's a lot more movied (Wallace and Gromit for one) that I'll want to see before I see that. I think it was a nice letter, I like the less hairs than when I started line. it has a literal meaning and a metaphorical meaning to it as well

 

[DVCconvert]

I hope his grandchildren sell HIM on eBay.

Does Ebay accept auctions under $ 1 ????

 

[mitros]

And stay out!!!!!

 

[rantnnravin]

and learned that this iconic institution had the most dedicated and talented and enthusiastic group of people I had seen

and i made it my mission to change all that...

buh-bye

 

[graygables]

I liked his use of the "royal we". idiot.

 

[DennisV]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Yes I agree that Mr. Eisner's time to go is here but
let us not forget what he did for the Disney Company. No matter what your personel opinion is of him he Did in fact save this company. He turned a floundering company into the success it is today. Did he make mistakes, Sure he did we all do. I am anxious for Mr Iger to turn the next page but I am thankful that Mr Eisner came along and saved my favorite company that I worked for for 11 years and I am very proud that I had that chance and would do it again if the time was right. I wish to say Thank You to Mr. Eisner for what I love is what Disney is.

 

[kritter]

Dennis well said...

 

[manning]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Yes I agree that Mr. Eisner's time to go is here but
let us not forget what he did for the Disney Company. No matter what your personel opinion is of him he Did in fact save this company. He turned a floundering company into the success it is today. Did he make mistakes, Sure he did we all do. I am anxious for Mr Iger to turn the next page but I am thankful that Mr Eisner came along and saved my favorite company that I worked for for 11 years and I am very proud that I had that chance and would do it again if the time was right. I wish to say Thank You to Mr. Eisner for what I love is what Disney is.

Without Wells he was nothing. I guess we know who had the brains of the two!!!!!!

 

[DancingBear]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Are you serious? This is an internet discussion board. If I walked up to Eisner while he was on a family trip with his grandchildren and called him an idiot, I should be ashamed. If someone wants to call him an idiot here, that's nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Give us the facts on Wells please. Not just the internet/DIS board innuendo that has turned Wells into a genius of epic proportions, of dare I say it, Walt proportions, but real facts on what he personally accomplished.

 

[DancingBear]

Wells personally got Clint Eastwood to sign the release to allow his likeness to be included on the Great Movie Ride.

 

[kritter]

Are you serious? This is an internet discussion board. If I walked up to Eisner while he was on a family trip with his grandchildren and called him an idiot, I should be ashamed. If someone wants to call him an idiot here, that's nothing to be ashamed of.

What type of person would jsut call someone and idiot in public I htink we all need to grow up if you would do this..that is unreal..and uncalled for..

 

[TheBellhop]

I like how he mentions ZERO about the negative response to his actions.

It's about time.

 

[DVCconvert]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Yes Dennis, you should be. How do you put the rose colored glasses on the fact that 75+ % of his own employees said he so go??

 

[YoHo]

Some days I feel ashamed that I still read this forum.


For the benefit of the Pirate, If I were to pin one thing on Wells it would be that he was the manager that shielded the people that did the real work from the idiot at the top. It's not the Wells was a Walt like guy. He wasn't, but he knew how to manage people, how to make solid decisions and how to keep Eisner from too badly abusing those under him. Once Eisner's on his own, he meglomania remains unchecked.

That's my opinion of Wells. I simply don't know enough/haven't read enough to tell me anything more about him.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Yes Yoho, that's fine and well but it's just the line spread here on the DIS. Where is the fact? Where is the irrefutable proof that Wells was the genius and Eisner the ego?

I agree that Eisner's ego was Job's-like...That has been proven in many places but Wells accomplishments (aside from the Clint Eastwood coup) are not.

Many people like to disparage Eisner while elevating Wells when all that I know indicates that Wells and Eisner were very, very GOOD friends...Not just associates, but friends. How does this wash with the view of Wells/Eisner here on the DIS?


Oh and Yoho, keep the G man away from the rumrunners if you see him soon.