Which Disney death led to their current Dark Ages?

[AlanH]

I couldn't resist stirring the pot. Here's a quote from the BusinessWeek article on Eisner:

Through it all, Eisner was the personification of the Disney brand, right down to the Mickey tie he wore. He was known for his folksy letters to shareholders, written from his family farm in Vermont or while watching his son practice hockey.

But every letter hit on the same theme: Disney was a creative company. And Eisner was clearly its creative leader, working tirelessly to make the company's films, TV shows, and theme-park rides the best they could be. He got sick, he once told me, from riding the newly designed Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland so often.

Well what happened?