This Week in Disney Headlines – June 12 Edition
What’s in a name? For Disney, the answer could be a lot of money. We’ll talk about that, the absence of mosquitoes, Bob Iger’s bank account, and more.
We’ve got much to discuss in This Week in Disney Headlines for June 11, 2021.
A Big Week for TikToks
Disney stories went viral three different times on TikTok this week. The most fascinating one tells the story of why you’ll never notice mosquitoes at the parks.
Here, watch this:
@idea.soup Disney World also has its own government but that’s a whole other story #interestingfacts #funfacts #disney #edutok #science
MickeyBlog has previously discussed some ways that Disney keeps mosquitoes out of Central Florida, which is swampland.
However, the to-the-point video explains how passionate park officials are about keeping you safe from mosquito bites.
The same user, @idea.soup, also posted this one about the quirks of Disney’s Orlando operation.
@idea.soup “Disney Nuclear Power Plant” sure has a nice ring to it #interestingfacts #funfacts #disney #edutok #science
As I’m mentioned before, Disney could open a nuclear plant if it wanted. More importantly, it could operate its own criminal justice system.
So, all those people who acted like jerks during the pandemic could have spent several years in Disney jail if the company hadn’t relied on local law enforcement instead.
Another TikTok poster, @expedition_neverland, recently chronicled an odd experience on Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
The person published several TikToks that went viral. They show what the Tower of Terror looks like with the lights on.
After nearly 500,000 views across four TikToks, the user posted this recap that shows most of the footage:
@expedition_neverland Full Tower of Terror ride evacuation! #towerofterror #hollywoodstudios #ridebreakdown #disneyparks #disneyworld #disneytiktok #disney #fail
You’ll never look at the ride the same way again, will you?
Hey, while we’re on the subject, are you part of any other Disney online communities?
A Disney fan noticed several ridiculously dramatic Facebook posts in “The Secret Disney Group.” As a joke, he posted some TikToks. Here’s one:
@tombuckley104 disney drama 😳 #disneyparks #disneyworld #disneygang #disneyfreak #disneyfan #disneydrama
Apparently, 10-year-old Luke must pay for his own food at Disney. After that one blew up, he added another:
@tombuckley104 disney facebook at it again 😳 #disneyworld #disneyparks #disneyfan #disneyfanatic #disneyfreak #disneydrama
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
This clip isn’t as exciting, but it did lead to a hilarious outcome. The folks in that Facebook group banned poor Tom for making them too famous:
@tombuckley104 Banned from Disney Facebook 😭 #disneydrama #disneyworld #disneyparks #disneyfan #disneyfreak #disneyfanatic #disneygang #waltdisneyworld
BUT THEN:
@tombuckley104 disney drama – part 4 😳 #disneydrama #disneygang #disneyfan #disneyfreak #disneyfanatic #disneyparks #disneyworld
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
He got invited back once he got famous!
Bob Iger Made HOW MUCH Money?
Former Disney CEO and current Executive Chairman Bob Iger recently made headlines.
Iger only has about six months left on the job at Disney after a career that started in the mid-1990s. He promised to exit at the end of 2021.
The executive has enjoyed a lucrative career at Disney, one that has reportedly given him a net worth of $350 million.
Apparently, Iger still wanted a fresh injection of capital, as he sold roughly 550,000 shares of Disney stock last week.
As you might imagine, the executive earned a great deal of money from this transaction. He sold most of his shares at $179.20.
I’ll spare you the math here. That’s just under $100 million Iger earned with a single stock transaction.
Obviously, Wall Street had questions about why the current Executive Chairman would sell such a large volume of stocks.
Iger indicated that he simply wanted to diversify his portfolio, which required him to empty half of his Disney stock holdings.
Iger still owns another 500,000 shares plus options and other securities. So, he’s got at least another $90 million in unrealized gains awaiting another selloff.
You can draw your own conclusions about whether this implies anything about the current price of Disney stock.
Star vs. Starz and Other Media Headlines
Are you familiar with Starz, the premium cable channel and streaming app?
Starz is quietly one of the most successful apps, currently claiming 16.7 million subscribers. And the service claims a robust international presence, too.
Well, Disney just rolled out its international version of Disney+ in many markets. As part of the debut, Disney added a Star section to the app.
Right now, when Americans load Disney+, they’ll see sections for Marvel, Pixar, and so forth.
The Star panel features some of the Fox assets Disney acquired, but it’s not available in the United States. Disney uses Hulu here instead.
Internationally, Fox had built Star into a reputable company, and that has led Disney into an awkward position.
Star sounds eerily similar to Starz, and that displeases the latter company, especially now that Disney has heightened the brand awareness of Star.
Starz just filed complaints in three countries – Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico – and may add more soon.
Hilariously, Disney matches well with Starz as a potential acquisition.
So, this whole thing may be an attempt by Starz to get Disney to buy its way out of a lawsuit.
Disney faces another battle on the same front. It will buy out the Comcast portion of Hulu in 2024.
While Comcast stopped paying for all Hulu productions last year, it still expected Disney to boost the value of the service.
When Disney prioritized Star over Hulu, it reduced the odds of that happening. Comcast executives are angry that Disney outsmarted them.
That’s the same as Comcast executives admitting that the ones at Disney are better than them.
Fun Disney Links for the Week
We won’t know for sure for another four weeks unless Disney makes some sort of official announcement.
However, early data suggests that Loki is the most popular Marvel Disney+ program to date.
Meanwhile, the release of Cruella got this person thinking. Which Disney villain deserves the next spinoff?
My vote is for Dr. Facilier because Disney has already announced the return of Gaston in a Beauty and the Beast prequel.
If you’re in the mood for a quiz, here’s one that tests how well you would do as a cast member.
Those of you who are always on the lookout for a good Dole Whip recipe should check out Parade’s suggestion. It only needs six ingredients.
Finally, since it’s Pride Month, here’s a list of 15 Disney Channel stars who have come out.
Have a great week, everyone!