Disney Headlines for February 16th, 2022
Disney just hired its most significant employee since Kevin Mayer.
We’ll talk about that as well as the drunken sisters who stripped down and went 12 rounds at Disney Springs in the latest Disney Headlines.
Who Among Us Hasn’t…
The headline that has garnered the most attention this week was entirely out of Disney’s control.
I mean, we’ve all been around someone when they had way too much to drink.
The situation seems oh so much worse when they also have personal problems they’re dealing with and try to work them out while drunk.
Folks, the only helpful epiphany anybody has ever had in that state of mind is, “I should have had less to drink. I’ll remember that for next time.”
Larry Miller built an entire comedy routine around this fact:
Yeah, I don’t miss college. Anyway, two sisters can very much relate to this comedy routine.
These unfortunate siblings chose the wrong day and time to visit Disney Springs.
Sure, they started the evening well by having dinner at a steakhouse and enjoying one another’s company.
Then, they regrettably chose to go to a pub and grab a few beers. That’s when the situation took a turn.
In fact, by the end of the evening, the former friends had degraded their relationship to the point that one was questioning the other’s parenting skills.
There’s pretty much never a time when you can tell a sibling that they suck as a parent. Dem’s fightin’ words.
Sure enough, the parental figure took offense and then took a swing. Soon afterward, they started ripping off their clothes to fight better.
I guess they saw the “No capes!” thing from The Incredibles and thought it applied to all other clothing as well.
At some point during this encounter, they also had a security guard order them a ride-share.
When the Uber driver arrived, this individual refused to transport two women this drunk. Smart.
If you’re wondering, yes. These women spent the night in jail. Disney’s gotten weird.
Stop Making Metaverse Happen
Did you hear that Facebook – oh, sorry, META – just declared that it no longer has employees.
No, in a case of marketing synergy gone horribly awry, the former Facebook now consists of Metamates. I swear that’s a real thing.
Sadly, the metaverse discussion isn’t going away, no matter how much we may hope for it. In truth, it’s just getting warmed up.
Specific to our discussion, The Walt Disney Company has demonstrated many signs that it will go all-in on the premise.
Both Disney’s current and former CEOs have said as much. Now, Disney’s latest action hints at the roadmap for the future.
Bob Chapek just promoted a Disney executive named Mike White as the first executive in a new role.
Mike White just became Disney’s first Senior Vice-President of “next-generation storytelling.”
Chapek actually posted an internal memo about the project, demonstrating his excitement for what he believes is Disney’s next core business.
For his part, White joined Disney in 2011 after a career spent working for tech companies like Yahoo!.
White’s new assignment places him in the same territory as Kevin Mayer and Kareem Daniel.
Mayer spearheaded the Disney+ project and Disney’s overall pivot to streaming as a business model.
For his trouble, he nearly became CEO, only to lose the gig to Chapek.
Mayer has since suffered a public embarrassment as the former head of TikTok’s parent company. He’s having the last laugh as leader of a company that just bought Cocomelon, though.
Meanwhile, Daniel is THE guy in Hollywood now as the decider for all Disney movie and television projects.
Should the metaverse grow into what many analysts, myself included, expect, White just became a power player in Hollywood and Wall Street.
Miscellaneous Disney Headlines
Let’s start with a business story that may yet earn headlines. You may not know who Dan Loeb is, but you probably heard about him.
The activist investor had earned placement on the top of Disney shareholders, meaning he was more beholden to stock fluctuations than almost anyone.
Loeb earned headlines early in the pandemic when he pressured Disney to emphasize streaming as its new core business.
In fact, Loeb requested that Disney spend more money and reduce/drop shareholder dividends to earn better market penetration in Netflix’s domain.
Coincidentally or not, Disney listened to this request, as Chapek rededicated Disney as a streaming business first and foremost.
How has Loeb handled what should be a victory lap? He sold more than half his Disney stock.
Now, Loeb doesn’t even place in the top ten among Disney investors. It’s a curious move for someone who got his wish.
Amusingly, Loeb ditched most of his investment in late 2021, before Disney’s recent earnings report hinted at a strong financial future for the company.
Next, in Encanto news, We Don’t Talk about Bruno finished in the top spot on the Billboard Top 100 for the third straight week. It’s officially the biggest Disney song ever.
Not coincidentally, Bob Chapek just stated that Encanto is a franchise, not a standalone movie. This is my shocked face!
By the way, Encanto will also receive another theatrical release now that it’s a bigger hit in February than it had been in November.
By the way, diehard fans have made a game of spotting Bruno hidden in various scenes. Have you tried yet?
Finally, The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has started a project that is in all our wheelhouses.
The famous museum has compiled family photos from Disney trips for an upcoming exhibit!
Feature Image: Disney