Why the Disney Villains of the Year Haaaaaate Disney
A media publication just announced its “Villain of the Year,” but it actually listed a trifecta of annoying individuals.
When Disney fans hear the names, they will definitely nod emphatically.
Puck has declared Isaac Perlmutter, Nelson Peltz, and Jay Rasulo as the enemies of all things good and pure like Mickey Mouse and Dole Whips.
So, why is this trio the collective Villain of the Year? Well, let’s just say they deserve it. Read on…
The Latest Betrayal
We’ll get to Perlmutter and Peltz in a moment, but let’s start with the latest surprise.
Somebody awakened Jay Rasulo from eight years of hibernation and told him that it was Bob Iger who had tranquilized him.
I’m joking here, but it’s coming from the ludicrous reality of Disney in early 2024.
I’ve got an article I’m writing called Disney’s Enemies and Friends in 2024, and I hadn’t even finished blocking it out yet when Puck posted this one.
All well-informed media analysts are acutely aware of what just happened, and it feels like a random number-generated scenario rather than a real one.
In 2015, Rasulo famously disappeared from Disney after he lost a bakeoff with Thomas O. Staggs.
To the victor went the supposed prize of succeeding Iger at Disney. And we all know how that worked out.
Staggs left a year later, realizing he wouldn’t get the gig either.
He has since found success starting his own company and now advises Iger on some Disney business ventures.
Rasulo vanished from sight and hadn’t been seen since until last month. That’s when some dots connected.
During his Disney tenure, Rasulo’s prioritization of numbers over people had pleased the company’s largest shareholder, Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter.
When Peltz started agitating again in hopes of bullying his way onto Disney’s Board of Directors, Iger cut him at the knee.
Disney’s CEO hired Hugh Johnston in the role Rasulo had formerly held, the company’s CFO.
Iger chose Johnston specifically because the CFO had bested Peltz during a previous conflict at PepsiCo.
After being forgotten and off the board for eight years, Rasulo suddenly appeared as Peltz’s choice to join Disney’s Board.
According to Puck, Iger expressed incredulity over the betrayal from someone he’d personally promoted several times.
The Triad of Evil
Forget Maleficent, Ursula, and Jafar. The real face of Disney villainy right now belongs to Peltz, Perlmutter, and Rasulo.
This latest bit of treachery reinforces the point.
Peltz honored the maxim that if you want to choose a dangerous enemy, you pick a friend because they know how to hurt you.
Rasulo formerly ran Disney’s entire theme parks division and then handled the balance sheet for years.
He worked closely with Iger for more than a decade. This one really has to hurt.
Puck summarizes the trio this way:
“(Predictably), the cockroaches have come out to feed (at Disney).
“Against this backdrop, there are no hungrier Hollywood cockroaches than Peltz, Perlmutter, and now Rasulo, which earns them the honor of Villains of the Year.”
The article aptly describes Peltz and Perlmutter as “two bored 80-something Palm Beach billionaires.”
Then, the author uses some language about Perlmutter that isn’t printable on a family-friendly website.
But the writer adds that the former Marvel owner is “an obsessive cost-cutter widely loathed within Disney.” And that definitely tracks.
If you ever buy a Marvel staff member a drink, they will regale you with Perlmutter stories for hours.
Dude’s less popular than Ed Norton, which is really saying something.
In describing the cause for Perlmutter’s recent anti-Disney tactics, it lists something MickeyBlog has discussed several times.
Perlmutter is a billionaire. Nobody fires a billionaire. In 2023, Bob Iger fired Perlmutter.
By all accounts, Perlmutter has been nursing a bruised ego since then and would love to humiliate Iger as much as possible.
What Does the Villainous Trio Want?
As for Peltz, he reportedly earned $150 million from the short-term gain in Disney stock after his last attempt.
Peltz performed some profit-taking soon afterward and then made some frugal, savvy repurchases of the stock once it dipped again.
Now, he’s hoping to cash in once again. People like Peltz care more about their bank accounts than their reputations.
As mentioned, Peltz has lost before. In fact, a meticulous evaluation of his activist investor attempts indicates that he’s hurt more than he’s helped.
Peltz doesn’t care how that looks as long as he is getting his money in and out in a timely enough fashion to turn a profit. And he did that with Disney.
Of course, Peltz won’t admit that. Instead, he has offered this ridiculous assertion:
“I want Disney to get back to the way it was when Jay Rasulo was here as C.F.O., because that’s when the company understood the taste and smell of success”
Everyone loves to hear octogenarians talk about the good ole days, right?
That’s apparently how Perlmutter and Peltz pass the time in Palm Beach, Florida.
How much would their contributions assist Disney in 2024? Well, Puck answers that question directly. Here’s the quote:
“And one thing is pretty clear either way: Adding an activist with no media experience or a burned former C.F.O. to the board to advocate for spending less probably isn’t going to fix any long-term problems.”
That’s the obvious conclusion that everyone in this industry has reached.
The last thing Iger needs right now is frequent meddling from bored billionaires, one of whom everyone hates and the other whose track record is spotty at best.
What Happens Next?
Like many, this author believes that Disney will ultimately settle to give Peltz’s trio one seat at the board.
That’s why they chose Rasulo to be the public and theoretically friendly face.
This statement also reflects how out of touch the Disney Villains are. Once someone betrays you, they’re not a friend. Duh.
I don’t see Disney ceding an inch here nor should it. Iger is winning thus far, and Johnston has already proven he can knock Peltz out.
Of course, if Disney gives in to Peltz, it still wouldn’t help any.
As the article notes, Disney faces several pressing problems in 2024. The Villain Trio of the Year doesn’t help with literally any of them.
Instead, they’re adding to the aggravation. The smart business play here is for this trio to abandon its plans and let Iger cook.
But Iger fired Perlmutter, so…
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