Remembering Disney Legend Frank Wells

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 4, 2024

(Listen to an audio version of this article here.)

 

March 4 marks the birth date of Frank Wells who served as Disney president and chief operating officer alongside CEO Michael Eisner from September 1984 until Wells’ untimely death in a helicopter crash in April 1994. 

Frank Wells (Courtesy of Disney.fandom.com)

Eisner and Wells working together were often compared to Walt and Roy Disney, as a duo with critical complementary skills. While Walt and Roy built The Walt Disney Company, Eisner and Wells saved the company in the 1980s, and revitalized it in terms of animation, park expansion, and an international reach.

 

On Wells, D23.com noted: “Excellent with detail-oriented business and finance, Frank also readily delved into both creative and administrative endeavors. At Disney, he focused on all aspects of the company, including theme parks, real estate, finance, administration, and corporate sponsorships. As a key supporter of Disneyland Paris, Frank expanded the Company’s international presence and also promoted development of The Disney Store. He was known throughout the company as a friendly, kind soul who was always approachable and open to ideas.”

 

In his obituary, The New York Times noted:

 

Mr. Wells, who was Disney's president and chief operating officer, played a major role in the turnaround of Disney after he was recruited in 1984 along with Michael D. Eisner, the company's chairman and chief executive. Internal turmoil had threatened to break up the company, whose headquarters are in Burbank.

In the last 10 years, Mr. Wells and Mr. Eisner helped to increase annual revenues to $8.5 billion from $1.5 billion. The company's market value leaped to $22 billion from $2 billion, and revenue from theme parks and resorts tripled, the company said. 

Mr. Wells and Mr. Eisner re-established Disney's dominance in animated feature films with a series of hits that included "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin."

 

The Los Angeles Times reported at the time: “Wells and Eisner were one of the few stable executive teams in Hollywood. Eisner and Wells had a rare working partnership, and industry executives say Wells will be difficult to replace. ‘He behaved in the corporate world with an ethical standard unparalleled in my experience. I have lost a dear friend and my most treasured colleague,’ Eisner said in a statement.”

 

Wells was named a Disney Legend posthumously, and that designation is well-deserved.

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

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Disney Legend Floyd Norman Turns 88 - First Full-time African American Animator at Disney

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 22, 2023

 

Happy 88th Birthday to Disney Legend Floyd Norman, who was hired as an artist by the Walt Disney company at age 22 to assist on the classic film Sleeping Beauty, and is still producing great work in many fields.

He became the first full-time African American animator at Disney, a groundbreaking moment in film and U.S. civil rights history.

 

After Walt Disney’s death in 1966, Mr. Norman branched out on his own, with his business partner, animator/director Leo Sullivan, to found Vignette Films.

 

Together, they produced six award winning animated films, one of the first companies to produce cartoons on the subject of black history.

Mr. Norman also had a hand in the look and storylines of early Sesame Street animation segments, Fat Albert & The Gang, Josie & The Pussycats, Jabberjaw, The Smurfs, SuperFriends, Alvin & The Chipmunks, Pac Man, and many other Saturday morning favorites.

 

He’s been involved in Disney and Pixar projects for decades and has been honored by many film and African American organizations as a true pioneer in his field.

 

He’s also one of the last active artists who worked directly with Walt Disney.

 

I feel blessed that I got to spend some time chatting with Mr. Norman when he was at two of my book signings at Walt Disney’s personal backyard Train Barn (which Walt built himself) in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

 

If you’d like to learn more about Mr. Norman and his legendary career, there’s a great documentary called “Floyd Norman: An Animated Life,” available for purchase online. 

 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Norman!

 

__________

 

Chris Lucas is the author of Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, from the Man to the Mouse and Beyond.

Thursday Night: “Cory Meets World” Interview with Disney Legend Tom Nabbe

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 22, 2020

At 8:00 PM EST on Thursday (April 23) night, the “Cory Meets World” vlog will air a live interview with Disney Legend Tom Nabbe.

This looks like it will be an evening well spent, with an official Disney Legend inductee being interviewed on this engaging vlog featuring Cory and Stephanie.

The “Cory Meets World” YouTube channel reports the following about Nabbe: 

Tom was at opening day of Disneyland and the next day was hired as a “newsie,” hawking The Disneyland News to Main Street guests. In 1956, Walt Disney recognized the Tom Sawyer in a young Nabbe, and he became the “Luckiest Boy in the World.” That’s what the cover of the April 7, 1957 issue of Parade Magazine said, beneath a full-color photo of Tom dressed as Mark Twain’s paragon of American boyhood. One job requirement was that Tom had to keep a C average in school. So, every quarter, Tom brought his report card directly to Walt for inspection. 

In 1971, Tom was transferred to the newly opened Walt Disney World in Orlando, where he started as manager of the Monorail. He also helped in the opening of Disneyland Paris. 

Forty-eight years later, in June 2003, 60-year-old Tom retired from his job as manager of distribution services at Walt Disney World. He was the last working member of Club 55, a group of original Disneyland cast members named for Disneyland’s inaugural year and for their chief qualification of membership—a paycheck from Walt Disney dated 1955. 

Shortly after his retirement, Tom received the highly selective honor of having his name on one of the windows down Main Street at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. 

In 2005, he was inducted as a Disney Legend during a ceremony that took place at Disneyland.

Okay, count us in!

By the way, Nabbe has written a book about his experiences - From Disneyland's Tom Sawyer to Disney Legend: The Adventures of Tom Nabbe (Disney Legends) (Volume 2). 

In addition, “Cory Meets World” offers some merch and you can subscribe to their YouTube channel. Enjoy!

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.