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?

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist.Signed books here and Kindle and paperback editions here.

 

• Order The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed books here.  And Kindle and paperback editions here.

 

• The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Consider other books by Ray Keating, including…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney100 Celebration Begins January 27, 2023, at Disneyland Resort

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

October 7, 2022

 

On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, formed “Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio” in order to produce a series of live-action cartoons, based on Walt’s earlier short, “Alice’s Wonderland.”  Walt had created “Alice’s Wonderland” under his Laugh-O-Gram label, but with a contract in hand to continue producing the “Alice” shorts, the brothers formed what would one day become a world-wide entertainment giant. Shortly after their successful launch, they changed the name to Walt Disney Studio, which later became the Walt Disney Company.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Next year, the Disney company will be kicking off “Disney 100 Years of Wonder,” the largest cross-company global celebration in the 100-year history of The Walt Disney Company. And while the main focus of the celebration will take place at the park Walt himself oversaw at Disneyland California, all of the Disney Parks around the world will have a place in the celebration of the 100th anniversary.  (And, no doubt, they will be rolling out the 100th anniversary snacks, food and merch at each of the parks along the way.)

 

Disneyland Resort has announced that the Disney100 anniversary celebration will officially kick off January 27, 2023, but many of the special events will take place all year long.

 

Here’s what’s been shared so far:

 

• Disneyland will rock new party colors for the celebration, with “platinum-infused décor throughout the resort, new sparkling looks for Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their pals, special food and beverage offerings, merchandise and more.” 

 

• Sleeping Beauty Castle will get a party-makeover as well, “adorned with elegant platinum banners and bunting, accented by a magnificent cabochon featuring the three Good Fairies who illuminate it with their shimmering pixie dust. Two majestic water fountains will grace either side of the moat, while a beautiful wishing star will sparkle from the tower above.”

 

• Two all-new nighttime spectaculars will debut. “World of Color – One” at Disney California Adventure will “celebrate the storytelling legacy started by Walt Disney a century ago. It will tell a new story of how a single action, like a drop of water, creates a ripple that can grow into a wave of change.” At Disneyland park, “Wondrous Journeys” will feature “nods to every Walt Disney Animation Studios film to date, taking us on a journey filled with artistry, music, storytelling and heart.” State-of-the-art projections on Main Street, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the façade of “it’s a small world,” and the Rivers of America will help to tell the tale, and on select nights, “Wondrous Journeys” will add fireworks to the show. Both nighttime spectaculars will feature new songs written for the occasion.

 

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open ahead of schedule on January 27 to help kick-off the celebration. The rest of the revamped Mickey’s Toontown is slated to reopen in spring 2023.

• The “Magic Happens” parade will be returning to Disneyland park, after its all-too-brief, pre-Covid run. The “Magic Happens” parade “reminds us we don’t need wings to fly, shooting stars were made to wish upon, and magic doesn’t stop at midnight.”

 

Additional details for the Disney100 celebration will be released as plans for the festivities at the other Disney parks are finalized.  Check back at the Disney Parks Blog, or at Disneyland Resort for future info.

 

_______________

 

Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Disney Essentially Created the Central Florida Economy

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 21, 2022

 

Walt Disney and his older brother/business partner Roy appeared at a November 15, 1965, press conference at the Cherry Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, near Lake Eola, with conservative Florida Governor Haydon Burns. There, they officially announced to the world what a few had already suspected: that they were the mystery buyers of almost 30,000 acres of bog and swamp land in Central Florida.

 

Source: Chris Lucas

To say that this was one of the most important dates in Florida’s history is no understatement. It instantly made Florida a power player. It ranks right up there with Ponce DeLeon's arrival in 1513, and the opening, four centuries later, of the highways and rail systems connecting the northeast and Midwest to the Sunshine State.

 

To put it in perspective: Before Disney set up shop, most visitors to Florida - around 8 million a year - were wealthy folks from northeastern cities headed to the beaches or to the coasts, and usually only from November to March. The swampy, marshy, lake filled interior of the state was overlooked desolate land used largely for agricultural purposes. 

 

Now, over 75 percent of the 120 million people, mostly middle class, who visit Florida from all over the world in an average year spend their time in the greater Orlando area, never venturing anywhere else in the state. 

 

In 1965, there were less than 400,000 people living in central Florida, and it accounted for just 10 percent of tax revenue to the state. Today, it's one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, with close to four million residents, and provides well over 50 percent of Florida's tax revenue. 

 

Walt passed away just about a year after this press conference, so he never actually got to see the finished version of Walt Disney World. Roy broke ground for his late brother Walt’s Florida project - renamed Walt Disney World in his honor - in 1967.

 

It marked the immediate transformation of a sleepy, farming state of just six million people into an economic powerhouse today where 21 million live and work in the 15th largest economy in the world, bigger than that of the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia or Taiwan. 

 

The presence of Walt Disney World alone has brought thousands of related businesses to Florida and has generated more than five billion dollars for the state on its own. 

 

The economic, political and social environment that is Florida today owes a lot to the fateful decision of Walt Disney to come to Central Florida. It includes:

 

- $75 billion annual economic impact for Central Florida. 

- 500,000 jobs. 

- and the sales tax collected just on the 55 million Walt Disney World tickets sold in an average year, which is around $415 million. That’s more than what the state of Florida will spend on school construction and maintenance or the entire Department of Elder Affairs budget.

 

Disney pioneered land-use planning and growth management in Florida by setting off land not to be developed from the very beginning of construction and keeping it pure and preserved. 

 

The idea of mapping out the natural systems for a 38-mile region and confining development to the least environmentally sensitive areas was unheard of in 1960s Florida. 

 

Disney also struck a deal for self-sufficiency in roads, sewage, waste disposal, utilities and emergency services that took the burden off of local taxpayers and was the model for decades to come. 

 

Florida owes a tremendous debt to Walt Disney, to Roy Disney, and to their successors, up to and including current CEO Bob Chapek.

 

Florida as we know it wouldn’t be the same without them. Thanks, fellas! 

 

__________

 

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.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy two of Ray’s discussions with Chris Lucas. The first was about Chris’ career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here! The second was a chat about the Disney World’s 50 anniversary. Listen here!

How About a Daily Dose of Disney?

Don’t miss the Daily Dose of Disney Podcast with Ray Keating. All episodes can be heard here. 

Latest episodes…

 

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #132: Language Matters at Disney and in Church – Disney has its own language. The Church does, too. What does this say about language and institutions?

 

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #133: Bob Iger and Eeyore – Does Bob Iger make a good point, or is he just dissing Eeyore? 

 

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #134: Walt Disney on Bringing the Classics to the Big Screen – Walt Disney embraces the challenges involved in making classic tales into movies.

 

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #135: Roy O. Disney Talks Synergy?– Roy O. Disney offered insights on how Disney works that have persisted over time.

 

Walt, Roy, Strengths and Weaknesses

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #14: A Lesson from Walt and Roy Disney – Ray Keating sees that Walt and Roy worked as partners, each bringing different strengths to the House of Mouse.

The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

One of the Most Important Dates in Florida History

 by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 16, 2020

 

Walt Disney and his older brother/business partner Roy appeared 55 years ago at a November 15, 1965, press conference at the Cherry Tree Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, near Lake Eola, with Governor Haydon Burns.

Courtesy of Top Disney

There, they officially announced to the world what a few had already suspected, that they were the mystery buyers of almost 30,000 acres of bog and swamp land in Central Florida.

 

To say that this was one of the most important dates in Florida’s history is no understatement. It ranks right up there with Ponce DeLeon’s arrival in 1513, and the opening, four centuries later, of the highways and rail systems connecting the Northeast and Midwest to the Sunshine State.

 

To put it in perspective: Before Disney set up shop, most visitors to Florida headed to the beaches or the coasts. The swampy, marshy, lake filled interior of the state was desolate land used largely for agricultural purposes. 

 

Now, over 75 percent of the 120 million people who visit Florida in an average year spend their time in the greater Orlando area, never venturing anywhere else in the state. 

 

In 1965, there were less than 400,000 people living in central Florida, and it accounted for just 10 percent of tax revenue to the state. 

 

Today, it's one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, with close to three million residents, and provides well over 50 percent of Florida’s tax revenue. Walt Disney World alone has generated more than five billion dollars. 

 

Walt passed away just about a year after this press conference, so he never actually got to see the finished version of Walt Disney World. 

 

His brother Roy made sure that the dream didn't die. He postponed his retirement and stayed on with the company until the resort opened in October, 1971. 

 

On Oct. 1, 1982, a modified version of Walt's E.P.C.O.T. debuted, not as the city of the future as Walt had envisioned, but as a theme park/permanent world's fair.

 

It's amazing to think that all of these things came from the fertile imagination of one man, one of the greatest dreamers who ever lived, and through the continued efforts of his brother, the financial genius of the company. 

 

Thanks, fellas!

 

__________

 

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.

 

On the PRESS CLUB C Podcast, enjoy Ray’s discussion with Chris Lucas about his career as an actor, author and Disney expert. Tune in right here!

 

“Top Disney” on Every Disney Fan’s Bookshelf

by Ray Keating

Book Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 14, 2019

Certain books should be on the bookshelf of every Disney fan, and Top Disney: 100 Top Ten Lists of the Best of Disney, From the Man to the Mouse and Beyond (Lyons Press, 2019) rates as one of those books.

While flipping through pages and reading each list, it becomes clear that author Christopher Lucas possesses both deep knowledge and deep love for all things Disney. And what’s nice is that no matter the reader’s level of Disney expertise – from the casual fan to the master – there’s a great deal to appreciate in Top Disney.

I enjoyed what Lucas had to say in assorted lists about the people who have worked at and contributed to the Walt Disney Company over the years, such as Walt himself; his brother, Roy, and other family members; additional corporate icons and executives; key artists, animators and imagineers; and actors who worked with and/or got their starts with Disney.

Of course, there are plenty of lists that will generate disagreement and debate – hopefully, good natured – among Disney aficionados regarding movies, characters, songs, television shows, and the theme parks.

Lucas also serves up some quirky lists that reveal fun facts about Disney that I didn’t previous know, such as “Most Unusual Disney Films” and “Forgotten Disney Characters.”

So, put Top Disney on your Disney bookshelf. But don’t leave it there. Take it down often, crack it open, and then smile, debate, discuss, and come up with your own lists. Just have fun with Top Disney – after all, that’s why it was written.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?

1) The new Pastor Stephen Grant novel – DEEP ROUGH – has arrived! You can order the Kindle edition, the paperback, or the signed book.

2) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.

3) Buy one of the other Pastor Stephen Grant novels or short stories at Amazon.comor signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

4) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.

Walt Disney and St. Joseph

by Chris Lucas

Guest Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 19, 2019

While Walt Disney himself wasn't Catholic, he's got a special connection to Saint Joseph, whose feast day is today. 

In 1940, using the profits from Snow White, Walt bought land in Burbank, California, for his new state-of-the-art studio campus. In 1942, Disney's fortunes dimmed as the World War limited his distribution of films. He mostly made shorts for the military, and the Army took over part of his studio for the war effort. 

Around that same time, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was looking for space for a hospital in the San Fernando Valley area, which had over 300,000 residents but less than 100 hospital beds. Archbishop John Joseph Cantwell brought in the Sisters of Providence to help run the new hospital, and a site was selected across from the Disney Studios in Burbank. Walt himself deeded several acres of his property, which he once thought would be perfect for a Disney park, to the sisters for the project - which was announced as Saint Joseph's Hospital on March 19, 1942 and officially opened in 1943. 

Walt, whose daughters went to Catholic School, served on the board of the hospital for a time, gave money towards the construction, and even participated in the groundbreaking with the Archbishop and the Sisters. The Archbishop of Los Angeles was invited to dedicate Disneyland in 1955, and the Sisters of Providence were given free passes to visit the park any time. Famed Disney artists like Mary Blair were commissioned by Walt to provide artwork for the hospital, a lot of which still exists, along with newer pieces. 

In November 1966, Walt checked himself into Saint Joseph's for a nagging injury. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in that same hospital a few weeks later. His room overlooked the studio that he built. On the night before he passed away, Walt enthusiastically described his plans for the "Florida Project" to his older brother, Roy, using the ceiling tiles at Saint Joseph's to map it all out. 

Roy had planned to retire, but stayed on after Walt's death to see his kid brother's final dream, Walt Disney World, to completion. A few months later, Roy Disney passed away at Saint Joseph's, almost five years to the day after Walt.

To this day, the Disney Company is an active supporter of Saint Joseph's hospital, which is now the largest in the San Fernando Valley, with over 500 beds, 650 doctors and a staff of almost 3,000. Roy's son, Roy E. Disney, and his wife, Patricia, sponsored the building of a cancer treatment center there, which is named for them. 

For Saint Joseph's in Burbank, it all started with a mouse.

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

Daily Dose of Disney