James B. Stewart's DisneyWar is an often engaging account of Michael Eisner's complex tenure as chief executive at Disney. Unfortunately, it suffers from several serious flaws: Mr. Stewart assumes that readers already have substantial knowledge about the inner workings of the entertainment industry; the style is often inconsistent; and the book already threatens to be overtaken by events.
Eisner's first decade as CEO of Disney produced a series of critical and commercial successes more sustained than anyone would have guessed, particularly its animation studio under Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of many loyal lieutenants who Eisner later forced out. The company faltered in his second decade with the company, especially after the death of Frank Wells, Disney's President and Eisner's second-in-command: the animation studios released a series of underperforming films; a merger with the ABC television network produced mixed results; Katzenberg's lawsuit provoked and distracted Eisner, who reacted erratically; another lawsuit by Michael Ovitz, who Eisner hired and then rapidly fired, drained millions from the company. Through all this, Eisner refused to designate a successor, as though doing so would undercut his authority.
Eisner's first decade as CEO of Disney produced a series of critical and commercial successes more sustained than anyone would have guessed, particularly its animation studio under Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of many loyal lieutenants who Eisner later forced out. The company faltered in his second decade with the company, especially after the death of Frank Wells, Disney's President and Eisner's second-in-command: the animation studios released a series of underperforming films; a merger with the ABC television network produced mixed results; Katzenberg's lawsuit provoked and distracted Eisner, who reacted erratically; another lawsuit by Michael Ovitz, who Eisner hired and then rapidly fired, drained millions from the company. Through all this, Eisner refused to designate a successor, as though doing so would undercut his authority.
Amid Disney's protracted floundering, a movement by former board members Roy Disney (Walt's nephew) and Stanley Gold resulted in a vote where an astonishing 40% of shareholders rejected Eisner's continued stewardship of the company. Although he retained the title of CEO, he also announced that he would retire in 2006. DisneyWar focuses first on Eisner's contentious relationships with Katzenberg, Ovitz, and other executives. The second half focuses on the missteps following Wells' death and the resulting shareholder revolt.
Stewart had quite a bit of cooperation from Eisner and Disney, decisions they probably regret. Despite this access, and despite dozens of critical conversations rendered as believable dialogue, the book feels somewhat flat. In part, although we see Eisner jet from meeting to meeting and make critical decisions based on his ephemeral feelings, readers never develop a sense of what exactly entertainment executives do all day.
Stewart had quite a bit of cooperation from Eisner and Disney, decisions they probably regret. Despite this access, and despite dozens of critical conversations rendered as believable dialogue, the book feels somewhat flat. In part, although we see Eisner jet from meeting to meeting and make critical decisions based on his ephemeral feelings, readers never develop a sense of what exactly entertainment executives do all day.
Stewart never explains exactly what a movie or television producer does; this makes it difficult for readers to assess executives' behavior, and puts a reader not already familiar with the entertainment business at a remove. It is apparently a world of astronomical salaries, where signed contracts mean nothing and everything is handled both by handshake and by litigation, but Stewart never makes it clear how this anachronistic-seeming world functions. In Stewart's Den of Thieves, Stewart treats readers unfamiliar with Wall Street practices to explanations of how the street works, because those executives' malfeasance was often directly related to their job functions. DisneyWar is concerned primarily with the interpersonal behavior of its protagonists, and Stewart fails to develop the scenery amidst which his characters function.
Even as the corporate structure and management hierarchy change drastically following the acquisition of ABC, the feeling of what Disney must be like to work at remains largely unchanged, dominated as it is by Eisner's personality. Had each chapter opened with an org chart of the company at that moment, Eisner at its peak and everyone else arrayed below him, it could have provided some scope to assess the goings-on within Disney management.
Jarringly, Stewart occasionally writes in the first-person present tense, at events he witnessed personally. While this permits readers to assess the potential for factual distortion, it does not read smoothly and conveys a perhaps inaccurate sense of the book having been rushed into print. In addition, events have already overtaken the book: Robert Iger has been named as the next CEO of Disney, and Michael Eisner will be stepping down in September, a year earlier than previously agreed, and Disney and Miramax's Weinstein brothers are finally severing their ties to the company. The story is not over, and will not be at least until the company's post-Pixar, post-Weinstein, post-Eisner future takes hold.
Jarringly, Stewart occasionally writes in the first-person present tense, at events he witnessed personally. While this permits readers to assess the potential for factual distortion, it does not read smoothly and conveys a perhaps inaccurate sense of the book having been rushed into print. In addition, events have already overtaken the book: Robert Iger has been named as the next CEO of Disney, and Michael Eisner will be stepping down in September, a year earlier than previously agreed, and Disney and Miramax's Weinstein brothers are finally severing their ties to the company. The story is not over, and will not be at least until the company's post-Pixar, post-Weinstein, post-Eisner future takes hold.
