"Okay, Mr. Eisner...."
March 2004
Okay, Mr. Eisner, (and I use the "Mister" not out of respect, but in an effort to remain as unfamiliar with you as is humanly possible);
We've all had our little joke, but it's really over and it's way past time for you to go. Honestly, the longer you stay, the more embarrassing it gets. You're now like a bad, stand up comedian who has bombed on stage but doesn't know how to end his act. What is even sadder is that this is not funny. It was NEVER funny. And now it is just pathetic. The truth is that you have gone from being perceived as a huge success at Disney (debatably), to being heralded as a colossal failure in view of your obvious inability to see that your time at Disney is over. And the worst part of this is that you don't even seem to know how serious it all is. At least Tom Schumacher, when he was finally removed from his position as head of Feature Animation a little over a year ago, had to know that he was despised and disrespected by the greater part of the animation community at large by the general cheering and elation that came from nearly everyone in the industry, particularly those at Disney Feature Animation. But his demise was nowhere near as spectacular as yours. I mean, let's face it, Tom was a problem, no doubt about that, but he was really insignificant in the grand scheme of The Walt Disney Company, small potatoes, if you will. But you are still in a position where you can inflict significant damage on the company and you seem to be too thick-headed to realize that the shareholders no longer want you in that position-or ANY position-within the Walt Disney Company any more. Don't make us drag you out "kicking and screaming" as Mr. Schumacher threatened to do if asked to leave.
Your comments, just a few short days ago, about all this unrest just passing away in time coupled with your obvious game plan to make the whole 'grass roots' uprising, spear-headed by Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, appear as though it was just a few loose cannons or disgruntled crackpots out there making a little noise has not worked. Do you really think that the only people that have a valid view of you and your position with the company are the handful of hand-picked people with personal and / or business connections to you, the very people that currently serve on the board of The Walt Disney Company, sitting in your little chamber with you, patting each other on the back and giving each other huge compensation packages while seeing the rest of the world out there as the ones with misconceptions? Let's not be silly, Mr. Eisner, like the "silly business" you recently said you were in. Your perception is not silly, it's disturbing and the arrogance through which you filter your decisions is also unsettling and very, VERY telling.
But, even more disturbing is your inability to hear the enormous outcry from a huge number of the shareholders, (an unprecedented number to be sure) which stated, quite loudly and clearly, that they want you and select Disney board members GONE. Not re-titled. Not moved around. Not even in the same city as The Walt Disney Company. GONE! The idea of you splitting up the most important job at the Walt Disney Company between two of the worst offenders on the board as a practical solution to the call for drastic change at the studio is, in my opinion, one of the most grossly arrogant moves you have made, publicly, in all the years you have been in my consciousness. It is akin to spitting in the face of every voting shareholder, the shareholders, I might add in case you have forgotten, that you work for and are accountable to. Your powers of underestimating your opponents must have been in overdrive when you came up with the plan to split the CEO's and Chairman's jobs between you and George Mitchell as a solution to the problem. If you thought we have been mad up until now, you haven't seen anything yet.
You were quoted by the press as saying that this move to split the job of Chairman and CEO is what you heard that the shareholders wanted from the their huge outcry and 43% withholding of support for you as well as the 21% withholding of support for Mr. Mitchell, (here I use the "Mister" in the same manner as before). Well, I am very sorry, but I'm afraid that you heard wrong. You see, I was one of the people who facilitated one of the first and biggest lists of people who opposed you in your struggle to keep hold of your lucative position as head of The Walt Disney Company and I can tell you, that I read each and every letter sent to me in regards to support for Roy and Stanley in their fight against you and certain questionable members of the board. To that end, I would like to state for you, here, quite clearly and emphatically, that is NOT the message that was sent, nor can it be, in any way, construed as such. The message was clear. YOU, MICHAEL EISNER, OUT! YOU GEORGE MITCHELL, OUT! YOU, JUDITH L. ESTRIN, OUT! YOU, JOHN BRYSON, OUT! WE WANT YOU GONE!
So don't make this thing worse. Just go, ALL of you! You have become an embarrassment to The Walt Disney Company, where you are no longer needed or wanted. It's really very simple. Leave our company alone! Take your huge profits and go home.
Yours Truly,
Mr. David Pruiksma
Proud Shareholder and Retired Disney Feature Animation Supervising Animator
Oh, yes! Just an added note to all the ignorant and arrogant Vice Presidents, Finance Officers, Executives and others at Feature Animation who have done such a wonderful job of gleefully ripping apart a 75 year tradition of Walt Disney Feature Animation by decimating the creative ranks in the past couple of years. Let's see.... to put it in your own words, "I wouldn't be going out and making any big purchases in the near future if I were you," because when Eisner is gone, there will be no one to support the likes of you folks either. Start sending out those resumes, but don't look for much of a response in the animation community, for your reputation there precedes you at all major studios.
