Tag Archives: roy disney

Roy Disney Passes Away at Age 79

Today marks a very sad day: Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, passed away at the age of 79 after fighting a year-long battle with stomach cancer.

Roy made headlines in 2003 when he and Stanley Gold stepped down from Disney’s board of directors and launched SaveDisney.com. SaveDisney.com was a wonderful web site filled with many well written articles, including several on Song of the South. Through his efforts and the voices of many unhappy shareholders, CEO Michael Eisner was effectively ousted in 2005. Roy later returned to Disney as “Director Emeritus”.

Some long-time readers may also remember my February 14, 2004 article in which Roy Disney expressed to me his support for the release of Song of the South. “Song of the South … happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films…. [Releasing] it would be one of my first acts if I were to come back to the company!” Sadly, he never got to see this come to fruition. Roy, you will be greatly missed by all.

Roy Disney Talks Song of the South

FilmBuffOnline has published an article by Rich Drees reporting on Roy Disney’s attendance of the 16th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival in April. There he accepted an Inspiration Award, and spoke about releasing Song of the South:

“I’ve got a bunch of cohorts working with me to convince the powers that be that it’s the smart thing to do…. [Song of the South] is a wonderful film that deserves to be back out in the public. All it needs is context. Some of that animation is stunning, even by today’s standards.”

It has long been known that Roy Disney has supported this film’s release. I contacted Mr. Disney back in February 2004 after he had resigned from Disney’s Board of Directors. In his reply to me, he stated:

“Dear Mr. Willis — thanks for your letter of support, and I am sorry to tell you that this is yet another reason to do our best to move Eisner out. He has been — for quite a few years now — totally against (I think AFRAID is a better word) of re-releasing Song of the South, which happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films. A number of us have tried, for some time, to change his mind, to no avail.”

Thanks to everyone who reported this new article!

Roy Disney and The Walt Disney Co. Reconcile Differences

In case you haven’t heard: The Walt Disney Company, Roy E. Disney and Stanley P. Gold recently announced that they have agreed to put aside the differences that have characterized their relationship over the past several years. Messrs. Disney and Gold have agreed not to run a rival slate of directors or submit shareholder resolutions for the next five years. Messrs. Disney and Gold have also agreed to dismiss all their pending lawsuits against the Company. In reestablishing ties with him and his family, the Company has named Roy E. Disney Director Emeritus and a consultant. The Company also reaffirmed its commitment to the rotation of committee members and chairpersons on its Board committees as currently required by the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines. In putting aside their differences, the Company noted Mr. Disney’s long time devotion to the Company and welcomed the reestablishment of a relationship with him and his family. Messrs. Disney and Gold expressed confidence in Mr. Iger’s leadership, and as Mr. Eisner retires after 21 years with the Company, they acknowledged his contribution to the Company over the years.

SongoftheSouth.net has been a proud supporter of Mr. Disney and Mr. Gold’s efforts. I wish them my best in reestablishing ties with the Walt Disney Company and hope that their valuable insight will be fully appreciated by the new leadership. As SaveDisney.com will now be shutting down, editor Merlin Jones has requested that his past articles written on Song of the South be preserved, which I am honored to do! So, you can now read Merlin Jones’ articles within the News Archives section. If you haven’t read them already, I highly recommend it!

Mr. Disney, thank you for standing up for a better Disney… and Song of the South.

Eisner Retiring in 2006: Song of the South at Last?

The recent news that Michael Eisner, embattled CEO of Disney, is going to retire in 2006 has raised the interest of many Song of the South enthusiasts. Could this at last be the chance we’ve been waiting for? Recall an excerpt of Roy Disney’s email to me back in February:

“Dear Mr. Willis – thanks forr letter of support, and I am sorry to tell you that this is yet another reason to do our best to move Eisner out. He has been – far quite a few years now – totally against (I think AFRAID is a better word) of re-releasing Song of the South, which happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films. A number of us have tried, for some time, to change his mind, to no avail.”

Assuming that Eisner is indeed the only thing standing in the way of Song of the South being released on video/DVD, this is very good news indeed! However, some new questions are raised: since the rest of the acting Board supported Eisner during the tumultuous shareholder voting period back in May, could that suggest that they also support his decisions on Song of the South? Also, does Robert Iger, the current Disney president who is largely speculated to take Eisner’s place in 2006, support Song of the South‘s release?

Incidentally, 2006 will be Song of the South‘s 60th Anniversary. Perfect timing!

Roy Disney Supports Song of the South’s Release

I recently contacted Roy Disney and Stanley Gold after learning of their decision to resign from Disney’s Board of Directors. In my letter I pledged my full support and also took the opportunity to ask Mr. Disney if there was any information he could provide on Song of the South’s status. He was kind enough to provide me with the following reply:

Dear Mr. Willis – thanks forr letter of support, and I am sorry to tell you that this is yet another reason to do our best to move Eisner out. He has been – far quite a few years now – totally against (I think AFRAID is a better word) of re-releasing Song of the South, which happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films. A number of us have tried, for some time, to change his mind, to no avail.

So that’s all I can tell you right now. It would be one of my first acts if I were to come back to the company!

Hope that helps, although I know it’s not the best of news…

Roy

Needless to say, it is clear to see where the support lies in the release of this film! So, I highly encourage all of you to take action and support Roy Disney and Stanley Gold in restoring Disney to its original glory! Please take the time to visit SaveDisney.com and see how you can help. This is a crucial step in gettingSong of the South released! SaveDisney.com has also kindly added SongoftheSouth.net to their links section.