In the midst of all the horror, fury, and trepidation of the past few days, I found this little item brought a smile to my face this morning.

It seems to confirm that Bob Iger is not a savior savant and Disney has most assuredly written it own obituary – flailing away in the last, desperate throes of sinking beneath its own woke waves of virtue signaling for the masses.

Apparently a fellow with oodles of cash (and head of an investment firm called “Trian”) named Nelson Peltz is one of Disney’s major shareholders. It seems he was unhappy with the firm’s freefall last year, and had yanked Iger’s chain a bit to get things moving in a solid direction. After assurances from Iger that things would be straightened out, Mr. Peltz bowed out.

…Nelson Peltz said his proxy fight against Disney was over in February, but Bob Iger knew the activist investor might return.

Peltz and the Disney CEO remained in direct contact this year, and Iger sought to reassure him that Disney’s $5.5 billion in budget cuts and elimination of 7,000 jobs were progressing quickly, according to people familiar with the matter.

Iger spoke to Peltz, co-founder of Trian Fund Management, on the phone in May after Disney’s second-quarter earnings report, in which the company reported that it reduced losses in its streaming business, and tried to reassure him that the cost-saving plan was working, these people said.

“We’re losing buttloads of cash, but we’re on track!” is not precisely a confidence boosting message, but then again, I’m not a venture capitalist – I only play one here at HotAir.

Iger probably said something about ignoring that obnoxiously off-putting Snow White chick, too. I mean, I would have.

So Disney management thought they had the some breathing room to try to find “strategic partners” for ESPN and maybe off-load HULU/Comcast while not taking a complete bath. Lots to do. even as their streaming subscription numbers started circling the drain.

The latest, uber-hyped releases are, again, tracking as disappointments.

Disney is already running damage control lol. Basically, Loki season 2 is tracking slightly higher than Ahsoka. But considering Loki Season 1 was the best performing Disney+ series to date, I'm guessing when we get the real numbers from Samba/Nielsen, it will have lost around… https://t.co/vv5KrAMp9G

— Ryan Kinel – RK Outpost (@KinelRyan) October 9, 2023

…But considering Loki Season 1 was the best performing Disney+ series to date, I’m guessing when we get the real numbers from Samba/Nielsen, it will have lost around HALF of it’s audience. Brutal

All according to plan, right?

Not to mention, insult to injury, Disney is getting called out for using AI generated posters for Loki. How cheap and pathetic can an ANIMATION STUDIO get?

A promotional poster for the second season of Loki on Disney Plus has sparked controversy amongst professional designers following claims that it was at least partially created using generative AI. Illustrator Katria Raden flagged the image on X (formerly Twitter) last week, claiming that the image of the spiraling clock in the background “is giving all the AI telltale signs, like things randomly turning into meaningless squiggles” — a reference to the artifacts sometimes left behind by AI-image generators.

…Several X users (including Raden) noted that the background on the Loki artwork appears to have been pulled from an identical stock image on Shutterstock titled “Surreal Infinity Time Spiral Space Antique.” According to @thepokeflutist who purchased the stock image, it was published to Shutterstock this year — ruling out the possibility of it being too old to be AI-generated — and contains no embedded metadata to confirm how the image was created. Several AI image checkers that scanned the Stock image also flagged it as AI-generated.

Come on, already. Sloppy, lazy, and desperate.

The subscribers they’d managed to hang on to for Disney+ got some “thanks for being loyal” news in August from Iger that was sure to send even more fleet of foot paying fans out to the exits.

Disney+ price increase incoming: Last chance to lock in annual plan before hefty price hike

Disney+ is increasing its prices again, with a new rate of $13.99 per month set to go into effect on Thursday, October 12 along with price hikes for the Disney-owned streaming services ESPN+ and Hulu.

The Disney Plus price increases were announced by CEO Bob Iger in August, and it marks the second time in less than a year that the service has increased the monthly price for its ad-free streaming service. In December 2022, Disney+ increased from $7.99 per month to $10.99 per month. Now, at $13.99 per month starting Thursday, Disney’s streaming service will have nearly doubled in price since this time last year.

One terrific corporate move after another, with still no partners for taking ESPN off their hands.

What happened next was as predictable as the supposedly dead serial killer crashing through the plate glass picture window at the end of a kids camping slasher movie.

SURPRISE!!!

via GIPHY

Mr. Peltz is back.

Disney’s (DIS) management team may have something in common with Snow White star Sleepy.

“They were caught by surprise,” a person familiar with the matter told Yahoo Finance about Trian Fund Management Nelson Peltz’s latest activist attack on the bumbling media conglomerate.

…With Disney shares plumbing fresh 52-week lows, billionaire Peltz is jumping back in the ring to duke it out with superstar CEO Bob Iger.

Peltz is seeking multiple board seats at Disney, including one for himself, the person familiar with the Trian CEO’s thinking said. The Wall Street Journal first reported news of Peltz’s move, which included boosting Trian’s stake in Disney.

The window for board nominations begins on Dec. 5 and continues to Jan. 4. But the situation at Disney is so concerning that Peltz didn’t see the need to wait until December, the person said.

In all fairness, Peltz DID tell Disney he’d “be watching.” And, well, Disney’s done DERPed ever since.

…Since then, however, it has been a comedy of errors at Disney (or a horror movie).

First, Disney’s stock is down 26% since Peltz halted his campaign against Disney. The Dow Jones Industrial Average — of which Disney is a component — has fallen 2.4%.

..No update from Disney has been provided since. Iger has said that he doesn’t want to unload the ESPN brand.

Other fears include Disney potentially overpaying to buy out its stake in Hulu from Comcast — discussions between the two parties have reportedly begun.

The lack of information may well be unnerving investors.

That stock drop-off is gruesome.

If I had $2.5B of my hard earned buckarooskis tied up in Disney, I’d sure be interested in hearing from them in a more timely manner as I watched the slide.

In the works, a new Bambi where his mother doesn’t die and WHAT HAVE WE HERE?!

‘Snow White’ Restoration Coming to Disney+ October 16

The 100-year-old Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first-ever animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, will join in the centenary celebrations with the new 4K restoration arriving on Disney+ on October 16.

This restored version of the 1937 classic is the result of the combined efforts of the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation team, working closely with key artists from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the same team who recently worked together on the critically-acclaimed restoration of Walt Disney’s 1950 animated classic, Cinderella.

The reunited team included Disney Animation artists Michael Giaimo (production designer for the upcoming animated musical adventure Wish, as well as Frozen and Frozen II) and animator/director Eric Goldberg (head of hand-drawn animation for Disney Animation’s newest short, Once Upon a Studio; director, Pocahontas, Fantasia/2000).

ZOMG! Shameless, SHAMELESS!

This is what they should have released in theaters to begin with and now it’s probably too late.

You know all the hub-bub about woke, “live-action” Snow White didn’t help. I’m laying money on that loudmouth.