If I Were Disney CEO Part 31 - ESPN Films and National Geographic Films

ESPN was "one of the best acquisitions maybe of that whole century."

Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO

"National Geographic is another tremendous brand built on quality, one that has global reach and cross-generational appeal. We also like that its values are vital and relevant to a planet facing environmental challenge.  Our goal is to support Nat Geo's expansion around the world and provide the additional resources required to position the brand as another major provider of content.  And we see numerous other exciting opportunities for this brand across our entire company, including in the ecotourism space."

Bob Iger, Disney CEO

I've decided to group the last two studios in Disney's studio entertainment portfolio into one blog entry, largely because they represent similar niches for Disney.  Both have been primarily broadcast and documentary studios.  Both reflect genres of content that Disney has successfully offered in the past.  And both reflect stronger brands for their chosen niche than Disney itself.  ESPN Films and National Geographic Films.  I'll discuss ESPN first, then National Geographic.

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ESPN
Created in March 2008, ESPN Films produces films covering sports-related stories, including the critically acclaimed 30 for 30 and Nine for IX series, and SEC Storied.  ESPN Films has also produced television films related to sports stories and has produced the Queen of Katwe feature film with Walt Disney Pictures.

True life sports films have a strong connection with Walt Disney Pictures, particularly over the past few decades. Cool Runnings, Remember the Titans, Miracle, Glory Road, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Invincible, Million Dollar Arm, and Queen of Katwe all have carried the Disney banner.  They generally have fit into the family friendly entertainment model of Disney and most often represent stories of great triumph, of the good guys/the hero winning.  Sports films, however, do not neatly fit into the categories outlined for live-action Walt Disney Pictures (beyond the generic past category), and would be better served by a studio with a sharper focus on sports stories and greater brand recognition with sports enthusiasts.

I would expand the current ESPN Films division into a full-fledged theatrical release studio, focusing on dramatizations of the true-life sports stories, told by the artists at the top of their game.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Identify a Leader - The film division will need someone to guide it.  It's Kevin Feige, Brian Henson, Kathleen Kennedy.   Some kind of story trust to ensure a certain level of quality product.  This should be the first priority.
• Look Broadly for Stories - There are a lot of untold sports stories.  Lists the these two could prove useful in identifying places to start.  Likewise, many of the stories told in the 30 for 30 series could prove to be great feature material.  The Black List has great sports scripts including The Prospect, a film about Michael Jordan's year in baseball as he dealt with his father's passing.  The division could even get into costume dramas with something like Marathon, regarding the first running of the 26.2 miles and inspiration for the races.  The possibilities are limited only by the desire to dig for them.
• Experiment with Artists -  Further, this should be a division where the artists are brought in from from a variety of different backgrounds.  I would love to see what Alfonso Curon or Joe Wright could do with a sports film.  What kind of sports movie is Quentin Tarantino itching to tell?  Just as this should be a place for a wide variety of sport types, this should also be the place for a uniqueness in the storytelling.
• Maintain the Quality Documentaries and Move Them Into Theatrical Releases - The addition of feature films should in no way come at the expense of the documentaries.  The documentaries are working well and I'd like to highlight them and release them for Academy consideration.  Documentary filmmaking should remain a cornerstone of both of these film divisions.
• Expand the ESPN Sound Into a Fanfare - The feature film division will need a title card and fanfare.  For brand strength, the sound of ESPN heard in all the broadcasts should be expanded to a fanfare for the feature film introduction.  It's something that can be played with as the Walt Disney Theatrical card is, but it should be upfront and generally, instantly recognizable.
• Use the 30 for 30 Short Films as Paired Shorts With the Feature - ESPN Films already has a thriving short film division, creating 30 for 30 shorts focusing on a specific point of view of the filmmaker in a more flexible format.  These could be paired with the feature to great affect, perhaps highlighting a different point of view or aspect of the events portrayed in the feature film.

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National Geographic
National Geographic Films is likewise the film subsidiary of the National Geographic Society.  It has been producing documentaries since 2002, including the Academy Award winning March of the Penguins.  Through the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Disney will own National Geographic Partners, the joint media venture which publishes the magazine, and produces its film and television offerings.

The Disney Company has a strong history of animal and nature films dating all the way back to Walt's True Life Adventures showed as theatrical shorts and aired as part of the Disneyland and Wonderful World of Color television programs.  Disney further started an indpendent film unit for nature documentaries following the success of March of the Penguins.  Disneynature was announced on April 21, 2008 and has released twelve films so far, with two in development.

While Disneynature has enjoyed a modest success, it is clear that National Geographic is the stronger of the two brands.  For that reason, I would suspend the Disneynature line and fold all properties into the National Geographic Film division.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Maintain Leadership with Jean-Francois Camilleri - Jean-Francois Camilleri is the current head of Disneynature and senior vice president and general manager of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France.  Through his leadership, Disneynature has had a consistent vision and direction and he would provide needed stability in the reorganization.
• Focus Squarely on Documentaries - This is not a division for dramatizations, with very limited exception.  Old Yeller or Homeward Bound would cheapen the National Geographic banner.  The only limited exception that I could envision would be historic dramas based on true life exploration and expeditions.  The discovery of King Tuts tomb, the discovery of the Titanic by Robert Ballard, a biography of Jane Goodall, etc.  This type of film should be developed only in limited circumstances though.
• Make Use of the Iconic Bernstein Theme - Again, an iconic theme and image that should not be wasted.  
• Utilize the True-Life Adventure Banner for Short Films - Pair the National Geographic documentaries with a True-Life Adventure short film, complete with Disney's iconic imagery of the globe and compass.
• Continue to Explore the Vast Regions of the Globe - Disneynature films have so far covered the continents and oceans.  The beauty of the National Geographic brand is that it also expands the studio to cover more than just animals and nature.  It can cover civilizations, discoveries, exploration, and preservation.  Such films should continue to keep a global vision and reach.
• Strengthen the Charitable and Conservation Partnerships with Each Film - Each of the Disneynature films has had a specific conservation charity partner that has benefited from the success of the film.  African Cats benefited the African Wildlife Foundation, Chimpanzee benefited the Jane Goodall Institute, and so on.  This program should be continued and strengthened through the National Geographic brand.

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With those two final studios, I feel this places Disney Studio Entertainment in wonderful position to release a truly diverse film slate that will reach across age groups, genres, and platforms.  It creates a specific niche for each studio and presents a specific type of experience at the theater for any Disney studio film.

As always, thank you for sticking through this series.  Next week, a Christmas bonus entry.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 30 - 20th Century Fox

"Combining the 21CF businesses with Disney and establishing new 'Fox' will unlock significant value for our shareholders.  We are grateful to our shareholders for approving this transaction.  I want to thank all of our executives and colleagues for their enormous contributions in building 21st Century Fox over the past decades.  With their help, we expect the enlarged Disney and new 'Fox' companies will be pre-eminent in the entertainment and media industries."

Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman, 21st Century Fox

"We're incredibly pleased that shareholders of both companies have granted approval for us to move forward, and are confident in our ability to create significant long-term value through this acquisition of Fox's premier assets.  We remain grateful to Rupert Murdoch and to the rest of the 21st Century Fox board for entrusting us with the future of these extraordinary businesses, and look forward to welcoming 21st Century Fox's stellar talent to Disney and ultimately integrating our businesses to provide consumers around the world with more appealing content and entertainment options."

Robert Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company

Disney's most recent acquisition is 20th Century Fox.  Still working its way through approvals, the acquisition looks to be completed early next year.  In this acquisition, Disney has obtained a compelling film library dating back to the earliest parts of the 20th century and including full rights to many other properties Disney already owned.  The greatest challenge is to determine what 20th Century Fox adds to the Disney studio organization beyond simply providing a home for R rated releases.

The goals for 20th Century Fox, then, center on creating a unique identity and purpose within the Disney organization.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Move X-men and Fantastic Four related films to Marvel Studios - This will undoubtedly be part of the goal of the acquisition, but it should be stated.  X-men and Fantastic Four related films should be moved under the Marvel Studios banner.  This will require a slight reboot of the films, but that should not be a huge hurdle.  The Fantastic Four films would surely welcome it and they would make the perfect addition to MCU Phase 4.  X-men films will be the ones hurt most by a reboot, but there are various options there.  However they proceed, Ryan Reynolds can remain as Deadpool.  It would make sense that he would be able to recall a massive reboot, with his meta-awareness.
• Ignore the impulse to put the Fox fanfare back on Star Wars films - The other film series put back together with the Fox acquisition is Star Wars.  This gives Disney full access to all of the Star Wars films and could tempt some to put the 20th Century Fox opening and fanfare back at the beginning of the films.  I would resist this impulse and take the opportunity to fully cement the Lucasfilm brand, as discussed in the previous entry in this series.
• Identify the franchises for continuation and development - Beyond the Marvel related and Star Wars films, 20th Century Fox has a deep library with a few franchises that are worth continuing to explore.  Alien, Predator, Planet of the Apes, Avatar, and Kingsman are a few series that merit further exploration and further development.  Though these would be the exception to the key focus of the studio, there is worth to be gained through these properties.
• Embrace the R rating, but don't cater solely to it - The obvious fit for 20th Century Fox in the Disney family is to handle the films that are less than family friendly.  To house the R-rated pictures.  While this is an important niche and can mean the true end of the Hollywood Pictures, Buena Vista Motion Pictures, Miramax, Dimension Films, and Touchstone Films labels as necessary for that purpose, the 20th Century Fox film slate should not solely be composed of harder/R-rated films.  To do so would ignore the rich history of the studio and would prohibit recent successes like The Greatest Showman.  Like any other tool, the rating becomes an available resource, not a crutch.
• Identify directors for continued investment and relationship - The new post-acquisition 20th Century will be the perfect home for director driven films.  The other studios in the Disney family are either studio driven (Disney animation and live action, PIXAR, Muppets/Henson) or series driven (Marvel and Lucasfilm).  20th Century becomes a great home for standalone, director driven, auteur films.  For unique and offbeat pictures.  To that end, it would behoove the company to identify a list of directors they would like to work with on any of their projects.  Off the top of my head, I would be pushing for James Cameron, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Matthew Vaughn, Ridley Scott, Joe Wright, Edgar Wright, Guillermo del Toro, Patty Jenkins, and Quentin Tarantino.  If Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan were not so entrenched at Universal and Warner Brothers, respectively, I'd add them to the list.
• Mine the Black List for script potential - The Black List refers to an annual list of most liked screenplays that are not yet produced.   It would provide a great blueprint for intriguing films for a 20th Century film slate.  Beyond the ideas the directors above would bring themselves, this could provide another source of inspiration and direction. 
• Divest Blue Sky Animation - 20th Century Fox never had a great theatrical animation studio associated with it.  In the 1990s with the Disney Renaissance, 20th Century Fox had created Fox Family Films which became 20th Century Animation.  Today, Fox owns Blue Sky Animation for its animated film division.  Blue Sky is responsible for the Ice Age and Rio franchises as well as Robots, The Peanuts Movie, and the recent Ferdinand.  While Ice Age remains a lucrative animation franchise financially, Blue Sky represents the largest redundancy in the acquisition.  Disney has a plethora of animation resources currently and should divest Blue Sky Animation, while keeping the Ice Age film rights.  This would allow Disney potentially to develop further Ice Age films, while allowing Blue Sky to be sold to a film studio that needs animation resources.
• Distinguish 20th Century Fox and Searchlight - Of the Fox Studios, I would keep 20th Century and Searchlight.  Both have a certain brand cache associated with the names and a history and legacy worth preserving.  The issue would be distinguishing between the two.  Currently, Searchlight represents the independent, art-house, and foreign film division, while 20th Century represents the more mainstream, full-release division.  This division seems to work, though I would characterize it more as a plot-driven versus character-driven distinction.  Smaller, more-intimate character-driven films would seem to fit better with Searchlight, whereas the larger, plot-driven tentpoles would belong to 20th Century.
• Maintain the 20th Century name (not 21st Century) - I would keep the 20th Century Films name.  Perhaps it is just nostalgia, but 21st Century Fox just does not seem to have the same resonance.  I would seek to distinguish the studio from the New Fox that will be spinning out as an ongoing entity.  Were Disney acquiring all of the company this would not be as big of an issue, but since New Fox will exist with the broadcast television network, the sports network, and the news division, I am concerned about brand confusion between Disney's Fox studios and New Fox.  As a solution, I would propose reviving an old identity - 20th Century Pictures.  An indpendent film company in the 1930s that merged with Fox film, 20th Century Pictures would still have the familiar ring without the Fox connection.  Similarly Fox Searchlight Pictures could become simply Searchlight Pictures.  The logos still work, the fanfare still works, but the connection to Fox is removed.

Since this film studio would be more director and producer driven with a focus on unique, standalone film offerings, I do not have a suggested initial film slate for the studio.  Instead, I would simply look forward to the various ideas and unique stories that the directors would want to tell.  I would hope to creation a variation of the old studio-system within 20th Century, seeking to keep directors under this umbrella, looking to produce and release all film ideas that they have.  An exclusivity provision, if not a true studio system.

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As always, thank you for sticking with this series.  The next entry in the series is a new use for ESPN Films.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 25 - Walt Disney Feature Animation

I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.

Walt Disney

It's important to start the Studio Entertainment portion at the very beginning, with the studio that started it all: Walt Disney Feature Animation. Before any other division was part of the Disney Company, Disney was synonymous with animation.  Theatrical shorts since 1928 and then feature animation beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.

The primary goal for each department in this division is to provide a mission statement for the department.  Each department should have a unique purpose and style of film that makes it an integral part of the whole.  Walt Disney Feature Animation cannot just be animation, as PIXAR is an animation studio as well and Disney would be foolish to divest it.  WDFA has started engaging in computer generated animation, so the line between it and PIXAR has been blurred over the past few years.  To determine a specific niche and purpose for Walt Disney Feature Animation, I would turn to former Disney animator Glen Keane.

"There are differences between PIXAR and Disney.  If you reduced PIXAR to a phrase it would be: "Wouldn't it be cool if?' Like if a kid was looking at their toy: What if the toy could talk? All their films are like this.

If you reduced the Disney films it would be: 'Once upon a time...'"

And I agree, but believe Walt Disney Feature Animation has two specific purposes in the past that should be its guiding light for the future:  to tell classic fairy tales in a timeless fashion and to advance the art of animation.  The first fits the "once upon a time" synopsis.  It's Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tangled, and Frozen. The second is Fantasia, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (xerography), Dinosaur (computer generated photo realism), etc.

These two principles will be my guiding forces in creating a film slate for Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Primary Goals for the Division:

• Bring back the shorts - Each feature film should be accompanied by a theatrical short film.  This is a great testing ground for new technology (like the Paperman technology) and new artists.  As PIXAR has done, it helps round out the theatrical offering, creating a specific, Disney experience. 
• Bring back hand-drawn animation - Walt Disney Feature Animation was built on hand-drawn animation and it is a distinctive from PIXAR that could be easily adopted.  I still contend the hand-drawn concept art of Tangled and Frozen has more character than the entire movie (though those are both excellent CGI films).  Hand-drawn also helps develop the next goal.
• Explore new art forms - Classic Disney films drew unique inspiration from distinct art styles for each film.  Sleeping Beauty has a medieval tapestry inspiration.  Hercules from Grecian urns, Mulan from Chinese watercolor, etc.  The CGI look is homogenizing the film offerings.  I would love to bring back that distinct tie to great art inspiration.
• Push the art form forward - Disney should be continuing to push forward the art of animation to develop new and unique ways of presenting animated features and shorts.  Further, Walt Disney Feature Animation should be in all styles of animation (hand-drawn, stop motion, computer generated, motion capture).
• Explore the world - Disney should continue telling classic stories from around the world.  This has a great benefit to the audience, to the exploration of art, and has a more crass financial motive.  There should be a Disney princess of every type, color, hair color, etc.  And there are plenty of great stories, animators, art styles, artists, and actors that should be utilized.
• No more sequels - "You can't top pigs with pigs."  The full Disney feature animated canon contains only two sequels: The Rescuers Down Under and the upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet.  There is no need for a Frozen 2.  There is no need for any other sequels, but rather to continue to focus on bringing new and varied additions to the canon.

With that, I want to now turn to a few specific film slate and sub-divisions I envision for Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Traditional Walt Disney Feature Animation Canon:
I would focus on a couple of different types of films for the primary animation canon. First, I would add a few new Fantasias.  While these have never been the largest profit makers, there is a new revenue stream that has been developed for the Fantasia films: symphonic licensing.  One of the new trends in Orchestral and Symphonic seasons has been to add a performance where the symphony provides the live score for a movie.  A series of Fantasias would provide a greater library to choose from.  In this regard, I would propose the following Fantasias for initial development:

• Fantasia Animato - a showcase of the various animated style of Disney and its studios
• Sorcerer's Apprentice (as the carry over from other films)
• A new number by Walt Disney Feature Animation
• A number animated by PIXAR
• A number animated in stop motion perhaps by Henry Selick or Tim Burton
• A piece in motion capture - perhaps to Invitation to the Dance
• Something animated by Studio Ghibli
• Fantasia Musicana - a world music Fantasia taking from some pre-existing shorts
• Lorenzo
• One by One
• The Little Matchgirl
• Destino (Disney and Dali)
• A Studio Ghibli piece
• Fantasia Americana - all American music and composers
• Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin (as the carry over from other films)
• Copland's Appalachian Spring
• Barber's Adagio for Strings
• Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, perhaps even using the live action short
• Miller's In the Mood
• And pieces by Sousa and Joplin

Further, I would propose animated features based on the following classic stories and fairy tales.

• Aida (this already has an Elton John and Tim Rice soundtrack, two princesses, and songs that are begging to be animated)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn
• The 13 Clocks (animated in the style of Thurber)
• The Quest for the Holy Grail (the one exception to the sequel rule as it is a completely different story than The Sword and the Stone; would be great to get a few Python's if possible for voices)
• Hansel & Gretel
• The Prodigal Son
• Esther (Jewish Princess?)
• King David (could utilize the oratorio written by Tim Rice and Alan Menken) 
• The Nutcracker
• Babes in Toyland (using some of the classic music, but updating as needed to really create the nursery rhyme world)
• Chaticleer/Reynard (there's already concept art for this one)
• Don Quixote (there is already concept art for this one)
• The Wizard of Oz (the original story with silver slippers, both the Good Witches of the North and South, and Shanower/Young style art from the Marvel comics)
• Juan Darien
• The Tempest
• Roald Dahl's Gremlins
• Rumplestiltskin
• Hiawatha
• Swan Lake
• The Princess and the Pea or Once Upon a Mattress
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Journey Into Imagination
• The Odyssey
• Sinbad the Sailor (Perhaps titled The Storybook Voyage of Sinbad after the ride, with a more Persian feel)
• The Emperor and the Nightingale
• The Fool's Errand
• Jack and the Beanstalk or Gigantic
• The Country Bear Jamboree

Disney Double Dare You:
In 2009, Disney announced a imprint named Disney Double Dare You to be a more scary themed venture with Guillermo Del Toro.  The venture has not panned out, but I like the name and the concept.  I would create an imprint for hand-drawn animated features based on classic gothic horror tales.  PG-13 versions of these classic monster and ghost movies for bridge generations.  These would be hand-drawn animation because of the ability to use heavy blacks and shadows in those films which are just not possible in computer generation yet.  I would propose a film slate of the following:

• The Haunted Mansion (animation is going to be the best way to bring this to life)
• Dracula (Stoker)
• Frankenstein (Shelley)
• Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Stevenson)
• The Picture of Dorian Grey (Wilde)
• The Phantom of the Opera (Leroux)
• Werewolf by Night
• Lot #249 (Doyle's mummy tale)
• The Invisible Man (Wells)
• The Fall of the House of Usher (Poe)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle)
• The Call of Chthulu (Lovecraft)

Other Imprints:

I would also seek to create imprints for specific types of animation.  If Laika were  not paired with Universal, I would seek to acquire that company, as I believe they have the same qualities as PIXAR.  Instead, I would seek to develop a stop-motion imprint seeking to woo Henry Selick back or to keep Tim Burton connected with the studio.  Further, I would push motion capture but would focus on the types of pictures that get the most benefit from the process - musicals.  Something where the actual movement of a human needs to be translated to the screen, like dance.  There's no need or motion capture in something like Mars Needs Moms.  Something closer to Happy Feet makes sense where you are translating Savion Glover's actual taps.

This would give the studio a full slate to continue to develop and should bring a lot of interesting possibilities.

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As always, thanks for reading.  Next in the series, Disney live action.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 24 - Studio Entertainment (Film) Overview

As I transition between corporate units, from Parks and Resorts to Studio Entertainment, I wanted to preface the change with an overview post, similar to how I started the Parks and Resorts division.  The goal for this post is to outline overarching ideas and goals for the Studio Entertainment division as a whole and how that will impact decisions for each individual film studio.

Walt Disney Studios is currently the largest of the "Big 6," with 21.82% market share.  When the purchase of 20th Century Fox is finalized, the combined market share will jump to 34.74%, cementing Walt Disney Studios as the dominant player in Hollywood.  With a wide variety of studios under its belt, Disney literally has a studio for every demographic.  The challenge becomes ensuring that the studios as a unit are complementing and not competing with each other.  That becomes an issue of scheduling and purpose.  Scheduling is easier, purpose though can be elusive.

The overall strategy for Studio Entertainment will differ a little from Parks and Resorts, as there is more opportunity for acquisition, redevelopment, and rebranding in order to fully develop the studio's film slate.  Accordingly, I will be exploring all options.

As before, there are a few goals that carry through this division:

• The primary goal is to cement each studio's unique identity.  To identify and finesse what makes a film from that studio. 
• How does a Walt Disney Feature animation picture differ from a Pixar Animation feature and do we need both?  
• What exactly is a Disney live action feature?  
• What is a 20th Century Fox film?  
• These basic questions must be answered and each studio must have a specific niche and purpose for existence.  Therefore, each entry in this portion of the series will have a specific thesis/purpose statement for the studio.
• A secondary goal will be to identify additional studios that should be created or promoted to fill in gaps in the Disney theatrical film offering.  
• Put another way, are there films that previously used to be "Disney" films that do not fit within the existing studio's mission statement.  
• A prime example of this category of film would be the sports film.  Disney has a long history of sports stories, which do not clearly fit in with the existing studio structure.
• A secondary goal is to bring useful storytelling tools and methods from the various studios and apply them to the whole unit as appropriate.
• For example, it is my firm belief that each studio should have a chief creative head or heads and advocate(s), like a Kevin Fiege.  Someone who knows the ins and outs of that particular studio and what makes it unique and who is able to fiercely protect the studio from higher executives.  There are three studios that currently have such a setup, but others which are floundering because of a lack of a visionary in charge.
• Further, the Pixar Braintrust is a great idea that should be implemented across most all studios.  It creates a structure where there will always be a baseline of quality in every Pixar film.  Some may soar higher than others, but the story itself will always work.
• Finally, another main goal will be to flesh out ideas of particular films and franchises that each studio should be developing.

With that framework, the following studios will be discussed over the coming weeks.

• Walt Disney Feature Animation
• Walt Disney Pictures
• The Jim Henson Company/Muppet Studios
• Pixar Animation Studios
• Marvel Studios
• Lucasfilm
• 20th Century Fox
• ESPN Studios
• National Geographic

This should give a little bit of a preview for some of the changes that I would implement and will serve as a continuing guidepost for the entries over the coming weeks.

As always, thank you for reading and continuing through this journey with me.