Cast Pin Party - April 29, 2004 - Disney-MGM Studios

A Cast Pin Party will be held on Thursday, April 29 at the Disney-MGM Studios.

We will debut the fourth pin in the Main Entrance Pass series featuring a character selected by the Disney-MGM Studios Cast. During previous Cast pin releases, Quasimodo represented the Disney-MGM Studios. This year, the Pin Trading team offered the Cast the opportunity to keep Quasimodo or select a new Disney Character.

Cast Members had a choice between Quasimodo, Maleficent, Sorcerer Mickey and Stitch. Following a very close race, the Cast selected Stitch which appears on the cover of the Main Entrance Pass pin.

Cast Members with valid ID will receive one (1) coupon to purchase the featured Stitch Main Entrance Pass pin, edition size 2000. Limit two (2) Stitch Main Entrance Pass Pins per Cast Member.** (Retail $5.00, no discount, must have valid Disney ID to purchase. Main Entrance / Silver Pass not valid for purchase of pins)


Cast Members that attend the party will receive one (1) FREE blue Stitch pin to fit inside your Stitch Main Entrance Pass**. This FREE pin is a Limited Edition of 2000.

However, there are a Limited Edition 10, nickel-plated Stitch pins that will have a backstamp of "AP/10" on the back ("AP" stands for "Artist Proof"). Each complimentary Stitch pin is packaged in a black "polybag."

As a Gift with Purchase, if you purchase two Main Entrance Passes, you get another chance for a nickel-plated Stitch pin.** Just show your receipt at the registration table showing you purchased two Main Entrance Passes. At that time, you will reach into a bowl and pull out another Stitch pin - so you don't know which pin you will receive!

This event is for Cast Members only. Additional details about this exciting Pin Party will be available soon. Please stop back to the Pin Trading Module on the Walt Disney World Cast Portal.

** All pins available while supplies last.

Company D - Cast Member Favorite Base


This open edition Cast Member Exclusive Build-A-Pin Base features an area for a Cast Member's favorite add-on. This pin will be available only at Company D locations across Walt Disney World Property. This pin will have a retail of $6.50 (Cast Members and certain other employees at the Walt Disney World® Resort will be eligible for a discount on this item).

Please visit the following merchandise locations to select a favorite add-on (retail $2.00) and "build this pin."

Disney's Pin Traders - Downtown Disney Marketplace
Exposition Hall - Magic Kingdom
MouseGear - Epcot
The Sorcerer's Hat - Disney-MGM Studios
Island Mercantile - Disney's Animal Kingdom
April 1, 2004
 $6.50
 

Cast Pin Party - April 29, 2004 - Disney-MGM Studios


A Cast Pin Party will be held on Thursday, April 29 at the Disney-MGM Studios.

We will debut the fourth pin in the Main Entrance Pass series featuring a character selected by the Disney-MGM Studios Cast. During previous Cast pin releases, Quasimodo represented the Disney-MGM Studios. This year, the Pin Trading team offered the Cast the opportunity to keep Quasimodo or select a new Disney Character.

Cast Members had a choice between Quasimodo, Maleficent, Sorcerer Mickey and Stitch. Following a very close race, the Cast selected Stitch which appears on the cover of the Main Entrance Pass pin.

Cast Members with valid ID will receive one (1) coupon to purchase the featured Stitch Main Entrance Pass pin, edition size 2000. Limit two (2) Stitch Main Entrance Pass Pins per Cast Member.** (Retail $5.00, no discount, must have valid Disney ID to purchase. Main Entrance / Silver Pass not valid for purchase of pins)

Cast Members that attend the party will receive one (1) FREE blue Stitch pin to fit inside your Stitch Main Entrance Pass**. This FREE pin is a Limited Edition of 2000.

However, there are a Limited Edition 10, nickel-plated Stitch pins that will have a backstamp of "AP/10" on the back ("AP" stands for "Artist Proof"). Each complimentary Stitch pin is packaged in a black "polybag."

As a Gift with Purchase, if you purchase two Main Entrance Passes, you get another chance for a nickel-plated Stitch pin.** Just show your receipt at the registration table showing you purchased two Main Entrance Passes. At that time, you will reach into a bowl and pull out another Stitch pin - so you don't know which pin you will receive!

This event is for Cast Members only. Additional details about this exciting Pin Party will be available soon. Please stop back to the Pin Trading Module on the Walt Disney World Cast Portal.

** All pins available while supplies last.

Surprise Pin - Piglet's Pork Chop Karate Studio


This Limited Edition Pin will be released on Friday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Mickey's Pin Trading Night at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Fourth Floor.
 March 26, 2004
Edition Size: 1000
  $8.50

Surprise Pin - Disney Bear


This Limited Edition surprise pin features Mickey Mouse walking hand in hand with the Disney Bear. The Disney Bear features brown flocking making him soft to the touch. The pin says "Welcome Disney Bear to Once Upon a Toy" and is dated "March 2004".

This pin will be released on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at Once Upon a Toy at Downtown Disney® Marketplace.
 March 24, 2004
Edition Size: 1000
  $8.50

Surprise Pin - Pardon Our Pixie Dust


This Limited Edition pin-on-pin Surprise Pin features Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy from Walt Disney World (R) Construction Crew. They ask everyone to "Pardon Our Pixie Dust" as they refurbish this area for your future enjoyment.
This surprise pin will be released at Island Mercantile at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
  March 20, 2004
Edition Size: 1000
 $10.50

3/12
Surprise Pin - Pig Bros. Construction


This Limited Edition surprise pin features Pig Bros. Quality Construction - No Huff Or Puff Too Tough For Our Stuff. This pin will be released at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort at Mickey's Pin Trading Night.
  March 11, 2004
LE 1000  $8.50

2/29
Surprise Pin - Tinker Bell Monochromatic

This Limited Edition surprise pin features a purple monochromatic Tinker Bell. This pin will be released at the Sorcerer Hat pin location at the Disney-MGM Studios.
 February 29, 2004
LE 1000  
  $8.50

Cast Pin Party - March 11, 2004 - Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
 
A Cast Pin Party will be held on Thursday, March 11 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Cast Services Building (backstage). The event will be held from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm with special Pin Trading activities from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

We will debut the third pin in the Main Entrance Pass series featuring Simba.

Cast Members with valid ID will receive one (1) coupon to purchase the featured Simba Main Entrance Pass pin, edition size 2000. Limit two (2) Simba Main Entrance Pass Pins per Cast Member.** (Retail $5.00, no discount, must have valid Disney ID to purchase. Main Entrance / Silver Pass not valid for purchase of pins)

Cast Members that attend the event will receive one (1) FREE yellow Simba pin to fit inside your Main Entrance Pass**. This FREE pin is a Limited Edition of 2000.

However, there are a Limited Edition 10, gray-colored Simba pins that will have a backstamp of "AP 10" on the back. Each complimentary Simba pin is packaged in a black "polybag."

As a Gift with Purchase, if you purchase two Main Entrance Passes, you get another chance for a gray Simba pin.** Just show your receipt at the registration table showing you purchased two Main Entrance Passes. At that time, you will reach into a bowl and pull out another Simba pin - so you don't know which pin you will receive! Will it be yellow or gray?

This event is for Cast Members only. Attendees can also enjoy the following:

Trading with Lee Cockerell, Executive Vice President, WDW Operations from 8:30 am – 9:30 am.
Trading with the 2004 WDW Ambassador Team from 8:30 am – 9:30 am.
Sneak preview of upcoming Open and Limited Edition Pin releases for the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line and the Disneyland Resort.
The Merchandise Liquidation team will feature a pin sale with 75% off many varieties of pins.
Special Purchase "Pin Grab Bags" will be offered. They will include 10 pins for $10.00. Each bag is guaranteed to have at least 2 Limited Edition Pins.**
** All pins available while supplies last.
 

The following dates and locations have been selected for Cast Pin Parties:

Thursday, March 11 - Disney's Animal Kingdom, Cast Services Building
Thursday, April 29 - Disney-MGM Studios
Thursday, June 24 - Disney's All-Star Resort
Thursday, July 15 - Magic Kingdom at Property Control
Thursday, August 19 - Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
Thursday, September 23 - Epcot, Odyssey Building
This year, we are releasing the Main Entrance Pass series - one Limited Edition pass for each location. Attending Cast Members will receive a free Limited Edition pin (while supplies last). Don't forget to bring your valid Disney Cast Member ID.

Enjoy trading activities, product showcases and much more. Please check back for updated information.

 

Surprise Sleeping Beauty


This surprise Limited Edition Princess Aurora pin will be released at Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace.
 February 05, 2004
Edition Size: 1000
  $8.50

The Walt Disney World Resort will host several Magical Gatherings of Pin Traders in 2004. These special pin trading events will feature unique settings, highly themed product and many opportunities to trade pins, make friends and share magic. For each event, we will release a special Magical Gatherings of Pin Traders pin with themed artwork.

The following is a list of Magical Gatherings of Pin Traders in 2004. 

Lights, Camera, Pins! - 80 Years of Entertainment
March 27, 2004
Disney-MGM Studios


Adventures In Pin Trading
June 11-12, 2004
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park


Disney Pin Wishes
July 17, 2004
Magic Kingdom Park


A Family Pin Gathering - Disney's Pin Celebration
September 10-12, 2004
Epcot


Disney Villains On The High Seas
November 14-18, 2004
Disney Cruise Line

Sweetheart Pin Collection 

Beginning February 7, 2004, Walt Disney World Resort is releasing the "Sweetheart Collection" for Valentine's Day 2004.

Seven Limited Edition (LE 1500 each) pins will be released across the Walt Disney World Resort. If you are looking for a unique Valentine's Day gift, each pin is mounted on a cardback that features a "To: / From:" area to send your greetings.

Jack and Sally - Magic Kingdom® Theme Park: Exposition Hall

Jessica and Roger - Disney-MGM Studios: The Sorcerer's Hat Shop

Simba and Nala Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park: Island Mercantile

Sulley and Boo - Epcot: Pin Central

Lady and Tramp - Downtown Disney® Marketplace: Disney's Pin Traders

Lilo and Stitch - Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Pongo and Perdita - Disney's All-Star Resort

As a special Gift with Purchase, if you purchase the Lady and the Tramp pin at Disney's Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney® Marketplace, you can receive the Valentine Card pictured above to mount all of your "Sweetheart Collection" pins.

** Please note this card will only be distributed at Disney's Pin Traders.

** Limit two cards per person, per day with the purchase of the Lady and the Tramp pin.

There will be a Cast Member only pin featuring Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinker Bell (LE 3000 - $5.00). It will also be released on February 7 at Company D locations (Note - February 7 is a Saturday and only the Epcot Company D location will be open. The rest of the Company D locations will release the pin on Monday, February 9).


 
 

Cast Pin Party - February 19, 2004 - Mickey's Retreat

The second Cast Pin Party for 2004 will be held on Thursday, February 19 at Mickey's Retreat at Little Lake Bryan. The event will be held from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with special Pin Trading activities from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

We will debut the second pin in the Main Entrance Pass series. This pin will feature Mickey Mouse and have all four Theme Park Icons for Walt Disney World.

Cast Members with valid ID will receive one (1) coupon to purchase the featured Mickey Main Entrance Pass pin, edition size 2000. Limit two (2) Mickey Main Entrance Pass Pins per Cast Member.** (Retail $5.00, no discount, must have valid Disney ID to purchase. Main Entrance / Silver Pass not valid for purchase of pins)

A unique twist again for this Party!
Cast Members that attend the event will receive one (1) complimentary red Mickey pin to fit inside your Main Entrance Pass**. This complimentary pin is a Limited Edition of 2000.

However, there are a Limited Edition 10, gold-colored Mickey pins that will have a backstamp of "AP 10" on the back. Each complimentary Mickey pin is packaged in a black "polybag."

As a Gift with Purchase, if you purchase two Main Entrance Passes, you get another chance for a Gold Mickey pin.** Just show your receipt at the registration desk showing you purchased two Main Entrance Passes. At that time, you will reach into a bowl and pull out another Mickey pin - so you don't know which pin you will receive! Will it be red or gold?

This event is for Cast Members only. Cast Members should bring their valid Disney ID to the event.

Cast Members will also get a sneak preview of upcoming Open and Limited Edition Pin releases for the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line and the Disneyland Resort.

The Merchandise Liquidation team will feature a pin sale with 75% off many varieties of pins. Special Purchase "Pin Grab Bags" will be offered. They will include 10 pins for $10.00. Each bag is guaranteed to have at least 2 Limited Edition Pins.**

Another Cast Member Pin Party will be held on Thursday, March 11 at Disney's Animal Kingdom. More information to follow...

** All pins available while supplies last.

2004 Epcot Pin Event
Word is the 2004 Epcot Pin Event will be Sept 10-12, 2004 with early package pick-up on Sept 9th

More Info to Follow

Annual Passholder Exclusive - The Lion King 1½
As a Passholder, you can break in your Disney's Animal Kingdom 2004 Annual Passholder lanyard with an exclusive new pin in honor of the February 10, 2004 video premier of The Lion King 1½.
Passholder Lanyard
 To help you celebrate the magic the happens when you gather with your family and friends at the most enchanting place on earth, Disney is going to give you and exclusive "Magical Gatherings" 2004 Passholder lanyard. Just stop by the Island Mercantile at Animal Kingdom on January 24, 25, 31 and Feb. 1 during regular park hours and get yours. There's a limit of ONE per passholder. And what better way to break in your new lanyard than with an exclusive new pin. In honor on the Feb. 10, 2004 Video Premiere of the Lion King 1 1/2 Disney will be releasing a LE 2000 pin featuring the films stars, Timon and Pumba.
This Passholder exclusive pin will be available for purchase at Island Mercantile beginning Saturday, January 24, 2004. Limited Edition of 2000; available while supplies last.
Limit two pins per Passholder per day. A valid Walt Disney World Annual Passholder ID must be presented.
 January 24, 2004
LE  2000   $8.50

Cast Pin Event Day - January 29, 2004

The first Cast Pin Event Day for 2004 will be held on Thursday, January 29 at the Downtown Disney (r) Cast Services Building, Receiving Area. The event will be held from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with special Pin Trading activities from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. Cast Members will be able to see upcoming Open and Limited Edition Pin releases for the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line and the Disneyland Resort.

The Merchandise Liquidation team will feature a pin sale with 75% off many varieties of pins. Special Purchase "Pin Grab Bags" will be offered. They will include 10 pins for $10.00. Each bag is guaranteed to have at least 2 Limited Edition Pins.**

We will debut the new Main Entrance Pass series. This Limited Edition series will feature a part of the "Disney Difference" - the Main Entrance Pass. Each Cast Pin Event will showcase a different Main Entrance hinge pin themed to the location; the first pin will feature Goofy.


Cast Members with valid ID will receive one (1) coupon to purchase the featured Goofy Main Entrance Pass pin, edition size 2000. Limit two (2) Goofy Pins per Cast Member.** (Retail $5.00, no discount, must have valid WDW ID to purchase. Main Entrance / Silver Pass not valid for purchase of pins)

A unique twist this year! Cast Members that attend the event will receive one (1) complimentary green Goofy pin to fit inside your Main Entrance Pass**. This complimentary pin is a Limited Edition of 2000. However, there are 10 Silver Goofys (LE 10). Each complimentary Goofy pin is packaged in a black "polybag."

As a Gift with Purchase, if you purchase two Main Entrance Passes, you get another chance for a Silver Goofy.** Just show your receipt at the registration desk showing you purchased two Main Entrance Passes. At that time, you will reach into a bowl and pull out another Goofy pin - so you don't know which pin you will receive! Will it be green or silver?

This event is for Cast Members only. Cast Members should bring their valid Disney ID to the event.

VERY IMPORTANT! All Cast Members are reminded to park in the Downtown Disney Cast Member only parking lot located behind the Exxon/Mobil Station across the street from the Downtown Disney Cast Services building.

"This Is Love" Event Merchandise Sneak Preview - January 16, 2004

If you attend the Pin Trading Night at Disney's Contemporary Resort on Friday, January 16 you can see a sneak preview of items from the merchandise event - "This Is Love."

The "This Is Love" merchandise event will be held on February 4, 2004. But, at the upcoming Pin Trading Night, you will have an opportunity to see some of the items before the event day.

Pin Trading Nights at Disney's Contemporary Resort start at 7:00 pm on the 4th Floor - Grand Canyon Concourse.

New Muppet Pins
Muppets - Miss Piggy

This Open Edition Pin features the talented and beautiful Miss Piggy.
  February 02, 2004
  $6.50

Muppets - Kermit the Frog

It's even easier to be green with this Open Edition pin featuring Kermit the Frog.
  February 02, 2004
  $6.50

Muppets - Fozzie Bear

"Wacka, Wacka"- fun with this Open Edition pin featuring Fozzie Bear.
  February 02, 2004
  $6.50

Muppets - Gonzo

It's "Gonzo the Great" featured in the Open Edition pin.
  February 02, 2004
 $6.50

Muppets - Swedish Chef

This Open Edition pin features the Swedish Chef.
  February 02, 2004
  $6.50

Muppets - Rizzo the Rat

This Open Edition pin features the original rat from Brooklyn, NY - Rizzo.
 February 02, 2004
 $6.50

Here is the link to the "This Is Love " RSP Form
This Is Love RSP Form

2004 Walt Disney World Marathon Box Set


This Limited Edition 2004 Walt Disney World Marathon box set features five pins. The pins commemorate Mickey's run through all four Theme Parks as well as his crossing the finish line. The middle pin is dated "January 11, 2004." Each of the Theme Park pins are pin-on-pin. The box opens to reveal the pins inside.
This box set will be released during the Marathon Expo.
Please Note - All information is subject to change including but not limited to artwork, release dates, edition sizes and retail prices.
 January 09, 2004
LE 500  $45.00
 

Millionaire" Hosted by Meredith Vieira Tapes Episodes at Disney-MGM Studios Jan. 9-11

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" Hosted by Meredith Vieira Tapes Episodes at Disney-MGM Studios Jan. 9-11

From Jan. 9-11, the popular TV game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," with host Meredith Vieira, will tape shows inside the theme park's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Play It!" attraction venue. Vieira is known also to viewers as a co-host of ABC Daytime's "The View."

The "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Play It!" attraction features an exact replica of the show's famous set, complete with dramatic lighting and the famous "hot seat." The show is presented multiple times every day at the Disney-MGM Studios and is one of the attractions that features Disney's FASTPASS.
 

Atlanta Braves Spring Training Single-Game
Tickets on Sale Jan. 3

The Atlanta Braves are returning to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for Major League Baseball Spring Training in February and March 2004. Single-game tickets go on sale for the Braves' 16-game home schedule at Cracker Jack Stadium.

From March 3-April 1, the Braves will play spring training games against 11 professional teams, including the American League champion New York Yankees, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and others.

Individual game tickets for the Braves' seventh home spring training season at Walt Disney World Resort go on sale Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004, at the Disney's Wide World of Sports box office and through Ticketmaster at 407/839-3900. Ticket prices: $12.50 (general admission lawn seats), $17.50 (upper level reserved and right field bleacher) and $20.50 (lower level reserved). Three- and five-game mini-packs are also available by calling 407/939-GAME (4263).

Note: Prior to the start of the game schedule, the Braves will conduct two weeks of spring training workouts at Disney's Wide World of Sports beginning Feb. 20.
 

2004 WDW Marathon Pins
Here are the 3 LE 2004 Marathon pins found at DPT on 1/3/04
We also hear there will be a box set
My First Marathon LE 1200  $8.50

2004 Half Marathon LE 2000 $10.50
Dangle

2004 Full Marathon LE 3500 $10.50
3-D

DVC Members Exclusive Pins

A series of limited edition pins have been designed for DVC Members exclusively. One pin will be released each quarter beginning in February 2004.
Note: Date Change
On January 18, 2004, a special OPEN EDITION pin will be released that will be available for the entire year. This Open Edition Disney Vacation Club Members only pin features Tinker Bell. It is dated "2004" and says "Members Are Magical."

These pins are only available to DVC Members. To purchase the pins, DVC Members must show their valid membership ID and request the pin at the merchandise location's counter. Regular limited edition purchase restrictions apply (2 per guest, per day). Pins available while supplies last.

All pins will be available at the following merchandise locations at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Vacation Club locations:

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park - Island Mercantile
Magic Kingdom - Exposition Hall
Disney-MGM Studios - Sorcerer's Hat
Epcot - Pin Central
Disney's BoardWalk Villas
Disney's Beach Club Villas
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Old Key West Resort
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (after opening)
Disney's Vero Beach Resort
Disney's Hilton Head Resort

Lights, Camera, Pins! - 80 Years of Entertainment

Event Registration starts on January 9, 2004

Join WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort in 2004 as we celebrate "Magical Gatherings " with our own Family of Disney Pin Traders.
Our first Disney Pin Trading Event of the year
will kick off Hollywood style at
"Lights, Camera, Pins! - 80 Years of Entertainment"
Saturday, March 27th at the Disney-MGM Studios.
You are sure to find some marquee pins with your favorite Disney heroes & heroines, villains & bad guys or sidekicks & supporting cast.
Check out this star-studded line up!
An Exclusive Event Gift
Event Exclusive Pins & Pin Sets
Exciting Pin Games
Multiple Trading Boards with over 2000 Pins to Trade
Pin Signings with our Disney Artists
Large well lit Pin Trading Lounge
Scrumptious Food & Bountiful Beverages
Pin lounge, trading boards and pin games all day long starting at 11:00 AM, with entertainment and scrumptious food & beverage later in the evening.

Event tickets are only $65 per guest. Theme park admission is not included, but is required for attendance; please call 407.827.7600 for ticket pricing and information. Make sure you mark your calendars for this pin-nacle event of the year at the Disney-MGM Studios, Saturday, March 27, 2004.

Registration will be limited so please be sure to visit us at www.OfficialDisneyPinTrading.com beginning Friday, January 9th

at 9:00 AM pacific (PST) to ensure your reservation.

Please Note - All information is subject to change including but not limited to artwork, release dates, edition sizes and retail prices.

WDW will have 2 New Year's Day Surprise Pins

2004 will be an exciting year and WDW wanted to start the New Year off with a bang.
Later in the morning of Jan. 1, 2004 you will find these 2 new surprise pins. The Monorail Caution Sign series will feature two pins:
The English version of "Please Stand Clear of the Doors" will be available at Disney's Contemporary Resort.


The Spanish version will be available at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Both pins are Limited Editions of 1000 and will retail for $8.50
WDW thought it would be fun to ride the "highway in the sky" to get both pins.

HAPPY NEW YEARS

USPS will offer Art of Disney Friendship Stamps in 2004

The Art of Disney: Friendship stamps feature several world-famous friends: Goofy, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; Bambi and Thumper; Simba and his father, Mufasa; and Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio. The Postal Service will issue the 37-cent, self-adhesive stamps next summer. Approx release date is June 1, 2004
This is the first of three stamp panes honoring the art of Disney to be issued by the Postal Service. Celebration and romance are the themes for future stamps in this series. Each year features four themed stamps.
 

Would you like to support Roy Disney?
Are you unhappy with the way Disney is treating Guests & Investors?
Tired of the Dollar being #1 at Disney and guests #2
What Would Walt Do ?
At www.savedisney.com you will find a site started by Roy Disney and Stanley Gold.
Here you will find information on how YOU can make a difference.
Sign the We Support Roy Disney Petition
  Click Here To Sign Petition

Below is a recent article from Forture Mag.

For Roy Disney, the company founded by his Uncle Walt is much more than a business. Marc Gunther sat down with him to learn what made him so mad at CEO Michael Eisner, and why he's leading a mouse hunt.
By Marc Gunther

A week or so before Thanksgiving, a film editor at the Walt Disney Co. asked Roy Disney, the company's longtime animation chief, if he planned to attend a screening of ideas for new animated films.

Disney was puzzled. He hadn't been invited. He called the president of animation, David Stainton, and said he'd like to come. No problem, he was told.

Then came an e-mail from Michael Eisner, Disney's chairman and CEO. Please don't go to the screening, it said. The movie ideas are not ready for review.

Roy Disney telephoned Eisner to protest. Eisner stood his ground. He told Disney, who had become a vocal and persistent critic, that he had no business at the screening.

"I really think I ought to be there," Disney said.

"Well," Eisner replied, "I guess I can't put a guard by the door."

"I'll take that for a yes," Disney said.

A Tale of Two Disneys
Eisner's early performance was a hit. Later it bombed.
Year
Compound annual growth
1984-95 S&P 500 15.4%
Disney 28.1%
1995-2003 S&P 500 8.8%
Disney 2.8%

When he arrived at the screening, Disney was flabbergasted. He had expected a small group. Instead, close to 100 people filled the room. Had it come to this, he thought? He had worked at Disney for 50 years. He was a member of the board. He believed that Disney should be run as a family company, a place where people treated one another with kindness and respect. Michael Eisner, he thought, simply did not understand.

To comprehend the struggle that has erupted over the future of the Walt Disney Co., it helps to understand Roy Disney, the 73-year-old nephew of company founder Walt Disney and the son of Walt's older brother and partner, Roy O. Disney. As the last link between the founding family and a $27-billion-a-year global entertainment giant, Roy Disney has become the point man for an unorthodox campaign to oust Eisner as CEO. His hope is that the company's prolonged financial slump has generated enough discontent among investors that they will clamor for change. For eight years Disney's earnings have been flat, and its stock performance has been disappointing. Its board of directors, too, has been dominated by Eisner. So Roy Disney and his business partner, Stanley Gold—also a Disney director—quit the board to launch a grassroots uprising that will try to use the Internet to rally small shareholders. Borrowing from Democrat Howard Dean's script, they created a website called Save Disney (www.savedisney.com). "[Dean] has been able to organize a group that felt disenfranchised," Gold says. "We're going to do the same thing."

But this battle for control of an American icon is not just about shareholder value or corporate governance. Nor is it about the animosity between Roy Disney and Michael Eisner, though there's plenty of that. It is, at heart, about a family and its legacy. Corny as it sounds, Roy Disney wants to take the company back from Michael Eisner because, he says, it has lost its soul.

"The Disney company is unique," Roy Disney tells FORTUNE, in the first in-depth interview he has given since launching his crusade. We're in a conference room at Shamrock Holdings, the family's investment company in Burbank, Calif. It's not far from the Disney lot, where, for the first time in 80 years, no Disney family member goes to work. Even after shaving his moustache, Roy Disney resembles his famous uncle. The oval face, sloping nose, and folksy manner take me back to Sunday nights in the late 1950s on ABC. "Disney," he says, as if reading my mind, "has an awfully long and deep and nostalgic relationship with the public, literally worldwide. I've felt it all my life. At age 4, I was watching bits and pieces of Snow White when it was in production. I grew up not only around the films but also around the people, which is even more important. It's not something you can just walk away from. It is somehow in my soul."

Little in Roy Disney's past has prepared him for the role he has now chosen to play. Business never interested him much. Nor has he sought the spotlight. So shy was he as a young man that he proposed to his wife, Patty, by writing her a five-page letter. He struggled to summon the courage to ask his Uncle Walt for permission to produce his first film. The Otter in the Family, it was called.

Gentle and self-effacing, Roy Disney devoted the first 20 years of his career at Disney to making nature films. Later he became a champion of animation, laboring for nearly a decade on Fantasia 2000, a succession of clever little cartoons set to classical music that won critical acclaim but fared poorly at the box office. Always, he did what he could to protect the Disney name and reputation. When Kellogg obtained a license to make a breakfast cereal called Mickey Magix, Roy asked that Mickey Mouse not be shown facing outward on the box because, he said, he didn't want the mouse to be seen as a cereal salesmen. Disney and Kellogg obliged.

As the company thrived, Roy Disney built his very own Magic Kingdom. He owns a castle in County Cork, Ireland, to which he retreats with his wife, four children, and 16 grandchildren. A world-class sailor, he just acquired an 86-foot sloop that he will race this spring in the Caribbean. He travels in his own Boeing jet. "I'm very lucky," he says. "I could have all the nice times I want."

Plainly he doesn't need this fight; nor did he seek it out. But when he was asked to leave Disney's board because of his age, he refused to go quietly. He summoned his four children to a family meeting. They sat together in a circle, clasped hands, and agreed he should take on Eisner. "His identity is more wrapped up in this company than you can imagine," says his daughter Abby, a New York philanthropist. "He's prepared to be called names. But this is so important to him."

With that, Roy Disney went on the attack. In a letter released when he quit the board, he said that the Disney company is now widely seen as "rapacious, soulless, and always looking for the 'quick buck.' " Since the death of Eisner's partner, Frank Wells, in 1994, "the company has lost its focus, its creative energy, and its heritage," he wrote. The following day Gold quit too and charged that the board has been "an enabler to entrenched management." Eisner has not responded publicly, and he declined to be interviewed for this story.

Dethroning the CEO will not be easy. The company is showing signs of a turnaround: Disney's stock price grew by more than 35% in 2003, and executives say that earnings per share will increase by more than 30% in the current fiscal year. As dissident directors, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold were unable to convince their fellow board members that Eisner was to blame for the company's troubles. It will be even harder to make their case as outsiders. "Strategically, I think what they did was pretty stupid," says a Disney insider who is no fan of Eisner's.
For Roy Disney, the company founded by his Uncle Walt is much more than a business. Marc Gunther sat down with him to learn what made him so mad at CEO Michael Eisner, and why he's leading a mouse hunt.
By Marc Gunther


But it would be a mistake to count out Roy Disney and Gold. They've been down this road before. As president of Shamrock, which manages money for the Disney family and others, Gold has been an activist investor—he hates being called a raider—for many years. In 1984, when the Disney company was led by inept managers and besieged by takeover threats, Gold and Roy Disney joined forces with the Bass brothers to seize control. They brought in Eisner and Wells, who led a spectacular turnaround—a revived animation unit, new theme parks and hotels, cool Mickey Mouse gear, Disney stores in every mall, and more. Everyone did well, especially Eisner, who cashed in $850 million of options over about 15-years.

The thrill ride came to a screeching halt in the mid-1990s. Why it happened is a matter of debate. The dissidents say that Wells's death in a helicopter crash and the acquisition of ABC overwhelmed Eisner, who tried to do too much himself. A succession of misjudgments ensued—hiring Michael Ovitz, fighting the departed Jeffrey Katzenberg in court, wasting money on the Internet, overpaying for Fox's Family Channel, mismanaging ABC, and so forth. "Michael was once a very good creative executive, but he ran out of gas," asserts Gold. Eisner's supporters concede mistakes, but they attribute the company's problems to competition in feature animation, a recession, and aftershocks of 9/11, which clobbered the theme parks. They say that the money invested in the parks and cable channels will pay off, and they tout such growth stories as ESPN and the Disney Channel.

Still, the numbers are what they are. In fiscal 1994, Disney produced operating income of $3.1 billion. Since then the company has generated close to $25 billion in cash that it has reinvested in operations. In fiscal 2003, after all that investment, Disney produced operating income of just $3.2 billion. This is from a company that once delivered earnings growth of 15% a year. "Someone has to have the courage to say that the emperor has no clothes," declares Gold. "The board won't do it." Savvy investors Warren Buffett and Capital Research's Gordon Crawford sold their Disney shares years ago.

Roy Disney owns 17.3 million shares, according to public filings, worth about $400 million at the end of 2003. Other Disney family members own nearly as much. That's more than enough to care about performance but less than 2% of the shares outstanding. Formed in 1978, Shamrock has diversified into radio stations, real estate, technology, and companies in Israel, but Disney stock remains the family's largest asset.

Even a substantial rise in the stock price won't mollify Roy Disney. He'll declare victory only if Eisner is deposed, he says. That's because he believes Disney's sluggish financials reflect something more troubling—a company that has lost its creative edge and no longer takes care of its employees, customers, or partners.

"Morale is awful everywhere," he says. "Nobody is empowered to do anything on their own. Everything goes up to Michael if it costs more than a dime." The theme parks, he gripes, aren't well maintained, and three newer parks—Disney's California Adventure, Disney Studios in Paris, and a Disneyland under construction in Hong Kong—have been built on the cheap. "They spent a half or a third of what they should on California Adventure and charged full price, same as Disneyland," he says. "Probably, for $10 people would have come out saying, 'This is the best damn park yet.' Instead, the perception was, 'They're screwing me again.' " The feeling in the parks is that "everything has kind of shriveled," Roy Disney says. He feels an emotional tie to the parks because he married Patty the year Disneyland opened—their kids practically grew up there—and his father got Walt Disney World built in Orlando after Walt's death in 1966.

While the Disney company might want to spend more on its theme parks and charge people less to get in, that approach wouldn't do much for the bottom line. The trouble is, Roy Disney doesn't seem to think about Disney as a business that, like any other, has to balance the needs of employees, customers, and owners. The company chose to conserve capital while building the newer parks, which are being expanded as they bring in revenue. You can argue with that strategy, which hasn't worked well at California Adventure. But overspending poses its own risk. Money-losing Euro Disney had to delay its interest payments to banks and suspend its licensing payments to the Disney company because of a crushing debt load.

But Roy Disney makes no apology for his belief that Disney is unlike any other business, more akin to a national treasure than to a Hollywood studio. When I suggest to him that Eisner and his people do their best to keep the Disney brand fresh without damaging its time-honored appeal, he grimaces. "If you'll forgive me, I can't use that word—brand," he says. "I find the word repugnant. It means all the things that we're not. We're Snow White and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Goofy and all those guys and gals. We're in people's hearts, people's souls. Calling it a brand demeans it."

Roy Disney is also bothered by the company culture. He hates it when executives talk about "killer deals." Deals shouldn't be about killing your partners, he says; they should allow everyone to feel good. Eisner, he says, always seems to be fighting with someone—Steve Jobs or Harvey Weinstein or cable operators who don't want to pay rising fees for ESPN. The Disney CEO also has a tendency to badmouth his own people after they leave the company.

In the long run you can't be successful if you don't treat people well, Stanley Gold says. "With Michael, you are either with him or you are the enemy. The enemy needs to be scorched, and there are fewer and fewer people with him. In the end this is not just a personal trait of Michael's. This begins to decay the company."

Whether Stanley Gold and Roy Disney can make that case to the company's shareholders is an open question. While they aren't saying much about their strategy, they plan to seek meetings with Disney's institutional shareholders and communicate with smaller ones via the Internet. (The top 35 owners hold about 40% of Disney's stock.) They won't run their own slate of directors this year, but they may ask shareholders to withhold votes for Eisner or for directors who they say are under the CEO's thumb. Gold muses out loud about organizing a public gathering of dissident shareholders in March, on the eve of Disney's annual meeting, which will be held in Philadelphia. Then, the next day, they could confront Eisner and the board.

Neither the dissidents nor the company will talk about who might succeed Eisner, who is 61, if he opts to step down when his contract expires in 2006 or if the board decides to replace him. Roy Disney and Gold say there are plenty of candidates, and the board should do a search. "Michael has perpetuated the myth that he is irreplaceable," Roy Disney says. "That is absurd." Speculation about candidates focuses on eBay CEO Meg Whitman and Steve Burke, president of Comcast Cable, both of whom are former Disney executives, as well as Peter Chernin of News Corp. and Yahoo CEO Terry Semel. A company turnaround could boost the prospects of Bob Iger, Eisner's well-liked No. 2.

Roy Disney says he isn't pushing any candidate. "My loyalty is to the company, and to the people we serve, and to our cast members, who I consider friends," he says. "It goes way beyond the economics."

Maybe so, but economics will likely decide the battle for Walt Disney Co. If Eisner can deliver his oft-promised turnaround, he'll win shareholder support. If not, the clamor from Roy Disney and Gold, as well as a strengthened board, will hold him accountable. In other words, Disney will operate more like an ordinary company, as it should. This probably won't please Roy Disney, who sees the company as a public trust, or Eisner, who has run it as a fiefdom, but it should deliver long-awaited relief to Disney's shareholders. And they're the ones who own the place.
 

A Disney record 24,000 participants from all 50 states and throughout the world have registered for the 11th annual Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon on January 11, 2004.

Annual Passholder Exclusive - 2004 Mickey Mouse

This Annual Passholder Exclusive pin features Mickey Mouse holding the "Key to the Kingdom." It is mounted on a beautiful card featuring the four Theme Park icons.

This pin is only available to Annual Passholders. A valid Annual Passholder ID must be shown to purchase this pin.
January 15, 2004
  $6.50

Featured Artist - Eric Caszatt - Mickey Art Deco


This Limited Edition Jumbo-sized pin is part of the 2004 Featured Artist series. Eric Caszatt from Disney Design Group designed this pin called "Mickey Art Deco."
The pin measures approximately 3" x 2" and includes the "Feature Artist" logo and Artist's signature back stamped. The pin is packaged in a beautiful display box and includes the Artist's bio and photograph.
Eric's bio reads: "Throughout my childhood, I'd always enjoyed sketching and designing, but I just thought of it as a hobby, not something I could do for a living. I eventually came around, and realized that my hobby could become a career at Disney."

 January 26, 2004
LE 750  $25.00
 

2004 Pin of the Month - Pinocchio Ring Toss - #1


The 2004 Pin of the Month Series will celebrate Vintage Disney. From vintage toys and games to vintage movie posters and more, a new Limited Edition pin will be released on the 15th of each month throughout 2004.
The January 2004 Pin of the Month features a Pinocchio Ring Toss Game.
Please Note - All information is subject to change including but not limited to artwork, release dates, edition sizes and retail prices.
  January 15, 2004
LE 2500   $8.50
 

Walt Disney World's first Disney Pin Trading Event will kick off Hollywood-style at "Lights, Camera, Pins! - 80 Years of Entertainment" this March 27 at the Disney-MGM Studios. You are sure to find some star-studded pins with your favorite Disney heroes & heroines, villains & bad guys or side-kicks & supporting cast.

Make sure you mark your calendars for this pin-nacle event of the year at the Disney-MGM Studios, March 27, 2004.
 

Santa's Pin List 2003

Have you been "Naughty" or "Nice" this year? Well, it doesn't matter because all Disney fans, nice and naughty, can join in on the holiday fun of "Santa's Pin List" beginning December 11, 2003.

Simply pick up your complimentary pin pursuit map at participating pin locations throughout the resort. Travel to various locations trading pins or answering Disney trivia and collect your special FREE Disney pin reward at your final destination, Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace. Plus, there are fun holiday Limited Edition pins to purchase that fit right on your special pursuit map.

Participating locations include:

Magic Kingdom Park: Exposition Hall or Mickey's Gift Stop at the Ticket and Transportation Center

 Santa's Pin List - Three Fairies - Nice
Flora, Fauna and Merrywether hold up Santa's "Nice" List. This Limited Edition pin will be sold at the Magic Kingdom Park: Exposition Hall or Mickey's Gift Stop at the Ticket and Transportation Center
 December 11, 2003
LE 2500  $8.50


Disney-MGM Studios: The Sorcerer's Hat Shop or Movie Memorabilia.

Santa's Pin List - Tinker Bell - Naughty
Tinker Bell tops Santa's Pin List as she holds up the "Naughty" side of his list. This Limited Edition will be sold at the Disney-MGM Studios: The Sorcerer's Hat Shop or Movie Memorabilia.
  December 11, 2003
LE  3000  $8.50

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park: Island Mercantile or The Outpost.

Santa's Pin List - Cruella - Naughty
Look out Spot! It looks like Cruella De Vil made Santa's "Naughty" list. This pin is a Limited Edition and will be sold at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park: Island Mercantile or The Outpost.
 December 11, 2003
LE 2500  $8.50

Epcot: Pin Central or Gift Shop.

Santa's Pin List - Snow White and Dopey - Nice
Dopey gives Snow White a cut-out heart for the Holidays. This pin will be sold at Epcot: Pin Central or Gift Shop. It is Limited Edition.
 December 11, 2003
LE 2500   $8.50

Disney's Polynesian Resort: News from Polynesia.

Santa's Pin List - Captain Hook and Smee - Naughty
Mean ol' Captain Hook and Mr. Smee are on Santa's "Naughty" list. This Limited Edition pin will be sold at Disney's Polynesian Resort: News From Polynesia.
December 11, 2003
LE 2500   $8.50


Disney's BoardWalk: Screen Door General Store.

Santa's Pin List - Goofy and Pluto - Nice
Goofy and Pluto are putting the finishing touches on Santa's "Nice" List. This Limited Edition pin will be sold at Disney's BoardWalk Resort: Screen Door General Store.
 December 11, 2003
LE 2500   $8.50

Downtown Disney Marketplace: Disney's Pin Traders

Santa's Pin List - Santa Mickey
It's Mickey Mouse dressed in his festive Santa outfit. Looks like he is holding a list of his own. This Limited Edition pin will be sold at Downtown Disney Marketplace: Disney's Pin Traders.
  December 11, 2003
LE  2500  $8.50

A bag full of Christmas joy awaits you! This is the complimentary Completion Pin for Santa's Pin List. It is ONLY available upon completion of map at Disney's Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Please note - One map distributed per person, per day, redeemable for one pin per completed map, per person, per day. Completion pin available only at Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace while supplies last.


Here are some more fun "pin pursuits" next year at the Walt Disney World Resort!

"Happy Villains-tines Day" - February 2004
"Pin Party Bingo" - May 2004
"International Pin Games" - August 2004
"Fall Pin Festival" - October 2004
* All dates and themes subject to change