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Roy Edward Disney KCSG
Disney on December 11, 2007
Born	Roy Edward Disney (1930-01-10)January 10, 1930 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 16, 2009(2009-12-16) (aged 79) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Stomach cancer
Resting place	Ashes scattered into Pacific Ocean
Nationality	American
Education	Buckley School
Alma mater	Pomona College
Occupation(s)	Vice Chairman, The Walt Disney Company Chairman, Walt Disney Feature Animation
Years active	1954–2009
Known for	He revived The Walt Disney Company twice
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Patricia Ann Dailey ​ ​(m. 1955; div. 2007)​ Leslie DeMeuse ​(m. 2008)​
Children	4, including Abigail Disney Timothy "Tim" Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Susan Disney Lord
Parent(s)	Roy Oliver Disney Edna Francis
Relatives	See Disney family
Awards	Annie Award (1993) Disney Legend Award (1998) Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation (2002)

Roy Edward Disney, KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which was founded by his father, Roy Oliver Disney and uncle Walt Disney. At the time of his death he held more than 16 million shares (about 1% of the company), and served as a consultant for the company, as Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors. He is perhaps best known for organizing the ousting of two top Disney executives: Ron Miller in 1984, and Michael Eisner in 2005.

As the last member of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company, Roy Edward Disney was often compared to his uncle and father. In 2006, Forbes magazine estimated his personal fortune at $1.2 billion.

Early life and career

Disney was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edna (née Francis; 1890-1984) and Roy Oliver Disney (1893-1971), the brother of Walt Disney. He graduated from Pomona College in 1951 and first began working for Walt Disney Productions as an assistant director and producer (True-Life Adventure). He continued until 1967 when he was elected to the company's Board of Directors.

First "Save Disney" campaign (1984)

Roy Edward Disney resigned as an executive from Walt Disney Productions in 1977 over disagreements with corporate decisions. As he claimed later, "I just felt creatively the company was not going anywhere interesting. It was very stifling."

He retained a seat on the board of directors until 1984, when he resigned in the midst of a corporate takeover battle. This began a series of events that ultimately led to the replacement of Ron Miller (husband of Walt's daughter Diane Marie Disney) by Frank Wells and Michael Eisner as president and CEO, respectively. While investors were attempting the hostile takeover of Disney with the intention of dismantling the company and selling off its assets, Roy organized a consortium of white knight investors to fend off the takeover attempts. With the introduction of Wells and Eisner, Roy returned to the company as vice chairman and chairman of the animation department, which became Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Partnership with Eisner

During the late 1980s and 1990s, Roy's department produced a number of commercially successful, critically acclaimed films, an era which has been called the "Disney Renaissance". The Lion King, for instance, garnered nearly $1 billion following its release in the summer of 1994 and was the second highest-grossing film of the year. Despite this, Disney experienced a marked decline in profits beginning in the late 1990s as it expanded into lower-grossing, though still profitable direct-to-video spin-offs and sequels.

Roy was concerned, with good reason, about Jeffrey Katzenberg taking too much credit for the success of Disney's early 1990s releases. When Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash in 1994, Michael Eisner refused to promote Katzenberg to the vacated position of president. Eisner recalled that "Roy , who did not like him at all — I forget the reason, but Jeffrey probably did not treat him the way that Roy would have wanted to be treated — said to me, 'If you make him the president, I will start a proxy fight.'" Tensions between Katzenberg, Eisner and Disney resulted in Katzenberg's resignation from the company that October. Katzenberg launched a lawsuit against Disney to recover money he felt he was owed and settled out of court for an estimated $250 million.

On October 16, 1998, in a surprise presentation made at the newly unveiled Disney Legends Plaza at the company's headquarters, Eisner presented Roy with the prestigious Disney Legends Award. Roy Disney's pet project was the film Fantasia 2000, a sequel to his uncle's 1940 animated movie Fantasia. Walt Disney had planned a sequel to the original movie but it wasn't until, after nine years of production under Roy, that the sequel was finally released on December 17, 1999. Like its predecessor, the film combined high-quality contemporary animation and classical music, but also suffered at the US box office.

Second "Save Disney" campaign (2003–05)

After relations with Eisner began to sour, Roy Edward Disney's influence began to wane as important executive posts were filled by those friendly to Eisner. When the board of directors rejected Disney's request for an extension of his term as a member, he announced his resignation on November 30, 2003, citing "serious differences of opinion about the direction and style of management" in the company. He issued a letter criticizing Eisner's mismanagement, neglect of the studio's animation division, failures with ABC, timidity in the theme park business, corporate mentality in the executive structure turning The Walt Disney Company into a "rapacious, soul-less" conglomerate, and refusal to establish a clear succession plan.

After his resignation, Disney helped establish the website SaveDisney.com, intended to oust Michael Eisner and his supporters from their positions and revamp The Walt Disney Company. On March 3, 2004, at Disney's annual shareholders' meeting, a surprising 43% of Disney's shareholders, predominantly rallied by Roy E. Disney and fellow former board member Stanley Gold, voted to oppose the re-election of Eisner to the corporate board of directors. This vigorous opposition, unusual in major public corporations, persuaded Disney's board to replace Eisner as chairman with George J. Mitchell; he did, however, remain as chief executive. This "Save Disney" campaign also regarded Mitchell himself unfavorably and in the same election 25% of shareholders opposed Mitchell's re-election to the board.

As criticism of Eisner intensified in the wake of the shareholder meeting, his position became increasingly tenuous, culminating on March 13, 2005 with the announcement of Eisner's resignation as CEO effective September 30, one year before his contract would expire. On July 8, Roy and The Walt Disney Company, agreed to "put aside their differences." Roy rejoined the board as a non-voting Director Emeritus and consultant. Roy and Gold consequently shut down their SaveDisney.com website effective August 7 that year.

As announced, on September 30, Eisner resigned both chief executive and a member of the board. Severing all formal ties with the company, he waived his contractual rights to perks such as use of a corporate jet, a Golden Pass and an office at the company's Burbank headquarters. Bob Iger, Eisner's long-time lieutenant, who had been effectively running the company, now assumed the title of CEO. One of Roy Disney's stated reasons for engineering his second "Save Disney" initiative had been Eisner's well-publicized disputes with long-time production partner Pixar Animation Studios and its CEO Steve Jobs, with whom Disney had produced such computer animated hits as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, which were both critically acclaimed and financially successful for both partners. Iger quickly repaired the estrangement, and on January 24, 2006, the company announced the acquisition of Pixar in an all-stock deal worth $7.4 billion. This deal made Jobs, best known as co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc, Disney's largest shareholder with 7% of all outstanding shares and gave him a new seat on Disney's board of directors. Eisner, who retained 1.7% of shares, became Disney's second-largest shareholder, followed by Roy E. Disney, with 1% of shares. Disney's second "Save Disney" campaign against Eisner was chronicled by James B. Stewart in his best-selling book, DisneyWar.

Other work

• Disney was a trustee of the California Institute of the Arts, another institution founded by his uncle Walt.
• He appeared as himself in a voice cameo in an episode of the animated show Mickey Mouse Works (later shown on House of Mouse) in which Mickey accidentally sent him an angry fax meant for Mortimer Mouse.
• He appeared in the 1985 documentary film The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (produced and directed by Arnold Leibovit).
• He also appeared in the 2002 documentary The Sweatbox.
• He made an appearance in the 2007 documentary The Pixar Story.
• He executive produced the multiple network anti-drug program Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue in 1990.
• In 1998 he executive produced The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, written by Ray Bradbury and directed by Stuart Gordon. The film starred Edward James Olmos, Joe Mantegna, Sid Caesar, Esai Morales, Gregory Sierra and Clifton Collins Jr..
• Shamrock Holdings, which Roy Disney chaired and Stanley Gold runs as CEO, is an investment company which managed Roy Disney's personal investments.

Major Donors to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles

Roy E. and Patricia Disney were early major donors to the campaign led by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, to build a new and much needed Roman Catholic Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. Patricia (Patty) Disney, a lifelong devout Catholic, and her aunt, who was Meredith A. Disney, also a devout Catholic, both served on the advisory campaign with Cardinal Mahony when the Cathedral was being planned in 1996. When the Cathedral opened in September of 2002, Roy and Patty Disney co-hosted a "Celebration of Dedication" on the Grand Plaza and 1,300 invited guests attended including Helen and William M. Close, Patricia and Roy E. Disney, Gretchen and Bruce Willison and Phyllis and J. Michael Hennigan. Many others attending including brothers Charles Elias Disney and Daniel H. Disney, Rita Moreno, John Nava, Cathedral Pastor Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik, Kirk Douglas, Monica and James Hahn, Gayle and Ed Roski, Gretchen and Michael Wayne, Robert Maguire, Margie and Tom Romano, Susan and Timothy Strader, Carmen and Jose Lladro, Amanda and Anthony Mansour, Kathryn and Steve Sample, Annette and Peter O'Malley, Noelle and Edward Aloe, Shannan and Eric Binder and Constance and John Gavin. Appearing onstage in the presentation that also featured performances by the USC Thornton Symphony, the Los Angeles Children's Choir and inspirational readings by Anjelica Huston, Rita Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Keith David and Peter MacNicol.

Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center

The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center at 501 S. Buena Vista Street is directly across the street from The Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California. This is a new, innovative four-floor, 55,000-square-foot facility providing the full range of diagnostics, treatment, care and support services for cancer patients and their families. The Cancer Center brings together the most advanced technology in radiation oncology along with state-of-the-art medical and surgical oncology, excellent clinical outcomes and research, and an amazing array of support services, resources, and complementary therapies that few cancer centers across the country offer. The first of its kind, located in the San Fernando Valley, this signature cancer center has been designed to focus on human touch and human interaction; to promote healing through nurturing spaces inside and out; and to empower patients through information and education. The Disney Family Cancer Center was dedicated and opened on February 8, 2010. Members of the Disney family were in attendance when this beautiful facility was dedicated and the center opened just a few weeks after Roy E. Disney had passed away on December 16, 2009 and Patricia Ann Disney passed away on February 3, 2012.

Roy and Patricia Disney were major funders for the REDCAT/Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in the Walt Disney Concert Hall

REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) is an interdisciplinary contemporary arts center for innovative visual, performing and media arts in downtown Los Angeles, located inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex. Opened in November 2003 as the initial professional presenting arm of CalArts, REDCAT has since garnered a reputation for groundbreaking theater and a worldwide arts following as a launching platform for up-and-coming local artists, and for introducing internationally acclaimed productions and exhibitions to L.A. audiences that are often premiering on the West Coast for the first time. The art center consists of a 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) gallery space with revolving exhibitions, a 200–270-seat flexible black box theater, and a lounge cafe/bar hosting public conversations and a bookstore offering diverse art publications.

As the Walt Disney Concert Hall came under construction in 1992, Roy Edward Disney, son of Roy Oliver and Edna Disney, saw an opportunity for California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA to have a presence downtown. With the approval of The Walt Disney Company's Board of Directors and support from the County of Los Angeles, the project's lead architect, Frank Gehry, whose children also graduated from CalArts, was tasked to design the new venue. Roy E. Disney and his wife Patricia (Patty) personally matched the Disney Company gift for REDCAT's construction and, to extend the memory of Roy O. Disney who built The Walt Disney Company with his brother Walt and oversaw the construction of CalArts' campus, dedicated the new art center to his parents' name. CalArts President Steven D. Lavine cites the pairing of high caliber renegade experimentation and a social space for artist-community engagement, especially those in London (e.g. The Cottesloe Theatre as part of the Royal National Theatre), as a pointed consideration for the venue design and its conception as an institutional laboratory.

Mark Murphy was brought on board as executive director of REDCAT to guide the vision of the new organization. He observed a dearth of interdisciplinary art spaces in Los Angeles the likes of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Walker Art Center, or the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin. This impetus propelled initiatives for commissioned works, artist residencies, collaborations, and public programs to facilitate dialogue on the creative city within the world arts arena. Harvey Lichtenstein, president and executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, was brought in as a consultant during the development phases of REDCAT during 1999.

Personal life

Disney held several sailing speed records including the Los Angeles to Honolulu monohull time record. He set it on his boat Pyewacket in July 1999 (7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, 27 seconds).

On January 19, 2007, after beginning a relationship with Leslie DeMeuse, Roy Edward Disney (then 77 years old) filed for divorce from his wife, Patricia Dailey Disney (then 72), citing "irreconcilable differences", according to court documents. The couple, married 52 years, had been living apart for an unspecified amount of time, according to the Los Angeles County Superior Court filing. They had four adult children: Timothy "Tim" Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Abigail Disney, and Susan Disney Lord. Patricia Ann Disney died of Alzheimer's disease on February 3, 2012, aged 77.

In 2008, Roy Disney married Leslie DeMeuse, a CSTV producer, and Emmy winner of various sailing documentaries. The two created the sailing documentary TransPac—A Century Across the Pacific in 2000, and were executive producers of the sailing documentary Morning Light, which follows the selection and training of 18- to 23-year-old sailors on the 2007 Transpacific Yacht Race.

Honors

On January 4, 1998, Pope John Paul II made Roy Edward Disney a Knight Commander of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great (KCSG).

On January 1, 2000, Disney participated as the Grand Marshal of the 111th Rose Parade alongside Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

On April 26, 2008, Disney received an honorary doctorate from the California Maritime Academy, for his many contributions to the state and the nation, including international sailing.

Roy E. Disney Animation Building

As a tribute to Disney, the animation studio building at the Walt Disney Studios, in Burbank, California, was re-dedicated as the "Roy E. Disney Animation Building" on Friday, May 7, 2010.

Hundreds of D23 members were present for the celebration and they joined Disney cast members, members of the Disney family including Roy E. Disney’s children and grandchildren, Roy's first cousins and his very close friends Charles Elias Disney and Daniel H. Disney, and, of course, one very famous mouse, Mickey Mouse for the unveiling. Speakers included Roy’s son, Roy Patrick Disney, Don Hahn (producer of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast), and Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

“I always knew that when red Ferrari was in the parking lot, it was going to be a good day,” recalled Hahn. Hahn also explained that Bob Iger himself was the one who said the building should be dedicated to Roy E. Disney. Although Iger humbly tried to dismiss this claim, it was obvious from his speech that he truly respected what Roy E. Disney had done for the company. “Nobody appreciated what went on inside the building more than Roy Disney, so that is why we decided to put his name on the top of it,” Iger said. The fact that Roy’s office is located inside the giant sorcerer’s hat (even if he was rarely in there) made the decision even more appropriate.

Then, it was time to unveil the new sign above the entrance to the animation building, with the help of Mickey Mouse. Everyone was thrilled and this unveiling invoked so many personal thoughts and reactions and fond and happy remembrances of Roy Edward Disney.

It was then time for dinner with fellow D23 members and a trip to the Studio store, which is normally only open to cast members. Afterwards, the evening continued with the showing of three movies that Roy E. Disney himself had a hand in: Perri, a “true life fantasy” about the life of a squirrel in the forest, Lorenzo, a short animated film about a cat with a bewitched tail, and Fantasia 2000, a follow-up to Walt Disney’s original Fantasia. The films were viewed inside the Disney studio theater, beautifully redone last year before the special screening of The Princess and The Frog. In addition, it was in this same theater that Roy E. Disney himself sat and mixed Fantasia 2000.

While Perri marked the beginning of Roy E. Disney’s career, Fantasia 2000, marked the end. Walt Disney had originally intended on making Fantasia a kind of ever-changing movie, where each summer it would come back with new pieces and music and some of the original favorites. This never came to fruition, however. Roy E. Disney took it upon himself, as executive producer of Fantasia 2000, to continue his uncle’s vision. Fantasia 2000 took nine years to complete.

Thank you, Roy E. Disney

You left an indelible mark on The Walt Disney Company and we are all grateful for the films you gave us; just like the new Roy E. Disney Animation Building, they are a lasting tribute to your tireless dedication and heart.

Death

Roy Edward Disney died of stomach cancer on December 16, 2009 at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California. He was 79 years old, three weeks shy of his 80th birthday, and had been battling the disease for over a year. At his request, after his funeral service, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

See also

• Walt Disney (2015 PBS film)

References

1. ^ James Bates and Dawn C. Chmielewski (December 17, 2009). "Roy Edward Disney dies at 79; nephew of Walt helped revive animation". LA Times. Retrieved December 16, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
2. "Shamrock holding 1% of Disney Stock, USA Today, December 2003".
3. "#645 Roy Disney". Forbes. Retrieved December 16, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
4. Schneider, Mike (November 4, 1999). "Nephew Is Disney's Last Disney". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
5. ^ Hahn, Don (2009). Waking Sleeping Beauty (Documentary film). Burbank, California: Stone Circle Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
6. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lionking.htm
7. http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1994&p=.htm
8. Stewart 2005, pp. 160–186 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFStewart2005 (help)
9. "Frank Wells, Disney's President, Is Killed in a Copter Crash at 62". The New York Times. April 5, 1994. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
10. "Michael Eisner on Former Disney Colleagues, Rivals and Bob Iger's Successor". The Hollywood Reporter. July 27, 2016.
11. B. Stewart, James (2005). DisneyWar. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80993-1.
12. McCarthy, Michael (December 2, 2003). "War of words erupts at Walt Disney". USA Today. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
13. "CalArts: Officers & Trustees". Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
14. Holson, Laura M (August 18, 2002). "As Disney Loses Steam, Insider Loses Patience". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
15. McCormick, Herb (July 1, 2001). "Transpac Is Amusing to Disney". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
16. "Mercury News: Disney files for divorce".
17. Miles, Kathleen (February 3, 2012). "Patricia Disney Dead: Disney Matriarch Dies In Los Angeles At Age 77". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
18. LA Times Archived Article: Pope Honors Rupert Murdoch, Roy Disney, Bob Hope

External links

• Roy E. Disney at IMDb
• Interview with Netribution
• Association for Computing Machinery Video Interview with Roy E. Disney
• Roy E. Disney at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• Roy E Disney - Daily Telegraph obituary
• Roy E. Disney at Find a Grave
• [http://www.disney2disney.com

• 1930 births
• 2009 deaths
• American businesspeople
• California Republicans
• Deaths from cancer in California
• Deaths from stomach cancer
• Pomona College alumni
• Disney executives
• Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of English descent
• American people of German descent
• American people of Canadian descent
• Disney family
• Directors of The Walt Disney Company