Roy Edward Disney was born to Roy Oliver Disney and Edna Francis Disney in Los Angeles on January 10, 1930 (and is their sole child). As a child, he traveled to the Studio where he viewed the films the animators were working on (i.e. “Snow White”, “Pinocchio”) and acted as a sounging board to his father’s (and his uncle’s) workers. He graduated in 1951 from Pomona College with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Once out of college, he returned to the entertainment industry as an assistant film director on “Dragnet” before returning to the Walt Disney Studios in 1954.

Once back at the Studios, he worked on “The Living Desert” and “The Vanishing Prarie” (two True-Life Adventure films that won Academy Awards) as an assistant editor. He continued writing and working on television series like “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” as well as “Zorro”.

He formed his own production unit in 1964 to write, produce, and direct other television and theatrical productions (i.e. “Varda, the Peregrine Falcon”, “Mustang!”, “The Owl That Didn’t Give a Hoot”) before joining the Company’s Board of Directors in 1967.

He left the company in 1977 (after 23 years with the Studios) to become an independent producer/investor because he didn’t agree with the direction of the company. However, he still retained his seat on the board of directors.

In 1984, Roy used his swagger on the Board to oust his cousin’s husband (Ron Miller) and brought in Michael Eisner as CEO and Frank Wells as COO. In this same year, he became the Vice Chairman and head of the animation department (where he oversaw “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Lion King”, and most of the Golden Age films). His favorite movie ever to oversee was Fantasia 2000-the long awaited sequel to his uncle’s Fantasia.

While Disney was head of animation, his department was extremely successful. He also had enormous power over most of his colleagues (even Eisner) which allowed his department to have some artistic freedom.
Towards the end of Eisner’s reign, Disney’s influence started to wane as Eisner appointed high posts to “Suits” that were more loyal to him, not the Disney family. On November 30, 2003, Disney resigned from the company (after the board of directors rejected his request for an extenstion of his term as a board member) based on differences of opinion about the management style and direction within the company.
After his resignation, Disney continued to actively work on forcing out Eisner as CEO (he and Stanley Gold created SaveDisney.com). In 2004, 43% of Disney shareholders voted to oppose the re-election of Eisner to the corporate board of directors, but he retained the CEO title (much to Disney and Gold’s dismay). As criticism against him increased (especially for being dissatisfied with PIXAR), Eisner annouced his resignation from the company on September 30, 2005. To this day, Eisner still holds 1.7% of Disney stock (2nd largest owner) while Roy Disney holds 1% (the 3rd largest owner).

Roy Disney and Stanley Gold have become the Chair and CEO (respectively) of Shamrock Holdings which manages Disney’s personal investments. Disney is also a well known sailor (he set the monohull time record from Los Angeles to Honolulu with 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, 27 seconds) and produced the film “Morning Light”.

Roy E. Disney was named a Disney Legend in 1998 and lost his battle with cancer on Dec. 16, 2009.

{Author’s Note: Upon the news that Roy E. Disney had passed away, I found it only appropriate to learn more about his life. We’ll resume our look at some comic strip artists next week}

Disney has seen its profits fall in most sectors this quarter mainly due to poor performance at the box office according to the Finanicial Times. Operating income for Disney’s studios fell 97% to $13 million with DVD sales falling short for Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Bolt. Theme park attendance has remained steady but spending by guests have dropped the operating profits by 50% at $171 million. ESPN, Disney’s sports cable network, ABC Family and the Disney Channel were the few bright spots this quarter with all of them reporting positive operating profits.

Disney is planning a $449 million expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland by adding themed areas MarketWatch is reporting while the Hong Kong government, who owns 57% of the park, won’t spend a dime. The Hong Kong government will cut back the number of shares it owns to even up the deal. Both sides are currently in talks and hope to reach a deal next year.

The newest class of Disney Legends was unveiled this week. The list includes:

• Frank Gifford (TV Broadcaster)
• Toshio Kagami (CEO of the Oriental Land Company)
• Walt Peregoy (Animator: Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book)
• Dorothea Redmond (Imagineer: New Orleans Square at Disneyland, Fantasyland)
• Russi Taylor (Voice of Minnie Mouse)
• Oliver Wallace (Musician: Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp)
• Barbara Walters (TV Broadcaster)
• Wayne Allwine (Voice of Mickey Mouse)
• Burny Mattinson (Animator: Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King)
• Bob Booth (Imagineer: The Enchanted Tiki Room, Pavilions for the New York World’s Fair, EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland)
• Neil Gallagher (Imagineer: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for the New York World’s Fair, the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disneyland Paris)

Celebration Vacation is the newest Disney Parks promotion for 2009. Part of this promotion is that anyone can receive a one day Magic Your Way ticket for free on their birthday. Also included in the new promotion are new street parties, a Tomorrowland video dance party (WDW), a celebration barbecue and festive birthday party (Disneyland) and new park decorations.

All a person needs is a valid ID, even for children, proving date of birth. You can go ahead and register your birthday at the Disney Parks website. The website will provide you with a confirmation number, but you will still need to bring the ID with you to the ticket window.

The Orlando Sentinel had more details that the press release didn’t cover. If you’re a Pass Holder, you’ll
have other options to choose from: a special FastPass ticket for certain attractions; a gift card equal to the amount of a 1-day Magic Your Way ticket to be used on merchandise, recreation, or other activities at certain locations; or a 1-day Magic Your Way base ticket to be used any time before your next birthday. If your birthday is on a weekday or a religious holiday and you can’t get to a park, you can’t redeem your free visit on the weekend. If your birthday is on Leap Day, you can claim February 28 or March 1 as your birthday.

Today, the Chief Magic Official was announced. After several months of grueling competition among 1,300 other candidates and online voting, Disney Parks and CareerBuilder.com today announced that Justin Muchoney from Seven Fields, Pa., is the first-ever Disney Parks Chief Magic Official (CMO) .

Muchoney was one of three CMO finalists, along with David Hawley of Roseville, Calif. and Tripp West of Powder Springs, Ga., who traveled to the Walt Disney World Resort to compete in a series of creative in-Park events, ranging from stroller derbies and face-painting to tests of overall Park knowledge. Videos of the events can be found here. Muchoney received nearly 200,000 online votes, surpassing who generated close to 50,000 and more than 30,000 votes, respectively.

When asked about the new CMO, Craig Dezern, Vice President of Global Public Relations, said, “Justin has a true passion for Disney Parks that came through online and during the in-Park competitions. He seemed to have a personal supply of pixie dust that helped him secure this magical position.”

As CMO, Muchoney will go through Disney’s Traditions Training where he will learn the ins and outs of being a Cast Member. This training will help prepare him for his first assignment of opening the new Toy Story Mania! attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. Over the next year, Muchoney will create magical experiences for guests, participate in special events, and work behind the scenes with the Walt Disney Imagineers as part of the “Year of a Million Dreams.”

When asked about the new position, Muchoney stated, “I can honestly say that all of my CMO abilities have been put to the test, and I am ready to begin my duties as the first-ever Chief Magic Official. All I have ever wanted is to be a part of the magic and now I can help create lasting memories for guests, which is my ‘dream come true.’”

Disney has announced the three Chief Magic Official finalists. The three lucky finalists are David Hawley (Roseville, California), Justin Vance Muchoney (Seven Fields, Pennsylvania), and Tripp West (Powder Springs, Georgia). These men were the top three picked by over 500,000 online voters. There next stop is the Walt Disney World Resort, with a head-to-head competition, followed by more voting. The winner will be announced on April 22, in front of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom.

As part of the Year of a Million Dreams, a Eustis, FL teenager has won the chance to be the Grand Marshal in a parade at each of the Disney Parks around the world.

His tour of duty starts Wednesday as the teenager and his family join the parade at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, April 2nd. After hitting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the family will participate in the parades at Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and finishing up at the Walt Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Company may increase its ownership in the struggling Hong Kong Disneyland as attendance drops and pressure from the Chinese Government increases. Currently Disney owns 43 percent of the park while the Hong Kong government owns the rest.

“We do anticipate an additional investment ourselves,” said Hong Kong Disneyland’s managing director, Bill Ernest, in an interview in Hong Kong today. “We expect to be busier this year than last year,” Ernest said.