Fall of the House of Mouse

Fall of the House of Mouse

Saw Michael Eisner on Larry King Live the other day.

Ouch.

As well as he did trying to hide his worry about the upcoming board meeting (which might result in his ousting) with descriptions of attractions as "awesome", it was painfully obvious the kind of stress he is under internally.

The guy obviously loves what he does, but his tragic flaw may be that he believes too strongly in the power of the brand. With attacks from all sides, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Disney isn't a media superpower; it can't expect creative talent (like the folks at Pixar) to come groveling to its feet anymore. Disney needs to work to regain its mythic status and its going to require an about-face turn around. Because of his love for his place and the company itself, Eisner, if he continues to be obsessed with brand power, will ride the company into the ground.