Tag: Frank Wells
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The Walt Disney Company | DISNEY THIS DAY | February 6, 1986
On this day in 1986, the House of Mouse was renamed The Walt Disney Company, a moniker that is still in place today. The change came after Walt Disney Productions was restructured on a large scale by incoming CEO Michael Eisner and President Frank Wells. Also on this date, Walt Disney Feature Animation was split…
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Help Wanted: Kids | DISNEY THIS DAY | February 2, 1986
On this day in 1986, the Disney Sunday Movie series debuted on ABC with the film “Help Wanted: Kids” starring Cindy Williams and Bill Hudson. The premiere marked Disney’s return to broadcast television and a revival of the anthology format of years past. New Disney CEO Michael Eisner served as the host of the series.…
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Michael Ovitz | DISNEY THIS DAY | August 14, 1995
On this day in 1995, The Walt Disney Company appointed Michael Ovitz as president under CEO Michael Eisner, filling the vacancy left by Frank Wells’ untimely passing in 1994. Ovitz was lured away from the Creative Artists Agency, which he helped to found in 1975. Sadly, the move would not last. Ovitz was not an…
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Videopolis | DISNEY THIS DAY | July 22, 1985
On this day in 1985, Videopolis opened at Disneyland. “A musical kaleidoscope of sight and sound,” Videopolis was a high-tech dance club for teens. It featured a 5,000 square foot dance floor, two 12×16 foot video screens, a video wall with 70 TV screens, and live cameras capturing all the action. It was the first…
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Frank Wells | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 3, 1994
On this day in 1994, former Disney president and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells was tragically killed in a helicopter accident. Starting in 1984, Wells partnered with Michael Eisner to run The Walt Disney Company. Disney saw unprecedented growth under his leadership. Wells’ legacy has been memorialized with a building in his honor at The…