Big tech is transforming every aspect of our world. But how, and at what cost? This season of Land of the Giants – The Disney Dilemma – focuses on Disney’s ability to weather the ups and downs of the business cycle and changing tastes and explores what has kept it successful for over 100 years. The entertainment giant has leveraged nostalgia and its intellectual property to build a beloved brand, but after an acquisition spree that included Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox, can it sustain high quality and brand loyalty on a scale that keeps it growing? Who is Disney now, and can it compete against the tech giants in a battle for our attention and dollars?

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Streaming didn’t just change the way consumers watched movies and TV shows, it reconfigured how media giants operated, and how they saw themselves. If tech companies were disrupting old business models, perhaps Disney’s best move was to join the crowd.
In our final episode, we look at how streaming has fundamentally changed Disney and prepared the company for the next 100 years of entertainment. 

Hosted by Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

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Land of the Giants

Disney is a Tech Company?

The Walt Disney Company has been led by eight different men in its century of existence. But few would object to the idea that only three have really mattered. Walt Disney, Michael Eisner, and Bob Iger have all made lasting impacts on the company, but how these executives went out also left an important impression. Why has Disney repeatedly struggled to get succession right – for one leader to pass the torch to a new one? And what do Bob Iger’s latest missteps tell us about why it’s so hard to let it go?

Hosted by Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

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Disney is Bob Iger's Company

Marvel and Star Wars are the crown jewels of Disney’s empire. They’re the highest-grossing movie franchises in history, with devoted fan bases and expansive IP universes, but right now, both are in a bit of a slump. As Disney asked for more and more content to satisfy its business needs, the creative process suffered, and these once mighty hit-making engines have slowed down. There hasn’t been a Star Wars movie in 5 years and this year, Disney’s only releasing a single Marvel movie - ‘Deadpool and Wolverine.’ 
How did Disney get here? What will it take to rediscover the mojo? And how can Baby Yoda and a foul-mouthed, fourth-wall breaking Marvel character help get Disney’s IP machine pumping at the box-office again?

This episode hosted by Chris Lee (@__ChrisLee)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly stated that Disney acquired the Power Rangers franchise when it bought 21st Century Fox. Hasbro is the current owner of the franchise.

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Disney is a Cinematic Universe Company

Disney’s soul is arguably its animation studio, which has a 100-year track record of creating iconic characters and stories, and a distinct brand centered around “once upon a time.” Not so long ago, Disney produced films like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King," catapulting animation into the mainstream while burnishing Disney's own brand as the premier animated film studio. But lately, those movies have felt lost and often, distinctly, "un-Disney." Recent box office flops like “Wish” are costly missteps that have a huge impact on Disney’s bottom line.
With more studios producing animated films, and Disney having acquired Pixar, it’s not always clear what’s a Disney film anymore. So what makes a film a Disney film today, and why does it matter?

This episode hosted by Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

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Disney is an Animation Company

These days the Walt Disney Company is mostly a theme parks company. About 70 percent of its operating income comes from its parks and other experiences like Disney Cruises. But the parks do something else: they help the company attach itself to our emotions, memories, and identities. How can Disney continue to strengthen this relationship in an era where data - not whimsy, fantasy, or even original IP - shapes so much of how we experience the world?

This episode hosted by Rebecca Alter (@ralter)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

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Disney is a Theme Parks Company

When you think about Disney, your first thought isn’t “cable television giant.” But Disney’s broadcast and cable television holdings, especially ESPN, helped turbocharge Disney’s growth over the last 30 years. It was a formula that worked extremely well – until now. As more and more consumers cut the cable cord, Disney must reckon with declining assets and the hit to its bottom line.

Hosted by Joe Adalian (@TVMoJoe)

From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network

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Land of the Giants

You might also like

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Aspire with Emma Grede

Recode Media with Peter Kafka

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Technology

Business

Vox Media Podcast Network