Disney’s recent financial woes just deepened to the tune of $150 million.
After more than a year of waiting, animation workers will soon receive the first payment from the $170 million settlement they won from various animation studios. The class action lawsuit against the studios alleged long-term wage theft and antritrust violations.
All but $20 million of that settlement is coming from Disney. Toss it into the (conservatively) $80 million sinkhole that is Soylo.
The lawsuit was sparked after it became clear that animation studios had colluded for years to set salary limits and avoid hiring artists from other studios, thereby circumventing the free market for the skills and talents of their employees.
Nathan Housley draws an intriguing connection to other breaking Disney news over on Google+.
There’s been rumors of a secret meeting between the CEO of Disney and Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Pixar. Star Wars fans are reporting that he put Lucasfilm on blast. Marvel Comics’ problems are familiar to ComicsGate. I wondered why Pixar might be there. Now I know:
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit presented substantial evidence that implicated Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull as a ringleader of the illegal wage-fixing scheme. The Walt Disney Company has done nothing to reprimand or punish Catmull for his questionable actions, and he continues to serve as the leader for both Disney and Pixar animation studios.
Frankly, it isn’t Kathleen Kennedy that has to go, but Bob Iger. Pixar, Lucasfilm, ESPN, Marvel, Disney Channel starlet scandals–these all happened under his watch. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the Disney porn studio from the 1980s revved up again.
At this point, there are no depths of depravity to which Disney might sink that would surprise me. It would be amusing to see their no doubt intersectionally inclusive, body positive, genderfluid porn bomb. The SJW freakout would be even more spectacular than the tantrum they’re throwing over Star Wars.
What’s abundantly clear is that for the arts to thrive again, it behooves the President to go full Trust Buster on the Mouse. Especially now that the Supreme Court will henceforth be, shall we say, more amenable to his agenda.
Reminder: You have just three days left to get the thrilling, politics and intersectional porn-free Soul Cycle on sale in print and digital!
The God Emperor as Trust Buster II. I like it!
Instead of a big stick, a uru-metal warhammer, plated in gold to match his combat armor.
Look for busting the trusts to be a plank of his 2020 re-election campaign.
The buy out of FOX should not be allowed to happen, and should also be shut down.
Disney should not own Hulu.
I do hope for a weakening in the power of the House of Mouse. Especially since another issue dear to my heart is going be opening up soon: The expiration of Copyrights issue. A bunch of wonderful material has been denied to the public domain due to Disney not wanting a public domain mickey mouse.
Break up all six of the Big Media Thugs.
And reign in Social Media giants, and Silicon Valley while we are at it. Blind eyes have been turned to these obvious monopolies for a while.
Concur. And we should be messaging both the WH and congress on the Copyright unfreeze.
Disney has used its influence to manipulate US copyright law to the detriment of the US general public for decades.
#PublicDomainTheMouse
Seconding everything you both said.
Third-ing. Long overdue.
I agree that Disney should be disallowed to buy Fox. While we're at it Pixar needs to be Spin off. I fact Disney should be reduced to making Dosney movies and keeping the Disneylands. It has to sell its TV channels and sell its shows like any other studio
Finally hardcore consent decrees for all American movie studios
xavier