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Roy E. Disney (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009)

What to say about Roy Disney? He was, like his father and uncle, one of the most important figures in modern animation in that he kept their dream alive.

Roy E. Disney truly loved animation. And he cared about the Disney Company. He saved Disneys not once but twice.

When Walt Disney died in 1966 control passed to Roy Disney Sr. and Roy Sr. lived just long enough to finish Walt's dream of Disneyland Florida and then passed on leaving control in the hands of Ron Miller, Walt’s Football Player son-in-law.

Ron Miller, as a college and then professional quarterback, was ill equipped to run a studio. You could see this in project after project that was destroyed from the top. The corny dialog in The Black Hole is a classic and painful example of an incompetent snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Roy Disney Jr., in a brilliant maneuver, lined up an investment group and then very publicly resigned from the Disney board of directors. This sent Disney stock into a free fall allowing Roy and his group to buy up controlling interest and remove Ron Miller. This pissed off Walt’s daughter destroying their relationship but it saved the Disney Studio.

No matter what you think of Michael Eisner in his power mad later days, the team of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg turned around the failing Disney Company and made it a powerhouse.

Who knows what would have happened if Frank Wells had not tragically died in a helicopter crash? But he did and this gave Michael the chance to take over Disney and get rid of Jeffrey.

Maybe Michael, Frank and Jeffrey combined could try to fill the shoes of Walt Disney but they was no way that Michael was up to the job by himself.

Like Ron Miller before him Michael Eisner started Disney on a downward spiral. The problem now was that Eisner seemed ready to destroy Disneys before he would let anybody take it away from him.

Again it fell to Roy E. Disney to save his father’s and Uncle’s company. If not for Save Disney Dot Com and Dream on Silly Dreamer Disneys would not be the company it is today. It took a large part of Roy's fortune and a lot of very hard work but the Disney Company is back in the hands of creative people.

Roy E. Disney, you have left a lasting legacy. You fought the good fight. You put your money and your future on the line time and time again for the company and art form you loved. Well done. I am proud to have known you even a very little.