U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
NOTICE OF EXEMPT SOLICITATION
Submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)
1. Name of the Registrant:
The Walt Disney Company
2. Name of person relying on exemption:
Roy E. Disney, Patricia A. Disney, Roy P. Disney, Susan Disney Lord, Abigail E. Disney, Timothy J. Disney, Shamrock Holdings, Inc., Shamrock Holdings of California, Inc. and Stanley P. Gold
3. Address of person relying on exemption:
4444 Lakeside Drive, 2nd Floor, Burbank, California 91505
4. Written materials. Attach written materials required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)(1):
The attachment is a presentation to institutional investors and proxy advisory firms.
Save Disney
February 2004
What We Stand For
New Leadership and Strategic Vision
Sustainable Superior Financial Performance
Creativity
Effective Board
Independence
Accountability
Performance-Based Executive Compensation
Real Succession Planning
Our Vote No Campaign
Send a message to the Disney Board that shareholders
Vote No on Eisner, Mitchell, Estrin and Bryson
Voting No may give shareholders greater influence in future
Disneys Record Since 1996
Deteriorating Performance and Poor Capital Allocation
Loss of Strategic Focus, Creativity and Talent
Damaged Relationships
Serious Governance Deficiencies, including Excessive
Deteriorating Performance and Poor Capital Allocation
This graph demonstrates what an
TOTAL INVESTMENT VALUE ON $10,000 PRINCIPAL: 01/96 12/03
Disney
S&P Media
Dow Jones
S&P 500
$17,386
$20,191
$17,913
$11,497
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
Deteriorating Performance and Poor Capital Allocation
Disneys financial
Disney Stock Price Performance v. Relevant Indices
6.0%
10.0%
2.0%
(2.0%)
(6.0%)
(10.0%)
DISNEY
S&P MEDIA COMP.
DOW JONES
S&P 500
1/97-12/03 CAGR
1/99-12/03 CAGR
1/01-12/03 CAGR
0.5%
8.3%
7.2%
6.1%
2.6%
(2.0%)
(2.9%)
(4.6%)
(4.7%)
(6.5%)
(5.8%)
(0.6%)
1.0x
2.0x
0.0x
3.0x
4.0x
5.0x
6.0x
7.0x
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
Price/Book Value of Equity(3)
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
% Return on Invested Capital(2)
2.0%
0.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
% Return on Assets(1)
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
% Return on Equity(1)
(1) Based on net income before extraordinary items and restructuring charges.
(2) ROIC = (PF EBITA Estimated Cash Taxes Corp. & Other expenses Net Cash Equity in
Aff. & Min Interest)/(Avg. Shareholders Equity + Int. bearing Liabilities).
(3) Price/Book Equity based on average annual stock price from Bloomberg. Stock prices and average diluted shares outstanding are split adjusted.
Deteriorating Performance and Poor Capital Allocation
Loss of Strategic Focus, Creativity and Talent
In 1994, Disneys operating income was $3.1 billion. Despite
Assuming the Company achieves its forecasts for FY 2004, earnings
In 1995, the market showed confidence in the Disney name and
Loss of Strategic Focus, Creativity and Talent
ABC has lost its way
$5 billion money-losing Fox Family Channel acquisition
$1 billion loss in failed internet ventures
Motion picture divisions creative and financial results principally
Underperformance of Disneys newer theme parks California
Failure of Disneys retail operations
Ill-conceived foray into professional sports ownership
Loss of Strategic Focus, Creativity and Talent
Fragile relationships with key strategic partners
Pixar
Miramax
Major cable companies
Lack of management development
No real succession planning or process
Insularity of senior management
Creative brain drain
Katzenberg
Pressler
Roth
Laybourne
Bollenbach
Schneider
Damaged Relationships
With the announcement on Jan. 29 that Pixar Animation Studios is breaking off talks to
For 12 years, a vital component of Disneys motion picture success
The Disney-Pixar relationship:
Represented a key driver of profits over the last 5 years
Produced revenues of more than $3 billion
Generated a string of megahits like Toy Story,
Monsters, Inc., and most
Damaged Relationships
[t]he residue of several years of testy relations, and Mr. Jobss distaste for the way Mr. Eisner
- New York Times, January 31, 2004
On multiple occasions, we urged the Disney Board and management that the Disney-Pixar
The Disney Board and management ignored these warnings and allowed this critical relationship to
Failure to renew the relationship exemplifies senior managements short-term focus at the expense
These events clearly demonstrate Mr. Eisners poor management, lack of long term strategic vision,
Serious Governance Deficiencies
Dissenting directors ostracized and forced out
No separation of Chairman and CEO positions
Presiding director, an advisory role with no actual authority, is
Board has refused to conduct a diagnostic review despite
Board is not sufficiently engaged to ensure meaningful oversight
Serious Governance Deficiencies
Ranked by The Corporate
Library as one of the 10 worst
Boards among 1800 US public
companies
Disneys succession plan
consists of a sealed envelope to
be opened in the event of Mr.
Eisners death
Failure to implement a
management succession plan
promotes an aura that Mr.
Eisner is indispensable
Yes, changes have been made. . . but the
Corporate Library
June 9, 2003
Serious Governance Deficiencies
For the period 1996 to 2003, Mr. Eisner realized more than
For the last 3 years, the top 5 Disney executives have
$50
$100
$150
$200
$0
Sep-03
Sep-02
Sep-01
Sep-00
Sep-99
Sep-98
SOURCE: GEORGESON SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Custom Composite Index (14 Stocks)
S&P 500
The Walt Disney Co.
CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
Disneys 5 senior managers received approximately $315 million in compensation,
Serious Governance Deficiencies
Serious Governance Deficiencies
The SEC is conducting an investigation into an amendment of the
The Disney Board has not followed our recommendation that this
Corporate Governance Reform?
Disneys governance reform has been used to silence critics and entrench
Disney management. The new rules have been instrumental in removing the three
vocal critics of Mr. Eisner on the Disney Board:
Roy Disney: Resigned after being told that he was not being proposed for
reelection due to the mandatory retirement age of 72 for non-management
-
directors. Mr. Disney, however, was a management director and Chairman of
the Animation Business.
Andrea Van de Kamp: Voted off the Board to reduce its size from 17 to 13.
Coincidentally, Ms. Van de Kamp had joined Mr. Disney and Mr. Gold in
criticizing Disney management. According to the LA Times, Ms. Van de
Kamp wrote a memo to the Board in which she said that Mr. Eisner
indicated . . . that anyone that wasnt with him at the September [2002]
meeting should be off the board.
Stanley Gold: Classified by the Board as a non-independent director despite
-
demonstrated record of independent action and Board discretion to classify
him as independent.
Why Vote NO?
Eisner, Mitchell, Estrin and Bryson exemplify what has gone wrong at
Poor management (Eisner)
Poor governance (Mitchell)
Poor compensation practices (Estrin)
Lack of Board independence (Bryson)
Disneys senior management and Board must be held accountable for
Managements compensation over this period has been excessive and not
Governance practices should emphasize substance, not just form.
Disney needs new management that is committed to restoring Disneys image
NO on Eisner
Mr. Eisner has presided over a succession of strategic missteps, a loss
Mr. Eisner has realized more than $700 million in compensation while
Mr. Eisner has entrenched himself by eliminating directors that
NO on Mitchell
As presiding director, which is essentially only an advisory position, ex-
Ex-Senator Mitchells record as a director is marred by service on boards of
Under ex-Senator Mitchells leadership, the Disney Board has failed to
In light of ex-Senator Mitchells law practice and other professional and Board
NO on Bryson
Disney only recently acknowledged that Mr. Bryson is not an
Mr. Bryson continued to serve as Chairman of Disneys
As Chair of the Compensation Committee, Ms. Estrin perpetuates the
Ms. Estrins Committee approved a $5 million bonus for Mr. Eisner for
Ms. Estrins Committee also approved Mr. Igers contract extension
Action Plan to Restore Shareholder Value
Select a new Chief Executive Officer with strategic vision
Strengthen the Board
Repair relationships with valued business partners
Rekindle the creative spark in our business and cast members
Roy Disney
Stanley Gold
26 years as a Disney director
More than 35 years as an executive
and employee
Former head of the Animation
U
nit; instrumental in revival of
Disneys animated feature film
franchise
Disney family is the Companys
largest individual shareholder
16 years as a Disney director
Former head of the Governance and
Nominating Committee and Executive
Performance Subcommittee
Manages $1.6 billion in assets for the
Disney family and institutional
investors
Roy Disney and Stanley Gold
Orchestrated 1984 management change and hiring of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells
Consistent record of vocal criticism of management and the Disney Board in recent
years
Background
Its Time For Change
demand change
elections of directors under proposed SEC rules
Executive Compensation
Comparative Financial Returns 1996-2003
initial investment of $10,000 on
January 1, 1996 would have
grown to by December 31, 2003,
under various investment options.
An investment in
the Dow Jones
index would have yielded the
highest return, growing to
$20,191, while an investment in
Disney stock fared the worst,
growing to only $11,497.
Comp.
Comparative Growth Rates
performance has
deteriorated
significantly since
the mid-1990s
and has resulted in
the
erosion of
long-term
shareholder value.
Historical Financial and Operating Performance
Underperforming Assets
reinvesting more than
$25 billion in Company operations since,
Disneys operating income in fiscal year 2003 was only $3.2 billion.
will only approximate those achieved 6 years ago.
rewarded the company with an average price-to-book ratio of nearly
6x. In 2003, Disneys average price-to-book ratio was under
2.0x.
Lack of Execution
driven by Pixar
Adventure and Disney Studio Paris
Fragile Partnerships and Creative Brain Drain
Pixar A Case Study in Mismanagement
extend its contract with Eisners media giant, Roy Disney is looking downright prescient.
Business Week Online, January 30, 2004
recently, Finding
Nemo
Pixar A Case Study in Mismanagement
conducted business with Pixar, may have amplified the typical problems of partnerships
into
irreconcilable differences.
relationship must remain secure.
disintegrate.
of long-term value creation.
insularity, inability to maintain relationships with Disneys business partners and
the current
Boards failure to exercise active oversight.
Lack of Board Independence
compromised by prior consulting relationship, other commitments
and lack of relevant business experience
managements history of underperformance and persistent failure
to meet forecasts
Lack of Board Independence
changes have been slow, grudging and
often inherently crippled or
compromised (George Mitchell as Lead
Director?),
tailored to meet the letter
rather than the spirit of the
relevant tax,
legal and regulatory standards, and our
own communication with Disney
representatives suggests that the Eisner
way is still the only way things can be
done at this company. Wed like to think
the shareholders should
have something
to say about that. Perhaps, someday,
they will.
Excessive Compensation
$700 million in compensation. Disneys net operating
income
decreased from $1.5 billion in 1996 to $1.3 billion
in 2003 and its stock price rose only 2% per year.
received approximately $70 million in total compensation,
despite a
decrease in Disneys net operating income from
$2.0 billion to $1.3 billion and a 50%
decline in its stock
price.
Based upon an initial investment of $100 on September 30, 1998
with dividends reinvested
despite the dismal performance of Disneys stock from 1999 to 2003.
Excessive Compensation
SEC Enforcement Action
Companys 10-K for 2001, certain related matters and other related
party transactions. There are current discussions with
the staff of the
SEC about a settlement agreement that may involve the issuance of
cease and desist orders against Mr. Eisner and the Company.
investigation requires the oversight of a committee of independent
directors or separate representation of the Company and Mr.
Eisner.
Disney
Disneys long record of underperformance.
linked to performance.
and returning Disney to its place as the premier family entertainment
company.
of vision and creative talent, deteriorating financial performance and
an erosion of the Disney image.
Disneys financial performance has been dismal.
question managements performance and lack of accountability.
Senator George Mitchell is compromised by a lack of authority, prior
consulting relationships with Disney, and lack
of relevant industry experience.
companies tainted by financial scandals, including Xerox, US Technologies,
Staples and an Azerbaijan oil venture.
demonstrate independence from the Chairman, articulated no coherent
management succession plan, and taken no action
to address the persistent
underperformance of Disneys businesses.
commitments, there are serious questions regarding his time commitment to
the role of Disneys presiding
director.
independent director, despite his wifes long held position as
an executive officer of a Disney affiliate earning seven-figure
compensation.
Governance and Nominating Committee helping to orchestrate
the elimination of dissenting Board members. After achieving
that result, the Board belatedly acknowledged his lack of
independence.
NO on Estrin
history of rewarding inadequate management performance with
excessive compensation, which includes the payment of more than
$700 million in total compensation to Mr. Eisner since 1996.
fiscal year 2002 and $6.25 million in 2003.
and bonuses of $4 million in 2002 and $5 million in 2003 despite the
dismal performance of the Iger-led ABC network.
Effectiveness relevant information, tools and analysis
Independence and accountability
Succession planning
Separate Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer