Walt Disney Company closed their Florida studio today, firing nearly 260 artists. Roy E. Disney had the following to say about the closure:
"Closure of the Walt Disney Florida Feature Animation facility is yet another example of Michael Eisner's de-emphasis of creativity and total indifference to the impact his decisions have on the people who helped to make the company great. Once again, the Eisner regime has emphasized short-term gains over long-term value. The drain of talent over the past several years from the company's feature animation department in Orlando, Burbank, Paris, and Tokyo has been absolutely gut-wrenching. People are being asked to leave because management -- particularly Michael -- can't figure out what to do with them. That certainly is not the fault of the talent. It is the fault of the so-called strategic thinkers at headquarters."