Disney (DIS) held its annual shareholder meeting in Denver, Colorado on March 8, 2017 at the Colorado Convention Center. Shareholders were treated to coffee, tea, and bottled juices, but no food or pastries. (It’s possible D23 members had a better selection after the regular shareholder meeting.)
Shareholders could also take pictures–available later at www.shareholderphotos.com–with characters Moana, Mickey Mouse, Captain America, and two Star Wars stormtroopers. The stormtroopers seemed to be the most fun, making authoritative comments like “Affirmative,” “Stand there,” and “Let me see your badge.”
Robert “Bob” Iger, Disney’s CEO, opened the meeting in a suit and no tie, reading from a teleprompter until the shareholder proposals and Q&A session. He expressed optimism about Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in 2016, the result of a “17 year journey.” He then lauded Disney’s successful movie franchises, listing four films topping $1 billion each in box office revenues. On the matter of Disney’s corporate image and its desire to be a “stellar corporate citizen,” Iger mentioned Disney had added 30,000+ jobs in the U.S. since 2005; hired 8,000 military veterans since 2006; and donated $40 million to children’s hospitals.
Throughout the meeting, Iger showed several videos, including ESPN clips featuring Denver and many other sports teams; a Disney movie mashup; and extended scenes from Beauty and the Beast (it’s a musical!) and Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The most anticipated clips were from Star Wars, The Last Jedi. After presenting the end of the most recent Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, shareholders saw a very short clip of Luke accepting the lightsaber from Rey and another short clip of scattered one-second scenes from The Last Jedi.
The Last Jedi will be released in December 15, 2017, with two more Star Wars films already in the works. Fans of the franchise will be interested in knowing Iger expressed sorrow over Carrie Fisher’s death and mentioned two Star Wars theme parks, including one where visitors will be able to pilot the Millennium Falcon.
