Source:Silas Lesnick

September 10, 2009

Walt Disney Company President and CEO Bob Iger made a surprise press conference appearance at Disney's D23 Expo, answering questions about the expo and Disney's plans for the future.

One of the hot questions was in regard to Disney's announcement last week that the company had acquired Marvel Entertainment, the news of which (so far) has not made any appearance at the Expo.

Iger stressed the notion that fans can expect Marvel to continue to operate as it has.

"We're not planning on any 'Disneyfication' of Marvel," said Iger, "...Our intention is to keep Marvel as an entity."

Iger went on to explain that he has met with a great many Marvel talents and that, like the acquisition of Pixar, Disney's primary goal is to stay on the sidelines and let the artists do what they do best.

He did admit that he was excited about the chance for some cross-pollination in the future, though nothing is planned as of yet.

Iger reiterated that part of what is so intriguing about Marvel is that the deal is designed to play out in the long run, having characters that "transcend gender and age." In the short term, Disney just has to wait until some of the Marvel deals already in place with other studios and theme parks "work their course" and, until then, "there isn't much planning to be done."

Another question asked about the possible return of Michael Jackson's "Captain EO" to the Disney Amusement Parks. Though Iger firmly stated that there are no plans at this time, he admitted that he doesn't fully rule out the possibility, explaining that the film was recently screened for himself and other Disney executives.

"It's actually really good," said Iger, "There's a simplicity to it. [Michael Jackson] is charming."

"We are looking at it," he went on, "It's the kind of thing that, if we did it, would get a fair amount of attention and we want to make sure we do it right."