President of Walt Disney Productions
He became president of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983. Under his leadership, Disney became the target of corporate raiders and takeover attempts, and many influential shareholders criticized Miller's leadership. In 1984, fellow Disney family member Roy E. Disney, his financial majordomo Stanley Gold, and shareholder Sid Bass ousted Miller in favor of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells.
Miller is perhaps best known for creating the Touchstone label, which allowed Disney to produce and release adult-oriented films without harming the family-friendly reputation of the Disney name. (Its first film was Splash, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.) He was also responsible for establishing The Disney Channel and funding the films of young Tim Burton (Vincent and Frankenweenie), acquiring the film rights and putting into development the Who Framed Roger Rabbit project, initiating Disney’s first attempts at computer animation such as with the feature film Tron, and funding Disney's first Broadway show ("Total Abandon", with Richard Dreyfuss, 1983), all of which established foundations for future success for the Disney Company.
Read more about this topic: Ron W. Miller
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