Here's a crash course in InterWeb Rumours 101: how an email from a disgruntled Disney executive has turned into a major story about Disney/Pixar politics.

(Source: jimhillmedia.com)

Jim Hill believes he has the inside scoop on a lot of what's going on inside the Mouse House. Although I don't always agree with his statements, I do know that he hears from a lot of people inside Disney's Adamantium Curtain. However, I sometimes wonder if he occasionally gets caught in misinformation, or – dare I say – disinformation.

Here's a prime example. Last Monday, Hill posted a note on his blog reprinting an email he received from an anonymous Disney executive, claiming that Ratatouille will crash and burn in theatres. The missive goes on to say this will be good news for Disney employees who resent John Lasseter and Pixar.

"There are a lot of people here who are now actively hoping for a Pixar backlash," claimed the anonymous source. "The transition has not been handled well, due mostly to the great care & attention that's being lavished on Pixar. Every attempt has been made to make sure that that animation studio's creative culture have been kept intact. Meanwhile, Disney Studio's own unique traditions & operating systems are being plowed under."

The irony here is that Pixar's "creative culture" is very closely based on Walt Disney's original vision for his studio. Lasseter was a former Disney employee, and he used Walt's model when he shepherded Pixar through its early days and into its current success. On the other hand, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner worked extremely hard to put creative decisions at WDFA in the hands of MBA graduates, instead of animation directors. Would this be the "unique traditions & operating systems" this executive is referring to?

"Many of us here feel that Disney's own executives (Who [sic] in some cases have decades of working experience) are needlessly being forced to take a backseat [sic] to the crew from Emeryville," the executive continues.

"Meanwhile the people from Pixar are afforded stronger creative control, get superior treatment, receive more credit and have their asses kissed regularly by (Disney CEO Robert) Iger & associates. The good news is that all of this may all change once Ratatouille's box office receipts get counted. Though Brad Bird has made a great little movie, it won't hit the (box office) numbers that Wall Street wants and that will get a lot of attention."

Sounds like sour grapes, don't it? This executive's behaviour might be clearer, if you knew what John Lasseter told WDFA employees on his first day on the job: "If you're not an artist or writer, you have no place in WDFA."

Needless to say, that "artists first" attitude instantly endeared him to the creatives, who had endured years of questionable decision-making by Eisner's acolytes.

Most other reports claim that morale at WDFA has never been better, as The Animation Guild's Local 839 business rep Steve Hulett reported in his blog on June 11th:

"One employee said to me that he thought story development was way better than when he first came to the studio (he's been there a few years)," wrote Hulett. "I said that, judging from the morale of story crews up on the third floor, I think that's true. The artists don't feel as constricted and hemmed in by executives with their reams of notes the way they did several years back. Now its (sic) peers reviewing peers. Most people in the story department seem to like that a whole lot better."

Hulett also stated that Rapunzel director Glen Keane also claimed to be "happy with the new direction of Rapunzel and credited the new regime with helping to make the picture better."

Hulett's impressions seem to be diametrically opposed to Hill's source, don't they?

The magic word in Hill's story is 'executive,' which implies a non-creative employee at WDFA. Yeah, one of that group of people who have no place in Lasseter's world. It's not surprising that they're not happy about being extraneous to Lasseter's administration, after years of ruling the WDFA roost. The fact that WDFA nearly collapsed under their rule is not the issue here. It's a classic artist versus executive battle.

Lasseter has a lot of influence with Disney brass like Iger and chairman Dick Cook, and that makes his enemies (ie: non-creatives) very nervous. The fact that he recently convinced Iger to demand DisneyToon Studios president Sharon Morrill's resignation, and killed DisneyToon's infamous "dreck-to-video" program is more grist for the middle managment mill. If Lasseter has that much power at the Mouse House, they're no doubt telling each other, who is next to get the chop? So it's not surprising that some anonymous executive would want to start a whispering campaign smearing Pixar and Lasseter on the eve of Ratatouille's release.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) expanded on Hill's story, with the headline "Pixar Takeover Leaves Disney Animators Demoralized, Says Report." While the body of the article admitted the email had come from "an unnamed Disney executive," it stated that "morale at the Burbank studio has tumbled and some employees are privately hoping that the upcoming Pixar-produced Ratatouille flops." So, according to IMDb, the Pixar hate-on has infected animators as well as executives. From a simple mis-reading of Hill's story, a rumour grows.

Right now Ratatouille is rocking a 100% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which means that no reviewer in Cyberland has hated the flick so far. Of course, this doesn't guarantee box office success: Sony's Surf's Up is not doing well in theatres despite a 77% Fresh Rating.

However, Ratatouille has two advantages over Surf's Up: the first is the obvious prestige of the Pixar name, plus the reputation of Oscar-winning director Brad Bird (The Incredibles). Many moviegoers will see the flick just on those qualities, and others will be intrigued by the positive early reviews. So even if Ratatouille isn't the blockbuster Disney's hoping for, it'll either do well, or find a second life on DVD.

Will Ratatouille be a box-office smash or just a critical success? We find out this Friday.