Alan Horn is retiring as Chief Creative Officer at Disney after nearly a decade, and losing him is a bigger deal than people might realize. Under his influence, Disney had a successful run during the 2010s, one that marked a stark rebound from a previously rocky round of releases. He revived some of the biggest franchises in entertainment and was instrumental in creating new content for the studio.
Prior to his Disney role, Horn served a twelve-year tenure as president and COO of Warner Brothers, where he was responsible for successful projects like The Dark Knight trilogy and the Harry Potter film saga. His exit came after Warner Bros. CEO, Jeffrey Bewkes, expressed his desire to hand the reigns to younger executives. Horn was coaxed out of retirement a year later in 2012 by Disney CEO, Bob Iger, and he spent the last nine years cultivating the company's acquisitions and properties.
This may well impact many of Disney's biggest franchises, as it affects the future of properties Alan Horn helped grow even bigger, like Marvel and Star Wars, as well as Pixar and Walt Disney Animation. His exit is a big deal because of how many successful projects his run has seen Disney produce, and because of where the company was at prior to his arrival. Horn picked up the pieces after Rich Ross resigned amidst several box office flops, and in the last nine years, he has turned things around for the better. A change in leadership at Disney during the height of their success in several franchises is risky, and Disney's future depends on whether or not they can continue to grow what Horn helped them build.
Horn heralded in a new era for Disney. The Lucasfilm acquisition coincided with his arrival, and he became part of the team responsible for rebooting the Star Wars franchise with a brand-new trilogy. This paved the way for future successes like The Mandalorian and an entire slate of Disney+ shows in the Star Wars universe. Horn also joined forces with Marvel's Kevin Feige on major releases like Black Panther, solidifying the MCU as one of the biggest franchises in the world. In addition to those two partnerships, he helped bring 20th Century Fox under the Disney umbrella, and guided Disney in producing a number of live-action releases based on their well-loved animated films, introducing a whole new generation to the classic stories. With so much of the company's success seemingly bearing the mark of his work, it's sure to be a complicated matter to ensure that whoever follows in his footsteps is able to replicate his mindset and successes.
Disney is also losing Horn not long after Bob Iger passed the role of CEO to former Chairman, Bob Chapek. With two major players in its leadership team gone, Disney will have to work hard not to repeat its mistakes. Since Horn's departure from Warner Bros., the company has struggled to match the success of past releases, with films like Justice League becoming box office disasters. Disney's next Chief Creative Officer steps in at a time when there is already some uncertainty after Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit.
Horn's replacement will likely face a tough road ahead as they bring Disney into the next era of movie and television releases. The effects of losing Horn might not be felt right away, with the MCU's phase 4 lineup scheduled until mid-year 2023, and many other projects already in development. Regardless of what the future holds, it's clear Disney owes a big part of its current success to the leadership of Alan Horn, and they will need to work hard to make up for his loss.
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