Facing attacks from activist investors, Disney today launched a new website called VoteDisney, which features a video in which Donald Duck’s uncle and other cartoon characters explain to shareholders what they need to do to keep the company’s board intact and show them how to do it.
“Friends, relatives and esteemed chairman, you are probably all wondering what we are doing here today,” said Professor Ludwig von Drake, the 1961 Disney character, before introducing a voiceover that said, “You must all vote for your board… Voting is easy.”
More from Deadline
“Remember, it is important that you use the white ballot to vote only for the 12 Disney nominees. Do not vote for the Trian Group or the Blackwell nominees. Your vote this year is critical, no matter how many or how few shares you own… Please vote with all your shares in all your accounts.”
Trian Group founder and CEO, activist investor Nelson Peltz, is taking a serious stance against Disney this year, installing himself and former Disney executive Jay Rasulo as replacement directors with a massive PR campaign via the Trian-created website RestoreTheMagic.com. Peltz, whose campaign is backed by Ike Perlmutter, is asking Disney shareholders not to elect two Disney directors (Maria Elena Lagomasino and Michael Froman) and instead vote for himself and Rasulo. The number of directors is fixed, so seats go to the candidates with the largest number of votes.
Another group called Blackwells Capital also has a list of three directors (Jessica Schell, Craig Hatkoff and Leah Solivan), but is opposed to Peltz and generally more accommodating to Disney management.
Activists will have blue and green ballots. Disneys are white.
“Professor Ludwig, what should shareholders do with their blue-green proxy cards?” asks the voice-over in the animated instructions. Shareholders should dispose of them – “Please do not use the blue or green proxy cards.”
Votes must be cast by 11:59 p.m. on April 2, the day before the meeting. “Don’t be late,” the video urged, as the March Hare of Alice in Wonderland pointed to his watch.
Disney will announce its latest quarterly results this Wednesday.
The best of Deadline
Sign up for the Deadline newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
