章 390: lamentations.

The romantic saga between Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney serves as a prime example of how a great friendship can transform into fierce rivalry. Jeffrey, after weighing his options, chose to leverage Disney's talent pool to solidify DreamWorks, bringing over key figures like James Baxter and others who, although they didn't leave Disney, still contributed to his animation team.

-He's suing us,- murmured Stanley Gold, one of Jeffrey Katzenberg's detractors. His argument to the board was that he preferred working with someone dedicated to their craft rather than waiting for grand ambitions from someone who could not genuinely contribute to the animation industry.

At first glance, Jeffrey's career seemed nothing short of legendary, with no apparent missteps. However, under closer scrutiny, his journey was filled with ups and downs, such as his clash with John Lasseter over the alleged plagiarism of A Bug's Life, following the release of his similar film, Antz. There was also the spectacular failure of The Road to El Dorado, which, with a bloated budget of $95 million, only managed to gross $76.4 million at the box office. The animated film Joseph: King of Dreams was another notable flop.

Other disappointments followed, including Spirit and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, setbacks that pushed Katzenberg into more of an executive role rather than a hands-on producer. This wasn't necessarily a defeat, though—he was the first to go head-to-head against the animation industry giant, Disney. While he did well in certain areas, he wasn't the glorified figure everyone believed. Without Spielberg's backing, his future might not have been as bright.

-It was bound to happen... He's been discontent with the whole process involving the board. And we all know Michael Eisner's maneuver with Ovitz was not entirely right. This could be the major mistake some of the sharks have been waiting for. Sure, Ovitz knows the business, but his skills pale in comparison to Frank Wells in many ways,- responded Ray Wilson.

It was clear that trouble was brewing.

-He's an ingrate in every sense of the word, and his arrogance has been evident from his first steps within this company,- Stanley Gold stated harshly, spitting venom at Jeffrey, whose brazen behavior, in his opinion, was disgraceful. Little did Stanley know, this was all part of Roy Disney's secret plan to encourage Jeffrey's exit. It was because of Jeffrey that Roy lost Pixar, and now he wanted him ousted before Jeffrey could undermine Disney's power, as he had done before.

-Forget about that. I have something here from the public relations team that shocked me. If we don't act now, it could very well be the downfall of Disney as we know it,- Ray Wilson commented, handing over a copy of the manga Real. The artwork was a marvel; every page was revolutionary.

-What's wrong with this?-

-The public is saying Billy Carson is surpassing Disney by a long shot. Just like that. Everything this kid touches turns to gold,- sighed Ray Wilson, watching the rapid growth of Billy's work. Marvel and DC were both shaken because, as comic book giants, they were directly affected. If you give a kid ten dollars to buy a comic, what would they choose—the classic storylines or something from Lux Comics? Lux Comics had now grown to the point where it was siphoning sales from multiple other franchises. The sales of Real hit 9 million copies in just five days.

Stanley Gold stared at the comic's design with astonishment; it was the best he had ever seen in his life. It was a true work of art.

-It's simply magnificent, artistically speaking, and the story—well, I can see why so many people are connecting with it. A black kid in a wheelchair playing basketball with his white friend is driven by the guilt he feels. Wow!- Stanley Gold sighed in admiration.

-That's exactly what I said! But when I heard the numbers… 9 million copies in five days! People are treating this like pure art—students, athletes, art professors, painters, philosophers—everyone's talking about it. Even Oprah mentioned she's a fan, and Michael Jordan said he wants the original artwork and is willing to pay a million dollars for it,- murmured Ray Wilson.

What began as a discussion about Jeffrey soon turned into a mix of admiration and envy.

-9 million copies!- he whispered in astonishment.

-And that's not all. Because of that, all his mangas are now selling at ridiculously high prices. Slam Dunk is on the verge of breaking comic sales records. Although we still have Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and X-Men ahead of it, its sales have already reached 198 million copies—5 million shy of X-Men, 30 million behind Spider-Man, 120 million away from Batman, and 250 million from Superman-Ray Wilson noted, his mind sharp with the fresh statistics. Many of those numbers seemed absurd—Superman has been around since 1936, and Batman isn't far behind, both sitting comfortably in the top 5 best-selling comics.

***

-A smashing first weekend, - murmured Rupert Murdoch as he glanced at the box office numbers for Ice Age—$86 million in its opening weekend. 'Gianopulos is working for the kid now, and his film distribution skills have improved at a rapid pace.'

-Send a request to Barry Diller to coordinate with Jim. They've worked together before; we need to collaborate to create our animation studio,- Rupert Murdoch instructed over the phone.

The acquisition of Blue-Sky Studios was nearing completion… but he needed a strong partner.

***

Meanwhile, Billy was fully immersed in his role as a police officer during a simulated rehearsal for a film. Wearing his uniform, a toy gun holstered at his side, and carrying a fake police ID, he was meticulous in his performance.

-Hold on there, kid. Let me check that backpack you've got,-Billy said, patrolling as an officer. Sporting a mustache, he had joined the LAPD's special unit for a week, and now he was handling a minor disturbance at a bar.

He followed all the protocols while Carl, the actual officer, observed the entire procedure carried out by "the new guy," who was a well-known actor just playing the role of a cop for a movie. It was through Arthur Michan's connections that Billy got this opportunity. The whole thing stemmed from a heated debate with his colleagues about being a police officer, which led to him taking on the dubious profession, complete with training, procedures, briefings, physical exercise, and patrols—doing everything a real cop would do.

-I think that's it. Make sure there's no more trouble,- Carl said, dismissing the two young men who had only raised their voices during the argument. When they saw the police, their faces turned pale with fear; it was clear the situation had just escalated into a more heated exchange.

Interestingly, Billy's bodyguards were disguised as civilians among the crowd. One stood outside the bar, phone in hand, pretending to be on a call while smoking a cigarette, but he was alert to everything going on. Another was inside, sipping hot rum slowly, just wetting his lips.

Nothing out of the ordinary! The patrol continued until 7 PM when Billy's shift ended.

-I think that's all for today. Make sure you go through the conditioning manual; see you tomorrow at the station,- Carl said.

Billy didn't take long to get home, exhausted. The work of a police officer was more draining than he initially thought. Awaiting him was an eager Italian woman, who, despite not showing it, was quite clingy and affectionate.

Carl could only sigh—some people have all the luck!

...