Disney Wondering If It’s a ‘Wonderful World’ After All

Cost-cutting and personnel changes by the Walt Disney Co. may claim an unexpected casualty: “The Wonderful World of Disney’s” weekly spot on ABC’s schedule.

Sources say ABC, which is owned by Disney, has put out feelers about developing alternative programs for next season for the 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday window currently occupied by its signature Disney franchise, which ABC brought back as a series of family movies in September 1997.

Perhaps foremost, the prospect of shedding “Wonderful World” as a weekly program underscores how little of Disney’s strategy pertaining to ABC has panned out as intended.

The studio hoped to exploit the network as a venue for its brand of family-themed programming while securing assured space for Disney-produced shows. Ratings for ABC have dropped, however, and studio officials have at times feuded with their network counterparts, resulting in only two Disney-supplied shows landing on ABC’s prime-time roster this fall.

Frustrated by that dynamic and looking to reduce overhead, Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner dictated this summer that management of Disney’s TV production arm and ABC be consolidated. The decision has led to executive defections and turmoil within the studio, including the public relations snafu surrounding ABC Entertainment President Jamie Tarses’ departure in August.

While an ABC spokesman maintained there are no plans at present to do away with “Wonderful World,” insiders say the high cost of producing those movies is increasingly difficult to justify given the mediocre ratings being returned in the time period. In addition, the studio doesn’t feel like it can cut corners on the projects because they bear the Disney name.

If “Wonderful World of Disney” does stop airing on a weekly basis in fall 2000, Disney is nevertheless expected to keep the format alive in some fashion--possibly as periodic specials, similar to the way CBS brings out the durable “Hallmark Hall of Fame” umbrella a few times each year.

“They’re in the process of deciding what to do with it,” said one Disney source. “They’re shaking up the whole franchise.”

Introduced each week by Eisner--in a throwback to the spokesman role Walt Disney filled in earlier incarnations, which began with “Disneyland” in 1954--the Disney program is seen as a key showcase for the studio. In fact, Disney announced its intention to revive “Wonderful World of Disney” back when stockholders approved its $19-billion acquisition of ABC in January 1996.

“The Wonderful World of Disney” offers a mix of theatrical and made-for-TV films, with Disney producing all of the latter. The emphasis is on family fare, including such marquee Disney animated titles as “The Lion King,” “Toy Story” and “Pocahontas.”

The network’s original productions for this season include two big-budget musicals: a new version of “Annie,” which will premiere next month; and “Geppetto,” a comic retelling of Pinocchio featuring ABC sitcom star Drew Carey and “Seinfeld” alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Such projects tend to be considerably more expensive than the average TV movie.

Although “Wonderful World” scored a smashing ratings success early in its run with the Whitney Houston-Brandy version of “Cinderella,” its ratings have been inconsistent. Studio insiders say the shake-up is being pushed for by Disney animation chief Peter Schneider, who was promoted to president of the Disney Studios in January.

While the Disney name hasn’t worked wonders for ABC in prime time, the studio’s muscle has helped translate into improved ratings for the network’s children’s programming, which ranked first among broadcasters last season. Still, ABC has experienced a setback in that area this fall thanks to the popularity of “Pokemon,” which has rapidly vaulted the WB network to the top of the Saturday morning ratings.