What’s Coming to Disney+ in August 2020

Disney is such a ubiquitous force in commerce, media and culture in 2020 that it’s hard to imagine there was ever a time it wasn’t one of the most powerful brands in the world. But back in the 1980s, the studio that Walt built was in dire straits—though Disney World has never not been the happiest place on Earth (well, except maybe right now), a few decades back the company’s film slate was a disaster, its once-storied animation department was unable to produce a hit, and its sinking stock made it a prime takeover target.The story of how Disney survived to become the mega-conglomerate we know and love (sort of) is a tumultuous one—there’s a fascinating book chronicling every sordid detail, backroom deal and boardroom coup that I highly recommend—but if you ask me, the Mouse of today owes a massive debt to a man named Howard Ashman,
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