Chapter 438: Disney should be worried

Early June, Milan, Italy.

Arthur reached an acquisition agreement with Investcorp S.A. California Pacific Company spent $205 million to buy 43.8% of Gucci's shares.

"There's really not enough money to spend, good thing we sold our stake in the Ritz-Carlton," Arthur lamented, now left with only $100 million!

Emily Shead pursed her lips, "There is news that Time Warner has its eye on TBS."

"Finally, are they planning to make a move?" Arthur had known that television stations couldn't just focus on themselves, especially when holding such a weapon as CNN.

"Let's go back to the States first," Arthur planned to find a chance to meet with Ted Turner.

...

During the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Galaxy squeaked past the Supersonics in the first round with a score of 3-2 but lost to the Spurs in the second round 4-3. The finals scheduled for June featured the Houston Rockets facing the Orlando Magic!

What worried the NBA was that the new round of labor negotiations had been postponed and hadn't officially been signed yet. Last year, they had chosen to keep things cool not to disrupt the start of the season, but once the season ended, they would need to negotiate again!

In New York City, Manhattan, Arthur accompanied First Lady Hillary at a charity dinner held at the Plaza Hotel. Recently, the Trump Organization had sold the Plaza for $325 million to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Alsaud's Kingdom Holding Company! This was the same prince who had previously acquired 20% of the Ritz-Carlton shares from Arthur.

"These Middle Eastern tycoons are incredibly rich," Hillary couldn't help but exclaim. "Arthur, you seem to know Prince Alwaleed pretty well, huh?"

"Not too long ago, Prince Alwaleed bought a stake in the Ritz-Carlton Group," Arthur had nothing to hide. "The economy in America is growing quickly now, and the remnants of the Soviet Union can sustain us for a long time. As long as we keep the current economic growth, next year's elections will be a piece of cake!"

Hillary smiled, indeed, that was Bill Clinton's biggest security; as long as the economy was strong, all other problems were minor. Even last year's series of investigations against Clinton had become trivial -- what needed to be dealt with was handled, and what needed to be dismissed was dismissed.

"Robert Rubin took over from former Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as the new Treasury Secretary at the start of the year!"

Listening to Hillary, Arthur showed little expression. After all, Leon Panetta was now the White House Chief of Staff, a Californian politician. He had long known Robert Rubin was the new Treasury Secretary.

"The Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department, the SEC!" Arthur didn't have much more to say; the three financial giants of the American government had all become run by Jews. The only exception was the Federal Reserve's crucial New York branch president, who wasn't Jewish.

"Arthur, you're exploring for oil near the Gulf of Aden, we can offer you support!"

Last year, Galaxy released Forrest Gump, which had a significant positive impact on American society -- the White House loved this kind of movie.

"That area is a bit barren, and it's also kind of far," Arthur thought for a moment. "Algeria and Libya, close to the Mediterranean, aren't too bad; they're near Europe and have rich resources. Or Southeast Asia, near East Asia, also has markets. Western oil companies are looking to expand into both regions!"

Hillary only intended to offer Arthur some verbal gratitude -- now he was mentioning Algeria, Libya, and Southeast Asia?

"Arthur, those companies need to expand on their own!"

Arthur nodded with a smile, "Got it. When the time comes, if any disputes arise, we'll need the U.S. government's endorsement!"

"Of course, the U.S. will ensure that all American businesses overseas are protected..."

...

After the charity dinner, Arthur returned to his East Side villa, holding a list of new White House interns. It primarily consisted of information about young, attractive women!

Clinton's zipper gate was infamous, and Arthur knew of one intern involved; since last year, he had been compiling a list of good-looking college intern candidates for the White House.

"I found it," Arthur's eyes lit up as he pulled out a document. "Monica Lewinsky, 22 years old, born in San Francisco, raised in Beverly Hills. She graduated with a psychology degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland and interned in the office of Leon Panetta, Chief of Staff!"

Afterward, Arthur leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically...

...

On June 9, 1995, Pixar's first 3D computer-animated film, Toy Story, premiered. It opened in 2,457 theaters across North America, earning $29.14 million during its opening weekend!

Once released, Toy Story received a great deal of acclaim. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert commented, "It drew from the essence of cartoons and reality, creating a world between the two."

The New York Times stated, "Children delighted in the vivid new experience of their toys, while adults were astonished by the witty script and anthropomorphized characters."

The Washington Post noted, "Though Toy Story garnered much praise for being a 3D animated film, the storytelling, character development, and excellent pacing remained top-notch."

Toy Story was not only the world's first 3D animation but also made a huge splash with its innovative technology and unique character designs. Pixar's RenderMan renderer was hailed as "the king of rendering" due to Toy Story's success!

...

In Glendale, Los Angeles, not far from Galaxy's headquarters, was DreamWorks' headquarters. At that moment, two of DreamWorks' top executives, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, looked astonished!

"I never expected Pixar would surprise everyone like this!" Jeffrey Katzenberg had nearly facilitated a collaboration between Disney and Pixar.

"Looks like DreamWorks Animation just gained an additional competitor," Steven Spielberg felt confident about going head-to-head with Galaxy in live-action films; with Jeffrey Katzenberg's presence, DreamWorks aimed to compete with Disney in the animation sector while matching Galaxy in live-action films. Things were bound to change!

"Right," Jeffrey Katzenberg sighed, relieved that Pixar wasn't helping Disney develop animations.

Now, Galaxy, which had long dominated in live-action films, boldly entered the animation market, and their first animated feature had caused a sensation -- Disney was definitely worried!

*****

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