"An invitation?" Zane said, holding a fancy, gold-edged card. He was surprised. "And it's for Disney's big New Year's party?"
"Boss, it came this morning," Victor confirmed. "Since it's Disney—one of the 'Big Six'—I thought you should see it right away."
Zane nodded, thinking hard. "We've never worked with Disney. Why would they invite us? Usually, these parties are only for super-famous movie stars and their best friends. We're just a new company."
He couldn't ignore a Disney invite. They were a giant in Hollywood.
"Boss," Victor explained, looking a little sheepish, "it was actually kind of an accident."
An accident?
"I got a call," Victor said. "It turns out my old boss, William Barnett, works in Disney's animation department now. When he found out I was the CEO of Wald Pictures, he sent the invitation over as a favor."
Ah! That made sense. Zane had been overthinking it. Disney wasn't suddenly interested in his small company. It was just a nice gesture from Victor's old mentor, trying to help him out.
"Boss, should we go?" Victor asked.
"Go?" Zane said with a big smile. "Of course we're going! We can't miss a chance to meet all those famous people!"
Going to this party meant he would be in the same room as the biggest directors and stars in Hollywood. Zane knew that if he wanted his company to grow, he needed to make friends with these people. It was the perfect opportunity.
Three Days Later. 6:00 PM.
Zane and Victor arrived early at the fancy five-star hotel in Burbank. The party hadn't even officially started, but the room was already filling up.
"Victor, my old friend!"
A man in his fifties rushed over and gave Victor a huge hug. This was William Barnett, Victor's old boss.
"Victor, I always knew you belonged in Hollywood!" William said happily. "Seeing you back here as a CEO makes me so proud."
"Thank you, sir," Victor beamed. "I've been so excited to see you."
Victor turned to Zane. "Oh, sir, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zane Blackwood, the head of Wald Pictures."
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barnett," Zane said, shaking the man's hand with genuine respect.
Zane could see that William and Victor really cared about each other. William had done a very nice thing by inviting them. Zane wanted to show his appreciation.
"The pleasure is mine," William said. "I've heard of you! Your movie, Wrong Turn, is making quite a name for itself."
For the next hour, William happily introduced Zane and Victor to all his friends at Disney. Zane met some legendary animators who had worked on classics like The Lion King, Snow White, and Mulan.
After a while, Zane and Victor found a quiet corner to sit down and rest.
"Boss," Victor whispered, looking around, "did you notice? All those old Disney artists... they seem kind of sad."
Zane nodded. "You're right. I heard that ever since The Lion King, things have been tough for Disney Animation. Their new movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, was a total disaster. It cost $80 million to make and only made $20 million. It must be hard for them."
Victor sighed. "Disney used to be the king of cartoons. But times have changed. Kids don't want hand-drawn cartoons anymore. They want the cool, new 3D computer animation that Pixar makes."
"And the worst part," Victor added, "is that Disney has to help sell Pixar's movies. Imagine how it feels to watch your 'adopted brother' (Pixar) beat you at your own game. Those old Disney artists must feel terrible."
Zane agreed completely. The future belonged to 3D animation. Disney's old style would struggle for a long time. (Zane knew they wouldn't be on top again until Frozen came out in 2014!)
"Well, well! Zane, my old friend! And Victor! What are you two doing here?"
A familiar voice interrupted them. Zane looked up and saw two men walking toward them.
It was his friend John Lasseter (the boss of Pixar), and walking right behind him was the tall, serious figure of Steve Jobs.
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