Dick Cook stepped down Friday from his post as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios.
“I have loved every minute of my 38 years that I have worked at Disney from the beginning as a ride operator on Disneyland’s steam train and monorail to my position as chairman of The Walt Disney Studios,” said Cook in a studio release issued last Friday.
No successor has been named for Cook, who became studio chief in 2002. Under his watch, the studio brokered major strategic alliances and acquisitions with Pixar, DreamWorks and Marvel.
He also presided over the launch of Disneynature and a recently announced animated venture with Guillermo del Toro called Double Dare You. He also was a strong advocate for releasing films in the 3-D format.
Disney CEO Bob Iger had expressed disappointment with the box office performance of the studio’s recent releases, including Bedtime Stories and Confessions of a Shopaholic.
“On behalf of everyone at Disney, we wish him the best with all the future has to offer,” Iger said in a statement.
