Roy Disney:

Roy E. Disney, who helped revitalize the famed animation division of the company founded by his uncle, Walt Disney, and who at times publicly feuded with top Disney executives, died on Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 79.
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His death, at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, was caused by stomach cancer, a spokeswoman for the Walt Disney Company said. Mr. Disney, who had homes in Newport Beach and the Toluca Lake district of Los Angeles, was the last member of the Disney family to work at the entertainment conglomerate built by his uncle and his father, Roy O. Disney.

As a boy the younger Roy would play in the halls of his uncle’s studio, where animators often used him as a test audience as they toiled on movies like “Pinocchio.” As an adult he helped bring the animation studio back from the brink, overseeing a creative renaissance that led to “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.”

But the soft-spoken Mr. Disney was primarily known for a willingness to question the company’s top managers, aggressively and publicly, when he felt they were mishandling the family empire. Some people in the company referred to him as its real-life Jiminy Cricket: a living conscience who was at times intensely disliked by management for speaking out.

In 1984, when the company weathered two takeover attempts, Mr. Disney helped force the resignation of Ronald W. Miller — the husband of Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane — as chief executive. In 2004, a time when Pixar was pummeling Disney at the box office, Mr. Disney helped lead an investor uprising that culminated with the departure of Michael D. Eisner as chief executive and chairman.

Along the way, Mr. Disney organized Shamrock Holdings, a family investment enterprise that became known for instigating hostile takeovers, including an ultimately failed one of Polaroid in the late 1980s.

“Roy was a man who was steadfastly loyal to his principles,” said Stanley Gold, Shamrock’s president. “He was a gracious, humble gentleman who could make the tough decisions life sometimes requires.”

Roy E. Disney was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 1930, and had a childhood that most people can only dream about. While playing at the studio, his uncle would occasionally take a break to read storybooks to him. Mr. Disney once remarked: “The animators used to test stuff out on me. They’d say, ‘Come on in and watch this and see if you think it’s funny.’ ”

Mr. Disney began his entertainment career in 1952 as an assistant film editor on “Dragnet,” the landmark television show. He joined Disney in 1953 and worked on nature documentaries like “The Living Desert” and “The Vanishing Prairie,” which both won Oscars. He also wrote for “Zorro.”

Although he retained a board seat, he left the company in 1977 after disagreements with Mr. Miller and became an independent producer.

Returning to the company in 1984, Mr. Disney set about revitalizing the floundering animation division. He obtained financing, for instance, for a computerized postproduction facility, helping to make possible the revolving ballroom scene in “Beauty and the Beast.”

Walt Disney had planned a sequel to “Fantasia,” the groundbreaking 1942 film that used animation to interpret classical music, but he died in 1966 before he could complete it. His nephew, Roy, took over the project and made it his passion, spending nine years on its execution. “Fantasia 2000” sold about $91 million in tickets worldwide, a disappointing total given its cost and time commitment.

Mr. Disney also pursued sailing. He set time records for offshore yacht racing on the Pacific Ocean, including the Los Angeles-to-Honolulu Transpac Race, which he won in his boat, the Pyewacket, in 1999 in just over seven days. A vacation home — a castle, actually — in Ireland was a favorite retreat.

Mr. Disney resigned for the second time in 2003 citing “serious differences of opinion about the direction and style of management” and started agitating for Mr. Eisner’s ouster. In 2005, after Mr. Eisner had announced his departure, Mr. Disney became director emeritus and a consultant, titles he held until his death.

Survivors include his wife, Leslie DeMeuse Disney. He is also survived by his former wife of 52 years, Patricia Dailey Disney, and four of their children: Tim, Roy Patrick, Abigail and Susan Disney Lord; and by 16 grandchildren.

Mr. Disney was a big fan of referring to the past to define the future. He told a biographer: “The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White and Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there saying, ‘Be this good.’ We shouldn’t be intimidated by them; they’re an arrow pointing someplace.”