Watterson's motivation seems to be to preserve the integrity of his art.
Disney's motivation seems to be to preserve their profit margins on hyper commercializing the creations of others.
Disney's motivation seems to be to preserve their profit margins on hyper commercializing the creations of others.
But Disney is also motivated --at least partly-- by integrity. Yes, they want to control profits, clearly. But I have no doubts they want to preserve the integrity of their character also.
> the creations of others
Others? Even after Walt's death, Mickey Mouse has been overseen by a continuous line of people who care about the character's integrity.
In this case, Disney Inc is staffed by people who care deeply about the Disney legacy. You’ll be hard pressed to find a single employee who was not awe-struck walking the halls on the first day.