Bob Iger gave an Oscar-worthy performance on Disney’s earnings call

Good morning.

I don’t often listen to earnings calls because they are usually a dull recitation of numbers that can be more easily digested in written form. But this week’s Disney call was an exception. I wish I had been there.

CEO Bob Iger gave an Oscar-worthy performance. In the first two minutes of the call, before citing a single number, he announced:

1. Disney has hired ex-Alabama coach Nick Saban—heart throb of millions of middle-aged Southern men—to be an ESPN commentator. Roll Tide.

2. The company is releasing in November a feature-length animated sequel to Moana—global symbol of the power of diversity.

3. The company is investing in Epic Games, maker of Fortnite—the obsession of post-pubescent male children everywhere.

4. And Disney will be the exclusive streaming home of a new, extended version of the movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, celebrating a star who has proven herself to have unmatched appeal for girls—and a surprising number of guys—of all ages.

Anyone we missed there? Add to that the fact that Disney “leads the industry with 20 nominations headed into the Oscars”—which, by the way, will be broadcast on Disney’s ABC network. And, oh yes, the numbers were pretty good too: Operating income up 27%, adjusted earnings per share up 23%, streaming operating income up 86%, and a healthy $7.5 billion in cost savings for good measure.

The performance pushed Disney’s stock price up more than 10% yesterday. The only person whose heart wasn’t touched was Nelson Peltz, the activist investor who is bidding to join Disney’s board. “It’s déjà vu all over again,” a spokesman for Peltz’s Trian Partners said. “We saw this movie last year and we didn’t like the ending.”

Sorry, Nelson. When it comes to telling stories, you can’t beat Disney—at least as long as Iger is at the helm.

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Alan Murray
@alansmurray
alan.murray@fortune.com

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com