NEW DISNEY TEAM'S STRATEGY

The new leaders of Walt Disney Productions, Michael D. Eisner and Frank G. Wells, said today that they were given a mandate by the company's directors to put the struggling Disney studios on an equal footing with the biggest and best of Hollywood's film companies.

''We want to build the entertainment group back to being as strong as the non-entertainment group'' at Disney, Mr. Eisner said in an interview. ''This is going to be a full-service entertainment company, with a regular stream of products.''

Disney formally announced today that Mr. Eisner was elected chairman and chief executive, and Mr. Wells, president and chief operating officer, by a unanimous board vote.

Mr. Eisner, who quit earlier this month after eight years as president of Paramount Pictures, and Mr. Wells, who was a top executive at Warner Brothers for several years, come to Disney from what have been the two most successful Hollywood film units in the last two years.

They had particularly strong support from Roy E. Disney, a nephew of the late Walt Disney, who owns 5.2 percent of the company stock, and by a director representing Sid R. Bass, who controls 8.6 percent of the company through Bass Brothers Enterprises of Ft. Worth.

Support from Disney's Widow

In addition, Walt Disney's widow, Lillian, and younger daughter, Sharon Disney Lund, who control about 12 percent of the stock, also endorsed the new executives.

Irwin L. Jacobs, the Minneapolis financier, also endorsed the new team, Mr. Wells said in an interview. Mr. Jacobs, whose investor group owns 7.7 percent of Disney and has threatened to acquire more with the prospect of breaking up the company, could not be reached for comment.

The company also said that Raymond L. Watson, 57, a longtime real estate executive and Disney director who had been chairman since May 1983, will become chairman of the company's executive committee.

Mr. Eisner, a native New Yorker who was raised in a Park Avenue apartment, stressed that the company has no intention of selling any of its valuable real estate surrounding Walt Disney World in Florida, or scaling back the theme park and resort development business that now dominates the company.

Gordon Crawford, an analyst with the Capital Research Group, applauded the choice of Mr. Eisner and Mr. Wells, saying that Disney's biggest growth potential is in filmed entertainment.

''This company ought to have a much more balanced mix of profits between the parks and its filmed entertainment business,'' he said.

Last year, Disney's movie and television division contributed only 13 percent of the company's $1.3 billion in revenues. It lost $33.4 million.

Sparked by 'Splash'

The film division, sparked by more than $35 million in rental income so far from one movie, ''Splash,'' has improved sharply this year under a plan to take, for Disney, a more daring approach to films.

The film division earned $2.7 million through the first three quarters ended June 30, with a 47 percent increase in revenues, to $188 million. Overall, the company's profits rose 25 percent in the same period to $85.7 million. Revenues increased 26 percent, to $1.2 billion.

Ironically, it was Ronald L. Miller, who apparently was forced to resign as president and chief executive on Sept. 7, who pushed Disney to adopt what he considered a more contemporary approach to the film business.

''Ron Miller had the right idea,'' Mr. Eisner said. ''I think it's unfortunate that he may not have had the time to exercise it completely.''

Mr. Eisner, who worked for ABC before he was at Paramount, has been associated with several popular movies and TV shows.

They movies include ''Raiders of the Lost Ark,'' ''Terms of Endearment,'' ''Ordinary People'' and ''Grease.'' The TV shows include ''Happy Days,'' ''Laverne and Shirley,'' ''Cheers'' and ''Taxi.'' Other productions, however, such as the violent ''Friday the 13th'' movies, were far afield from Disney's image of wholesome entertainment.

Mr. Eisner, who is 42 years old and has three sons, ages 6 to 15, said he will not divert Disney from its family- oriented entertainment legacy.

'My Record Stands for Itself'

''My record stands for itself,'' he said. ''There are a few things I'm embarrassed about, a few things that were mistakes. But if do as well here, I'll be pleased. The kind of product that Frank and I will be interested in has only one basic requirement - that it's in good taste.''

Disney historically has paid its employees and outside producers much less than the Hollywood norm. Mr. Eisner, who reportedly earned more than $2 million last year at Paramount, and Mr. Wells, declined to comment on their new contracts with Disney. ''We came in with deals that relate to the company as a whole, without regard for any paricular industry,'' Mr. Wells said. They also declined to say how soon Disney, which plans to release only two new films this year, can rival competitors with 15 to 20 releases annually.

Mr. Wells said that Disney's directors pledged ''all the resources'' to make the studio competitive. He added that there are ''significant'' resources reserved for Disney's theme parks, its growing cable venture, the Disney Channel, and its new real estate and resort business.

Nevertheless, a Disney executive familiar with the company's theme parks, who asked not to be identified, expressed disappointment over the selection of two Hollywood executives to run the entire company. ''Morale is not the highest here,'' he said.

'Relatively Mature'

Mr. Crawford, the Capital Research analyst, termed the theme parks ''relatively mature and well- operated.'' Mr. Eisner indicated he was not troubled by the downturn in theme park attendance.

''What we don't need is another manager in the theme park area,'' he said. ''You generally don't fix something that's not broke.''

He said would consider a more rapid distribution of films in the Disney library, noting particularly the cable and home video markets. He added that Mr. Wells will focus more on real estate.

Mr. Wells, 52, left Warner Brothers in 1983 on a global adventure to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. He scaled all but Mt. Everest, forced back a day's journey from the peak.

Mr. Wells was president and co- chief executive of Warner for several years, and is best known as a general administrator.

Mr. Eisner said that he and Mr. Wells were not troubled about Mr. Jacobs's threats to take control.

''I aggressively wanted this job, as did Mr. Wells,'' he said. ''It sounds corny, but there are few companies in this country tha deserve to be protected. We can do more here than just manage some other people's store. We can help maintain it.''