A Great Big Beautiful D'Amaro?
Earlier today, Disney announced that its next CEO will in fact be Experiences chairman, Josh D'Amaro. This was widely expected amongst Mouse House watchers and follows an intense multiyear bake-off between him and Dana Walden, Entertainment co-chairman.
Disney Parks fans seem to enthused by the news, buoyed by Mr. D'Amaro's handling of the company's Experiences division (which contains the theme parks, cruise ships, and consumer products) after the dark years of the Chapek regime.
Since ascending to the helm of the world's leading theme park operator in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, D'Amaro set about writing the wrongs of the Chapek era, initially under the watchful eye of the man that caused the damage. Starved of investment for new attractions, D'Amaro leaned on his ability to create a feeling of genuine care between himself and the company's ravenous fan base.
After Bob Iger returned as CEO, D'Amaro reportedly brought his new boss a list of ideas that could be implemented to immediately begin rebuilding trust between Disney and the fans. Of the list a number of his suggestions were implemented, including expanding the number of days when adult tickets to Disneyland would go for $104, removing the arduous reservation system at Walt Disney World, making self-service resort parking free again.
When asked about these changes by The New York Times, Mr. D’Amaro said, “we want to make sure our fans are feeling the love, we’re listening to them, and we’re trying to adjust.”
One item from Mr. D'Amaro's list was rumored to be rejected by Mr. Iger: a two year moratorium on price increases across the Experiences division.
Mr. D'Amaro has done what he can to restore morale at Walt Disney Imagineering, which was all but hollowed out and throughly demoralized under the Chapek regime, with many of the division's most talented Imagineers being forced out or leaving of their own accord.
The D'Amaro regime has also committed big bucks to expansions across the parks and cruise line. The latter of which will more than double the size of its fleet in the coming years.
Some of the expansions announced for Walt Disney World have been controversial, however, with many announced additions replacing beloved parks staples. The nearly 55 year old Rivers of America was removed to be replaced with a Piston Peak themed "Cars" attraction, for instance. Other announcements, such as Villains Land at Magic Kingdom are almost universally beloved.
Mr. D'Amaro seems to understand the Disney brand and the fanbase, and isn't afraid to make bold moves to keep the company relevant to new audiences. The trick that Mr. D'Amaro must continue to master as CEO is keeping the nostalgia and the new in balance.
I wish Mr. D'Amaro well in his new role and will be watching with great interest.
