The year 2026 will be known as the year of big changes for The Walt Disney Company. In the parks, we’re seeing three of Disney World’s four parks getting new lands, rides, and expansions. Disneyland is also getting a new land, ride, and expansion.

©Disney

However, the changes go much further than that. On February 3rd, Disney announced that its current chairman of Disney Experiences, Josh D’Amaro, would be stepping in as the company’s new CEO, and that change is happening VERY soon.

Bob Iger will be stepping down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company on March 18th, when D’Amaro takes over as the company’s new CEO. Although Iger is stepping down, he has plans to remain on the board and serve as a “strategic advisor,” according to Business Insider. Although Iger was previously expected to wait until the end of the year to step down, D’Amaro is taking over sooner than expected.

Josh D’Amaro at Destination D23, 2023 ©Disney

What’s most interesting about the March 18th date is that this is also the date that The Walt Disney Company will be holding its annual shareholder meeting. Now, these shareholder meetings are usually when we get pretty big announcements about new movies, peeks at park expansions, and more. With the change of leadership also happening on that date, we expect that D’Amaro might reveal some pretty big things.

Josh D’Amaro in Disneyland

We’ve already read reports about some big changes that are already happening with Disney World’s Villains Land, although Disney has not yet confirmed anything about that expansion to Magic Kingdom just yet. A change in leadership could mean huge changes in everything, though, including the parks, movies, streaming, and more. We expect to learn more about the direction D’Amaro plans to take the company in on March 18th.

Villains Land ©Disney

Experts have also sounded off on what they believe D’Amaro will focus on in the future, including more updates about the parks expansions, Disney’s plans for the use of AI, and more NFL integration. We should know more once he takes over, though.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for big Disney announcements, so stay tuned to DFB to stay updated.

“Of course, I feel the weight on my shoulders.” Josh D’Amaro Comments On Becoming Disney’s Next CEO

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