UPDATED May 20, 2026
Walt Disney was quoted as saying, “Progress is impossible with change.” And there has certainly been plenty of change in the Disney parks over the past few years.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — a NEW attraction in Disney World’s EPCOT
These include additions such as entirely new theme park lands to modes of transportation to new and ground-breaking attractions! Change also includes factors that affect the park experience itself: things widely discussed among Disney fans like the Lightning Lane service, price increases for park tickets, food, and more.
A New CEO for The Walt Disney Company
Josh D’Amaro previously serveed as the company’s Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and has been with the company since 1998 in various roles. D’Amaro took over the role of Chief Executive Officer on March 18th, 2026, when The Walt Disney Company held its Annual Shareholders Meeting. (Initially, Bob Iger had announced that he would be leaving Disney by the end of 2026, so he ended his contract early.). The Board appointed D’Amaro as a director immediately following the meeting.
Josh D’Amaro at Destination D23, 2023 ©Disney
“Josh D’Amaro possesses that rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, a keen eye for strategic growth opportunities, and a deep passion for the Disney brand and its people – all of which make him the right person to take the helm as Disney’s next CEO,” said James Gorman, Chairman of The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors.
Bob Iger, current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, shared that “Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO. He has an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences, paired with the rigor and attention to detail required to deliver some of our most ambitious projects. His ability to combine creativity with operational excellence is exemplary and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.”
Along with D’Amaro’s major role, Disney announced that Dana Walden would become President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company.
©Disney
Walden has led Disney’s world-renowned, award-winning entertainment media, news, and content businesses globally, including Disney’s streaming platforms. Chief Creative Officer is the historic first for the company, and Walden reports directly to D’Amaro to “ensure that storytelling and creative expression across every audience touchpoint consistently reflect the brand, engage audience at scale, and advance core business objectives, while driving enterprise-wide initiatives and translating vision into action.” D’Amaro described Walden as an “incredibly powerful executive” and their work relationship as a “very powerful partnership.”
Thomas Mazloum succeeds D’Amaro as Chairman of Disney Experiences, “leading a diverse portfolio of global businesses including Disney’s theme parks, cruise ships, resort hotels, expeditions and adventures, consumer products, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative engine behind Disney’s experiences portfolio.” Mazloum previously served as President of Disneyland Resort, and before that, he was president of Disney Signature Experiences.
Also of note: in May 2026, Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle has formally announced his retirement. Vahle, who has been with the company for 36 years, confirmed he will retire this summer on LinkedIn. In his post, he wrote, “I started my career as an engineer at Magic Kingdom, and I’m wrapping it up with the best job ever, leading Walt Disney World into a period of remarkable growth in partnership with our incredible Cast Members and community.” He confirmed he will stay in the position through late July.
The following new leaders will assume their roles by the end of July 2026:
Joe Schott has been appointed President of Walt Disney World Resort. Schott has more than 40 years of leadership across world-renowned destinations in Asia, Europe, and beyond. He recently served as President of Disney Signature Experiences, where he oversaw the launches of two new ships, the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure. Before that, he led Shanghai Disney Resort through a major expansion phase, including the opening of the Zootopia-themed land.
©Disney
Natacha Rafalski has been appointed President of Disney Signature Experiences. This division encompasses Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa, Adventures by Disney, National Geographic Expeditions, Storyliving by Disney, and Golden Oak. Before this appointment, she served as President of Disneyland Paris since 2018. Christophe Murphy has been promoted to President of Disneyland Paris.
These are not the first changes in Executive leadership in the 2020s.
Previous CEO for The Walt Disney Company
Bob Iger, the previous CEO for The Walt Disney Company, had a long career in executive roles at Disney. He was named President of The Walt Disney Company in 2000, serving as second-in-command under Michael Eisner. Iger was promoted to CEO in 2005 and served in that role until 2020, when he became Executive Chairman of the board. He took a brief retirement for a few months until he was reinstated as CEO in November 2022.
Bob Iger ©New York Post
In November 2022, Disney Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob Chapek stepped down from his position after having held it since early 2020, and former CEO Bob Iger returned to take his place. Disney thanked Chapek for “his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic.”
D’Amaro’s Vision for The Walt Disney Company
On March 18th, 2026, D’Amaro addressed the future of The Walt Disney Company and what will unify Disney going forward. He stated, “We will capitalize on our strengths by focusing on coming together as one Disney.” At this point, a model appeared on the screen with the company’s 7 biggest business ventures, all surrounding a Mickey icon:
©Disney
Storytelling, IP, and fans will be at the center of what the company does, and that will spread outward to the 7 main ventures. What are those ventures? Based on the chart above, they appear to be film, streaming, sports, consumer products, gaming, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney Parks and Experiences.
The Path for Josh D’Amaro
Deadline notes that Josh D’Amaro will face many challenges as CEO, including many that will require him to turn his focus outside the parks. “Disney’s post-Iger leaders will face a number of headaches, including managing ongoing declines in linear TV, coping with the surging cost of sports rights, and refining the strategy in streaming. During Iger’s first stint as CEO, he spearheaded a number of moves, chief among them the $71.3 billion acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox, as the legacy media player committed to direct-to-consumer streaming.”
Following the announcement for the transition, D’Amaro expressed the following about following Bob Iger: “Bob’s a big risk taker, I’m a big risk taker, and that’s been true my whole life.”
One of the biggest risks Disney has taken recently is planning to build a Disney Park in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The new theme park will be located on Yas Island, which is already known for entertainment and tourism.
©Disney
Most interesting is that the theme park will be all indoors, which would be a first for Disney. When asked about the Abu Dhabi project, D’Amaro said, “We did that quickly, and we did it ambitiously.”
Major expansions are also in the works for the parks in the United States. In Disney World these include Villains Land and Piston Peak in Magic Kingdom, the Tropical Americas in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Piston Peak coming to Magic Kingdom, and the new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disneyland Resort will see the Avatar expansion and Avengers Campus expansion.
We will be keeping you in the loop here on the DFB on all of these stories and so much more as The Walt Disney Company continues to evolve!
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