D'Amaro & Walden Have Every Reason to be Optimistic.
It sure seems like Josh D’amaro and Dana Walden have been blessed with the best possible circumstances that any incoming Disney CEO has ever experienced. A substantial amount of promising entertainment content and park experiences are already in development.
Film & Television.
Having Dana Walden rise through the executive ranks as President of TWDC (a position held by Robert Iger and Frank Wells) seems to have a fair share of up-side. Her leadership in television and streaming means she has significant experience in content production.
As the new administration assumes control the Walt Disney Studios is enjoying great success. Three Disney-owned films that were released in 2025 blew by the billion-dollar mark (Box Office Mojo): ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (LA) ($1.0B), ‘Zootopia 2’ ($1.8B) and ‘Avatar: Fire & Ash’ ($1.4B). The success of all three films will not be limited to their theatrical release but also provide streaming content (new subscribers) for Disney+, Hulu, etc.
That 2025 success may very well be echoed in 2026. By any objective assessment the release calendar for Disney-owned titles is very promising: ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ (05/01), ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ (05/22), ‘Toy Story 5’ (06/19), ‘Moana’(LA) (07/10), ‘Spider Man: Brand New Day’ (w/Sony – 07/31) and ‘Avengers Doomsday’ (12/18). Again, beyond the ticket sales is streaming content to attract subscribers as well as revenue on the ad supported platforms (Disney+, Hulu, etc.).
By the way, that alleged Hulu buy-out thing with Comcast now looks like less of a debacle and more of a long-term win.
Disney Parks
Josh is obviously right at home in the parks. But he’s going to benefit from the fact that the development of so many major projects is already underway. In Orlando, Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tropical America’s land will have attractions based on Indiana Jones and Encanto. Disney Hollywood Studios will have Monstropolis. The Magic Kingdom park will have the new Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land – adding multiple attractions to the park. All of these park additions should be completed (up and running) by 2030. And, for whatever it's worth, at EPCOT, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney announces plans for the Wonders of Life/PLAY pavilion in the next couple of years. The roof is fixed and it is conditioned space. That means the company could add interior attractions for a relatively low price.
In Anaheim, Disneyland Forward’s development is ... well, moving "foward". In Europe, the newly named Disney Adventure World will feature new lands/attractions based on ‘Frozen’, the ‘Lion King’ and ‘Tangled’. And then construction will begin on Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.
With the exception of Abu Dhabi, the successful completion of all of these projects won't demand that much from D'Amaro or Chief Creative Officer Walden.
Executive Transition
In addition to everything in production, the transition from Robert Iger to D’Amaro/Walden. When Walt Disney passed away (allegedly) the leadership runs of his brother Roy, Card Walker, Donn Tatum, Card Walker and Ron Miller were more often than not, hit or miss. Those execs left a company in distress. When their replacement Michael Eisner walked through the exit, Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold were leading a torches and pitchforks movement to “Save Disney”. Then there was the tumultuous experience of Bob Chapek. By contrast, the management of ascension of D’Amaro/Walden has been without controversy at a time when Disney’s executive culture is really quite steady.
Honestly, I don’t think the company’s leaders (nor its shareholders) could ask for a situation that is substantially better than what’s currently going on at TWDC.
Now bring on Joe Schott!
Replies (5)
@V-Coaster: I can't disagree with you -- mainly because whether or not something is "boring" is clearly a matter of opinion. But as you note "There are many reasons to be optimistic for the parks, and the movies will probably do well financially," which certainly means D'amaro and Walden are joining the executive ranks at a time when TWDC is doing exceptionally well -- a circumstance that is very likely to improve.
As for your comment "especially since original movies (like Pixar's "Hoppers") don't seem to get much advertising or mention" ... 'Hoppers' got a Super Bowl ad, and that ain't nothing.
I’m with you on the parks side having so many big builds already in motion gives any incoming leadership a huge head start. I do share the concern that the film slate feels a bit sequel-heavy, but if a couple of originals land and the parks teams keep taking creative swings inside those IP worlds, the momentum could stay strong.
This pretty much aligns with my thinking when this announcement was made. D'Amaro is walking into an almost perfect scenario with the company as a whole delivering results, particularly from the division where he holds expertise. D'Amaro has already set the wheels in motion for the next era of Disney theme park improvement/expansion, and has put down the groundwork over the past 2-3 years that allows him to supervise the execution of those projects in the next 5-8 years from afar with the intimate knowledge of what's happening. In other words, while the theme park division is embarking on a record-breaking expansion effort, D'Amaro owns that work already having been intimately involved with those developments and can afford to be on "cruise-control" in regards to the execution while also taking credit when projects reach completion. This is very different from when Chapek took over, which also was during a major expansion push, most notably with Galaxy's Edge. However, Chapek's expertise was on the business side and not necessarily on the creative or execution side of things, so when Galaxy's Edge opened, his attempt to take credit for those projects rang hollow and disingenuous. When D'Amaro talks about projects in the pipeline you really get the sense that he feels connected to them and that he has a real stake in the success/failure, and not just from the perspective of profit/loss.
I also think that having Walden as his "partner" gives D'Amaro some cover in the part of the business that will take him time to understand and feel comfortable leading. While theme parks and cruises are heavily criticized, it's nothing compared to the level of criticism levied towards filmed media. Products in the Experiences division are not touched by every customer every single day, but products in the Entertainment division are. The ebbs and flows of success/failure are unrelenting in the business, and even if you deliver the best product in history, you're being asked how it can be topped and if the next project doesn't top it, it's a failure even if it's profitable. Walden should help provide some cover/buffer for D'Amaro while he gets his feet wet, but Disney is going to eventually have to make some tough decisions in the coming years in how filmed entertainment is financed, produced, and delivered to customers. It's an industry that is highly volatile, and frankly, I could see both Disney and Universal spinning their theme park businesses off from their entertainment companies, in the next decade.
Russell: "... I could see both Disney and Universal spinning their theme park businesses off from their entertainment companies, in the next decade."
Me: You gotta know that TWDC has done the math on that model. The company understands the kind of landscape where that strategy works to the interest of shareholders. And although I'm nowhere near smart enough to understand the nuts and bolts of such an arrangement, plans to divide Disney into two different entities would seem to explain the choice of the dual executive promotions. Josh as CEO of Parks & Experiences. Dana as CEO of Films & Television production.
There are many reasons to be optimistic for the parks, and the movies will probably do well financially, but from a creative standpoint the movies seem so boring. When every upcoming movie is a sequel, reboot, or remake there's not a lot to look forward to, especially since original movies (like Pixar's "Hoppers") don't seem to get much advertising or mention. And when the Disney plan is just building IP rides and lands, what happens when they run out of IP?