The Walt Disney Company just announced Josh D’Amaro as the new Chief Executive Officer. We’ve been waiting and waiting for this news to be announced since the current CEO, Bob Iger, announced that he would be leaving by the end of 2026.

Josh D’Amaro at Destination D23, 2023 ©Disney

While D’Amaro becoming the next CEO is no surprise since he has been a big name in the company for a while now, and has been the Disney Experiences Chairman since 2020, we were a bit surprised to see his start date be March 18th, 2026.

The CEO announcement was expected at the beginning of 2026, but since Iger’s contract was still set to end in 2026, it threw us off to see that D’Amaro was starting his position so soon. While we don’t know the reason, if we had to guess, this is such a big year for the company with so many projects happening, it’s likely easier to start soon versus waiting.

Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Josh D’Amaro at the 2023 Destination D23 fan convention.

Dana Walden, current Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, will also be becoming President and Chief Creative Officer of the Walt Disney Company and will also be transitioning to this position on March 18th. 

©Disney

According to the Wall Street Journal, Iger has also spoken about being ready to move on from the company, especially after spending so many years with it. While his contract was to the end of 2026, he mentioned planning on leaving earlier than that. This also gave the company plenty of time to find a successor and get them up and running. James Gorman, Disney Chairman, told CNBC that even though Iger felt like he could remain CEO till the end of the year, “he had developed the talent” to replace himself and felt that retiring “sooner was better.” 

©Disney

In terms of Disney Parks, something D’Amaro has been overseeing, there are new lands and rides being built, like Pueblo Esperanza opening in Animal Kingdom in 2027…

The Tropical Americas Model in Walt Disney Presents

…Walt Disney Studios opening this summer in Hollywood Studios…

©Disney

…and ride reopenings like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Other new lands like Monstropolis, Villains Land, and Piston Peak will also be coming in the future.

©Disney

Their newest cruise ship, the Disney Adventure, is also sailing starting in March out of Singapore, with other new Disney Cruise Line ships in the future.

©Disney

Disney movies are also getting their time to shine this year! A new Pixar movie, Hoppers, is coming out in March, The Mandalorian and Grogu are premiering in May, Toy Story 5 is debuting in June, and the live-action Moana will be coming out in July. Of course, Avengers: Doomsday will be coming in December, too.

©Disney

There’s so much happening within the company that D’Amaro seems eager to jump in and get to work. We’ll be interested to see how D’Amaro transitions to this new role as Iger steps down. Make sure you keep following DFB for more Disney news!

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