Disney’s Chief Executive Officer has been a hot topic of conversation lately. The company recently announced that Bob Iger would be stepping down from his long-time position for Josh D’Amaro to take over the role in March 2026.
Michael Eisner (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
Unsurprisingly, there has been lots of online commentary about the changes. Ahead of the big announcement, Former CEO Michael Eisner sat down for an interview where he commented on Bob Iger, Disney pricing, and more.
Former CEO Michael Eisner has a lot to say about the current state of the Walt Disney Company! In an interview with Graham Bensinger on YouTube, Eisner addressed a myriad of topics, including his current thoughts on management changes and theme park pricing. In this interview, filmed before Disney’s latest CEO announcement, Eisner notes, “I think change is good in management because it creates opportunity to go in a new direction.”
©Disney
He has been outspoken about his support of Bob Iger over the last few years and even voiced his support for Josh D’Amaro once he was announced as the new CEO. In a message to D’Amaro, Eisner encouraged him to “continue Bob Iger’s strategy” as he takes over the role. Despite voice support, he did have a few issues with the current state of the theme parks, namely the pricing.
©Disney
He continued to say, “I’m not wild about the fact that it is so expensive now to go to Disneyland and Walt Disney World.” Before his appointment as CEO, Josh D’Amaro defended the pricing of the parks in 2025. In May 2025, while discussing the park’s afforability, D’Amaro said, there is “literally nothing like it in the world. We’re always making sure that we’re delivering value to every one of our guests that comes into one of our experiences or theme parks.”
Josh D’Amaro at Destination D23, 2023 ©Disney
In addition to the general pricing, Michael Eisner also touched on the fact that he’s “not wild about the fact that it’s harder than ever to have everybody be a VIP at a Disney Park ’cause they’re selling certain things.” Despite his concerns with guest treatment and the parks afforability, he also noted that while he would do things differently, “I don’t think I would run it as well as Bob has run it.”
©Disney
In addition to his thoughts on the theme park, Eisner also touched on his rocky last few years at the company. Eisner worked as the CEO for 21 years before he left the company due to intense pressure from shareholders. In regard to the end of his Disney career and looking back on that time, Eisner said, “There was a lot of change going on. I was stubborn. I did not want to buy Pixar for a price that was crazy.” Bob Iger would go on to purchase Pixar in 2006.
©Pixar | Disney
He continued to say he had made choices that were probably bad political decisions, but the right ones. He also touches on leaders in the industry becoming his adversaries during this time. By the time the end came, he noted, “I was ready.” Despite a controversial ending, it’s impossible to disregard the major changes that Michael Eisner brought to the company. He focused on theme park expansions like the addition of MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom, as well as international theme park additions like Hong Kong Disneyland.
Hong Kong Disneyland
While Eisner has not worked for the company in over 20 years, it is always interesting to hear a former CEO’s point of view on the current state of the parks, especially one that is so notable in the company’s history. Be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for more Disney news, updates, and more.
Former Disney CEO Has One Message for the New Leader: “Continue Bob Iger’s Strategy”
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Thanks for this. I thought, overall, Eisner did a great job, although he seemed to miss a stabilizing influence when he (we) lost Frank Wells. And I appreciate the fact that when he left, he left and didn’t interfere. I also appreciate what Iger has done, especially since his return. Overall, I don’t like the price hikes but to be honest, everything’s more expensive and it’s unlikely we’ll ever see prices go down unless we have an economic disaster that pushes us into a depression. And in that case, I hope we still have Disney to provide a little Magic.
I’m looking forward to what D’Amaro will do with the company. I hope, honestly, he follows Eisner’s advice, and continues, mostly, Iger’s plans.
Eisner is right, the Disney price tag is painful for most of us, but we keep going…I think always hoping for a change. But Eisner was no different than Iger and probably won’t be different from D’Amaro. Walt designed a park with attractions that meant something to him personally, whether to please his daighters or to bring to life one of his own childhood passions. Have you ever seen these guys in the parks with their children? Did they even have a childhood? Their corporate minset is what changed Disney.
Not only are the park prices too expensive but the hotel prices have skyrocketed too. I’m a Florida resident and a pass holder. I look for the and haven’t really noticed any. I even have noticed that where we once could go to the bottom and press on the link that would take you to the deals has disappeared. Am I missing something?
I guess that’s what’s hard about doing the right thing, like trying to keep Disney prices down, the shareholders don’t like it. They have more power/influence over decisions than we do. And when a CEO tries to do what’s right for the Disney fans, he gets lots of pushback. Too bad there wasn’t a way for us to push back too.
I was a shareholder and got rid of it because it really didn’t make much if any money. Maybe I didn’t hang around waiting for a profit for long enough. I probably kept it for 5 or 6 years and then said “ no “ 🤣😂