Bob Iger Confronts the "Woke" Mob

Since roughly 2019 or 2020, it’s become the norm to regularly and repetitively hate the Walt Disney Company. But after years of battling the chorus of “go woke, go broke,” Bob Iger finally stands against the culture war.

Bob Iger has officially sat as CEO of the Walt Disney Company for a year after knocking the infamous Bob Chapek out of office, but things at Disney are still hardly as magical as they could be. Iger reclaimed his seat of power in November 2022 to find the Magic Kingdom in ashes as it was raked over the coals after bouts with consumer neglect, price gouging, and political discourse.

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Realistically speaking, Iger would never fix all these problems in one fell swoop, but many would argue that he’s barely scratched the surface of Disney’s problems. Despite promising to “quiet the noise” after the Chapek regime, it seems like Disney’s affliction has spread into a full-on malaise, but Iger has yet begun to fight.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Makes a Stand

Disney fans will all certainly agree that Bob Chapek left a major mess in his wake before Iger came back into power. Stripping the Disney Parks of every perk, robbing fans of the classic Disney magic, and engaging in an all-out war with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill certainly did more than lose the company some support.

Related: Controversial Director Put in Charge of ‘Star Wars’ by Kathleen Kennedy

While Iger has made some progress in restoring the Disney name, most of his efforts have been more planning than doing. Pair that with some of the tone-deaf comments he’s made in the past, and it doesn’t paint such a good picture.

Be that as it may, Iger recently made a statement regarding the woke movement and how Disney’s involvement in the political theater has hurt the company and its consumers. In a recent SEC filing, a report was made by the company that said,

“Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance…”

Translation: Disney/Iger recognizes that their recent practices with their theme parks, movies, TV shows, and so on are hurting their consumers and their profits in the process. In short, this is precisely what the public has warned the company for the past few years.

Iger might have DeSantis freaking out after filing a lawsuit against the governor’s animosity and anti-Disney actions, but the company’s reputation is still on life support. With Disney’s flop era still leaving them bleeding at the box office and less-than-savory reports coming out of Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort, there is still a lot of work left to be done.

Related: Marvel Ditches Disney Plus, Attempts To Find New Audience for Struggling Projects

That doesn’t mean Iger is just sitting idly while the company dies. As if finally waking up to the situation around him, Iger recently handed creative control back to Disney creators who know how to handle their departments.

During the World of Frozen opening at Hong Kong Disneyland, Iger shared that he was essentially handing control of the next projects at Disney Animation to original creators and animators like Jennifer Lee (Frozen). A similar action was also seen at Lucasfilm as Star Wars darling Dave Filoni was promoted to CCO.

Related: Marvel Star Speaks Out Against Bob Iger, Blames Disney CEO for MCU Failure

Iger still has a long row to hoe, but giving creative power back to the minds that made franchises like Frozen and the Star Wars galaxy so successful is undoubtedly a good way to start. It’s not the end-all-be-all, but a sure sign of healing.

Realistically speaking, Disney has been permanently changed, and getting back to the drawing board is easier said than done. However, if Iger is publicly and legally announcing acknowledgment of the problem, something swift and permanent will undoubtedly be done.

Can Iger keep the House of Mouse from collapsing, or is it too late? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!