1Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro spoke out this afternoon amid mass disappointment among Disney Park fans following the Annual Shareholders Meeting. After teasing announcements about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and a new Star Wars Land, Disney CEO Bob Iger said he had “nothing” to share about the $60 billion promised investments at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, and the international Disney theme parks.
Iger might have kept billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz from taking control of the Mouse House, but he’s not in the clear yet. The Walt Disney Company head did offer a first look at Moana 2 (2024) and concept art for Disneyland Resort’s upcoming Pandora – The World of Avatar DisneylandForward expansion. However, Disney Park fans were disappointed when Iger announced nothing new for Walt Disney World Resort, especially as Universal Orlando Resort prepares to open its third gate, Epic Universe.
Shortly after the Annual Shareholders Meeting, theme park lead Josh D’Amaro published a letter detailing his plans to continue “turbocharging” Disney Parks expansions in the next decade.
“Earlier today during The Walt Disney Company Annual Meeting of Shareholders, our CEO Bob Iger shared some incredible updates from across the company … including an update at Disney Experiences that I am very excited about,” D’Amaro wrote on Disney Parks Blog. “We were thrilled to unveil a piece of inspirational artwork developed for a potential new Avatar experience at the Disneyland Resort. We are excited about the stories our guests could experience at Walt’s original theme park destination after approval of DisneylandForward.”
D’Amaro boasted the “tremendous response” to Disney’s recent theme park expansions like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Paris, Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Zootopia at Shanghai Disneyland.
“Avatar is the latest example of how we are looking to create new and innovative ways to bring our powerful stories to life,” the Disney experience head said. “We’re keeping that momentum going in 2024. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens this year at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and we’re about to unveil Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, the largest single-land expansion ever at a Disney park. I was in Paris last week and met with the teams who just completed the transformation of the Disneyland Hotel and are now building the Frozen-themed land at our Walt Disney Studios Park.”
D’Amaro finished by reiterating previous announcements about Disney Cruise Line and a video game partnership with Epic Games. No new information was shared.
“And all of this is just the beginning – there are so many stories in our library yet to be explored,” he concluded. “As we turbocharge Disney Experiences over the next 10 years, we’re investing aggressively and thoughtfully to give you more of what you love. There has never been a more exciting time at Disney Experiences. I’m looking forward to having you on this journey with us.”
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