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For only the second time in Disney history, a theme parks executive is about to become CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Here’s why that matters for everyone who loves the parks.
A Parks Leader Returns to the Top
Let’s be clear about what just happened: Josh D’Amaro built his entire career in Disney’s Parks division. After starting his career at Gillette, he joined Disney in 1998 as a business planner at Disneyland, worked his way up through the organization, led Walt Disney World, ran Disneyland, and became Chairman of Disney Experiences in 2020.
Previous Disney CEOs came from film (Michael Eisner from Paramount), television (Bob Iger from ABC), or finance. D’Amaro is the second parks executive to become CEO, following Bob Chapek who led Parks before his 2020-2022 tenure as CEO.
D’Amaro’s Track Record
Under D’Amaro’s leadership of Disney Experiences, we’ve seen:
- Massive investment: The $60 billion expansion plan announced in 2023, the largest capital commitment in Disney Parks history
- Avengers Campus: Successfully launched at both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris
- Tough decisions: He pulled the plug on Galactic Starcruiser when it wasn’t working, showing willingness to cut losses
- Tropical Americas: The ambitious Animal Kingdom expansion currently under construction
- Record revenues: Disney Experiences has been the company’s profit engine, generating over $8 billion in operating income in 2024
What This Could Mean for Guests
D’Amaro gets the guest experience in a way that a TV or film executive simply cannot. He’s walked the parks. He’s talked to Cast Members. He’s seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t.
Some potential implications:
- Continued parks investment: Expect the $60B expansion plan to stay on track, if not accelerate
- Guest experience focus: D’Amaro has repeatedly emphasized making magic accessible—could we see pricing or crowd management changes?
- Cast Member advocacy: His first statement was about the people of Disney. That’s not an accident.
The Challenges Ahead
It’s not all smooth sailing. D’Amaro inherits significant challenges:
- Pricing criticism: Disney has faced backlash over ticket prices and Lightning Lane costs
- Epic Universe competition: Universal’s massive new park opens in 2025, the biggest competitive threat in decades
- Streaming losses: Disney+ hasn’t been the profit driver they hoped for
- Content struggles: The film slate has had more misses than hits lately
But for theme park fans specifically? Having someone at the top who truly understands what makes a Disney vacation special is exciting.
The Bottom Line
When Michael Eisner congratulated D’Amaro today, he quoted Walt Disney: “Every guest receives the VIP treatment.”
D’Amaro has spent his entire career trying to deliver on that promise. Now he’ll have the power to make it happen company-wide.
For those of us who love the parks, that’s reason for cautious optimism.
