Peabo Bryson dies at 75: The voice gave Disney songs its soul
He never played a character. He never appeared on screen. He just opened his mouth, and suddenly, a cartoon world felt completely real. That was the quiet magic of Peabo Bryson.
Josh D’Amaro is the new CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
It didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t happen quietly. And it definitely didn’t happen without drama. After more than two years of guessing, boardroom whispers, and CEO déjà vu, Disney has finally picked its next boss. And the winner comes not from Hollywood studios or streaming wars, but from roller coasters, cruise ships, and castles.
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The man who spent decades figuring out how families queue up for rides, buy Mickey ears, and sail on Disney cruises is now in charge of the entire Mouse House.
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The big announcement that ends a long saga
On Tuesday, Disney’s board officially announced that Josh D’Amaro, currently chairman of Disney Experiences, will replace Bob Iger as CEO. The change becomes official on March 18, during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting.
This decision finally closes one of the most closely watched succession dramas in corporate America. Disney has been searching (and sometimes stumbling) toward a stable leadership plan ever since Iger first stepped down in 2020.
When D’Amaro takes over, Bob Iger won’t vanish overnight. Instead, Iger will shift into a senior adviser role and remain on Disney’s board until December 31, 2026, which will mark his full retirement from the company.
Why Josh D’Amaro? The “classic Disney” choice
At 54, Josh D’Amaro fits what many insiders call the “classic Disney CEO mold.” He is not flashy. He is not loud. He is deeply familiar with how Disney works from the ground up.
D’Amaro joined Disney in 1998, starting at Disneyland, and never really left the parks business. Over nearly three decades, he worked across marketing, operations, finance, and leadership roles that kept him close to the customer experience.
Today, he oversees 12 Disney theme parks worldwide, Disney’s entire cruise business, consumer products and retail, Walt Disney Imagineering and video games and licensing.
Most importantly, he is currently steering a $60 billion global expansion of Disney’s theme parks including a brand-new destination in Abu Dhabi marking Disney’s deeper push into the Middle East.
Bob Iger’s seal of approval
The outgoing CEO Bob Iger didn’t just approve the choice. He praised it loudly.
In his statement, Iger called D’Amaro “an exceptional leader” with an instinctive understanding of the Disney brand. He highlighted D’Amaro’s ability to balance creativity with operational discipline.
Iger said D’Amaro understands “what resonates with our audiences” while also delivering some of Disney’s most ambitious projects.
The other contender: Dana Walden’s new power role
Josh D’Amaro wasn’t the only serious contender.
For months, Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, was widely seen as the other frontrunner. Rather than losing out, Walden is now stepping into a newly created position: President and Chief Creative Officer.
Her appointment also begins on March 18, and she will report directly to D’Amaro.
Bob Iger described Walden as a leader with enormous respect from the creative community. Since joining Disney, Walden has built deep knowledge across brands, studios, and business lines, making her central to Disney’s creative future.
Inside D’Amaro’s Disney journey
Josh D’Amaro’s Disney career is a case study in internal growth.
From 1998 to 2008, he worked in sales and travel trade marketing, eventually becoming vice president of sales and travel trade marketing. During that period, he also served as director of business planning and strategy development.
In 2008, he moved into finance, becoming chief financial officer of Disney Consumer Products Licensing, a role he held for two years.
From there, his career shifted firmly into experiences and parks. In 2010, he was the vice president of Adventures by Disney, overseeing guided tours worldwide. In 2013-2014, he was the vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom during its historic expansion.
He played a key role as the park prepared for Pandora, The World of Avatar, Disney’s largest-ever theme park expansion in partnership with James Cameron
By 2014, he became senior vice president of Resort & Transportation Operations at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Between 2017 and 2020, D’Amaro’s promotions came fast:
– Chief Commercial Officer of Walt Disney World Resort
– President of Disneyland Park in Anaheim
– President of Walt Disney World Resort
Then came 2020.
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When Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger as CEO, D’Amaro stepped into Chapek’s former role as chairman of Disney Experiences, right as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down global tourism.
It was one of the toughest periods in Disney’s history.
As chairman of Disney Experiences, D’Amaro became responsible for attractions, cruise ships, retail, and merchandise across parks in California, Florida, France, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
In September 2020, Disney announced the painful decision to cut 28,000 theme park jobs worldwide due to prolonged closures and financial pressure.
While many resorts reopened gradually, Disneyland in California remained shut, forcing furloughs and extended uncertainty for employees.
D’Amaro became the public face of reopening plans as restrictions eased:
– April 30, 2021: Disneyland Park in Anaheim finally reopened
– June 17, 2021: Disneyland Paris reopened after multiple shutdowns
Big bets: Abu Dhabi, cruises, and Fortnite
Beyond recovery, D’Amaro pushed growth.
Under his leadership, Disney expanded aggressively into cruise tourism. He led Disney’s investment in Epic Games, bringing Disney characters into Fortnite. He oversaw Disney’s first major park expansion into the Middle East, with a new destination under construction in Abu Dhabi
The Iger Legacy D’Amaro inherits
Josh D’Amaro takes over a company shaped heavily by Bob Iger’s vision.
Over nearly 20 years as CEO across two stints, Iger transformed Disney through bold acquisitions: Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox.
He also launched Disney+, reshaping the streaming landscape, and expanded Disney’s footprint into China with Shanghai Disney, followed by newer international pushes.
This will be Iger’s second and final exit. His first departure in 2020 led to Bob Chapek’s troubled tenure, which ended with Chapek’s firing in 2022 and Iger’s dramatic return.
This time, Disney hopes, there will be no comeback tour.
Why this choice matters
By choosing Josh D’Amaro, Disney is making a statement. It is betting on physical experiences over pure streaming battles, long-term brand trust over short-term noise, a leader shaped by guests, not algorithms.
For now, the castle has a new caretaker.
And this time, Disney is hoping the magic sticks.
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