5 Disney Experiences in Serious Trouble as Josh D’Amaro Takes Over as CEO

Josh D’Amaro has officially been named Bob Iger’s successor, and even though he won’t step into the CEO role until March, Disney fans already sense a shift. Disney leadership changes rarely stay in the boardroom. They usually show up in what the company builds, what it refreshes, and what it quietly leaves behind.

That’s why this moment feels tense. Disney has spent years proving it will replace long-running favorites when they no longer match the company’s future vision. So as D’Amaro moves closer to taking over, fans keep asking the same thing: Will he protect what people love, or will he push the changes even faster?

Bob Iger’s Era Created the Blueprint

Bob Iger helped Disney grow into a massive entertainment force, but many longtime fans still view his leadership as frustrating. Disney leaned hard into corporate strategy, price increases, and constant expansion. That would be one thing if the creative direction stayed the same, but Disney also changed what it valued.

Disney started moving away from original park concepts and leaned more on recognizable franchises. That made marketing simpler and let the company sell experiences featuring familiar characters and stories. At the same time, it made parts of the parks feel less unique because Disney increasingly built around what already had a built-in audience.

Ride Closures Taught Fans a Hard Lesson

Disney fans didn’t arrive at this anxiety by accident. They watched major experiences disappear during Iger’s era, including The Great Movie Ride and Maelstrom. Those attractions didn’t just fill space. They helped define what their parks felt like, and they gave guests something they couldn’t get anywhere else.

Disney moved on anyway, and that pattern shapes how fans read every new announcement today. Muppet Vision 3D falls into that same emotional category for many people. It represents an older version of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it feels tied to a time when the parks didn’t need every major experience to connect to a newer, hotter franchise.

“Core IP” Changes the Target List

D’Amaro’s focus on “core IP” makes this conversation feel even sharper. Disney wants its parks to reflect characters and stories that younger generations instantly recognize. That approach prioritizes franchises like Frozen and Encanto, and it pushes Disney toward attractions that feel familiar before guests even arrive.

That strategy can still create great experiences, but it also changes how Disney evaluates the classics. When a ride doesn’t connect to a major franchise, Disney can start treating it as an opportunity rather than a tradition. Fans already speculate about rumored targets like Jungle Cruise, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, and even “It’s a Small World.” Nobody expects Disney to shut them down tomorrow, but fans do wonder if Disney will keep the versions they know.

Disney+ Shifts Toward Profit

The parks won’t carry the entire weight of this new era. Disney+ could also change under D’Amaro, especially if he continues to prioritize profitability over the platform’s content. Disney+ spent years chasing growth, but a profit-first approach typically rewards reliable, recognizable content over creative risk.

That’s why many fans expect Disney to keep leaning into MCU and Star Wars shows. Those brands keep people subscribed, even when audiences debate quality or feel overwhelmed by volume. If Disney treats Disney+ as a tighter profit engine, another price increase wouldn’t shock anyone, especially during a leadership handoff, when companies often justify new changes.

Gaming and Tech Become a Bigger Bet

D’Amaro also appears to view technology as a huge advantage for Disney, and video games sit right in the middle of that strategy. Disney wants to expand its digital ecosystem, and that ambition connects to interactive entertainment, AI, and new ways to monetize Disney IP.

Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, signals how serious this could become. Disney doesn’t make a move like that just for a one-off collaboration. It points to a larger plan to meet audiences where they already spend time, even when they aren’t watching movies or walking through a theme park gate.

Expansions Keep Coming, and They Cost Something

D’Amaro’s era will likely deliver major expansions. Disney already has projects in motion, such as Tropical Americas, Piston Peak, Villains Land, and Monstropolis. Disney is also expanding internationally with World of Frozen in Paris, an Avatar land at Disney California Adventure, and a Coco ride planned for that same park. Animal Kingdom is expected to gain Encanto and Indiana Jones attractions, and Disney plans an entire Abu Dhabi theme park.

Fans love new lands, but they also know the tradeoff. Disney rarely adds big new things without removing or changing older ones. That’s why rumors like a Maleficent coaster in Villains Land, or a Coco ride coming to Disney World that could replace Gran Fiesta Tour, instantly raise alarms.

Sequels and Familiar Brands Still Run the Pipeline

If D’Amaro sticks with Disney’s current direction, movies and TV will likely continue to lean into familiar brands. Disney already has sequels confirmed, like Frozen 3 and Incredibles 3, and it’s moving forward with projects like live-action Hercules, live-action Tangled, and Princess Diaries 3. Disney also seems unlikely to slow its Star Wars and Marvel output, since those franchises stay reliable business engines across theaters and streaming.

D’Amaro could bring smart growth and exciting expansions. Still, fans worry he’ll repeat the same mistakes they associate with Iger: fewer original concepts, more franchise-first decisions, and more classics that slowly change until they feel like something else. March will arrive fast, and once it does, Disney’s next chapter will move quickly.

Disney’s Future Looms

Josh D’Amaro could lead Disney into an exciting era of expansion, but fans still worry it will come at the cost of the classics that built the parks in the first place. With March approaching fast, Disney’s next chapter is about to begin, and it won’t take long to see whether this new leadership protects nostalgia or replaces it.