It’s official—Bob Iger has drawn a line in the sand. The era of “classic” Walt Disney World is coming to a close, and a new wave of change is taking over the parks.
Fans who have grown up walking through Main Street, U.S.A., floating down the Rivers of America, or watching Muppet*Vision 3D in Hollywood Studios are being forced to confront an uncomfortable reality: those days are numbered. While Iger hasn’t personally bulldozed these attractions, his leadership has seen the resort pivot away from original concepts in favor of franchise-heavy experiences—and the transformation is nearly complete.
A Shift That’s Hard to Miss
Disney World’s landscape has always evolved, but the current shift feels more aggressive than ever. Fifteen classic attractions have been removed in recent years, replaced by experiences tied to Disney’s growing library of IPs.
At Hollywood Studios, The Great Movie Ride—once a charming tribute to Hollywood’s golden age—is gone. In its place stands Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, a cute, high-tech ride that leans more on brand recognition than storytelling depth.
In EPCOT, Maelstrom has been swapped out for Frozen Ever After. Though many guests enjoy seeing Elsa and Anna, the loss of the ride’s cultural and historical focus has frustrated longtime EPCOT fans.
Even Country Bear Jamboree has undergone a dramatic shift. While still operational, the show now features Disney songs instead of its signature country tunes, a sign that even surviving attractions aren’t safe from modernization.
Big Projects Confirm the Trend
The future of Disney World is being designed with intellectual property front and center. Confirmed projects include:
-
Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island being removed for Cars Land and Villains Land.
-
Monsters, Inc.-themed Monstropolis replacing Muppet*Vision 3D.
-
Tropical Americas, featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones, taking over the entirety of DinoLand U.S.A.
Each of these projects promises immersive storytelling and crowd appeal—but they come at the cost of original, non-IP attractions that once gave Disney World its charm.
The Heart of the Parks Is Changing
Under Iger’s leadership, the philosophy has shifted: new lands must be tied to recognizable characters or cinematic universes. While fans appreciate the dazzling technology and polished design of newer rides, many feel that Disney has traded its creative soul for franchise synergy.
Walt Disney once imagined EPCOT as a place for progress and discovery. Today, that same park is home to a Marvel coaster, a Frozen ride, and plans for more franchise integration.
And while no one expects Disney to stop innovating, the speed and scale of these changes have sparked growing concern. Is there still room for the quirky, heartfelt attractions that used to define the parks?
What’s Next?
If current trends hold, the answer is: probably not.
Bob Iger’s strategy is clear. The Disney parks are no longer just destinations—they’re platforms to expand and monetize Disney’s vast media empire. That may be good for business, but for many longtime fans, it marks the end of something special.
“Classic” Walt Disney World—the one filled with educational boat rides, hokey musical animatronics, and quiet corners where imagination came first—is fading fast. What’s left is flashier, louder, and undeniably modern—but also missing the gentle magic that once made the parks feel like home.
You hit the nail on the head. The quiet charm is gone exchanged for bigger, flashier experiences. I wish some of the quiet areas were left. The need to be on your phone for your whole visit is not relaxing at all.
100% agree. Also, this is not what Walt Disney would have wanted. He would want us to enjoy and have fun.
The Downfall of Disney- the Reign of Iger. Sounds like a good name for a book. What has been done in the name of greed and pandering to the rich and entitled is a travesty. Even the kidsi don’t like this direction or care if they even visit. It’s the parents and grandparents who are spending the money and they prefer classic Disney.
Tinkerbelle’s light is being extinguished and there is going to be a whole lot less happiness to reilluminate her. The only people Iger are worried about are the shareholders, and shareholders don’t care if people are unhappy as long as the stocks increase. Iger has alienated the very people who kept the parks going during all of the recessions, 9/11, and Covid. He has no respect for the true Disney fans who saved for years to take their kids to a place where they could share their happy memories. The annual pass holders and locals who visited the parks and spent money when no one else would or could are the reason Disney got through the tough years.
Once Upon a time I bled Red, Yellow and Black, too. I could never have imagined not visiting several times a year when we didn’t live here, or at least once a week when we did. The shift in the corporate attitude was subtle at 1st, but by 2011, you could see the difference. The hotels were becoming generic, the characters were gone from the outside of the busses, it was obvious the castmembers weren’t enjoying their jobs, the maintenance and cleanliness of the parks had gone seriously down hill, attractions were in disrepair, prices had skyrocketed while the experience declined.
The perks for passholders and castmembers were also quickly disappearing.
Then came the influx of IP! They couldn’t be satisfied with the mountains of IP available to them through Disney or Pixar, they had to buy out Lucas Films, Fox Entertainment and God only knows how many other sources for IP, and now they are jumping all over the new Harry Potter franchise.
Mickey has gone from a sweet, unassuming, cordial, welcoming little mouse to a greedy, obtrusive, less than welcoming, snobbish rat.
For 20 years we bought the highest level of annual pass for the Florida parks. When they changed to the new system, We dropped down to the Pixie Dust as it’s too hot in the summer and we never went on weekends,and added the Waterpark option. We then skipped a year. 2 years ago we got the Pixie Dust with Waterpark pass, but found that since they have been selling lightening lanes and standby lines have been ridiculous, we weren’t even going once a month during the months we could go, even to the Waterpark. We went a couple of days to Epcot during the festivals, once to Animal Kingdom, once to Hollywood Studios and twice to Typhoon Lagoon -A huge decrease from the once a week, all longer vacations spent on property and extra money we spent every time we went. We didn’t take food or drinks with us, we ate and drank there, even after the price of alcohol went through the roof. We were also known to purchase souvenirs as we have grandchildren and I used to be a huge collector of Disney memorabilia.
Last year we had planned to just get the Waterpark pass but they started giving free days to hotel guests, so we didn’t purchase anything. Our grandchildren have moved to Wisconsin, so we won’t have the opportunities to take them to the parks, and they are just as happy going to Disney Springs and they prefer Universal and SeaWorld.
Since Disney doesn’t seem to miss the thousands of dollars we fed into their coffers for so many years, they can do without it. There are many, many others who might be able to afford to go, but have found their money better spent elsewhere.
Well said! I moved to Florida with my children who are all grown to be close to disney. That was our favorite place for the past 30 plus years. Since moving here to Florida, I’ve noticed the magic has gone…its all about the money. No one cares to clean up the trash, rides need to be fixed and taken care of. I’m sure Walt didn’t envision this, where families can’t afford to visit. I’ve given up my pass. I refuse to spend the money.
You WATCH your mouth! There’s NOTHING well said about this crap at all! And you couldn’t be more WRONG! The magic of Disney is NOT long gone at all! It’s NOT all about the money! Only a brainless fool would every say that kind of pessimistic crap when we’re working our butts off to bring the “classic” Disney back! I made that promise on Walt Disney’s grave that we will bring back the “classic” Disney! And that was foolish of you to give up your pass and refuse to spend the money when we’re working to restore Disney back to the classic way it was before! Stop giving up like a gutless coward! Get back your Disney pass and have faith in our noble cause of changing Disney for the better!
Annie, calm down
You should be a White House Press Agent with that set of blinders
I’m sorry Kenneth, but that was the previous White House press secretary with a binder and blinders telling us Joetato was in perfect mental faculties when he’d turn around and shake hands with a ghost or have to be led where to walk. You went there first.
Same here. Once annual pass holders, we haven’t been in years as all the magic evaporated rather quickly and it’s all about money. Guests are no longer the focus.
Exactly why we will never step foot inside Disney ever again. They lost us when they made kids movies woke. Slammed the door when they trashed the fort on the island.
I took my family to Disney for vacations from 99 to 2018 for 10 to 12 days once or twice a year. Stayed on property, park hopper plus and we loved it. Although never cheap prior to 2015 I always felt it was fair for what we got. We almost always got the meal plane for free as a promotion. My wife and I started to go to Universal after Covid but we went to Disney the last 2 years. To say I was shocked is a understatement. For the first time I felt like I was at a amusement park that is in serious neglect. Cast members who are angry, hotels filthy and the cost is just insane. All the small filler shows or rides gone. I could say so much more but I care so little about Disney now I don’t even want to type anymore. If anyone wants to know how Disney was, go to Universal you can find a glimpse therr
Even I’M aren’t really safe. 20,000 leagues under the sea was an IP, Mr. Toad was part of an IP too. If they ever take out the haunted mansion, I’m out. Of course, they turned that one into an IP though.
I miss the real Disney, the mistake we wanted to be able to share with our children and grandchildren. Shame on the Greedy people at the top!
This is what bothers me the most.
I agree 🙁
Disney is dead. What’s left is Darth Iger’s Empire.
Darth Iger didn’t just take over—he assimilated everything Walt Disney built and turned it into fuel for his profit machine. The gentle, story-soaked park where families escaped reality together? Assimilated. Pirates, Small World, Tiki Room, Main Street—now just nostalgic islands drowning in louder, faster, meaningless carnival rides that exist only to sell the next piece of plastic junk. Walt’s timeless classics—Snow White, Pinocchio, Mickey himself—reduced to ten-second parade cameos or locked behind warning labels while Darth Iger green-lights billion-dollar lectures nobody asked for.
Darth Iger looked at Walt’s promise (“parents and children having fun together, again and again”) and saw only weakness. So he priced the average family out on purpose. $1,200 a day before lunch is now the entry fee to his Empire. He brags about it on earnings calls: higher-income demographic, more spend per head, more debt on parents’ credit cards. Middle-class grandparents who once saved for a magical trip now watch their grandkids priced out forever. That’s not collateral damage—that’s the plan.
Darth Iger is the ruthless Sith Lord of corporate America: cold, calculating, and utterly without sentiment. Walt walked his park every weekend picking up trash to keep the dream pure. Darth Iger hasn’t been spotted without a security detail and a price-hike announcement in years. Walt banned alcohol because he wanted a better world inside the gates. Darth Iger put bars in every land because booze has higher margins. Walt refused to cheapen Mickey with merchandise floods. Darth Iger turned Mickey into the most expensive logo on Earth.
Disney is no longer Disney. It is the Empire. And Darth Iger is its emperor, strangling the last breaths of innocence and wonder Walt left us, one upcharge, one overlay, one cynical “modernization” at a time. The magic is dead. Long live Darth Iger.
as a shareholder, here is what concerns me about Iger’s current direction. it feels like short-term thinking wrapped in corporate optimism. disney’s long-term strength came from emotional continuity, classic experiences, and the sense that each park had its own soul.
i say that as someone who used to visit multiple times a year. then the classics slowly disappeared, the identity of the parks blurred, and I stopped going. ten years went by before I returned. when I finally visited again, the place felt strangely empty. not just low crowds, but that deeper kind of empty where the spirit is thinner than it used to be.
EPCOT is the clearest example. it used to be a love letter to human possibility. a park about science, culture, imagination, and the future. now it feels like a patchwork of movie tie-ins and half-remembered ideas. the original theme was not old or irrelevant. it was aspirational. it gave EPCOT a beating heart. watching that get replaced by scattered IP feels less like evolution and more like amnesia.
guests like me were never the issue. we were the long-term loyalists who came because disney felt grounded and distinct. treating the parks like a content pipeline might satisfy a quarterly presentation, but it erodes the emotional loyalty that built this company into a generational brand.
if the goal is quick wins, this path will get them. if the goal is preserving long-term value, what happened to EPCOT should be a warning. the more the parks drift from their identities, the more that deep loyalty fades. and shareholders who pay attention can feel it just as clearly as the guests who walk those pathways.
You have spoken exactly what I think and feel. I miss, and I’m not alone, the real Disney inspired parks. The inspiration, curiosity and nostalgia are what brought us back year after year.
Iger is doing to the parks what he did to the movies. It will come back to bite him.
Iger has turned into his mentor Michael Eisner, who Roy E. Disney stated was “Turning The Walt Disney Company into a souless, rapacious, entertainment conglomerate.” He said said this before organizing the biggest no confidence vote in corporate history at that years annual share holder’s meeting, causing Michael Eisner to resign from Disney. Now we don’t have anyone like Roy E. Disney who cares about the integrity of the company that his dad and uncle built. Roy Patrick? Aren’t you bothered by what’s being done to the company you’re great uncle Walt And grandfather Roy O. Disney built? There’s still a few historic attractions that can be saved! Your grandfather gave up his retirement to see WDW got completed by Oct 1971. Get involved for his memory.
This article suggests that the park hasn’t always been about money. In fact it always has and always will be. If Walt was somehow magically alive, he would be all over the technology available today, and pushing even harder for more changes.
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious … and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Of course its always been about money. Thats why you go into business in the first place. The issue is Disney used to understand that if you design your entertainment to actually entertain to a wide, general audience you have a much higher chance of success, and thats why they were entertainment kings for generations.
Disney changed direction, wanting to appeal to targeted demographics, especially sociopolitical niches. Iger and others decided that this was the future, and went at it full steam. Sadly their repeated failures and dwindling profits arent driving home the right message.
True, but he had the ability, the vision, and the concern to make plenty of money without it being the only goal. The beancounter corporate suits know nothing about Disney, the vision, only about Disney the stock.
As a long time Disney fan of both the parks and movies. I would love it if Disney World would open up a separate park for the classic rides and retire them there instead of just replacing them. So sad to see the classic ones gone.
Walts plans were that Disney would never stop changing and growing. Though I’m not sure this is what he meant. Some of the rides you mentioned though are better now. The Great Movie Ride was terrible and Malestrom was worse. But unfortunately kids just don’t get as excited about these attractions as they used to. We used to be a Disney family. Not so much anymore. Sad.
You’re lying. The Great Movie Ride and Maelstrom have never been terrible or worse. And you know it. Cut the crap.
So sad that the CEO of Disney is taking away the true meaning of Mr. WALT DISNEY vision of family experiences. The value of families going to enjoy a true meaning. Not pushing none related Disney themes. I grew up around Disney I remember Redcreek fire station built.
No one knew it was Disney being built.
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE AWAY TRUE MEANING OF MR. DISNEY VISION. PLEASE..
My daughter’s 27 and 23 still remember the real Disney.
FAMILY VALUE IS WORTH MORE STOCKS AND TAKING AWAY A KIDS DREAM.
I think the name “Iger” must be a variation of the name “Satan.”
Anyone thinking Disney 4.0 was never going to be a thing had unfortunately got stuck with their heads in the sand. Disney (WDW) isn’t better (or worse) its different, the crowds demographics are changing. The old stories are frankly, old but someone is starting to wise up a little to the fact of retro sells. Anyone in WDW would have seen the shift in South Americn guests and I can only assume the trend will continue. I myself declared that I had done with WDW (for at least) the next 6/7/8 years, DLP is a 50 minute flight from London, the latest IPs are all being taken care of there and even though I shall return to Orlando for my 8th visit in 35 years (from UK) the only parks I will step foot into this summer 3 week vacation will contain the brand – Universal!
Can’t wait until he’s gone
He must be related to the person who decided to turn all the McDonald’s, Taco Bells and other chain restaurants into depressing Grey cube structures.
It’s just becoming the standard amusement park now. It we no longer be a special destination to experience over and over. It’ll be one and done for most.
Three words: You blew it.
That more parents aren’t pitching a fit over losing classic family Disney experience means they aren’t reading to their kids. Kindergarten is filled with busy work instead of play and learning to read. They’re giving little kids smartphones. Sitting down to read with their children is passe. Tucking them in at night, telling the old stories we grew up with. Nope.
When we had our four and lived in So. CA we had 3-Season passes. Mom took them to D-Land and rode on the rides with stories they knew. I met them for lunch (a long-past park to picnic was just outside the gate).
Now, we will never take our grandkids because the stories won’t be there… it’s going to be a modern ride park. That’s all it will be…no Disney. He’s long gone.
Bob Igor learns his paycheck is paid by visitors. Good luck asshat.
Sometimes the “Classics” are just too classic, and stories they once told now fail to capture the imagination of modern day visitors. For instance: Figment in Epcot. That ride, even on busy days, never has a line. The story has aged poorly and the ride horribly dull. Its time to say goodbye to Figment.
While on the subject, spaceship earth. The history is so incomplete, the ride boring. So much can be done to give it some pop of modern technology.
For the prices they now charge, I say get rid of the old, keep innovating to new.
You shut up and get real Andrew. Iger has actually lied. Those so-called projects are not very promising and may never be complete due to stock. And Classic Disney will never be gone as long as the New CEO fixes this. And don’t count Josh being the new CEO because he is not confirmed, but an outsider may be the one and end Iger’s crap and lies. No more lies from you.
As a local annual pass holder who’s been visiting the parks for years, I’ve learned that embracing change is essential to the Disney magic. If everything stayed the same, the experience would grow stale. Even when they updated the nostalgic Country Bears, I was pleasantly surprised—the new show captures that classic spirit with a fresh, modern twist, and my wife and I absolutely loved it. The Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is another triumph; we giggle like kids through the entire ride.
Walt Disney himself envisioned Disneyland as a place that would never be finished, constantly evolving and improving. That vision means older attractions sometimes make way for new experiences. And that’s why we go so often because we always find ourselves stumbling upon something unexpected that we didn’t see in the park in the times we’ve been there before at the Disney World’s 4 parks. And honestly, the things like the transition from FastPass to the paid system has been a net positive for the standby community. Before, if a ride posted a 30-minute wait, you’d often wait much longer while FastPass holders streamed through. Now, those times are far more accurate.
Additionally, cracking down on disability pass abuse—which had gotten completely out of control—has made standby lines move consistently and fairly for everyone. True Disney fans understand that this ongoing evolution is exactly what Walt intended.
The most direct note in your article is the removal of attractions and exhibits that require or show imagination. While that was a hallmark trait Walt Disney, his family teams, and teams focused on and excelled at, it has been apparent for a while Disney Corp no longer has any imagination. They have no imagineers creating new ideas, technology, and stories. When was the last Disney project/movie that was an original thought?? All they have now is what they bought from Lucas, Marvel, et al. A true corporate machine without heart, imagination or any feel for the kids it once served. Now just another profit driven, little value legacy set of parks that will at some point price out the majority and eventually be deemed too expensive to continue. I am thankful I had the opportunity to experience the True Disney Walt imagined, and sad my Grandchildren will not have the same chance.
I’ve been going since 1973 and continue to have a good time but the experience is definitely different. The move away from imagination and wonder to IP tie-ins is a shame but a symptom of the present. Cellphones and social media have created a whole new lifestyle. We are no longer a community of human beings but rather cold and distant automatons, linked only through ever growing technology. I for one will miss the innocence but time, as they say, marches on. I’m just glad that I’ll be too old to care.
Weird that this piece is pure personal opinion, yet touted as almost pure fact. I’ve been to WDW a minimum of twice a year since 1992 and none of the increased IP changes have made a huge drop in crowds visitation or riding new experiences. Actually, most legacy attractions are barely frequented anymore. Look at something like carousel of progress. That is barely attended and is one of the last classic rides Walt ever worked on. Also, speaking of Walt, EPCOT is nothing compared to Walt’s vision of a living breathing technologically advanced city. After his death, it became a best foot forward on a lackluster settling compared to his true vision of what that piece of land could have been. I would think, as a CEO, you’d want to look at what continues to keep growth and your business profitable. Why wouldn’t you want to add new IP to your parks? Disneyland was all IP at its inception, right? Epic Universe, though Universal, is nothing but IP in your face at every turn. Wanting nostalgia to last within an a certain age group is great in theory, but doesn’t keep the park doors open.
The thing that has me Both pissed off & disappointed in the current direction of parks like Disney & Epcot is that when you look at the price hikes just to get into the parks,BUT then you need apps on your phone like the Lightning Lane & etc just to be able to ride the rides & reserve tables at whatever restaurant you want to eat & etc,& also let’s not forget the high prices of the restaurants in Disneyland/World, Epcot & etc, it’s EVENTUALLY going to get to the point where going to the theme parks will be like going to regular season NFL or MLB game or an event like the Superbowl or the World Series or WrestleMania where the ONLY people that’ll be able to afford to go see & do those things will be the upper 1%ers & the ultra rich who will use the parks & events like the SB,WS & WM as ways to help get their business deals done so that they can make even more millions of $,instead of letting it be affordable enough for the average sports fans & fans of the Disney products.
I believe to demolition every one of the Classic Attractions Destroys the Legacy of the Initial Key Attractions that have become Important to The Children who have enjoyed them & the Priceless Memories for Most are the Happiest Moments that those CHILDREN, WHO HAVE NOW BECOME PARENTS OF CHILDREN THEY HAVE RETURNED TO DISNEY TO GRANT THEM THE VERY BEST MAGICAL & HAPPIEST TIMES THAT THEY WILL LOOK BACK ON & THEY WILL ALWAYS HAVE “MEMORIES OF THE WORLD THAT WAS CREATED BY WALT DISNEY BEING THE HAPPIEST FAMILY MOMENTS TOGETHER TO ALWAYS CHERISH”.
WHEN THEY SAW MOM, DAD & ALL THEIR SIBLINGS – ALL BEING THE .HAPPIEST FAMILY MEMORY’S 9F THEIR CHILDHOOD!
TO DESTROY ALL OF THE CLASSIC ATTRACTIONS AND NOT KEEPING SEVERAL MOST ICONIC CLASSIC ATTRACTIONS IS SHORT SIGHTED & WILL DESTROY WALT DISNEY’S MAGICAL EXPERIENCES THAT HE HE HAD PERSONALLY SELECTED TO BE CREATED NOT JUST FOR IMMEDIATE ENJOYMENT, BUT FOR GENERATIONS OF EACH FAMILY TO CONTINUE SPARK WONDER & AMAZEMENT!
THOSE ORIGINAL ATTRACTIONS THAT MUST BE MAINTAINED & FUNCTIONING ARE PRICELESS ARTIFACTS THAT SPARK THE FEELINGS THE GRANDPARENT ACCOMPANYING THE GRAND KIDS WILL RECALL & RELIVE THOSE FEELINGS – MEMORY’S THAT THEY CHERISHED AS YOUNG CHILDREN.
ITS CRUCIAL TO KEEP A NUMBER OF THE MOST POPULAR OF THE CLASS ATTRACTIONS AS THEY ARE FOR THE YOUNGER AGED CHILDREN WHO ARE TO SMALL FOR ALL OF THE OTHER RIDES WHICH ARE FOR THE CHILDREN WHO ARE AT THE CERTAIN AGES & HEIGHTS..
KEEP THE CLASSIC ATTRACTIONS WHICH ALLOW FOR PARENTS TO ACCOMPANY THE CHILDREN TO SIT LIKE THE BOAT RIDE EITH THE ANAMATRONIC CHARACTERS AND A COUPLE OF THE MOST ICONIC ATTRACTIONS TO REMAIN & KEEP WALT DISNEY’S ORIGINAL PARK ATTRACTIONS TO BE ENJOYED!!!
NOT ALL OF THE ATTRACTIONS SHOULD BE DESTROYED BECAUSE BOB IGER THINKS THAT THEY WIPE OUT THE PAST!!!
WE NEED TO HONOR THE VISION & MILLIONS OF CHILDREN WHO CONTINUE TO ENJOY & LOVE THE MOST POPULAR CLASSIC ONE’S THAT WALT DISNEY SPECIFICALLY SELECTED HIMSELF TO BRING JOY & HAPPINESS TO MILLIONS OF CHILDREN WHO CONTINUE TO RETURN FOR EACH GENERATION WHO RETURN TO THE MAGICAL WORLD, WALT DISNEY CREATED!!!
Bummer. I mean they should have never took out the Mark Twain that was big time Americana. It’s losing it’s glamor. I might go one more time. But this is way too much change. It does not feel like Disneyland anymore.
Time to replace Iger for someone with vision and family values, not void plastic woke Hollywood culture! How many more live take offs of old animated movies are there?