Disney “Doesn’t Trust” Imagineers, Axes New Marvel Attractions and Tomorrowland
A new report has offered fresh insight into why several major Disney Parks projects never made it past the planning stage.
According to The Wall Street Journal, internal financial concerns led Walt Disney Imagineering to cancel multiple proposed developments, including new Marvel attractions and a long-discussed reimagining of Tomorrowland. The report points to a lack of trust from senior leadership over costs and delivery timelines.
Specifically, the publication states that “senior parks executives didn’t trust WDI could deliver projects on time and on budget,” a belief that ultimately stalled or ended several high-profile ideas before they reached public announcement.
The decisions were made during a period of heightened financial oversight at Disney, when capital spending faced increased scrutiny and creative teams were required to justify even small budget items. That environment reshaped how projects were evaluated and which ideas were allowed to move forward.
Those canceled plans now stand in contrast to Disney’s current expansion push, as the company embarks on a multibillion-dollar investment across its global parks portfolio.
Financial Oversight And The Projects That Didn’t Move Forward
The report links the scrapped Marvel rides and Tomorrowland overhaul to leadership changes that occurred during the short tenure of Bob Chapek.
After Chapek reorganized spending oversight at Walt Disney Imagineering, creative decision-making became closely tied to short-term financial projections rather than long-range attendance growth.
“Senior financial executives were visiting WDI daily, sitting down to approve or disapprove budget items, even tiny ones, line by line,” Imagineer Bob Weis wrote in his memoir “Dream Chasing.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, that level of scrutiny led executives to lose confidence in Imagineering’s ability to manage large-scale projects efficiently. As a result, leadership rejected plans for “several major Marvel attractions.”
A proposed transformation of Tomorrowland was also shelved, despite years of fan criticism aimed at the land’s outdated vision of the future. The report says executives questioned whether the update would significantly boost attendance.
“Executives calculated it wouldn’t do enough to increase attendance,” the publication reports, citing people familiar with the discussions.
For some Imagineers, the shift in priorities altered the culture of the division. Theron Skees, who worked at Disney for 23 years before leaving in 2020, described the period plainly.
“It wasn’t fun anymore,” Skees told The Wall Street Journal.
Expansion Returns As Leadership Changes
The cancellations occurred as Disney Parks entered a broader transition period. In recent years, the company has committed $60 billion to its theme parks, cruise ships, and related experiences worldwide.
At Walt Disney World, those plans include a new Cars-themed land, a Disney Villains area, and major changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disneyland Resort is also preparing large-scale additions, including new Avatar and Coco attractions.
That renewed investment followed the return of Bob Iger as CEO in late 2022, signaling a shift in tone around long-term creative spending.
In winter 2023, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro met with Bruce Vaughn, a former Imagineer with experience in visual effects, startups, and Airbnb.
During that meeting, D’Amaro outlined a plan to nearly double Disney’s investment in parks, cruise ships, and technology over the next decade.
“That blew my mind,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn later returned to Walt Disney Imagineering, initially co-leading the division before becoming its president in 2024. His appointment reflected an effort to restore confidence in both the creative and operational sides of the unit.
D’Amaro, widely viewed as a leading internal candidate to succeed Iger, has emphasized long-term growth through large-scale development. An official succession announcement is expected early this year, ahead of Iger’s planned departure in late 2026.
With billions now committed to future expansions, fingers crossed that Disney once again places all of its trust in Imagineers to get the job done.
Are you surprised that Bob Chapek axed planned Marvel projects?
