Why Josh D’Amaro Is the CEO Disney Fans Want

Josh D’Amaro has been named the next CEO of the Walt Disney Company and will take over after the annual meeting on March 18, 2026. Most fans see his appointment as the best outcome for a company that has increasingly more corporate and less “Disney” for years.

Disney has changed

The Walt Disney Company was known for its unique balance of family, nostalgia, and warmth for years, but over the last 10-15 years, the company has become colder and more corporate in its approach and choices.

The “Disney difference” once meant that each guest was “special” and valued. Perks were rolled in to make a Disney vacation feel more special. Cast Members were part of the “Disney family” and were valued.  Now Disney fans feel that the “Disney difference” means less for more, rising costs, fewer perks, an overreliance on purchased IP, and the corporation over customer.

Cast Members went from being “family” to “employees,” so cuts could be made due to bloat and declining revenue as poor choices were made from on high.

If you have grown up with Disney for decades, the shift became more and more obvious as time progressed.

Josh D’Amaro gives Disney fans and Cast Members hope.

None of us will know how D’Amaro’s CEO tenure will go. It may be worse than the Bobs. But what I do know is D’Amaro feels more “Disney” than anyone we’ve had in decades.

He listens to fans and Cast Members. When he does, he makes sure people know that he is present and is trying to understand and make Disney better.

A recent article for Variety had some quotes and examples listed that illustrate this perfectly.

“The Josh Effect. He’s so relatable. He looks people in the eye. He’s extremely confident but not cocky.” – Joe Gavigan

“Josh is not afraid to surround himself with people who know more about something than he does.”- Spencer Neumann

Frankly, those are characteristics of a good leader.

He cares about guests and his own people.

“..a few months after D’Amaro was named chairman of Experiences, he showed how he might handle a crisis. When mass layoffs struck Disney’s theme park business, D’Amaro was tasked with telling thousands of cast members they were being evicted from the happiest place on Earth.

He didn’t just send a memo; instead, he visited Downtown Disney to comfort crying employees. He listened to them as they vented and shared their fears. But he also made it clear that the COVID crisis had decimated tourism, leaving Disney with little choice but to make painful cuts.”

Writer and leadership expert Marcus Buckingham shadowed D’Amaro and told this story,

“One morning last year, before the gates opened, D’Amaro spent time in the sprawling “Star Wars” land with a Make-a-Wish recipient. For half an hour, he’s just on his haunches with this 12-year-old girl chatting about the stupid robots that have walked up. And no one’s watching; there are no cameras.”

He cares about the guest and fan experiences,

“At Disneyland, he has a reputation for being obsessed with everything from the color of the trash cans to the taste of the popcorn. He recently spent nearly three hours in a meeting with 30 operators and Imagineers to brainstorm a potential redesign of the Millennium Falcon ride. He even designs his own PowerPoint presentations, which is kind of weird.” – Buckingham

He’s even driven himself to Mattel to discuss the production of dolls.

This is why fans and investors are keen on Josh D’Amaro. He seems to embody what people remember Disney to be.

Former Disney Chairman Kevin Mayer described D’Amaro as one who embodies the Disney ethos saying, 

“Josh lives, eats and breathes the brand. I don’t think he’ll shrink from the spotlight. He’s a perfect ambassador for Disney, because he embodies its ethos.”

I think that comes across to Disney fans and investors.

Is it enough?

Now this question remains.  D’Amaro embodies the “Disney ethos,” and he is a great leader, loved by customers and employees, but is it enough?

Disney has expanded exponentially into film and streaming, while facing the decline of linear TV. He can’t spend all his time being so hands-on for parks and experiences as he has to oversee the entire company.

This is where I think Dana Walden being made President and Chief Creative Officer was a good business move.

Walden doesn’t have the experience and connection to Disney that D’Amaro has,  but she has those key metrics in Hollywood.  Now she has to do better moving forward with Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation. Because the returns are hit and miss. Maybe politically charged decisions aren’t the best ones to make. Instead, she needs to focus more on expectations and mass appeal.

D’Amaro isn’t out when it comes to the Hollywood angle either. He is behind Disney joining Epic Games to further promote the parks and the film/tv arm of the company. He might be the idea guy while Walden is the enforcer.

If the pair can work together, it could be a win for the company.  I truly hope they do work well together and they can make Disney feel like Disney once again.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!