As 2024 ended, Daps Magic shared the top 5 moments that were covered throughout the year. Daps Magic chose these stories from the realm of Disney and positive stuff based on the impact of the story on the past, present, and future of The Walt Disney Company, how it impacted the Disney community, and how it impacted the world beyond Disney. These stories were as follows:
Today, Disney shared 10 of the top moments it sees from 2024. Take a look at what the House of Mouse sees as its top ten moments from last year here:
D23 Fan Events Showcase Everything Disney Can Do
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event Presented by Visa® and D23 Brazil — A Disney Experience showcased everything Disney can do with fan events bigger and more immersive than ever before. The two events — which took place in Anaheim, California, in August and São Paulo, Brazil, in November — offered thousands of Disney’s most passionate fans a glimpse of the vast array of creativity, talent, and innovation that powers Disney’s brands and businesses. That included major announcements about what’s planned for Disney Parks and resorts, first looks at upcoming films, and a celebration of Disney Legends.
The Walt Disney Studios Shatters Multiple Records at the Box Office
Disney Makes History with Record-Breaking 60 Emmy® Awards
Disney’s record-breaking year didn’t just take place on the big screen, however. In September, Disney won a record-breaking 60 wins at the 76th Emmy Awards across its content brands, studios, and platforms. That included Disney’s FX receiving 36 awards — the most for any of the company’s brands or studios and the most in the history of FX. Last year’s most-winning series, Shōgun, won 19 awards, setting a new Television Academy record for any series in a single year.
ABC News delivered another year of exceptional news coverage, providing audiences with trusted insight and analysis on 2024’s biggest local, national, and global stories. In fact, ABC News’ flagship morning news program, Good Morning America, had the highest total viewership of any morning show during the 2023-2024 season — for the 12th straight season. Meanwhile, ABC News’ World News Tonight with David Muir was the most-watched evening newscast for the eighth season in a row. World News Tonight also spent 24 of 52 weeks as the No. 1 program of the week in Total Viewers on all of broadcast and cable (with and without sports).
Disney’s Streaming Business Takes a Leap Forward
Disney’s streaming businesses had multiple notable moments last year. Most notably, Disney’s streaming businesses reached profitability and Disney+ celebrated its fifth anniversary in November. Disney also launched Hulu and ESPN+ tiles and hubs on Disney+. In doing so, it created the ultimate streaming destination by giving subscribers to the bundle access to sports, general entertainment, and kids and family programming — all within a single app.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opens at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort
One of the biggest moments for Disney Experiences last year was the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in June and at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort in November. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features dozens of Audio-Animatronics figures, a sensational soundtrack (including music from the film and new compositions), and an exhilarating 50-foot drop.
Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea Comes to Life
Another big moment in 2024 was Fantasy Springs — the eighth themed port at Tokyo DisneySea Park — coming to life on June 6. Fantasy Springs debuted areas inspired by three beloved films and franchises from Walt Disney Animation Studios. That includes Rapunzel’s Forest from 2010’s Tangled, Peter Pan’s Never Land from 1953’s Peter Pan, and Frozen Kingdom from the 2013 blockbuster Frozen. The new port is an entryway for guests into the magical worlds of these films, which include innovative attractions, stunning restaurants, cozy shops, and the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel.
Disney Cruise Line Welcomes a New Ship and Announces More to Come
From an unprecedented surge in viewership and engagement of women’s sports across Disney platforms to landing several landmark agreements that will shape sports media for years to come, 2024 was an extraordinary year for ESPN. ESPN dominated in viewership across game broadcasts and studio shows and lead the way with innovative storytelling in animated alternative broadcasts. The ESPN brand remains unmatched in sports media, ranking as the No. 1 brand for following sports. Beyond the launch of ESPN on Disney+, ESPN’s commitment to its digital future continued to flourish, with ESPN Digital reaching two thirds of all U.S. adults monthly and maintaining its position as the No.1 sports destination for 32 consecutive months.
“Our creativity and unrelenting service to sports fans will continue in 2025 with the early fall launch of our flagship direct-to-consumer product,” Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN, said.
The Walt Disney Company Looks Ahead with Epic Games and the NBA
While 2024 was a banner year, two of the most exciting moments for Disney last year were announcements about things to come.
In February, it was announced that Disney and Epic Games will collaborate on an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences. In addition to being a world-class games experience and interoperating with Fortnite, the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop, and engage with content, characters, and stories from Disney.
Then, in July, Disney and ESPN reached a landmark 11-year extension with the NBA and WNBA for media rights that will be in effect from the 2025-26 through 2035-36 NBA seasons and the 2026 through 2036 WNBA seasons. As part of the agreement, ESPN continues its longstanding position as the primary media rights partner of the NBA and the WNBA, as well as the exclusive home of the NBA’s crown jewel event, the NBA Finals.
What do you think the top story of 2024 was for The Walt Disney Company? Do you think the ten that Disney picked belong on the list? Are there any that aren’t on the list that should be? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
Mr. Daps is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Daps Magic! Find Mr. Daps regularly at Disneyland with his trilby and bow tie taking pictures and simply enjoying the Happiest Place on Earth. He is the weekly host of GEEKS CORNER and your reporter for all that Disney And Positive Stuff. Find videos of all of that one the Daps Magic YouTube channel. Mr. Daps is also a Brand Ambassador with Her Universe! Find Mr. Daps on Twitter,Instagram, and Threads! If you see Mr. Daps in the parks, be sure and say hi!
