The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger has spent time with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook as he spoke in depth on their podcast, The Rest Is History. In this case, the history revolves around Walt Disney and his legacy. This comes 70 years after Disneyland opened as the Happiest Place on Earth continues to celebrate this milestone. In the discussion, Iger, Holland, and Sandbrook discuss Walt Disney’s creative and cultural legacy, leadership, and storytelling. This long-form conversation gets surprisingly candid as Iger prepares to depart from the company next year. As it progresses, Iger talks about Walt’s influence, the evolution of Disney’s storytelling, and what creative leadership means today.

The conversation was recorded over the course of two days, October 2nd and 3rd. It took place at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank first and then at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This anchors a special multi-episode series from The Rest is History that explores Walt Disney’s life and legacy of innovation and the lasting cultural impact of Disneyland, his original theme park.

During the conversation, Iger noted how Walt embraced new technologies, saying, “Unlike many in the business that cowered in the face of technology because they viewed it as more of a threat than an opportunity, Walt was the opposite; there are countless examples of that.” 

This is a lesson that Iger carried with him as he initially led Disney and continued to push for innovation. He shared about his thought process in his early days, describing it as, “Let’s respect our past and not revere it, let’s not let it get in the way of innovation and continuing to evolve as a company, which I knew from everything that I’ve studied about Walt…. The first thing he would have done would have been to continue to innovate and not get stuck in his past.” 

He also shared about visiting Disneyland: “Every time I come here, I am energized by both the people that work here and the people who visit here. This is called the Happiest Place on Earth, and now that you’ve been here through this last 24 hours, I think you probably could attest.” 

As Iger nears retirement at the end of 2026, he also looks back at his own legacy. “I would want to be known as someone who was given the keys to this kingdom, and that I brought it to a place that even Walt would be proud of. What that means is more great storytelling to a larger audience, more innovation, more risk-taking, more creation of happiness. I really have been mindful of the duty that I feel has been handed to me to make it even better than it’s ever been.”  

The conversations with The Rest Is History podcast can be found on various podcasting providers. Disney’s Legacy, with Bob Iger, is currently on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, with video coming tomorrow. The Secrets of Disneyland with Bob Iger is currently available on YouTube and can be seen here:

What do you think of these conversations with Bob Iger? What did you like most about it? What was your big takeaway? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!