On the morning of March 18, 2026, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro made his first public appearance in his new role. This was during The Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholder meeting. After an opening by Disney Chairman James P. Gorman, the meeting spent a few minutes honoring the now-retired two-time Disney CEO, Bob Iger. The video started with Iger’s voice being heard saying, “Storytelling is what drives this company.” This beautiful tribute then took a look at Iger’s professional life at Disney. This included old videos of him on camera as a weatherman, the rededication of Disney California Adventure in 2012, and even the kick-off of the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration.

A Gracious Handoff

Following the tribute video, Bob Iger appeared on screen and shared his gratitude for all that he has received during his 52 years at Disney. Iger shared how he could never have known how meaningful this journey would be. He shared that through the challenging times, the passion of great storytellers, innovators, leaders, and people around the world who care so deeply about what they do that they want to get it right kept him going. He also expressed his optimism for the future as he passed the leadership baton to Josh D’Amaro, saying, “He has passion for our businesses and brands, our people, and he appreciates what makes this company so unique.”

Following Iger’s video, Josh D’Amaro was brought on scene. He began his video with a heartfelt thanks to Bob Iger for his leadership, support, and many contributions to Disney through the years. This then pivoted to a recap of the many accomplishments that Disney had achieved in the last year. It also highlighted the many exciting things Disney has in store for the future. This includes the arrival of Lilo & Stitch 2 on March 26, 2028, and Incredibles 3 on June 16, 2028. It also includes other movies from across The Walt Disney Company. There are also things to look forward to from Disney Experiences, including the announcement of the name of Disney Cruise Line’s fourth Wish-class ship, the Disney Believe. D’Amaro also expressed excitement for ESPN’s broadcast of the Super Bowl next year, with all of Disney coming together to make this an incredible event.

A New Optimism

There were many other specific details shared throughout the meeting about what Disney has coming in the future. There were two bigger things that were communicated, however. First off, the new leadership of Disney is very optimistic about the future of the company. This can be heard in D’Amaro’s voice as he shares about the new innovations, new ideas, new destinations, new movies, and new programs from across The Walt Disney Company. This is complemented by an energy that seems to invigorates Disney in a new way moving forward. While there have been many reasons to be optimistic through the years, it has perhaps not been communicated so enthusiastically.

“Looking at our hand, it’s an extraordinary one,” D’Amaro said in a video message from Disney headquarters in Burbank, California, pointing to Disney’s blockbuster studios, a successful and growing entertainment streaming business, ESPN’s worldwide brand, and its strong Experiences business. “Simply put, while others in our industry are consolidating just to compete, or struggling to be relevant in a fragmented and disrupted world, Disney is in a category of one, poised to accelerate into our next era of innovation and growth. And this next chapter will be driven by staying focused on world-class creativity, enhanced by technology, bringing unforgettable stories to audiences wherever they are.”

Josh D’Amaro is known to be excited about what he does. He is also known for his love of Disney. Most recently, he has acknowledged that fans like, but don’t love, the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This is leading to a fairly substantial upgrade for the attraction in conjunction with The Mandalorian and Grogu arriving in theaters. D’Amaro is showing a focus on creating great experiences for Disney fans that lead to a lifelong relationship with them.

This new era of Disney will do that in ways that have never been done before. D’Amaro called it “One Disney.” He said, “we will capitalize on our strengths by focusing on coming together as one Disney to deliver a more connected, personalized, and immersive experience to our consumers — wherever they are, and whenever they would like to engage with us.”

This will allow Disney fans to connect with their favorite stories in many different ways across the company. They will be able to connect with what they want from wherever they are. This could mean not having to wait to go to Disneyland to connect with Mickey Mouse. This could also lead to new experiences in new formats that haven’t been revealed or thought of yet. The main point is that Disney under D’Amaro will be accessible to fans around the globe.

Josh D’Amaro painted a picture during the shareholder meeting that if Disney builds incredible experiences, then the business will be successful. This case to shareholders is entirely contingent on creating storytelling experiences across the company that fans and guests connect with and want more of. From a business bottom-line perspective, they will connect, and then they will end up spending more money. This will lead to Disney being able to invest more money in more storytelling experiences and grow in the future.

“No one else has the ability to do this at the scale, quality, and global reach that Disney can,” he said.

Quality Will Win Out

In one of his last interviews, Walt Disney shared his perspective on business and quality. He said,  “Well, by this time, my staff — my young group of executives — are convinced that Walt is right, that quality will win out, and so I think they will stay with this policy because it’s proven it’s a good business policy. Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly — I think they’re convinced and I think they’ll hang on after — as you say, ‘after Disney’.”

Six decades later, as D’Amaro takes over leadership of The Walt Disney Company and becomes the new steward of Walt Disney’s legacy, the value that “quality will win out” appears to still be embraced. As D’Amaro spoke about his vision for the future, it was hard not to connect it with the past words of Walt Disney. Just like Walt Disney so many years ago, Disney is being led by a leader with boundless leadership and optimism. This should give Disney fans a great deal to be excited about. While there is plenty that is unknown about the future, what is known is that Josh D’Amaro will be leading Disney for the foreseeable future. He will be doing so with empathy, with a focus on innovative storytelling created by human storytellers, and on the bedrock value of quality.

What do you think of this new era of Disney under the leadership of Josh D’Amaro? What are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!