0:24
>> [cheering and applause]
0:29
Thank you so much. You're amazing.
0:38
Amazing dancers from Dancing with the
0:41
Stars. Scream right by the one and only
0:43
Mandy Roar. [cheering]
1:03
>> And I'm Jennifer Goodwin.
1:08
>> And together we are
1:12
We'll do it again. We are Disney Super
1:20
>> Okay, if we were not up here, we would
1:22
definitely be out there with you.
1:24
>> You're our people. We can't believe
1:27
we're here with you. K, are you excited?
1:33
>> Are you Are you excited? [cheering]
1:40
>> We have an incredible show for you
1:42
>> We can't wait to share this with you and
1:45
to kick off THE MAGIC. PLEASE WELCOME
1:47
CEO OF THE WALT Disney Company, Charles.
2:16
Oh gosh, it's so good to see everybody.
2:18
Look at this room. So much energy in
2:21
here. So amazing. Thank you for being
2:24
here with us today. Well,
2:28
I think most of you know this is not my
2:34
but it is my first one since becoming
2:45
Now, before I talk to you about where
2:48
we're headed, I want to tell you
2:49
something about Lion standing right here
2:51
with all of you tonight. Because I
2:54
believe that in order to lead this
2:56
company, you have to understand what it
2:57
actually feels like to be a fan. And I
3:05
>> And I want to start there. I was about 8
3:09
years old back in the early 80s and my
3:11
parents took me to Walt Disney World. I
3:13
was there with my three siblings. I can
3:16
remember that day so so clearly. Main
3:19
Street had this buzz all around us.
3:21
There was music playing. People were
3:23
laughing. There was there was energy
3:25
everywhere around us. And then we saw
3:28
the castle and all four of us, all of my
3:31
siblings, we stopped. And I remember
3:33
thinking something that has stuck with
3:35
me until this moment. This place
3:40
so special. This place is magic. And
3:48
that feeling, it didn't fade. It's
3:50
become part of who I am. And I think a
3:54
lot of you out there knew exactly what
3:57
I'm describing. You had that moment.
3:59
Maybe it was in one of our parks like
4:01
mine was. Maybe it was in a movie. It
4:04
was in a song. Maybe it was a character,
4:06
a moment that you still remember.
4:09
And if any of you have kids or grandkids
4:12
or nieces or nephews, you've watched
4:14
that moment. You've watched it happen
4:16
right in their eyes. The instant when
4:19
they realize for the first time that the
4:21
world is more hopeful, it's more magical
4:23
than they ever thought it could be. And
4:26
that moment matters. that stays with
4:28
them forever. For me, it led somewhere
4:32
unexpected. In 1998, I came to work for
4:43
And you know, I thought I found a really
4:44
cool job. Look at me. I'm working for
4:46
Disney. But what I actually found was a
4:49
home. Over these years, I've met
4:52
thousands of cast members who've built
4:54
their entire lives around this company.
4:57
And these cast members, they understand
4:59
something very special. They understand
5:01
that their job is to create those
5:03
special moments that stick with our
5:06
fans, that stick with them for their
5:10
Once you understand that that's your
5:12
job, we can change someone's life. Even
5:14
if you're changing someone's life just
5:16
for a moment, you don't want to do
5:21
I don't want to do anything else.
5:24
Now, like all of our cast members and
5:26
employees, I get a chance to speak with
5:28
Disney fans almost everywhere I go.
5:32
Sometimes it's in our theme parks where
5:34
I get to see you. Sometimes I'm flying
5:36
on an airplane and I get to say hello.
5:38
Sometimes I'm out for a run and you stop
5:40
me and say hello. In fact,
5:44
pretty sure that I've spoken to quite a
5:46
few of the people that are sitting here
5:52
And if you haven't, we'll find you. But
5:55
almost every time, you all tell me how
5:58
much Disney actually means to each one
5:59
of you. And I've heard thousands
6:02
thousands of your stories now. But
6:05
there's one that I keep coming back to.
6:08
One person that showed me maybe more
6:10
than anyone else what it means to find
6:15
Some of you have known Frank, Disney
6:18
super fans. Pennsylvania.
6:26
>> Well, Frank Frank was affectionately
6:28
known as the porch potato. He was a
6:30
mayor of Main Street. He spent two
6:33
decades on that bench outside Colon
6:35
Palmer just sitting there. Frank would
6:38
just take it all in. He'd wave hello to
6:40
anyone that passed. And over time, I got
6:43
to know him. I got to know him pretty
6:44
well. We spent time together on that
6:47
and I actually considered him a friend.
6:50
A few days after I saw him for the last
6:52
time, Frank sadly passed away.
6:56
So, we decided that we're going to put a
6:57
plaque on Frank's bench. And that plaque
7:00
says, "Every day is my best day."
7:04
That was Frank. That's what Frank
7:06
believed. It's where he lived. That was
7:08
his story. That one man sitting on that
7:11
bench for 20 years. It tells you that we
7:14
are not simply in the business of
7:16
entertaining people. We're in the
7:18
business of creating places, stories,
7:20
and experiences where people feel like
7:22
they actually belong,
7:25
where they feel like they're at home.
7:28
And a lot of people like that. They feel
7:31
like Disney is their home. Right now,
7:33
nearly half a million people are in our
7:35
parks and on our cruise ships. Millions
7:38
more are watching our stories in
7:39
theaters or maybe at home. Someone right
7:42
now is seeing The Lion King on Broadway
7:45
for the very first time. A Makea-Wish
7:48
kid is walking down Main Street feeling
7:50
the joy and the optimism that the Disney
7:52
experience creates, which is why we're
7:54
granting a wish every hour of every
8:05
And when you add it all up, Disney has
8:08
something no other brand on earth can
8:11
claim. Not just a customer base, not
8:13
just an audience, but an actual
8:16
connection. A connection that reaches
8:18
every single corner of the globe. A
8:20
connection that spans every age, every
8:22
background. A connection that becomes
8:24
part of people's lives and the memories
8:26
that they carry with them. a connection
8:29
with more than 4 billion fans. That's
8:33
half the world's population who don't
8:35
just look at us for entertainment. They
8:37
actually look at us for inspiration.
8:40
And when people choose something, when
8:42
they return to it, when they pass it on
8:44
from generation to generation, that is
8:47
something very special. It's an
8:50
opportunity to be part of something
8:52
bigger than yourself. You know, look
8:54
around. Look around this this arena
8:56
tonight. More than 12,000
9:01
12,000. [applause] And there's 12,000
9:05
different 12,000 different stories.
9:08
12,000 reasons that you chose to be
9:15
>> The fact that you decided to celebrate
9:17
this together with each other around
9:19
something that matters to you, that's
9:21
what we're really talking about. That's
9:23
what belonging looks like.
9:26
And that's why this moment matters so
9:28
much to me because the opportunity in
9:32
front of us is to create more of those
9:34
memories to strengthen the connection
9:36
that already exists and to create new
9:39
ones that people will carry on forever.
9:43
We're not here waiting for the future.
9:46
We're building it. We're actually
9:47
building it right now. We have new
9:50
stories for you coming. Experiences that
9:52
will literally take your breath away.
9:55
announcements that will make you lean
9:56
forward and ask that person that's
9:58
sitting next to you, did you hear that?
10:00
Can you believe they're going to do
10:01
that? And this weekend, you all have a
10:04
front row seat to all of this and more.
10:15
>> Now, that 8-year-old kid from
10:18
Massachusetts couldn't have imagined
10:20
couldn't have imagined standing here
10:24
I couldn't have imagined the
10:27
the honor, the excitement of being with
10:29
you on this journey.
10:31
So, as we get started tonight, I just
10:34
want to say thank you.
10:43
Thank you for for leading us. Thank you
10:45
for carrying these stories forward.
10:47
Thank you for your passion and thank you
10:48
for your companion. Thank you for making
10:51
Disney such an important part of your
