Bob Iger is one of the most progressive, revolutionary and revolutionary CEOs in the history of The Walt Disney Company and has cemented his name as a titan in the entertainment industry throughout his tenure. Despite his numerous successes across the company, one of his most notable achievements is bringing Walt Disney’s original magic back to Disneyland.
Related: Bob Iger reflects on stepping down as Disney CEO
His acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox – now 20th Century Studios – propelled Disney to new and innovative heights, rekindling the spark of Disney that arguably went out during the end of CEO Michael Eisner’s term. Now, with Iger’s Disney career coming to an end in late 2021, Disney fans and colleagues are thanking Mr. Iger for his aggressive approach to remodeling The Walt Disney Company.
According to OC Register:
Iger’s impact can be felt across Disney’s theme park empire during his 15 years as CEO. Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner waited until the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005, although Iger was managing the company’s daily operations at the time. But Shanghai Disneyland’s $ 5.5 billion will always mark Iger’s brilliant achievement at Disney’s theme park during his tenure.
Leaving the CEO position in February 2020 to make way for the current Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek (there will still be a “Bob” in charge!), Bob Iger’s service to the House of Mouse was not ready yet . Remaining as executive president and chief creative officer for the 2021 line, Iger is still adding some magic to a world that desperately needs it in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic.
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Looking back on his 15-year term, one of the Bob IgerThe company’s most significant achievements are bringing a decadent theme park to life, Disney’s California Adventure Park (now Disney California Adventure Park) and a decadent Disneyland resort.
In his autobiography, The trip of a lifetime, Iger highlights three strategies around which he focused his leadership:
- “To increase the quantity of high quality branded content, we created”
- “To advance technologically, both in our ability to create more attractive products and to deliver these products to consumers”
- “To grow globally.”
In particular, Iger presented point # 1 for the first time after taking over as CEO in 2005.
Here, we see recent evidence in a direct tweet from Batuu – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019.
The best way to impress your friends … give them a personal tour @Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge!#Steven Spielberg, #jjabrams, Kathy Kennedy with Imagineer & Galaxy’s Edge creator Scott Trowbridge. pic.twitter.com/e3jFH2Cd2b
– Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 11, 2019
Flashback to 2001. The Walt Disney Company was in a kind of civil war, while former Disney President Roy E. Disney campaigned to remove his former prodigy, Michael Eisner, as CEO. In addition, Disney was on the verge of an external acquisition, and the company’s brand was losing that magical touch in its theme parks and movies.
In the rush to open another theme park – one that didn’t have a much bigger budget – Walt Disney Imagineering and Michael Eisner sent a dull sister park to Disneyland.
Missing the mark, the original version of Disney California Adventure Park lacked the vision, momentum and motivation of the company’s executives, investors and creative forces. On February 8, 2001, the theme park officially opened to closed arms and low criticism from visitors and critics.
There was not Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout !, Radiator Springs Racers or Buena Vista Street, believe it or not!
Ticket prices for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park had the same price, but one park offered 1/3 of the attractions and appearances of the characters. At that point, then-president of Disneyland Resort, Paul Pressler, shifted Disneyland’s focus primarily to merchandise, not to creating / renovating classic and memorable attractions and experiences. As a result, both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park began to lose their magic touch.
In 2004, only The Twilight Zone The Tower of Terror was added to the DCA, and the theme park began to drag the company as a whole.
Related: Bob Iger remembers Walt Disney on his 119th birthday
In 2005, everything changed. On Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, Bob Iger was in complete control of The Walt Disney Company and marked a move to the resort with a practical and thorough approach.
In 2006, Iger’s first major change was to add Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue !, replacing Disney’s most infamous attraction – Superstar Limo. In 2007, Bob Iger announced a $ 1.1 billion redesign of the Disney California Adventure – almost doubling the original $ 600 million spent by Disney to build the theme park.
From 2008 to 2012, Bob Iger oversaw the addition of Buena Vista Street, Toys Story Midway Mania, the World of Color night show, Little Mermaid: Ariel’s underwater adventure and Cars Land, featuring an engaging version of Radiator Springs. But, it wasn’t over yet.
According to OC Register:
“The transformation of DCA continued with the addition of“ Frozen – Live at the Hyperion (2016), Soarin ‘Around the World (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout (2017) and the transformation of Pixar Pier (2018) ”.
In a third act effort to transform Disney California Adventure, Iger’s touch will be present with the upcoming opening of Avengers Campus, which has yet to receive an official opening date, as the Disneyland Resort remains closed due to COVID-19.
Iger’s British approach to remodeling DCA was not, however, present in the Disneyland revival. This was because it was not necessary, since Disneyland Park needed only a small renovation, not a reformulation of the theme.
The departure of Big Thunder Ranch, Aladdin’s Oasis, Innoventions and Honey, I shrunk the audience it will not be missed by many guests. The re-theme of attractions such as Looking for Nemo Submarine Voyage, Star Tours, Disneyland Monorail, Matterhorn Bobsled, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln brought the crowds back to Disneyland.
According to the OC Register report,
Disneyland’s popularity rarely waned during Iger’s tenure – with attendance rising from 14.3 million visitors in 2005 to 18.7 million in 2015. Ticket prices and annual passes also increased during that period, with the maximum price daily attendance rising from $ 56 in 2005 to $ 154 just before Iger stepped down as CEO in early 2020.
In 2019, Iger welcomed $ 1.1 billion Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to excited Star Wars fans around the world. Featuring two innovative attractions, Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and a revolutionary immersive experience, Bob Iger’s touch is here to stay forever (who would destroy the Millennium Falcon?)
Related: Will the Avengers Campus open in stages or in one go?
Of course, there were some bumps in Bob Iger’s management, but his dedication to the original magical kingdom of Walt Disney and Disney California Adventure Park changed the resort for the better. With years of new possibilities for Disneyland, Bob Iger cemented Walt Disney’s philosophy that Disneyland will never be completed.
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