From ABC To Abu Dhabi, Bob Iger Changed Disney Forever

Bob Iger, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, will be inducted as a Disney Legend this weekend at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. This prestigious award is Disney’s highest honor for those who have made a significant impact on the company, and it’s no question that Iger changed Disney forever during his half-century of service with the Mouse. Iger’s storied career began in 1974 at ABC, though Disney did not own the company at the time. It wasn’t until 1995 that the acquisition was complete, merging the two media giants. He worked his way up the ranks of ABC to become the head of ABC Entertainment in 1989 before becoming President and COO of ABC’s parent company just five years later. After Disney purchased ABC and its parent company, Iger officially began moving through the ranks at Disney, first as President of Walt Disney International in 1999, then, one year later, as President and COO of The Walt Disney Company. In 2005, he was selected to succeed Michael Eisner as CEO of one of the world’s largest media companies. While Iger’s tenure had its ups and downs, his first big success came when he worked to acquire Pixar Animation Studios in 2006 and bring it into Disney’s growing media umbrella. Other media acquisitions included Marvel Studios in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012 and 21st Century Fox in 2019. Ultimately, these deals would redesign the company, ensuring that Disney’s media legacy would move past Mickey Mouse and princesses into more adult realms. Additionally, many of the movie powerhouse franchises would lead to major developments in the theme parks, with Toy Story-, Star Wars- and Marvel-themed lands around the world. Then there’s the launch of Disney+. The global rollout started in late 2019, and in 2024, the streamer became profitable for the first time, thanks in part to a massive wave of new subscribers and price hikes for Disney+ and Hulu. On the theme parks side of the company (then known as Disney Parks & Resorts), Iger penned the deal to bring a new iteration of Disneyland to China, and in 2016, Shanghai Disneyland Resort opened. The resort has welcomed millions of guests every year since it opened. Then in 2025, Disney announced plans for a new theme park resort in partnership with Miral in Abu Dhabi. Since the initial announcement, not much has been said about the new Disney destination. In between those major openings and announcements, Iger, with current CEO Josh D’Amaro at his side, has guided Disney into a season of “turbocharging” its parks and resorts. In 2023, Disney announced its plans to invest $60 billion over the next 10 years in its Experiences segment. Some of these investments have already launched with great fanfare, including new Disney Cruise Line ships and Disneyland Paris’ rebrand of its Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adventure World. Additionally, new experiences are still on the horizon, including a Villains...