Overview
- A new Wall Street Journal report says Walt Disney Imagineering is steering roughly $60 billion in planned spending across Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line through 2033.
- Under Bob Chapek, intensified budget oversight and daily financial reviews eroded morale and trust, with several major Marvel attractions scrapped and a Disneyland Tomorrowland refresh rejected.
- Pandemic shutdowns triggered layoffs of more than 400 Imagineers and a disruptive plan to relocate headquarters to Lake Nona that was later abandoned, prompting further departures.
- After Bob Iger’s 2022 return, Disney Parks chief Josh D’Amaro brought back former Imagineering leader Bruce Vaughn in 2023; Barbara Bouza later exited, leaving Vaughn at the helm.
- Vaughn has delegated more authority to regional teams, rehired retired veterans as consultants, and included operations, marketing, and pricing earlier in development, as some staff point to Magic Kingdom’s planned Villains Land as a test of renewed creative latitude.