In an interview with Orlando Enterprise Journal, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro mentioned the takeover of Reedy Creek Enchancment District by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in addition to plans for Walt Disney World enlargement. This submit shares what he needed to say, plus our commentary about the way forward for Walt Disney World and its oversight.
Let’s begin with a fast recap of what’s occurred since we final coated the Reedy Creek Enchancment District (RCID) saga. State lawmakers handed a invoice that renamed the Reedy Creek Enchancment District, whereas sustaining the particular district’s taxing advantages and most of its distinctive authorities (with some exceptions). The important thing change was that the Governor of Florida would appoint the district’s board.
Governor DeSantis thereafter signed the invoice into regulation, and appointed members to the newly-dubbed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. At a press convention, DeSantis introduced his 5 appointees, all of whom are political donors or loyalists, whereas additionally proclaiming that there’s a “new sheriff on the town” and promising “accountability” for Disney. Amongst many different issues, he claimed that the board members would make sure that Walt Disney World will likely be “what Walt envisioned,” and gave examples of limits his appointees may impose and the way future Disney content material may very well be formed.
In response, Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle issued an announcement that appeared to deescalate and additional again down from any future struggle over the Reedy Creek Enchancment District.
“For greater than 50 years, the Reedy Creek Enchancment District has operated on the highest requirements, and we admire all that the District has achieved to assist our vacation spot develop and turn out to be one of many largest financial contributors and employers within the state. We’re centered on the long run and are able to work inside this new framework, and we’ll proceed to innovate, encourage and produce pleasure to the tens of millions of friends who come to Florida to go to Walt Disney World annually,” learn Vahle’s assertion.
In his interview with OBJ, Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro struck an identical tone: “The truth is we work with completely different individuals all over the world at our completely different theme parks. So we all know find out how to work with completely different individuals. For all these causes, I’ve to have a look at the scenario of the place we’re going — I imagine in the place we’re going — and I hope the board sees the identical.”
“If that new board understands the worth that will get created right here and the way it positively impacts the Central Florida group, I believe they are going to be aligned with our imaginative and prescient and can keep it up the Reedy Creek soul that’s been in place,” he stated.
D’Amaro additionally instructed OBJ that Walt Disney World nonetheless embraces the variations on the earth and welcomes all types of holiday makers, no matter their political backgrounds or different beliefs. To that time, he added: “Will there be noise on the skin? Will there be completely different factors of view that we might not like? Positive…[but] we aren’t going to get distracted.”
Shortly after publication of that piece, Disney launched a clean-up quote from D’Amaro that was a tad extra concise and clearer in Disney’s collaborative intentions with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District:
“The Reedy Creek Enchancment District created and maintained the very best requirements for the infrastructure for the Walt Disney World Resort. We’re hopeful the brand new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will proceed this wonderful work and the brand new board will share our dedication to serving to the native financial system proceed to flourish and help the continued progress of the resort and Florida’s tourism business.”
I’m going to dispense with the RCID changeover commentary shortly earlier than turning to expansions. First, as a result of it’s fairly clear that Walt Disney World isn’t going to problem this, that means the Reedy Creek saga is successfully over. As long as high-profile company reps ship deferential and measured quotes (doubtless why D’Amaro issued a ‘clean-up’ assertion after the OBJ piece and why Iger hasn’t stated a single phrase), it will lastly fizzle out.
Second, as a result of that is frankly not how I anticipated this to play out. Though it’s not what was initially promised by the state, it’s nonetheless fairly shut. Furthermore, it’s removed from the compromise that was rumored earlier this 12 months that will’ve been a mutually-beneficial end result for either side. Make no mistake about it, it is a loss for Disney, and one which poses a future legal responsibility.
The explanation Disney isn’t urgent this additional or difficult it in court docket, both immediately or by way of a proxy with standing, doubtless has extra to do with politics and optics than the regulation. It’s hardly a secret that DeSantis has presidential aspirations–he’s principally already soft-launched his run as a e book tour.
Disney difficult this in court docket solely prolongs the struggle, and makes the corporate a punching bag throughout a high-profile run for the White Home. It’s protected to imagine they don’t need that sort of consideration or scrutiny, a lot much less to be the general public “foe” of a future president.
Whether or not Disney would win in court docket is sort of immaterial. The corporate’s calculus is clearly that it’s extra damaging to proceed the struggle than it’s to threat being topic to the whims of political appointees. For Disney, it’s a matter of selecting the least-bad choice and hoping they picked correctly, each within the brief and long-term.
In an setting of rational actors, Disney can be right. The pursuits of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Walt Disney World can be aligned, as each would wish to promote tourism and develop the native financial system. Nonetheless, that’s a reasonably daring assumption within the precise present setting, although. I actually can’t fault them for the choice, however right here’s hoping they made the precise name.
Shifting alongside, Josh D’Amaro additionally mentioned future progress at Walt Disney World throughout his interview. “Tron is spectacular, and including one thing of this dimension and scope to essentially the most visited theme park on the earth is fairly formidable and unimaginable. You see the friends strolling off that have … the look on their faces — and it provides to the entire expertise we provide right here. However there’s no finish.”
“Tron is the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming,” D’Amaro teased. “We’re simply getting began.”
Usually, we’d write this off as typical posturing throughout the advertising and marketing push for a brand new attraction. In spite of everything, what else is Josh D’Amaro purported to say? “Walt Disney World is now accomplished. Now that TRON Lightcycle Run is completed, there is no such thing as a unused creativeness left on the earth. SO WE’RE DONE, FOOLS.”
Mic drop that that is likely to be, I can’t think about D’Amaro saying something like that. So after all he’s going to speak up the long run, hyping particular tasks like Moana’s Journey of Water and Tiana’s Bayou Journey. With that, it is sensible that he teases that extra is to come back, whereas making odd iceberg references, as a result of these are famously identified for fruitful completion of formidable plans, and in no way for sinking ships!
On this case, although, I believe there’s extra to D’Amaro’s tease. You would possibly recall that recently-returned CEO Bob Iger ended the final earnings name by saying that he’s “very, very bullish” about the way forward for Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Iger additional clarified what he meant by this, particularly: “Now we have realized that after we put money into rising capability, with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge being an excellent instance of that and Pandora an incredible instance of that, we will develop our enterprise.” Iger indicated that when you take a look at the outcomes when Pandora – The World of Avatar was inbuilt Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the year-to-year progress numbers by way of the quantity of people that visited had been “beautiful.”
He went on to deduce that Disney goes to deliver Avatar to Disneyland for a similar motive, and that he was investigating different such alternatives. “I talked to Josh D’Amaro about that this morning. Rigorously take a look at all the good franchises of the corporate, and see the place we will put money into them within the parks to extend capability, whereas preserving visitor satisfaction.”
We mentioned all of this in nice size in Bob Iger Needs Huge Expansions at Walt Disney World & Disneyland. All of that commentary nonetheless holds true, and is strengthened by this and different statements from Josh D’Amaro. Most notably, it’s per D’Amaro’s D23 Expo presentation, throughout which he mentioned early idea explorations for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. This included a alternative for Dinoland USA at Animal Kingdom, and potential enlargement alternatives together with a Zootopia Metropolis and Moana Mini-Land.
It additionally included a daring proposal for Magic Kingdom progress, albeit with shaky specifics–that portion was rather more ‘blue sky’ in what it may entail. That presentation checked out Magic Kingdom Growth Potentialities “Past Huge Thunder” and showcased attainable Coco, Encanto & Villains lands. Whereas there was preliminary pleasure amongst followers, that shortly soured. The constructive sentiment gave approach for skepticism about these attainable plans, particularly in mild of Disney’s not-so-stellar monitor document in constructing issues that had been “firmly” confirmed at previous D23 Expos.
Finally, our view is that Josh D’Amaro’s teaser just isn’t typical advertising and marketing bluster, neither is Bob Iger’s bullishness on large enlargement at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Clearly, actions communicate louder than phrases, and it is likely to be arduous to take these claims at face worth given all the scaled again plans, cancelled tasks, and the truth that it took what number of years to clone a brief curler coaster in an empty warehouse. That’s truthful.
Much less truthful are claims that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will trigger the corporate to cease building at Walt Disney World or stop investments in Florida. Whereas not difficult the RCID state takeover might come again to chunk Disney, there are completely no indicators that they view it as an obstacle to present or future plans. In the event that they did, they might struggle it. At current, Disney nonetheless has plans to relocate Walt Disney Imagineering’s core inventive campus to Lake Nona, and it’s doubtless that future unveiled later this 12 months–doubtlessly at Vacation spot D23.
There’s additionally the fact that Walt Disney World continues to outperform, and traders have begun to take discover of its success. This coupled with Wall Avenue souring on streaming means Disney might lastly begin to guess larger on its theme park enterprise. In mild of that, we is likely to be standing on the precipice of the subsequent large growth cycle that can as soon as once more begin at Animal Kingdom (identical to the final one!) and play out on this similar style with main new additions to every park coming on-line between 2026 and 2031.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part you’ll want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your response to Josh D’Amaro calling TRON Lightcycle Run the “tip of the iceberg of what’s coming” or saying that Disney is simply getting began on park enlargement at Walt Disney World and Disneyland? Any ideas on the naming of Reedy Creek Enchancment District and the governor appointing its board? Hold the feedback civil, as this isn’t the place for politically-charged arguing, antagonism, private assaults, or perpetuating pointless tradition wars. Whereas this matter is inherently political, we’ll delete feedback that quantity to little greater than vapid political cheerleading. Respectfully debating the change is completely nice, however don’t assault others or troll for controversy. That’s why Fb was invented.