Disney’s New Era: Can Incoming CEO Josh D’Amaro Fix Bob Iger's Massive Political Failures?

For decades, the Walt Disney Company seemed untouchable. The animation studio churned out hit after hit. Theme park attendance grew rapidly. Targeted acquisitions of Pixar Animation, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm paid immediate dividends, with hopes of long-lasting franchises that would make box office bombs a thing of the past. 

Fast-forward to 2026, and virtually all of that momentum has been squandered. 

The film studio has been inconsistent, to say the least. A few hits have been outweighed by tremendous failures like "Snow White," and even their biggest property, "Avatar," had a very disappointing run at the box office. Animated films, once nearly a guaranteed success, have declined as well. "Lightyear," despite being based on the Buzz Lightyear character and the extremely popular "Toy Story" films, was a gigantic flop. Marvel Studios, which made comic book movies into the most powerful and financially successful franchises in the industry, saw "The Marvels" become one of the biggest financial disasters in movie history, with some estimates placing losses at over $200 million. 

The "Star Wars" franchise saw its importance and box office receipts dwindle, to the point where an expensive Disney+ streaming show, "The Acolyte," was canceled after just one season of almost nonexistent viewership. 

What's one thing that all of these issues have in common? An obsession with injecting left-wing political activism where it doesn't belong. All either supported, encouraged, or tolerated by CEO Bob Iger. With Iger now on his way out, and Josh D'Amaro on the way in, will that be enough to turn around the sinking Disney ship?

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 17:  In this handout image provided by Disneyland Resort, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and The Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger speak during the 70th anniversary celebrations of Disneyland Resort on July 17, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Handout/Getty Images)

New Leadership At Disney Has Mountain To Climb 

Iger is being replaced by Chairman of Parks and Experiences, Josh D'Amaro, who has little in the way of creative experience when it comes to films and television. But several reports have suggested that he excels at building relationships, appreciating details, and connecting with Disney employees. Is that enough though? 

In short, no. 

Disney Parks have been the most resilient parts of their business, thanks in large part to avoiding the type of unnecessary politicization that's infested other parts of their business. Every movie mentioned previously has some sort of politically divisive connotation to it. "Snow White" lead actor Rachel Zegler has spoken out in favor of left-wing causes, and publicly revealed the film intended to abandon the original story and characterization in favor of appealing to modern audiences. 

"Lightyear" put a lesbian relationship in a kids movie, including Pixar's first same-sex kiss on screen. "The Marvels" was a relic of the much-derided "M-She-U," an effort by the film studio to focus on bringing in female audiences. Which, of course, was spectacularly unsuccessful. 

"Avatar" director James Cameron called the US an insane country and moved to New Zealand because they agreed with his delusional ideas about climate change, or something. "The Acolyte" was some kind of woke fever dream, a series so laughably incompetent, inept, and politically motivated that it launched an entire subset of critical content on YouTube and other platforms. 

It would seem, at first glance, like all D'Amaro has to do is avoid these types of poorly considered films and public statements. But it's more complicated than that. One of the biggest issues any brand faces is irrelevance. And that's where many Disney projects and franchises sit right now. Audiences don't care as much about the next "Star Wars" project because they've been burned by disappointing movies and shows. "The Last Jedi," for example, demolished the Luke Skywalker character and brought some bizarre class struggle element into the franchise. Decisions so unpopular they were promptly ignored in the final installment in the trilogy.

Marvel Studios can no longer rubber stamp a movie and have it be a success, as the gigantic failure of "Captain America: Brave New World" demonstrated. Here's the list of Pixar films since the mega-hit "Toy Story 4" in 2019:

• "Onward"
• "Soul"
• "Luca"
• "Turning Red"
• "Lightyear"
• "Elemental"
• "Inside Out 2"
• "Elio"

The only hit in that run? "Inside Out 2," a sequel based on a film released in 2015, when Pixar was still dominant. Their next movie, "Toy Story 5," will almost certainly be a massive success. But it papers over the big problem: where are their original hits? Franchise fatigue is real and inescapable. What's their plan to restore their reputation? 

This is where D'Amaro and Disney face serious problems. Yes, the parks can rely on nostalgia, quality, and family vacations to maintain their position. But the IP they want to create to feed the parks is in serious decline. And a refocus on ignoring politics and championing creativity could help fix some of it. But only time will tell if consumer perception is too far gone to ever recover.