In his first address to the Disney faithful as chief executive, Josh D’Amaro pledged that Walt Disney Co. would create new stories and experiences at the D23 fan event Wednesday night in Anaheim.
D’Amaro was greeted like a rock star during the Burbank media giant’s film and TV presentation as the assembled crowd of more than 12,000 Disney super fans at the Honda Center gave him a rousing round of applause and cheers. He beamed at the audience, while clasping his hands together in front of him.
“I believe that in order to lead this company, you have to understand what it actually feels like to be a fan,” he said onstage. “And, I do. ”
D’Amaro is no stranger to the D23 stage; in his past role as parks chief, he would give updates on the latest news for the experiences division.
But now, as CEO, he said the company would deepen its connection with fans by continuing to develop fresh stories and new experiences.
“We are not here waiting for the future,” he said. “We’re building it … we’re actually building it right now.”
While Disney unveiled several upcoming original stories, including an animated supernatural flick from Pixar called “Ghost Market” set for release in spring 2028 and “Clay,” a Disney Animation film coming later that year about a mentor-mentee relationship, many of its projects are related to existing franchises.
The company unveiled details about Pixar’s “Coco 2” and “Incredibles 3,” both of which got huge applause from the audience, as well as a live-action “Lilo & Stitch 2.” Fans cheered for the return of the Jonas Brothers reprising their original Disney roles in “Camp Rock 3.” Even a teaser from “The Bluey Movie” elicited screams from the largely adult audience.
Earlier in the day, Disney executives revealed additional plans about its streaming strategy during a series of panels.
The company plans to lean more on creators with its new Verts vertical video feed on Disney+, a new feature designed to increase engagement. So far, it has grown in popularity among users, said Erin Teague, executive vice president of product management at Disney Entertainment and ESPN.
“What we’re seeing is as users are engaging with their vertical video experience, they are actually engaging in the overall product experience, double the amount of time,” she said onstage. “That means that we’re meeting users where we are.”
The company also plans to invest more in local international content to help grow the Disney+ service around the world. Disney has seen its local Korean shows perform well in Asia, as well as Brazil, executives said. And shows that do well in one country can often be remade in other regions.
Over the next three years, Disney plans to roughly triple the number of local original series on Disney+.
The post Josh D’Amaro pledges new stories and experiences in first address as CEO to Disney faithful appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
