Why Disney Adults Love Bob Iger

Bob Iger — he’s a fascinating figure at the Walt Disney Company and one for whom many (from analysts to Cast Members) often express a unique love.

After having already served for essentially 15 years as Disney’s CEO previously (and been in other roles with the Company well before that), Iger returned following a short stint by CEO Bob Chapek. When he came back, MANY welcome messages were sent from celebrities, executives at businesses within Disney, and even former CEO Michael Eisner. Josh Gad, who voiced Olaf in Frozen, said “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.” So what is it about Iger that many (including many Disney Adults in particular) seem to love so much? Let’s break it down.

He Comes Off as Confident

For starters, Iger comes off as confident, which can’t always be said about all leaders or individuals at companies. As The New York Times put it, Iger’s handling of the earnings report/call for Q1 of FY 2023 was “a master class in dismantling a corporate threat. Mr. Iger came across as tough, cleareyed and decisive.”

Confidence can be key for many, as it can inspire a sense of assuredness. If Bob Iger (THE CEO) is confident, why should I worry? Maybe it’s a facade and maybe he’s just a great speaker and good at appearing confident when he really isn’t — who knows. But seeing another speak clearly and confidently about a topic you love theoretically feels better than listening to someone speak about the Company with words that feel uncertain, right?

He Comes Off as Genuine

Aside from confidence, many may get a sense of genuineness from Iger. It’s a trait that he himself emphasizes as being key to great leadership. According to CNBC, Iger has indicated that it’s essential to be genuine and honest at all times and to never “fake anything.”

CNBC shares that Iger “encourages leaders to take responsibility when they screw up and learn from their mistakes.” He is even quoted as having said, “Set an example that it’s okay to get things wrong sometimes.”

And we have seen this play out in certain scenarios. When discussing why he decided to leave Disney back in 2020 he was willing to admit that he had grown a bit overly confident and was starting to be dismissive of others’ ideas.

He said, “Over time, I started listening less and maybe with a little less tolerant of other people’s opinions, maybe because of getting a little bit more overconfident in my own, which is sometimes what happens when you get built up.” It’s not every day that you get an admission of that kind from a person, let alone the CEO of a major corporation. Heck, there are probably plenty of people you know or colleagues you work with who wouldn’t admit that about themselves.

Indeed, Iger has a reputation as a “thoughtful individual” (CNN Business). That contrasts quite a bit with Chapek, who was known for “what some call matter-of-factness, and others, gruffness” (Barron’s). Iger put a human face on Disney’s struggles by acknowledging the toll of the global crisis on humanity. He said, “you have to have empathy for what everyone is experiencing, not just our customers, but certainly our people” (Barron’s).

So perhaps its thoughtfulness and reputation for genuineness that wins some over.

He Doesn’t Leave the Hard Stuff for Later

For others, it might be the way in which Iger tackles certain difficult issues that win them over. Now, we didn’t go back into his 15-year history, so we can’t say whether this is something that Iger always did perfectly or even well, but one recent example does display at least the way in which this is playing out now.

Chapek faced some heavy criticism for how he handled the November 2022 earnings call, where Disney reported a BIG loss in streaming. Some viewed his tone as overly cheerful or positive, given the situation. Then, just days after the earnings report, Chapek sent a memo to inform leaders that Disney would be instituting a hiring freeze and job cuts were expected. To be fair, he had discussed cost management efforts in the call, but hadn’t specifically announced this hiring freeze until later.

Chapek noted “I am fully aware this will be a difficult process for many of you and your teams…We are going to have to make tough and uncomfortable decisions. But that is just what leadership requires, and I thank you in advance for stepping up during this important time.”

Now, compare that to how Iger has handled the situation. Granted, it isn’t something he necessarily had to directly announce (which changes the dynamic), but it is something he had to follow up on. Iger did acknowledge during a town hall in November of 2022 that the hiring freeze would continue.

He then directly announced that there would be 7,000 jobs cut from Disney during the call for the Q1 earnings call for FY 2023. He didn’t wait to send a message until later but, instead, made the announcement clearly while investors and others were listening.

Iger also shared, “I do not make this decision lightly. I have enormous respect and appreciation for the talent and dedication of our employees worldwide, and I’m mindful of the personal impact of these changes.”

Is that all that different from Chapek saying he’s “fully aware this will be a difficult process for many of you and your teams”? Maybe…maybe not. Maybe it’s just an issue of semantics or a matter of not what they’re saying but how they say it.

Now, there are a LOT of things that could have factored into this. Chapek may have not known that there would be job cuts and a hiring freeze until after his November call (that decision may not have been finalized at the time of the call). And Iger’s move may have been seen as one more target to please investors (like Nelson Peltz) who had long called for Disney to cut costs.

But still, for some, the way that this was handled may mark an important distinction between the two leaders.

Click here to learn more about the Disney job cuts

He Brought Beloved Brands Into the Disney World and Helped Them Get a New Life

Alright, now let’s move away from some of the more vague things and to more concrete reasons why Disney adults love Iger.

If you were a Disney Adult who loved Pixar growing up and wanted Pixar to become part of Disney because you felt like that was the right move to make, you may have been absolutely THRILLED when Pixar officially joined the Disney family. That was thanks to Iger who secured the Pixar acquisition.

Where are the Star Wars fans at?! Bob Iger is also to thank for the Lucasfilm Ltd. acquisition. Under Disney, Star Wars fans ultimately got new Star Wars films (love ’em or hate ’em) and series (like the VERY popular Mandalorian).

And we can’t forget about Marvel. Bob Iger also worked on the acquisition of that brand, which has since delivered a multitude of HIT films.

Even the 21st Century FOX acquisition was a big deal, which ultimately brought films like Avatar and Anastasia into the Disney family.

And it looks like Iger is working to strengthen some of Disney’s most popular brands. During the earnings call, he noted that they would be focusing even more on Disney’s core brands and franchises, “which have consistently delivered higher returns.”

Where’s the proof? Well, Iger has announced that sequels are actually in the works at Disney for 3 popular films — Toy Story, Zootopia, and Frozen! 

So if you were itching for one more moment with Woody and Buzz Lightyear, it seems your dream has come true and you’ll partially have Iger to thank!

Click here to see what Josh Gad had to say about the Frozen 3 Sequel!

And get Tim Allen’s thoughts on the Toy Story sequel here!

The Timing Works Out Well

If you are a Disney Adult, you might also have a particular affinity for Bob Iger simply because he’s the main CEO you’ve grown up with!

Iger became Disney’s CEO in 2005 and served through early 2020. According to USA Today, Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996, so Millennials would have been between 24-9 years old in 2005 and 39-24 in 2020. Individuals within that age group may have heard about Iger and seen him speak at various Disney events.

Even those who didn’t follow Iger closely would have certainly felt and seen the impact of his decisions in the parks and movie theaters. And many would have grown up hearing his name.

And for Gen Zers born between 1997 and 2012, Bob Iger was likely the ONLY Disney CEO they knew (’cause who is really following Disney’s executive leadership when they’re 8 or younger). They may have been young when they started on their Disney journey, but those kiddos are now 25-10, with the older ones falling within the Disney Adult range.

So after many years of watching Disney films that were partially made possible by Iger’s acquisitions of other brands, or visiting lands that were built under Iger (more on that in a second), these Disney Adults might just have a sense of attachment to and nostalgia associated with him (sort of how you might have an attachment to the particular jam or ketchup you grew up eating).

Click here for the BEST Disney World game plan for childfree millennials

He Brought Lots of New Things to the Parks

While Iger was CEO, many new things also hit the theme parks — Pandora — The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well.

If you’re a big fan of those areas or just love to see the Parks expanding in any way, then that might make you want to join the Iger fan club. And it looks like more expansions could be on the way.

During the Q1 earnings call for FY 2023, Iger shared that by building new lands to increase capacity Disney can grow its business. He mentioned Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora, and said “We have other opportunities as well.”

He continued “I’ve talked to Josh D’Amaro about this very recently, like this morning, again, to really look at all the great franchises of the company and see where we can invest in them in the parks to increase capacity while — by preserving guest satisfaction.”

So we’ll be very interested to see what lands and expansions might hit the Disney parks in the future!

He Initiated Disney+, Bringing More Disney Movies Into Our Homes

If you LIVED for your Disney VHS tapes and just wished you could get that sense of nostalgia through a streaming service, the launch of Disney+ was probably a huge deal for you. And again…it happened while Iger was CEO.

Disney+ launched in November 2019 and has seen some tremendous success, as well as some struggles more recently.

But regardless of how much money it might be losing, the fact that you can log into Disney+ and watch Cinderella a thousand times might be ALL the therapy you need. Oh, and High School Musical too, and new hits like WandaVision. And don’t even get us started on the fact that Bear in the Big Blue House is on Disney+ now too — our hearts simply cannot handle it.

So there you have it — just a few reasons why some might be willing to sign up for the Bob Iger fan club right away. Is it the way he says things? Is it the way he presents things confidently? Is it the things he did during his first time as CEO? Or is it just a mix of everything? There could be many things at play.

And to be clear, this is not a “Bob Iger is PERFECT” post. Like all others, Iger has his own set of flaws and there may be plenty of reasons not to love him or to approve of certain decisions he’s made at Disney. Where do you stand on Iger? Fan or not? Let us know in the comments.

And be sure to stay tuned for more Disney news.

Are you a Disney Adult? Do you love Bob Iger? Tell us why (or why not) in the comments!

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