"We're Convinced That This Was a Perfect Place for Us" - Disney Execs Comment on NEW Theme Park Announcement

Disney opened its Q2 2025 earnings call with some HUGE news.

The call, which generally goes into the company’s financial details, including reporting on income as well as how well streaming, entertainment, and the parks are doing, started off with an announcement that Disney is building a brand new theme park in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Now, Disney’s executives have commented on that big news.

The new waterfront Disney theme park will be located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and will be the seventh theme park for the Walt Disney Company. The new theme park will be built in partnership with Miral Group, an Abu Dhabi-based entertainment company. Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, posted to social media from Abu Dhabi that he’s “so excited to announce the seventh Disney Experiences destination around the world.”

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D’Amaro said the new park and resort will be “unlike anything we’ve done before.” In a statement, he said, “Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio. The location of our park is incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront – which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways. This project will reach guests in a whole new part of the world, welcoming more families to experience Disney than ever before. Ultimately, it will be a celebration of what’s possible when creativity and progress come together.”

In Disney’s Q2 2025 Earnings Call, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that “We’re convinced that this was a perfect place for us,” when referring to the theme park’s location, and that “there didn’t seem to be any place that was better than this.”

In a separate statement, Iger said, “As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways. Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”

However, the response to this new park announcement has largely been mixed. Fans who live near the park are excited, while others have concerns that Disney is partnering with a government that is so different from Disney’s goal of inclusivity.

According to Wikipedia, “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the United Arab Emirates face discrimination and legal challenges. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and under the federal criminal provisions, consensual same-sex sexual activity is punishable by imprisonment; extra-marital sexual activity between persons of different sexes is also illegal. In both cases, prosecution will only be brought if a husband or male guardian of one of the participants makes a criminal complaint.”

It wasn’t too long ago that Disney butted heads with the Florida government regarding the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the Don’t Say Gay bill. Disney has also made a very clear focus on ensuring a comfortable and accommodating work environment with its Inclusivity Key, so choosing Abu Dhabi as the location for this new park is proving to be controversial.

Disney has not yet revealed when the new theme park might open, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for more announcements, so check back with AllEars again soon.