We’ve been thrilled recently as Disney World gets ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary and Disneyland announces its reopening after over a year of being closed.

And, we’ve got details on everything happening in the Disney Parks and beyond from a Disney official himself!

SiriusXM Business Radio host Alan Fleischmann of ‘Leadership Matters’ recently talked to Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger about his time with the Disney company, his future plans, the reopening of Disneyland and more! And, we’re breaking the interview down for you!

When he was asked about his plans to leave the Disney Company, Iger explained that “timing is everything.” He went on to note, “At Disney, really the entire value proposition of the company, no matter what business we’re in, starts with creativity and emanates from creativity. So I thought the best thing I could possibly do for the company would be one, make sure that we succeed at succession, and that my successor is successful. And then second, leave the company and my successor with the greatest possible hand created creatively.”

He continued “I feel re-energized because I can spend so much time on the creative side, and I also feel incredibly confident that when I step away, the company will be in good shape and in good hands, and it feels great. And going all the way back to what you said about the best is yet to come. I think one of the most exciting things for me, is having a complete blank canvas. I’m going to continue painting by the way. I’m not retiring. I can’t possibly do that.”

Bob Iger said that he is “looking forward to a little bit more leisure.” He hasn’t had “as much as [he] would like these last 16 years, because the time consumption required to run a company like this.”

He revealed that he has been writing a book currently. As he looks to the future, he details that he started the book “with just some loose outlines and writing down some thoughts, but I think there’s definitely another chapter or two, or 10 maybe. And I’ll see where life takes me. It’s pretty exciting. There’s certainly, you know, I’ve learned a tremendous amount from this great company that I’ve worked for, and I’m sure I’ll be able to apply that in other directions.”

Bob Iger rooted for the reopening of Disneyland, so he said it was “very exhilarating” to see the park announce its April 30th reopening date. He said that it “says a lot about what we’ve been through these last 12 months” and that Disneyland’s reopening seems like “a light at the end of the tunnel.” After being closed for over a year, Bob Iger thinks that “closing [Disneyland] was a big deal and announcing that it’s reopening is just as big a deal.”

Since the theme parks were closed, Disney saw a major shift to streaming services as a source of primary entertainment. Bob Iger explained that “We were, as you know, intent on launching a direct to consumer television movie service, which became Disney Plus.”

When talking about Disney+ during the theme park shutdowns, he said “We launched it in November of 19. And so in March of 20, when we shut everything down, we at least had that.”  The pandemic ultimately affected Disney+ too, as Iger mentioned “the struggle was how do we get production going again so that we can fuel the platform?” He even mentioned that “Soul was one, that Pete Docter who runs Pixar and directed it, finished completely during COVID.”

He said that the Disney+ projects in production during the pandemic “kept the company vibrant because there was a beacon of hope.” He also stated that the fact Disney+ helped keep the company afloat “set a profound impact on the perception of the company at Wall Street because the stock has risen dramatically in the process. We plummeted when COVID hit because of the shutdown, and rebounded quickly because we continued to grow Disney+.”

While Bob Iger has had a huge impact on Disney, he does feel excited to see what life has to offer after he leaves the company. He explained that he “really wanted to leave at a time that felt good, that I had accomplished a lot, that I had not hit too many speed bumps, or suddenly that my luck rent would run out or all of those things.”

Iger chose to stay through the end of his tenure because “One, it would immediately name my successor, meaning put someone new in the job at a time that I was still around so that I could spend time helping the person who succeeded me be successful, which is in my own best interest, but in the best interest of so many people.”

Iger feels like he is genuinely leaving the company as incredible people continue to make the company thrive. He said, “I feel re-energized because I can spend so much time on the creative side, and I also feel incredibly confident that when I step away, the company will be in good shape and in good hands. And it feels great. And going all the way back to what you said about the best is yet to come.”

We’ll have to give you a look at everything happening in the future of the Walt Disney Company! Stay tuned with All Ears for all the Disney news you need to know!

Take a look at all the ways you can celebrate Earth Day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Have you been to the Disney Parks recently? Let us know in the comments below!

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