Let’s Talk about How Far Disney Came in 2022
We started the year with face coverings, social distancing, and worst of all Bob Chapek.
We end 2022 with no face coverings, character hugs, and the return of the king, Bob Iger.
Let’s talk about how far Disney has come in 2022.
Pandemic Measures Have Ended
Here’s the one people take for granted the most, but it’s the most significant step.
At the start of 2022, Disney’s theme parks in Florida and California still maintained strict COVID-19 guidelines.
Nobody could blame Disney for this, either. We should all appreciate what a difference a year makes, too.
During the final week of 2021, Florida suffered its worst outbreak until then. It worked as the final frustration caused by COVID-19.
Florida set single-day highs for infections multiple times in late-December 2021.
California proved no better, as Los Angeles alone tracked more than 20,000 new cases in a day.
In short, Disney entered 2022 hopeful but braced for the worst. At the start of the year, many pandemic restrictions remained in place.
Cast members still enforced policies involving indoor face-coverings at all attractions.
Similarly, Disney required guests to wear face masks on transportation as well.
Face masks were optional in outdoor areas by this point, but the rules reversed during outbreaks.
Meanwhile, Disney strongly encouraged park visitors to get vaccinated before arriving at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
The overriding concerns regarding guest safety impacted other aspects of a park visit as well.
Disney didn’t operate nighttime presentations or parades for the most part, and hands-on experiences like Senses Spa and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique were non-starters.
While park officials optimistically stated that they expected more returning amenities in 2022, the unmistakable truth was that nobody knew for sure.
After all, Walt Disney World listed all four parks as sold out for a time on December 30th, 2021.
Even with the pandemic policies in place, everyone was holding their breath about a new wave of infections afterward.
Fast forward to now. Disney theme parks have returned to full operations with all the missing amenities now restored!
Loss of Bob Iger
Here’s by far the strangest aspect of Disney’s 2022. And we’re talking about a year that still had a pandemic that closed parks repeatedly!
Sure, COVID-19 wreaked chaos with Disney theme parks, particularly the ones in China.
Still, Hurricane Chapek probably did the most damage to the Disney brand in 2022.
I kind of hate to use that terminology in the wake of Hurricane Ian, but it’s how many of us feel about Disney’s now-fired CEO.
In February 2020, Bob Iger made the worst choice of his career when he hand-picked Chapek to replace him as CEO.
Iger planned a long goodbye that gave him a 22-month runaway to finish all his Disney tasks.
On New Year’s Eve 2021, the former CEO departed Disney and left its fate in the hands of someone lacking his diplomatic skills or intuition.
I didn’t come here to bury Chapek, as we’ve all done enough of that lately. Instead, I’d rather focus on the talent vacuum created when Iger left.
Some media analysts, people who know how to keep score, have described Iger as THE greatest CEO of the modern era.
The best comparison I can make here involves the NBA. Disney without Iger compares to the Cleveland Cavaliers when they don’t have LeBron James.
When James plays for his hometown team, they’re a threat to win the NBA title. When he doesn’t, they usually pick in the lottery.
Yes, I know they’re good this season, but StatMuse indicates they win just one-third of their games without him.
The same premise applies to Iger, who earned the Disney CEO title at a time when the company was in open revolt.
Now, Iger returns again when…the company is in open revolt. You cannot question the man’s timing. That’s for sure.
Lack of Communication
Here’s the other change that circles back to Chapek/Iger. Again, I really don’t want to slam Chapek ad nauseam. That’s not productive.
However, as we evaluate Disney as a company over the past 12 months, his fingerprints touch all aspects of the empire.
That’s because Chapek wasn’t a leader who liked empowering others. Instead, he carefully selected a small group of insiders as his lieutenants.
Everyone who wasn’t in this group found themselves sitting at the kiddie table.
Similarly, Chapek lacked one skill that defines his predecessor. Bob Iger is a master communicator.
From his earliest days, Iger employed a communications guru who ensured that he remained above reproach. Nobody ever questioned his leadership.
That’s because Iger exuded confidence, competence, and sincerity.
Conversely, Chapek hadn’t necessarily expected to get the CEO gig.
When he did, he had bigger fish to fry than communications. There was a pandemic, you know.
For this reason, Chapek blundered through several PR mistakes. Then, when he finally took the problem seriously and hired a PR pro, he picked the wrong one.
That guy, Geoff Morrell, gave Chapek terrible advice about the Don’t Say Gay bill. Not coincidentally, Morrell lasted less than four months with Disney.
Later, Chapek hired a much more skilled PR expert. By then, the damage had been done, though. He’d burnt too many bridges, forcing Disney to make a change.
This brings us back to Iger and how much better Disney is with him in charge.
One of the CEO’s first moves was to hold a no-holds-barred Town Hall with cast members. In it, he answered honestly about the company’s issues.
Then, during Christmas Week, Iger emailed Disney fans about his appreciation and hopes for tomorrow.
Already, Iger has demonstrated better Disney communication.
Final Thoughts
That famous maxim applies here. The nights are long, but the years are short.
Disney’s 2020/2021/2022 was the stuff of nightmares. Most of the cause stemmed from exterior elements, but unforced errors abounded, too.
Still, these three facets demonstrate just how much brighter the picture looks as we enter 2023.
Barring something absolutely shocking, the pandemic has subsided in North America. As such, Disney theme parks are fully operational.
At this point, only a handful of pandemic-related closures remain. We’re mainly talking about 1900 Park Fare and Enchanted Tales with Belle now.
Virtually everything else of note has returned. Meanwhile, Disney has made the requisite change at the top.
For better and for worse, Chapek has served his purpose as the wartime consigliere.
For all his struggles, he did clean up the books enough to promote long-term stability.
Now, Iger returns with a relatively clean slate and the proven ability to boost morale for all Disney fans.
I can’t help but feel that Disney has turned a corner. Even better, it has closed the door on a dark period we’d all like to forget.
As we enter 2023, we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of our favorite company, knowing that the future looks bright once more.
That’s how far Disney came in 2022.
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Feature Photo: Disney