Separating Disney rumor from fiction has become a full-time job.

In a world where engagement matters the most, people have monetized dishonesty.

So, there’s money in stretching the truth…and shamelessly lying.

At MickeyBlog, we take on the onus of separating fact from fiction.

Here are the myths and facts about Disney in 2024.

Disney Expansion Started

Does $900 million sound like a lot of money?

That’s how much Disney cut from the budget in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Several planned projects will never come to fruition due to the horrific events of that year.

Once Disney temporarily stopped those plans, they fell by the wayside and eventually wound up in the trash.

Ever since then, fans have hungered for new Disney experiences,

Everything the company has opened from 2020-2023 was already scheduled.

The only “new” attractions are re-themes of existing ones such as Country Bear Musical Jamboree.

Understandably, fans have expressed frustration at the lack of forward progress…until the 2024 D23 Expo. Everything changed then.

After years of financial struggles, Disney could finally afford to set big plans in motion.

Disney revealed new themed lands and areas at five (!) of its six American theme parks, including some show-stoppers.

Disneyland Resort will add an Avatar themed land totally different from the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom will fundamentally change as Disney reinvigorates Frontierland with two new rides and adds a Disney Villains Land.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has already broke ground on multiple experiences, and it will soon accelerate its construction.

In 2025, DinoLand USA will go extinct in favor of Encanto and Indiana Jones experiences comprising the Tropical Americas.

MickeyBlog recently spotted cranes behind Big Thunder Mountain, and construction crews are working on Disney Lakeshore Lodge.

So, yes, Disney expansion has started. We’re still in the early days of it, though.

I put together an expansion timeline to give you an idea of what to expect and when.

Verdict: FACT — Dirt Is Moving on Disney Expansion

Disney Has a New Boss

The year started with many Hollywood and Wall Street analysts fixated on Disney succession.

At the time, Bob Iger was waging a battle with activist investor Nelson Peltz, who sought to push himself onto Disney’s Board of Directors.

As Iger surveyed Disney’s largest shareholders, one thing became clear.

Some very rich people still held quite the grudge about Iger’s failed succession plan with Bob Chapek.

Meanwhile, Nike struggled mightily in 2024, eventually forcing out its CEO. How are these two matters connected?

Disney’s current Chairman of the Board is Mark Parker, the former CEO and Chairman at Nike.

Parker decided that he couldn’t sit idly by and watch Nike collapse. So, he’s returning to his old company.

That leaves the title of Disney Chairman of the Board up for grabs. Enter James Gorman.

This former Morgan Stanley leader had spent most of his career outside Disney, only joining in November 2023.

Now, Disney has chosen Gorman to replace Parker as Chairman of the Board.

Gorman, not Iger, will determine who the next CEO of Disney is.

However, we still have no idea who that will be. Disney kicked the can on this announcement until 2026.

So, Disney technically does have a new leader, as Iger, the CEO, ostensibly reports to Gorman.

But it’s not the leadership position that causes intrigue, which is Disney CEO.

Verdict: Fact — Gorman replaces Parker, but we don’t know who replaces Iger yet.

Disney Storytelling Returns to Dominance

This year started with Disney facing many more questions than answers with its television and film departments.

In 2023, Disney spent too much money on streaming, and its cinematic slate largely disappointed.

While the film struggles were vastly overstated – Disney earned more per film than any other studio – critics spoke loudly.

Many openly wondered whether Disney could ever restore the magic with its storytelling.

Now, anyone with even a marginal amount of experience with the entertainment industry knew the truth.

These things are cyclical, with every single studio facing similar ups and downs. Just this year, Sony absorbed a body blow.

Not that long ago, Wall Street was praising Sony for its steady stream of hits and clever streaming strategy.

Similarly, Paramount basically just collapsed and required new ownership to pay its bills.

Disney’s challenges are nowhere near any of that. It just had a few box office duds, and that happens to everybody.

Still, since the struggles happened to Disney, they became a VERY public conversation in the engagement era.

Bob Iger knew that Disney needed hits and scheduled fewer films accordingly, choosing quality over quantity.

Not coincidentally, Disney is likely to finish with the top three box office blockbusters of the year: Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2.

On the television side, Disney absolutely shattered Emmy records by winning 60 (!) awards.

In a matter of 12 months, the conversation changed from, “What is wrong with Disney?” to “Can anybody compete with Disney?”

Verdict: FACT

Walt Disney World Will Add a Fifth Gate

Walt Disney World hasn’t added a new theme park since Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which opened in…1998. Yeah, it’s been a while.

Understandably, many fans wonder when (or if) Disney will construct a fifth gate in Central Florida.

Those rumors ramped up at two points this year. In both instances, they involved Disney’s negotiations with the local government.

Disney wanted the right to build a fifth theme park within 15 years as part of the agreements.

So, word quickly spread that Disney was building a new Walt Disney World gate.

Alas, There’s a difference between Disney gaining the right to build a theme park and actually doing it.

While we all hold out hope, and such expansion appears to be the long-term plan, nothing is anywhere near official yet.

If anything, Disney just revealed its expansion plans for the next five years, and none of them involve a new park.

Verdict: Myth…for Now. But please make it a fact, Disney!

The Reedy Creek Actions Were Legal

In 2022, certain Florida government officials turned on the Sunshine State’s golden goose, Walt Disney World.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis believed that Disney deserved punishment for coming down against the so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation.

So, DeSantis demanded his allies to strip Disney of governance over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis’s allies rebranded Reedy Creek as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD).

However, Reedy Creek officials, all of whom were loyal to Disney, gave Disney the right to determine its own fate during a final board meeting.

So, Florida literally rewrote state laws to diminish Disney, forcing the company to sue the state where Walt Disney World resides. It was a mess.

At the time, I couldn’t find a lawyer who would take Florida’s side of the case, and I know people who literally write the laws for this country.

DeSantis’ fight with Disney and the Don’t Say Gay bill ended the same way. Florida settled with residents who sued over the bill.

A few days later, Florida also settled with Disney and worked to negotiate a long-term development plan.

So, both matters are now settled in the eyes of the court, and the Disney portion appeared to end exactly the way Disney wanted.

The CFTOD has even hired a former Disney lobbyist to act as District Administrator.

Almost nine months later, a Ron DeSantis appointee, Florida Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel, wrote a final report.

As far as public documents go, this one was a marvelous piece of nothing.

Verdict: Fact — Disney Did Nothing Wrong

Verdict: Up for Debate — Florida Officials Did Nothing Wrong

The Governor had accused Reedy Creek of acting unethically by empowering Disney. This report found no such wrongdoing.

However, Miguel went out of her way to justify Florida’s actions, claiming that Reedy Creek was “in dire need of reform.”

This seems like a good time to mention that the reformations in question led to ten percent of Reedy Creek’s staff willingly quitting.

The new CFTOD leadership fired others, replacing them with others lacking similar experience.

So, Florida could find nothing that Reedy Creek did wrong, but a DeSantis appointee absolved DeSantis.

Yes, everything about this was stupid. Thankfully, it’s over. Let us never speak of it again. I hope.

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