Disney Headlines for September 23rd, 2025
Orlando’s newest form of transportation celebrated a milestone while Dana Walden reached a crossroads.
We’re not going to get into anything heavy in this week’s Disney Headlines, but we will discuss potential ramifications.
All Aboard!
The Brightline station in Orlando turned two years old on September 22nd, 2025.
So, the honeymoon is officially over in Orlando after two fascinating years of high-speed rail service.
Photo: All Aboard Florida
We could argue the degree of the impact of Brightline trains in Central Florida, but one thing is clear.
Everyone would agree that there has been some impact as residents of the Sunshine State recalibrate their plans.
Photo: Brightline
Now, there’s an easy way to travel around Florida without ever fighting traffic gridlock.
Currently, guests can hop on a Brightline train at Aventura, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.
Photo: www.travelzoo.com
I’ve visited three of these stations, and each one impressed me with its efficiency and amenities.
Brightline operates these facilities like luxury versions of The L in the greater Chicago area.
Photo: Brightline
Of course, there’s a significant difference since one blankets a city while the other crisscrosses the state.
I’ve always admired cities with these sorts of unconventional transportation options to address gridlock.
Miamiandbeaches.com
The Brightline attempt has taken that premise to the next level by connecting cities via railway.
As a Disney historian, I love it because it’s exactly what Walt Disney envisioned for Florida.
Photo: janschroder.com
His Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow envisioned this issue and offered a solution.
Uncle Walt lived through the boomtown era of Los Angeles and watched history repeat itself with Anaheim.
Monorail Blue
The popularity of Disneyland had already led to traffic congestion by the early 1960s.
So, Disney predicted it would happen with his Florida project, too. And he knew what to do.
Brightline
The entrepreneur planned to connect his capitalist utopian city via monorails and PeopleMovers.
He intended to use PeopleMovers to transport guests short distances and monorails for longer ones.
PeopleMover
In a way, the Brightline has restored that vision of an interconnected Central Florida.
Not a Hit
The problem with Brightline thus far is that it’s not yet financially successful.
I always feel a bit weird saying that about newer companies or ones in a growth phase.
Brightline
Way back when, I wrote articles about how Amazon had consistently failed to profit.
That was by design, but business sites want those stories covered, even when they’re misleading.
Photo: WPTV.com
The Brightline lost $549 million last year, which triggered Headlines like this one.
“Brightline lost more than half a billion dollars in 2024,” is a technically correct statement.
Brightline
However, when you read the rest of that article, you’ll realize how misleading it is.
The author does an exceptional job of accurately portraying Brightline’s true success.
Photo: Brightline
This company’s revenue doubled from 2023 to 2024, a sign of an ascending business model.
Also, the company’s finances are a bit misleading due to some banking shenanigans.
Photo: Brightline
Brightline refinanced some debt and then paid interest on more of it, which has impacted the balance sheet.
Nearly $400 million of the company’s losses last year involved refinanced debt and interest paid.
Photo: Brightline
The company will still pay interest until it has paid off those loans, but it made the right call.
By refinancing, it’s paying more to get rid of its long-term debt faster, which is always smart.
More Coming Soon
Brightline’s finances are now better than they have any right to be, which explains something.
Brightline West is currently under construction in Nevada and California.
Photo: Brightline
The news isn’t all great on that front, as investors hoped to have the routes built in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Brightline will apparently miss that window by a matter of months, presuming no additional delays.
Photo: Brightline
But we’re moving toward a world with more high-speed rail services in metropolitan areas.
Walt Disney called it 60 years out. He knew that a tourist region would need this kind of transportation.
Photo: Brightline
The real mystery is why we had to wait until the past decade to get it.
If Uncle Walt had lived, we would have had it in the 1970s. That’s how far ahead of the game he was.
Dana’s Game
In May, I published the latest batch of power rankings for Bob Iger’s successor.
At this point, Disney has focused on internal candidates in planning its next CEO.
Photo: Getty
Ultimately, the decision falls to the Chairman of the Board, James Gorman.
Right now, that’s probably for the best, as Iger’s popularity has taken another hit.
Photo: Disney
We’re not getting into the Jimmy Kimmel debacle today, as that would take several articles on its own.
All I want to mention in today’s Headlines centers on the ripple effects of this brouhaha.
Photo: ABC
Specifically, Dana Walden has found herself in the eye of the storm, which must be wild for her.
At the after-hours parties during the Emmys on September 14th (well, 15th by then), Walden hung out with Kimmel.
EXECUTIVE PORTRAIT – Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company. (Disney/Maarten de Boer)
According to published reports, they huddled as friends for over an hour that night.
Then, the nonsense happened and placed them at odds, and it’s her worst-case scenario. Here’s why.
Relationship Drama
Have you ever been on a double date?
Are you or were you ever in a relationship where you and your partner frequently hung out with another couple?
Photo: ABC/Frank Micelotte
I know that’s a strange question, but it’s eerily applicable here.
Dana Walden and her husband went on many double dates during the early years of their relationship.
Dana Walden
They may still do it. I have no idea, but it’s not the action itself that matters. It’s the who.
Walden’s husband’s buddy fell in love with an attorney named…Kamala Harris.
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
So, Walden suddenly found herself disciplining a dear friend she’d just partied with a few nights ago.
Now they’re at odds, and the perception of the problem, fair or not, creates terrible optics.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: Dana Walden attends ICON MANN’s Pre Oscar Dinner at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on March 08, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
I previously mentioned in the power rankings that her friendship with Harris could imperil Walden’s CEO candidacy.
And here we are. This is her personal doomsday scenario, as she must find a delicate balance.
Holywood Reporter PHOTOGRAPHED BY DIANA KING
Meanwhile, Josh D’Amaro’s candidacy appears to be in a stronger position as Walden fades.
Of course, at this moment, the odds of Disney evaluating more external candidates strike me as higher than ever.
Disney
I think D’Amaro is in the driver’s seat, but Harris could always pull a rabbit out of her hat here.
If Disney likes neither candidate, Gorman may take a closer look at Jimmy Pitaro or outside candidates.
Photo: Disney
I guess it’s time for me to update the CEO power rankings, isn’t it?
Photo: MickeyBlog
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
