Disney Headlines for March 3rd, 2026
In this week’s Disney Headlines, an ESPN icon plans his mic drop.
Also, we’ll talk about the low, low cost of a Golden Oaks home and the recent Villains Land changes.
So, this one’s going out to all the true Disney fans who love happy Headlines!
Boomer Says Bye
Photo: Bob Iger on Instagram
Bob Iger will exit The Walt Disney Company in a couple of weeks.
Since he just turned 75 years old in mid-February, he’s understandably ready to go.
For all the jokes about Iger never leaving, he very much sounds like someone who wants to spend time on their boat.
In a couple of years, the diehard sports fan could have some company on his deluxe yacht.
Photo: Getty
One of the most famous people in the history of ESPN just revealed that he’ll be retiring soon.
Well, soon is up for a bit of interpretation, as the person won’t be departing until 2029.
Photo: Times of Israel
However, Chris Berman has announced that he’s heading back, back, back, and will soon be GONE!
For longtime viewers of ESPN, this day felt like it may never come…and for good reason.
Photo: ESPN
Berman is currently in year 47 (!) of his ESPN career, which adds significance to his 2029 retirement.
The broadcaster plans to exit ESPN soon after his 50th anniversary with the company.
Photo: ESPN
Berman joined ESPN in 1979, just one month after the cable channel officially launched.
So, while he’s not technically an ESPN original, he comes as close as anyone possibly could.
Chris Berman in the ESPN Newsroom. Photo: ESPN
Not counting behind-the-scenes personnel, Berman is the longest-tenured ESPN employee.
He’s also one of just a handful who can say that their tenure dates back to the 1970s.
ESPN’s Changing of the Guard
Photo: IMDB
Calling Berman an institution may not go far enough in explaining what he’s meant to the company.
However, Berman has been on de facto retirement watch since Tom Jackson was chased off in 2016.
Photo: ESPN
Jackson and Berman’s unforgettable pairing on NFL Countdown defined ESPN’s early NFL coverage.
ESPN wanted a new face on the program a decade ago, with Jackson humbly retiring.
Photo: ESPN
Since then, ESPN has paired Berman with Herm Edwards or just given him solo broadcasts.
Even casual ESPN viewers know that Berman is only a part-timer now. So, this news is hardly a surprise.
ESPN
Still, I quite like that Berman has chosen to stay with ESPN through its first Super Bowl broadcast.
That just feels right. As someone who has enjoyed Berman for many years, this news makes me sad.
Washington D.C. – January 14, 2020 – DC Studios: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on the Pardon the Interruption set. (Photo by Randy Sager / ESPN Images)
It’s also not the only big retirement decision ESPN will face in the coming years.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon recently renewed their Pardon the Interruption deals.
Still, since Kornheiser turns 78 in July, this seems like his last extension as well.
I’d love to be wrong, though. My wife and I watch PTI while having dinner on many nights.
As fans of the classic ESPN, we’re feeling a bit melancholy about the network’s changing of the guard.
Got a Spare $10 Million?
Golden Oak
I speak for many Disney fans when I say I’m obsessed with Golden Oak.
When Disney announced the construction of an official Walt Disney World neighborhood, we all rejoiced.
Then, Disney announced the price, and most of us thought, “Ah, well.”
Remarkably, the starting prices at the time were “just $1.4 million,” which was a bargain in hindsight.
Photo: Four Seasons
You cannot buy a Golden Oak residence for $1.4 million today…unless you throw in another $5 million.
Once word spread about the ability to live at the Most Magical Place on Earth, people bought.
Photo: Penta
Now, whenever a house goes on the market, its listing price will give you sticker shock.
Here’s the latest example, a breathtaking $10.45 million home that comes with a trick.
Realtor.com
One room duplicates Walt Disney’s office! How great is that?! And it gets better.
The guesthouse features a Seven Dwarfs theme, complete with a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train motif.
Realtor.com
There’s also a magic mirror, and the bathroom wall art displays the proverbial castle on the hill.
Folks, that’s just the guesthouse! You can watch a quick house tour here:
When this home entered the market in 2022, it sold for $6 million, according to Zillow.
Now, it’s selling for much more, primarily because of renovations and enhancements. That’s what happens whenever someone buys a Golden Oak home. They add more.
Disney California Villains?
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on LinkedIn
We’re roughly two weeks away from the official start of the Josh D’Amaro era.
However, as I recently discussed, his impact is already being felt at Disney.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro in Instagram
I’ll go into more detail in the Disney Rumors for March, but there’s one news item I didn’t mention.
A recent report suggests that we almost received a Disney Villains area MUCH sooner.
According to the Orange County Register, among others, Disney California Adventure had a plan.
Imagineers almost reinvented Paradise Pier with a Villains theme rather than Pixar.
Photo: TheWrap
Plans called for “a Jafar roller coaster and Ursula spinning ride” before Disney ultimately went a different way.
I realize it’s difficult to imagine anything but Pixar Pier here…and for obvious reasons.
We all know that Disney’s decision to reinvent DCA with Marvel and Pixar saved the park.
Bob Iger’s love of IP-based attractions probably makes more sense with Pixar than Villains.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro in Instagram
Still, I think I speak for all of us when I say that this Jafar roller coaster sounds fascinating.
Imagineers pitched changes to California Screamin’, including a snake-shaped tunnel based on Jafar.
Photo: Disney
Similarly, the inverted looping part of the track would have been themed to Captain Hook.
Personally, I prefer the current theming based on The Incredibles more, but that’s interesting.
Photo: Disney
The implication is that Disney had seriously considered a Villains Land a decade ago.
We also would have gotten an Ursula ride akin to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Disney ultimately chose Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind instead, though.
So, we still got Disney IP, but it’s happy IP rather than spooky instead.
We’re going to keep discussing this topic on MickeyBlog for a while because it’s all so fascinating.
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Feature Photo: Disney
