When Bob Iger, the current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, openly says that the legacy of Walt Disney should not be revered, longtime fans understandably take notice.
In a new interview featured during The Rest Is History’s “We Went to Disneyland with Bob Iger” video, the Disney chief offered a striking comment about the company’s founding vision.
Discussing his early days as CEO, Iger remarked that he found the culture surrounding Walt Disney “too reverential.”
“I found when I got the job that the interest in Walt and in Disney’s past was much too reverential,” Iger said. “And while there’s value to it, I felt if you revere something then you tend not to want to touch it. You almost want to put it in a museum case for it to stay exactly as it was. Let’s respect our past and not revere it.”
For a company built entirely upon one man’s creative philosophy, those words hit differently.
“Respect, Not Revere”
Iger’s point, on paper, is about balancing heritage with innovation. He argues that worshipping the past can keep a company from adapting to new markets. It’s the kind of corporate language that sounds reasonable at a shareholders’ meeting.
But for many inside and outside Disney, this moment illustrates what has long been rumored: Bob Iger has little patience for invoking “What Would Walt Do?” when making decisions.
Bob Iger | 2019 Disney Legends Awards Ceremony | D23 EXPO 2019. Photo Credit: nagi usano from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Several former executives have described an internal push to modernize Disney’s image and avoid direct comparisons to its founder’s era.
Under Iger, that modernization has taken several visible forms — not all of them popular.
A Company Drifting From Its Founder’s Vision
On screen, Disney has moved far from Walt’s ideal of family-friendly storytelling. Recent releases lean heavily on moral lectures and social identity themes that divide audiences instead of uniting them.
In the parks, the change is just as clear. Magic Kingdom, once proudly alcohol-free, now features bars and multiple drink offerings. Infrastructure problems — from leaks to attraction shutdowns — have become common chatter among guests and cast members alike.
A section of collapsed ceiling in Soarin’ at Epcot’s Land Pavillion in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit, M. Montanaro
Meanwhile, nearly every new attraction is tied to an existing intellectual property. Iger confirmed earlier this year that “almost all of our investment in the parks will be using IP,” leaving little room for the kind of original creations that built Disney’s reputation in the first place.
Beer at the Beak and Barrel in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Even Iger’s own statements about Walt tend to frame him as a historical curiosity rather than a living compass. During Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, Iger said Walt would be “blown away” by the park today — a polite way of saying the company has moved on.
“Let’s Respect Our Past and Not Revere It”
It’s a phrase that sums up the modern Disney mindset: acknowledge the history, but don’t be guided by it. Yet for many fans, that history is the guide — the reason they love the company at all.
The statue of Walt Disney in Dreamer’s Point in EPCOT at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
Walt Disney believed in timeless storytelling, the innocence of childhood, and optimism unburdened by cynicism. To treat that vision as a relic instead of a foundation feels, to many, like missing the entire point of what made Disney magic endure.
Even sympathetic commentators admit the optics are poor. When a CEO dismisses reverence for the company’s founder, it sends a message that nostalgia is expendable — and that profits matter more than principles.
The Bigger Picture
Iger’s museum case analogy echoes throughout every facet of today’s Disney: sequels over originality, synergy over imagination, and adults-only cocktails over family wonder. The parks remain profitable, but the spirit behind them feels less certain.
A painting of Walt Disney by Tyler Dean McDowell featured in the song What Walt Would Say – YouTube, TDMcDowellVEVO
Maybe Iger truly believes Walt would have done the same — chasing new technology, new audiences, and new sources of revenue. But the Walt Disney who built his first park out of frustration that other amusement parks were dirty and cynical might have disagreed.
Final Thought
Bob Iger insists Disney must move forward. Fans aren’t arguing with that. They’re arguing that progress shouldn’t come at the cost of principle. When a company stops revering its founder, it risks forgetting why he mattered in the first place.
Walt Disney in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1966), Walt Disney Productions
For the millions who still believe in Walt’s dream, that’s not innovation. It’s amnesia.
How do you feel about Bob Iger and his comments about Walt Disney? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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