Last week, Kathleen Kennedy petitioned the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to give Disney CEO Bob Iger an honorary Oscar at this year’s ceremony. Despite Kennedy’s effort, the Academy passed, instead choosing to honor Tom Cruise and American Icon Dolly Parton.
With 18 months left in his second tenure as Disney’s CEO, what will Bob Iger’s legacy at the company be? Had he never returned, that would have been an easy question to answer, but now, it’s hard to say.
Iger’s Return
If Bob Iger had stayed away, his legacy at Disney would have been near perfect. In fans’ minds, he would have gone down as one of the best CEOs of The Walt Disney Company.
During his first tenure with the company, he expanded Disney’s parks in Asia, opening Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland, and he expanded Disney’s filmmaking empire by purchasing Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel. Those accomplishments were enough to get him on the Mount Rushmore of Disney CEOs.
In February 2020, Iger stepped aside to become the company’s executive chairman. The following month, the world came to a screeching halt, and the Bob Chapek era would soon follow.
Iger returned for his second stint as Disney’s CEO in November 2022 and plans to leave the company at the end of 2026. Iger’s return has complicated his legacy with The Walt Disney Company, and with the massive changes the company is undergoing, fans are starting to consider just what that legacy will be when Iger steps away in 2026.
Iger’s Legacy
When Bob Iger returned to Disney, he had some cleanup to do. Chapek had made a mess of the parks, Disney+, and films, and Iger has desperately tried to fix what was already broken.
Chapek dumped billions into awful films and television shows, the final of which was the $100+ million losing Snow White (2024).
If you ask any Wall Street analyst, they would say that Iger has been mildly successful in fixing films and Disney+. Disney ended 2024 with three billion-dollar movies and one that was very close.
Despite that, Marvel and Star Wars seem a bit lost, and while Disney+ is making money, it’s hard to argue that it is producing great shows and movies (excluding Andor).
Then, there are the parks. Rather than expanding when Universal Orlando Resort announced and broke ground on Epic Universe, Chapek waited, raised prices, and used the pandemic as an excuse to strip away many free perks.
While Iger has sprinted into action, many fans are angry about the changes coming at Disney World, including the closing of Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Muppet Vision 3D. Despite that, Iger has moved quickly to bring new attractions to all parks.
Iger also announced that Disney will expand into the Middle East with Disneyland Abu Dhabi. This is an interesting and controversial leap into a new market.
The problem with all the changes that Iger has ordered is that fans won’t know the outcomes until long after Iger has retired again. By the end of 2026, Tropical Americas might be open, but there is little chance that anything else will be.
– Star Wars is a shell of itself
– Marvel is a shell of itself
– Pixar is a shell of itself
– Disney+ is mediocre
– Magic Kingdom is being dismantledIs there anything this guy can’t do? pic.twitter.com/kzuDI1zqMr
— Mickey Central (@Mickey_Central) June 3, 2025
So, what will Iger’s legacy be? The real answer is that we won’t know for at least a decade, and by then, very few will care about what Iger is doing. Instead, we’ll be looking at the current CEO.
At least Kennedy will get one more chance to try to get Iger an Oscar because he won’t be getting much from Disney fans.
When Bob Iger finally retires again, what do you think his legacy at Disney will be? Let us know in the comments.
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