Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro lays out vision for Disneyland

Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro remembers his first meeting at Disneyland just after he joined the company in 1998 when the debate centered on where to put the trash cans during construction on Main Street USA.

“I can remember sitting in the room thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’” D’Amaro said. “But what struck me as I think about it now is the level of detail, the level of excellence, the level of concern for that fan experience.”

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D’Amaro laid out his vision for the Disneyland resort that puts a premium on attention to detail, striving for perfection and delivering excellence during a D23 media briefing on Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

D’Amaro was interviewed during the media briefing by actress Ginnifer Goodwin, who voiced Judy Hopps in Disney’s Zootopia animated franchise and played Snow White in ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.”

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Disney used the three-day D23 fan expo over the weekend to unveil new details about an Avengers Campus expansion, Coco boat ride and Avatar themed land at Disney California Adventure and an ambitious Tomorrowland makeover at Disneyland.

“There is more going on right now than in any time in our history,” D’Amaro said. “There is dirt moving. There is steel being bent.”

D’Amaro took over as Disney CEO from Bob Iger in March after overseeing the Burbank-based company’s theme parks as Disney Experiences Chairman and serving as Disneyland Resort President.

Striking a balance between classic and new theme park attractions can be hard, according to D’Amaro.

“We’ll always push on that balance,” D’Amaro said. “We’ll make sure that we respect legacy and what is so meaningful to people around the world and at the same time take some really big, audacious steps into the future.”

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Walt Disney Imagineering goes through a rigorous process when designing new theme parks, lands and rides, according to D’Amaro.

“A lot of things, actually most things, are scrapped,” D’Amaro said. “They’re just put on the floor. We say it’s just not good enough and we’re going to start over and do it again.”

“It has to be perfect,” D’Amaro said. “It’s got to be right for our fans and we take that very, very seriously.”

Disney got into video games to ensure the next generation of fans fall in love with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters and storytelling, according to D”Amaro.

“So that they then take the next step,” D’Amaro said. “Now I want to go back to the OG. I want to go to Disneyland, the place that was built in 1955 and is where all of this started.”

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D’Amaro likes to sneak into Disneyland to get an unscripted, real-time assessment of how the park is operating and hear what fans and employees like and dislike.

“It’s a little more difficult to do now,” D’Amaro said.

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Nothing is more important than a direct connection with the fans, according to D’Amaro.

“It’s like a total energy boost,” D’Amaro said. “Standing in front of a fan, hearing their personal story, your tank just gets filled right back up.”