4. Ron W. Miller (1983-1984)

Ron W. Miller had easily the shortest tenure as the Walt Disney Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and his role in the Disney theme parks is similarly non-extensive. He was the son-in-law of Walt Disney, so nepotism might explain why his time as both the president and CEO of Disney was short-lived. He did produce Tron, a property which has popped up several times in the Disney parks. 

5. Michael Eisner (1984-2005)

Image: Disney

Michael Eisner, who followed Ron W. Miller after he was ousted from the company, may be one of the most important CEOs for Disney’s theme park legacy. He presided over the Walt Disney Company during the 1990s, which he named the “Disney Decade” because of his massive plans for Disney and especially Disney theme parks.

In his early years, Eisner poured money into new developments such as Disney-MGM Studios, with spectacular success. But his unbroken run of triumphs was shattered when Euro Disney proven to be a financial disaster on its debut in 1992. As a result, a lot of his theme park ideas never happened, like Disney’s America, Port Disney and WestCOT, but I think most would agree that they’re still a very significant part of the Disney theme parks’ legacy.

Eisner actually ended up under fire because he was so timid about making those theme parks happen following the Euro Disney experience. Roy E. Disney, the son of Roy O. Disney, resigned from his positions as the Walt Disney Company’s vice chairman and chairman of Walt Disney Features Animation, and blasted Michael Eisner on the way out. Roy the 2nd accused him of, among other things, taking the “soul” out of Disney and not being daring enough with his theme park ambitions. A corporate battled named the Save Disney War led to Eisner stepping down from his position as a CEO one year before his contract was supposed to expire. 

Two parks that did happen under Michael’s Eisner’s watch were Disneyland Paris and California Adventure. Admittedly, both parks had rough starts, but I say that even the problematic history of the Disney parks is important to the theme park legacy. It’s also important to remember that both parks eventually turned around.

6. Robert Iger (2005-Present)

Image: Wikipedia

The legacy of Robert Iger, Disney’s current CEO, is unfinished. In 2006 Disney acquired Pixar Animation Studios, making it easier for the parks to feature characters from beloved movies like Toy Story, Monster’s Inc., A Bug’s Life, Cars and more. The acquisition of Marvel Entertainment in 2009 meant a lot for Disney as both a creator of feature films and television and also as a theme park empire. Few Marvel attractions have made it to the Disney parks because the rights to the characters had already been sold off, but that lack of movement won’t last forever.

Disney acquired Star Wars in 2013, and that’s expected to result in whole areas devoted to its characters and concepts. Lastly, Iger was a factor in the decision to make Avatar Land in the Animal Kingdom, which doesn’t seem to be a popular decision but might end up being the right one. Iger’s contract goes through June of 2018, so he has a lot more time to expand his legacy - including presiding over the debut of Shanghai Disneyland.