Whew. What a week it’s been in the world of Disney! Let’s jump right into the news.
Tom Staggs, the man many considered the heir apparent to Disney CEO Bob Iger, has announced he is stepping down from his role at Chief Operating Officer at The Walt Disney Company.
Staggs has been with the company for 26 years and will leave for good at the end of September.
Disney World announced that the new nighttime events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, including Rivers of Light, are delayed. The new nighttime entertainment was supposed to …

There has been a huge shakeup at the top at The Walt Disney Company.
Tom Staggs, the COO of the Company, has announced that he is stepping down after the board failed to assure him that he would succeed Bob Iger as CEO in two years.
Staggs has been with Disney for 26 years and was considered the heir apparent when Iger steps down.
In a statement, the Company’s board said it plans to “broaden the scope of its succession planning.” It appears likely that they will look outside the company for a …

Ever since Star Wars Land at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland was announced at last month’s D23 Expo fans have been wondering when construction would begin.
They can wonder no more.
The Walt Disney Company’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Staggs told investors that groundbreaking at both theme parks will begin in 2016.
The 14-acre Star Wars Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is not the only addition coming to the theme park. Fans will also be able to visit an 11-acre Toy Story Land. No start date has been announced for that construction …

Construction at the Shanghai Disney Resort reached a milestone this week as the golden spire was placed on top of the tallest tower on Enchanted Storybook Castle.
The Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger and chief operating officer Tom Staggs were on hand to witness the installation of the spire.
Enchanted Storybook Castle is the centerpiece of Shanghai Disney and it’s the tallest building at the resort. It’s also the largest and most complex Disney castle ever built featuring a winding staircase that leads guests on a ‘Once Upon a …

We’re eight days in to the shortest month of the year and it’s already been a newsworthy month!
The Walt Disney Company announced last week that Tom Staggs has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the company. Staggs was the Chairman of the Parks and Resorts division. Many see this move as positioning Staggs to replace Bob Iger as CEO in 2018.
Speaking of Bob Iger, the CEO confirmed that Star Wars Episodes 8 and 9 will in fact be released – in 2017 and 2019 respectively. These two episodes will …

The Walt Disney Company has named Thomas Staggs as its Chief Operating Officer in a move that some see as positioning him to replace Bob Iger in 2018.
Staggs is the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts where he oversees the strategy, operations, and creative development of the parks.
He will continue to lead the Parks and Resorts division as he assumes the role of COO immediately. A successor will likely be named soon to lead the Parks and Resorts division.
All of the senior management team will report to Iger and …

MyMagic+  and the corresponding MagicBands are headed to the West Coast.
According to report, Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs told the Orlando Sentinel that the MyMagic+ technology will be available at Disneyland in the near future, most likely by next year.
Guests at Walt Disney World Resort have been using MyMagic+ and the MagicBands for a little more than a year.
The system allows guests to make FastPass+ reservations prior to their Disney vacation and the MagicBands serve as their park tickets, FastPass+ tickets, and it can also be used to pay for …

Meg Crofton, the president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ operation in the United States and France has announced that she is retiring as of June 1, 2015.
Crofton has worked for The Walt Disney Company for 35 years and is currently working at company headquarters in California. She has overseen park operations for the past three years.
Prior to her current role, Crofton was the president of the Walt Disney World Resort from 2006 until 2011. She was the fourth executive to lead the Walt Disney World Resort since it opened …

Disney’s first themed area based on the hit film Ratatouille has opened at Disneyland Paris.
La Place de Rémy features the new attractions L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy. The attraction shrinks guests down to “rat size” and whisks them on an adventure over the rooftops of Paris and through Gusteau’s.
The ride vehicles are shaped liked rats (and they’re called ‘ratmobiles’) and they scurry through the kitchen and dining room of Gusteau’s before ending at Bistrot Chez Rémy.
La Place de Rémy was officially dedicated in late June at a ceremony that included …

The Walt Disney Company executive who led the development of the MyMagic+ project has announced that he is leaving the company.
Nick Franklin is the executive vice president for next-generation experiences at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and he’s leaving Disney in July. He has worked for the company since 1996.
Franklin was chosen by Disney in 2009 to lead the “NextGen” project which became the MyMagic+ technology project that includes the new FastPass+ reservation system and the MagicBand wristbands that Walt Disney World Resort guests are now using.
Disney says Franklin made …