Disney CEO Bob Chapek Outlines Vision Of Blending Streaming With Theme Parks, Responds To “Wokeness” Charges, Reflects On Lessons From Florida Gauntlet

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Disney CEO Bob Chapek outlined a vision of blending the company’s potent streaming operations with its thriving theme park business, in order to deliver a more “customized and personalized” consumer experience. “It’s the physical and the digital aspects of your Disney lifestyle coming together,” he said during a half-hour sit-down at The Wall Street Journal‘s Tech Live conference. “If you’re on Disney+, we should be aware, assuming you give us the permission to have that awareness, of what happened, what you experienced, what you liked the last time you visited a park.

And, vice versa, when you’re in a park, we should know what your viewing habits are on Disney+.” Efforts to unify those two branches of the company’s operations operations are under way, Chapek said. “We’re putting the arms and legs on it right now inside our own technical groups.

What we’re trying to do is build a toolbox of utilities that then can be used by our creators at Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucas who then take those utilities and use them to tell stories in a more customized and personalized way according to your interests.” In this scenario, which is Disney’s “next-generation storytelling” spin on the metaverse, someone who rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, for example, would then find Pirates-themed titles highlighted on their home page of Disney+ upon log-in.

The wide-ranging conversation also saw Chapek reflect on the tumultuous stretch of weeks earlier this year when he and his management team found themselves whipsawed between internal dischord and harsh public criticism by Florida Gov.