When Bob Iger returned to his role as CEO of The Walt Disney Company nearly two years ago, he said he focused on returning creativity to the center of the company known for blockbusters and classics ranging from "Star Wars" to "Cinderella."
As Iger prepares to headline this year's D23 fan event in Anaheim, California, there is much creativity to celebrate.
Just this summer, The Walt Disney Company earned a record-breaking 183 Emmy nominations and released two blockbuster movies, "Deadpool and Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2."
"Every single transaction that this company experiences emanates from great creativity and great storytelling. It all starts right there," Iger told ABC News' Rebecca Jarvis in an interview that aired Friday on "Good Morning America." "And when I returned to the company in 2022 ... it was very, very clear to me that we had to put creativity back to basically the center of this company."
Both the creativity of Disney and the company's legendary fandom will be on display starting Friday at D23, an annual Disney fan event that Iger started in 2009.
The event draws its name from the year 1923, when Walt Disney founded The Walt Disney Co.
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger reveals 'Black Panther' was one of the 'highest moments' of his careerOn Friday, Iger will kick off the event that, over the following two days, will see tens of thousands of Disney fans flock to Anaheim for sneak peeks of and behind-the-scenes looks at Disney theme parks, movies, Broadway and TV shows and more.
"Every time I've been to this event ... I leave with a sense of incredible pride, but actually, a real sense of joy seeing what impact we've had on people all over the world, and to see it up close," Iger said. "It's an extraordinary feeling."
While Iger declined to comment on any specific surprises awaiting fans at D23, he said there will be "many."
One upcoming movie release Disney fans are looking forward to this fall is "Moana 2," the trailer for which set a Disney record with 178 million views in its first 24 hours.
Iger said he has watched the sequel and can confirm it is "very exciting."
"We learned in the first film just what an unbelievable adventurer Moana is ... and I can only say that she is going to prove that yet again to us," Iger said, giving fans a small sneak peek of what's ahead for Moana. "And she has a great relationship with her younger sister, who is kind of a breakout star of the film to come in many ways."
2024 Disney Legends lineup revealed: Angela Bassett, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Ripa and moreIger also spoke about another fan-favorite animated movie, "Inside Out 2," that, earlier this summer, broke records at the box office, earning over $1.5 billion to date and becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time globally, according to Disney.
When asked by Jarvis whether fans could expect an "Inside Out 3," Iger said he "would love" to see that movie made.
"I'll just leave it at that," he added.
The first movie Iger said he ever saw was another Disney classic, "Cinderella," which his grandparents took him to see at the age of five.
Decades later, even as technology has evolved and people's options for consuming content have increased, Iger said that the importance of storytelling, whether through a movie like "Cinderella" or a streaming show, has remained.
"I started at ABC 50 years ago, so I've been in the entertainment business in some form or another for five decades, and over that period of time, almost everything has changed," Iger said. "One thing has not changed, and that is the importance of and the power of storytelling, and the need for people and the want of people to be entertained, and I think that's probably never been as true as it is today. It's something the world needs."
And when it comes to other changes in technology, including advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), Iger said he believes Disney needs to advance with the future while staying true to its core.
"I think, first of all, it's really important that in a world where technology provides people with these visual experiences that are stunning in many ways, and look real, I think we have to remember that the experience of coming to one of our parks is an immersive experience in a physical environment," Iger said. "The reality here is reality. It's real, you know, and I think that's important, so I don't want to lose that."
He continued, "But we also know that there are new generations of people in our world grow up with these incredible and stunning visual images, so you have to deliver on that expectation, too."
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.
