Iger served as CEO of the Company from 2005 to 2020, during which he navigated multiple recessions, international turmoil, and the opening of multiple Disney parks. And he formed diplomatic relationships with numerous global powerhouses, including China.
However, when Bob Chapek succeeded Iger in 2020, Disney’s relationship with China faltered. While many factors could have played a significant role in this, like the COVID-19 pandemic, some believe that Iger was the missing link.
One good example of this that’s been hashed out amongst film buffs is American movie releases in China. Since Iger’s return as CEO, more Disney-created movies landed releases in China in five months than in the two years of Chapek’s time in the company office, inclulding Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Avatar: The Way of Water, according to Variety Magazine. While some believe this is due to China’s respect for Iger, others see it as a coincidental handout from China to keep Hollywood under control.
Disney says the release of Avatar: The Way of Water in China had nothing to do with Iger, but fans haven’t missed the rapid influx of the studio’s titles to Chinese theaters.
Despite the question of Hollywood’s re-entry into the Chinese market, Iger’s relationship with China has a more detailed backstory than you might think. Iger addresses this in his book, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Years As CEO of the Walt Disney Company.
Taking Great Risks
Iger’s relationship with China was challenged and strengthened during the opening of Shanghai Disneyland. He stated in his book that this period was “of a different order than all the others.” This process is one that Iger describes as being one of the company’s greatest risks, and “one of the greatest investments in the history of the company.”
The resort cost $6 billion to build and spans 963 acres — 11 times the size of Anaheim’s Disneyland. And throughout the process, Iger met with three presidents of China, five mayors of Shanghai, and seemingly endless party secretaries — one of whom was “arrested for corruption and banished to northern China in the middle of our negotiations, setting the project back nearly two years,” according to Iger.
Bringing a Disney park of this magnitude to a foreign country for the first time is a huge risk in how it will be perceived by locals. Inserting an American theme park into a very culturally Chinese city needed to be done strategically — or it would fail.
The Balancing Act
Finding the balance between a theme park that would reflect the values and personality of the Walt Disney Company while simultaneously appealing to Chinese culture was a massive task.
“The overwhelming challenge…was to create an experience that was ‘authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese,'” Iger said in The Ride of a Lifetime. “The creation of the park was an education in geopolitics, and a constant balancing act between the possibilities of global expansion and cultural imperialism.” Iger set out to do this in numerous ways, from planning to completion.
As many as 14,000 Chinese workers were being housed on property as Shanghai Disneyland was being built. Ensuring that their comfort and morale stayed at an all-time high was important — and it was even more important to do so in a manner that was acceptable in Chinese culture.
Iger hosted entertainment auditions in six different Chinese cities, bringing in only Chinese performers for park entertainment — 1,000 of them to be exact. Further, Shanghai Disneyland’s opening celebration didn’t feature only the typical Disney entertainment that consisted of character parades and spectaculars. Iger sourced a 500-piece orchestra and entertainment that consisted of China’s greatest composers and singers, as well as world-renowned pianist Lang Lang.
China’s Relationship With Disney Today
Some continue to criticize Disney for its dealings with China, not only for opening a theme park in the communist country, but also for filming parts of the live-action Mulan in a province where human rights abuses are alleged.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis has included in his criticisms of Disney their willingness to “line their pockets” via their relationship with China.
But others think Iger could be a positive force on Hollywood’s relationship with China, believing his apparent popularity in the country could stem to his willingness to stand in a diplomatic post in China through the Biden Administration in 2020. (According to the Wall Street Journal, Iger showed great interest in serving as a United States Ambassador to China, a role typically reserved for governors, senators, and those with greater political power.)
One non-Disney exec suggested “Does Bob Iger go over there and smooth things out? Does that open the market again? If he wants to be a diplomat, then going to China on behalf of Disney would show the government this is the guy we need.”
The relationship — and how it’s perceived — continues to be complex and a magnet for discussion.
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Iger as ambassador to China would be an asset in either a (D) or (R) administration.