Bob Iger has a window on Main Street, U.S.A. The Walt Disney Company honored its former CEO on Sunday at Disneyland Park with the tribute the company saves for people who leave a lasting mark on Disney and its parks.
You will find it above the entrance to the Emporium, which is about as prominent as Main Street real estate gets. The window names Iger the "Chief Architect" for New Century Builders and carries the motto "Looking forward to your tomorrow!" The panels on either side list the words Disney chose to sum up his leadership: courageous, confidence, excellence, innovation, curiosity, and optimism.
"I never could have dreamed this was possible"
Iger spoke at Sunday's dedication, and he kept coming back to where he was standing.
"I stand here with a deep sense of wonder and humility and appreciation and gratitude for having the opportunity not just to work for the company that Walt Disney founded, but to run the company that he founded, and then to have the opportunity to be given this," he said.
He described looking around Town Square and thinking about everyone who came before him. "It's just so special to me to stand here, Town Square, Main Street, thinking about this place over 70 years ago, thinking about the millions and millions and millions of people that have come through, thinking about the thousands and thousands of cast members that have worked here and contributed mightily to what this is, and thinking about the legacy of the people who are represented in these windows, and realizing I'm now among them."
"This is more than a dream come true," Iger said. "It's actually not even a dream come true, because I never could have dreamed this was possible."
The Dapper Dans set the tone
The Dapper Dans performed "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," the Sherman Brothers song from the Carousel of Progress. It is a fitting pick for a window built around looking ahead, and if you know the song, you know it is impossible to hear it on Main Street without getting a little sentimental.
Mickey Mouse turned out for the occasion too, joining Iger and CEO Josh D'Amaro for photos on a blue carpet rolled out in front of the Emporium.
What Josh D'Amaro said
D'Amaro credited Iger with steering Disney through some of the most consequential stretches in its history.
"He expanded Disney storytelling around the world, he was unrelenting in his focus on creativity and innovation, and he honored our past while always keeping his eye on the future," D'Amaro said.
He also told a story from Disneyland's 70th anniversary last year. Before the park opened for the day, cast members gathered in force to get a group photo with Iger.
"They greeted him like a rock star, and that doesn't happen by accident. It happens because people feel connected to Bob, they know that he loves Disney as much as they do," D'Amaro said. "And they also know that the Disney they love today exists because of his vision, his leadership, and his deep respect for the people who bring this place to life."
He closed by thanking Iger for "everything you have done to shape this company, to strengthen the bond people feel with Disney, and to inspire all of us who are lucky enough to carry this work forward."
Why a window is such a big deal
The Main Street windows go all the way back to opening day. When Walt Disney opened the gates on July 17, 1955, names went up on windows along Main Street to credit the people who helped bring Disneyland to life. Think of them as the park's version of a movie's opening credits, with Main Street as the screen.
In the seventy years since, a window has become one of the highest honors Disney gives out, and the list stays short on purpose.
Next time you are strolling up Main Street, look up before you walk into the Emporium. It is an easy one to miss if you are heading straight for the castle, and it is worth the ten seconds.
