Disney Continued To Drop Subtle Hints About Its Metaverse and Disney Membership Plans During D23 Expo
We know what Disney is laying down.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek at the beginning of the Disney Legends ceremony teased that Disney wants to revolutionize entertainment yet again. Chapek teased new canvases and new tools for Disney’s creative storytellers. It’s clear what he was hinting at.
“We’re imagining a future where Disney+ isn’t just a streaming platform, but a platform for next-generation storytelling that blends physical and digital worlds in ways that only Disney can,” said Chapek. “Where one can personalize and customize their experience; a future where sports viewing isn’t just a passive experience, but a chance to be part of the action; and a future where theme parks break through the physical and technological boundaries of today, to create experiences that defy expectation and explanation.”
This quote above from Chapek conveniently describes Disney’s plans for the metaverse and for its own membership-like program. Disney is also calling its metaverse plans — “next-gen storytelling.” The part of the quote where Chapek says “personalize and customize their experience” is clearly invoking Disney’s idea of a membership program that would utilize data from Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products as well as data from Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.
Chapek wasn’t the only one hinting at these ambitious plans. Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro was teasing Disney’s plans to revolutionize entertainment from time to time during his Boundless Future panel.
As I’ve written before, a Disney membership program could produce a unique combination and an unprecedented amount of data. Bob Chapek and Co. clearly realize this and are willing to act on it. It’s become clear that Chapek will utilize Disney100 to honor the company’s historic and legendary first 100 years while pivoting the company towards its next-gen storytelling and membership program future.
In a future newsletter, I will be diving into the potential framework for a Disney membership program. I’d subscribe now so you don’t miss that epic edition of the newsletter.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek sat down with Deadline over D23 Expo weekend and discussed his next-gen storytelling desires. Let’s examine some of the notable quotes that came out of that piece.
“We call it next-gen storytelling. We tend not to use the M word too often, because it has a lot of hair on it. But yes, Disney+ will not just be a movie-service platform, but it’s going to become an experiential lifestyle platform. A platform for the whole company to embody both the physical things that you might be able to experience in a theme park, but also the digital experiences that you can get through media.”
Chapek and his team are no longer using the word “metaverse.” Maybe it’s because Disney doesn’t want to pigeonhole itself on the concept or they just don’t want to use the word due to misconceptions. Yet, the quote sums up Chapek’s plan that will break him away from Iger. Chapek wants to see Disney+ evolve from a movie & TV streaming platform to an experiential lifestyle platform. Chapek wants to lean into the Disney lifestyle culture. Could we potentially see Disney+ host a virtual attraction in the future? What about an interactive story journey? Could the platform give consumers the chance to shop for exclusive products on the service?
“In order to reach the 90% of people that will never ever be able to get to a Disney park, we have before us an opportunity to turn what was a movie-service platform to an experiential platform and give them the ability to ride Haunted Mansion from a virtual standpoint. The utility isn’t just to have the same experience. Maybe we’ll give them the opportunity what every single person in the park wants to do, and unfortunately too many of them do it, just to get off the attraction.”
In this quote, Chapek directly confirms what most have thought about his metaverse and future Disney+ plans. The ability to have an attraction like Haunted Mansion be at home from a virtual standpoint. A way to bring Disney magic to the home when you can’t be at the parks. That seems like the current plan for Disney’s next-gen storytelling ambitions. Will these plans ever come to fruition? Who knows! But it’s clear Chapek has a team ready to develop Disney+ going from a streaming platform to an experiential platform.
In that same interview, Chapek also confirmed that he has held discussions with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and President of Walt Disney Studios Sean Bailey on how Disney could unleash storytelling into the next dimension. So, if development starts to pick up on next-gen storytelling, you know that Disney’s creative leaders will be at the forefront.
Chapek reiterated that next-gen storytelling is in early development and that Disney is still very much in the experiment phase. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney continues to tease the concept throughout the Disney100 celebration. It’s also almost a guarantee that the membership service plan will come first before any of Disney’s next-gen storytelling plans get off the ground.
Also, in the end, Chapek’s reorganization of Disney into two massive divisions — Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. & Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution — makes a lot more sense when you factor in membership plans and next-gen storytelling expansion. Connecting two divisions together is easier, than connecting five. So having one division that is the physical experiences and products and the other be media and digital makes a ton of sense.
The question now remains. Can Disney pull off these bold plans?
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
