As Josh D’Amaro prepares to step into the role of Disney CEO, new details are emerging about how hands-on he’s been with upcoming park updates; including changes to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
In a recent profile, Harvard Business Review’s Marcus Buckingham shadowed D’Amaro through a full day that included time in the parks, meetings at his office, and sessions with Walt Disney Imagineering. One key stop: a discussion with about 30 Imagineers focused on the future of Smugglers Run.
D’Amaro was candid about the current version of the attraction. “Guests like it, but they don’t love it,” he said, noting that the ride’s pilots have most of the control (and fun).
We’ve all been there — you let your first-timer friends or the kids take the pilot seats, so you’re stuck in a gunner or engineer position, feeling more like a spectator passively pressing a few buttons that don’t really effect your ride experience.
It’s always important to share feedback — because in this case, guest input directly helped shape the ride’s next evolution.
Beginning May 22, 2026, Smugglers Run will introduce a new mission featuring the Mandalorian and Grogu. The update is designed to give every rider more influence over the experience, so each role inside the cockpit plays a more meaningful part in how the story unfolds.
From Good to Great
D’Amaro told Buckingham that Disney is “a delicate brand” and that helping more guests say they love Disney — not just enjoy it — is worth his time and focus. Buckingham described this mindset as “experience intelligence,” the ability to read and shape how people feel in a given moment.
During his time in the parks, Buckingham observed cast members who, in his words, felt seen, trusted, and proud of their work. For a company built on service and storytelling, that internal culture matters just as much as what happens inside a motion simulator cockpit.
From a Disney fan perspective, it’s refreshing to hear leadership acknowledge when something is good… but could be better. Much like more of the recent upgrades happening at Walt Disney World, like the refreshes currently underway at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Big Thunder Mountain, and Cinderella Castle returning to her original color palette.
The Mandalorian mission launches May 22, 2026. If it delivers on the added agency for every crew member, it will change how we board the Falcon next time! What’s your take, are you ready to fly with Mando and Grogu?
