Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced that the company has struck a deal with United Arab Emirates-based company Miral to make Disney’s seventh theme park on UAE’s Yas Island.
This new theme park resort in Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – combing Disney’s iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture. ✨ https://t.co/M1GHeYgr4H #YasIsland… pic.twitter.com/IyjODlj9ar
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) May 7, 2025
Iger has claimed this resort will be “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.” In other words, one can only assume it’ll be a unique mix of hyper-modernism and UAE tradition.
Disney’s C-suite is clearly happy about this development. It’ll be located on prime waterfront property, and Disney won’t have to pay any money out of pocket. “The entertainment giant will not be investing capital in the project,” according to CNBC, “but will reap the benefits of royalties. The development in Abu Dhabi is not part of the $60 billion that Disney has pledged to invest in its theme parks over the next decade.”
All of that Emirati oil money will be going toward this vision. It really is a smart move for the UAE to diversify and invest in other enterprises. After all, oil extraction there may not last forever. Disney is simply the latest to cash in. Other companies have also declared that they will have attractions in the UAE. Infamously, Universal Studios was supposed to have an attraction in Dubai by 2010, but that project fell by the wayside.
Though the UAE is mostly desert, its location appeals to a shrewd business like Disney. The country is centrally located — one-third of the world’s population is a four-hour-or-less flight away. For a foot-traffic-driven business like Disney, that’s an important point to consider. Disney’s theme parks are its most successful enterprise. Income from the parks accounted for 34% of its overall revenue in 2024 and 60% of its operating revenue. Having one in a location like Abu Dhabi would definitely be a boon.
However, there is an elephant in the room: Disney’s outspoken political wokeness. This historic American company has landed on the wrong side of the LGBTQ+ debate. This was made particularly clear in 2022, when former CEO Bob Chapek abandoned the company’s mostly politically neutral stance to champion the radical Rainbow Mafia. The current CEO has signaled that he would like to return to a more politically neutral stance. However, that genie likely can’t be put back in the bottle.
Because of that deep disgrace, along with Disney’s anti-children, anti-family stance, the company has been in a financial spiral from which it has not yet recovered. Its LGBTQ+ promotion will not be welcome in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates is Islamic. And according to the teaching of Islam, practicing the homosexual lifestyle is illegal, and the punishment is execution.
OutKick founder Clay Travis pointed out on X, “Disney, which sued FL’s [Ron] Desantis over a ‘don’t say gay bill’ which merely banned sex instruction for kindergarten to third graders, announced … it will build a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, where gay people can be beheaded. Will [ESPN] have on air protests over this decision?”
Disney, which sued FL’s Desantis over a “don’t say gay bill” which merely banned sex instruction for kindergarten to third graders, announced today it will build a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, where gay people can be beheaded. Will @espn have on air protests over this decision?
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 7, 2025
Recall also that in 2022, the National Basketball Association — which, like Disney, is very politically woke — announced that it would have its preseason games in the UAE. At the time, everyone was highlighting this very hypocritical move. How can a company like Disney or a sports league like the NBA even entertain the idea of giving business to a country that is so anti-LGBTQ+? The answer is avarice. They want the cold, hard cash.
Bob Iger actually has a reputation for being a shark in this regard. As if to highlight that, Comedian Nate Bargatze threw shade at the Disney CEO in an interview for Esquire:
According to Bargatze, Walt Disney — the man, not the brand — loved everything he made, and cared about his customers. “Now Disney is run by a guy that’s just a businessman,” he says. “Well, that guy doesn’t care about the audience.” Bargatze cares deeply about his audience. He sees himself as their servant. “None of this happens without them,” he says of his career.
That is certainly a hallmark of Disney of late. It doesn’t care about the audience — at least not beyond “educating” the audience on its own woke perspective. However, that has led to flop after flop with recent films, and Disney needed to retrench in other ways. Abu Dhabi Disney is that potential retrenchment of finances. It’s just ironic that its stated political ideals go out the window the second it sees a massive financial opportunity.
