Disney World might be in for a bit of a rough year by the time 2025 rolls around.

Sure, the EPCOT Transformation will be complete by then and we may even know more about the theme park expansions Disney has planned. But, Universal’s Epic Universe is opening in 2025 and the hype has already been building for quite a while now. Disney has been criticized for not responding to Epic Universe in any significant way, but recent comments from CEO Bob Iger promise that Disney isn’t worried.

Bob Iger recently participated in a Q&A session at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference, and gave some insight into just how Disney is responding to the upcoming opening of Universal’s brand-new theme park, Epic Universe.

We’ve been keeping up with the latest announcements about Epic Universe and all its themed lands: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. We’re not the only ones, either, as fans seem to be ready to ditch their Disney World annual passes for Universal ones instead.

But, Iger doesn’t seem to be worried at all — at least, that’s certainly what he’s trying to convey. When asked about Epic Universe, the second-time CEO said, “We’ve had competition for a long time. I’m mindful of what they’re doing, but I’m confident in what we’ve built and will continue to grow.”

He also made a point to mention that Disney had built projects like Tron Lightcycle / Run, Galaxy’s Edge, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in Florida over the past few years and that in the past, anytime Universal has opened a major new project in the state it’s increased tourism overall in Orlando, which has benefited Disney.

When it comes to Disney World, Iger said they’re looking “to place some pretty big bets on” those parks and the expansion plans already in the works.

He continued and said, “We should just continue on the path we’ve been on, mind the great IP [Intellectual Property],” which is something Disney is making a major push toward in the parks.

In a new update, Disney outlined its push to go “beyond storytelling” in parks across the globe and outlined examples of how it has already done so. Frozen, Toy Story, Avatar, and The Avengers franchises were named as ways Disney has taken successful IP and turned them into even bigger successes in the parks.

With Disney World expansion plans in the works, we could see new IP come sooner rather than later, too. Either way, we’ll keep you updated!

Stay tuned to DFB as we continue to bring you the latest Disney news and more.

Bob Iger CONFIRMED All Future Disney Parks Projects Will Be IP-Based

Will you be going to Epic Universe when it opens? Tell us in the comments.

The post Bob Iger Responds to a Huge Disney Criticism first appeared on the disney food blog.