This week Disney announced that Tom Staggs, chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company, would be stepping down from his pivotal role. Disney sees major players change jobs within the organization all the time – sometimes even switching key positions entirely – but this exit is monumental.

Staggs had been viewed as the probable successor to CEO Bob Iger, to retire from the Mouse House’s top spot in 2018. What Staggs’ departure from Disney means for the company requires examination.

Ever since the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971, a Magic Kingdom-style park has debuted in a different locale around the world in each subsequent decade. Tokyo Disneyland: 1983. Disneyland Paris (then called EuroDisneyland): 1992. Hong Kong Disneyland: 2005. On June 16, one of Disney’s most ambitious theme parks finally sees its day. Shanghai Disneyland Park, part of the Shanghai Disney Resort, a project in the works for more than 15 years, is an epic Magic Kingdom with unique experiences, Chinese cultural influences, and technological innovations.

As we anticipate the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, let’s peek through the curtain at what Disney has in store for its future guests.