Walt Disney 10-K/A 2023-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023

or

For the transition period from __________ to __________.

Commission File Number 001-38842

500 South Buena Vista Street

Burbank, California 91521

Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code

(818) 560-1000

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No x

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates (based on the closing price on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter as reported on the New York Stock Exchange-Composite Transactions) was $182.9 billion. All executive officers and directors of the registrant and all persons filing a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect to registrant’s common stock have been deemed, solely for the purpose of the foregoing calculation, to be “affiliates” of the registrant.

There were 1,834,285,760 shares of common stock outstanding as of January 17, 2024.

CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding mandates, expectations, beliefs, business plans and other statements that are not historical in nature. These statements are made on the basis of the Company’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance and plans as of the time the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update these statements unless required by applicable laws or regulations and you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from expectations or results projected or implied by forward-looking statements.

Such differences may result from actions taken by the Company, including restructuring or strategic initiatives (including capital investments, asset acquisitions or dispositions, new or expanded business lines or cessation of certain operations), our execution of our business plans (including the content we create and IP we invest in, our pricing decisions, our cost structure and our management and other personnel decisions), our ability to quickly execute on cost rationalization while preserving revenue, the discovery of additional information or other business decisions, as well as from developments beyond the Company’s control, including: the occurrence of subsequent events; deterioration in domestic and global economic conditions or failure of conditions to improve as anticipated; deterioration in or pressures from competitive conditions, including competition to create or acquire content, competition for talent and competition for advertising revenue; consumer preferences and acceptance of our content, offerings, pricing model and price increases, and corresponding subscriber additions and churn, and the market for advertising sales on our direct-to-consumer services and linear networks; health concerns and their impact on our businesses and productions; international, political or military developments; regulatory and legal developments; technological developments; labor markets and activities, including work stoppages; adverse weather conditions or natural disasters; and availability of content. Such developments may further affect entertainment, travel and leisure businesses generally and may, among other things, affect (or further affect, as applicable): our operations, business plans or profitability, including direct-to-consumer profitability; demand for our products and services; the performance of the Company’s content; our ability to create or obtain desirable content at or under the value we assign the content; the advertising market for programming; income tax expense; and performance of some or all Company businesses either directly or through their impact on those who distribute our products.

Additional factors include those described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, including under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” in our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, including under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) amends The Walt Disney Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, originally filed with the SEC on November 21, 2023 (the “Original Form 10-K”).

We are filing this Amendment pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K, as we currently expect that our definitive proxy statement for the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders (“Annual Meeting”) will be filed later than the 120th day after the end of the last fiscal year. Accordingly, this Amendment is being filed solely to:

• amend Part III, Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Original Form 10-K to include the information required by and not included in such Items;

• delete the reference on the cover of the Original Form 10-K to the incorporation by reference of certain information from our proxy statement into Part III of the Original Form 10-K; and

• file new certifications of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer as exhibits to this Amendment under Item 15 of Part IV hereof pursuant to Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

This Amendment does not otherwise change or update any of the disclosures set forth in the Original Form 10-K.

References to the “Company,” “Disney,” “we” or “our” in this Amendment refer to The Walt Disney Company and, as applicable, its consolidated subsidiaries.

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART III

Executive Officers

Information regarding executive officers of the Company is set forth under “Information About Our Executive Officers” at the end of Part I of the Original Form 10-K.

Directors

The names of the members of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), their respective ages, their positions with the Company and other biographical information as of January 16, 2024 are set forth below. Mr. Gorman is not a current Director but will join the Board on February 5, 2024 and is included below as a nominee to the Board at the Annual Meeting. All Directors serve for a term ending at the next annual meeting following the annual meeting at which the Director was elected or following their appointment, as applicable, and until their successors are elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal.

			Mary T. Barra
			CHAIR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY
			Age: 62 Director since: 2017 Committees: Compensation									Notable Experience Aligned with Disney’s Strategy and Key Board Contributions •Ms. Barra has deep experience in strategy, innovation and brand evolution through her role in driving General Motors’ transformation to electric vehicles by prioritizing strategic investments in connectivity and electrification driving technologies, which provides an important perspective on the Board throughout the Company’s own strategic progression and embracing of technological change and shifts in consumer sentiment •As Chief Executive Officer of General Motors, she provides invaluable insight on large-scale cost rationalization, organizational restructuring and maintaining strong brand leadership •She brings meaningful experience in human capital management and executive compensation-related matters in her role on the Company’s Compensation Committee, where she focuses on aligning incentive structures with shareholder value creation and execution of long-term strategic priorities Other Key Skill Sets •Overseeing and managing diverse and inclusive executive teams and a sizeable global workforce, with an emphasis on development and marketing of technology-based consumer-facing products through her various executive roles at General Motors •Governance and public policy thought leadership, understanding of worldwide consumer markets and risks facing large public companies with complex retail operations through her previous role as chair of the Business Roundtable
									Employment Experience:
									2016–Present			Chair and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company (an automotive manufacturing company)
									2014–2016			Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company
									2013–2014			Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, General Motors Company
									2011–2013			Senior Vice President, Global Product Development, General Motors Company
									2009–2011			Vice President, Global Human Resources, General Motors Company
									2008–2009			Vice President, Global Manufacturing Engineering, General Motors Company
									Other Public Company Directorships: General Motors Company (2014–Present)

			Safra A. Catz
			CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ORACLE CORPORATION
			Age: 62 Director since: 2018 Committees: Audit									Notable Experience Aligned with Disney’s Strategy and Key Board Contributions •Through Ms. Catz’s position as Chief Executive Officer and formerly Chief Financial Officer of Oracle Corporation, she provides invaluable insight to both the leadership team and fellow Board members on long-term strategic planning and execution and large-scale cost rationalization and organizational structure evaluation •Ms. Catz oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of companies at Oracle and led the company through a period of tremendous growth and innovation, a key skill set to contribute to the Board throughout Disney’s prior acquisition strategies and future development •Ms. Catz’s executive leadership roles at Oracle also allow her to offer impactful guidance to the Board and leadership team on the rapidly changing technological landscape that affects our businesses •Her experience leading the financial function of a complex, global technology company strengthens her role on the Audit Committee through the extensive financial and accounting and risk management expertise she brings to the Board and committee Other Key Skill Sets •Cybersecurity and artificial intelligence oversight, including the protection of electronically stored data from her executive roles at Oracle and through her experience reviewing advances in artificial intelligence as a commissioner of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence •Brand management and governance thought leadership developed through the oversight of the strategic direction of Oracle
												Employment Experience:
												2014–Present			Chief Executive Officer, Oracle Corporation (a computer technology corporation)
												**

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Director Compensation

Elements of Director Compensation

The elements of annual Director compensation for fiscal 2023 were as follows:

1Per committee.

2This is in addition to the annual committee retainer the Director receives for serving on the committee.

3This is in addition to the annual Board retainer, annual committee retainer and annual deferred stock unit grant and at least 50% must be paid in stock.

To encourage Directors to experience the Company’s products, services and entertainment offerings personally, each non-employee Director may receive Company products and services up to a maximum of $15,000 in fair market value per calendar year plus reimbursement of associated tax liabilities. Each first-year non-employee Director may receive Company products and services up to a maximum of $25,000 in fair market value plus reimbursement of associated tax liabilities for one year following their respective start date. Such first-year non-employee Directors will have an additional allowance of $15,000 prorated to reflect the balance of the calendar year remaining after the first anniversary of their start date. Directors’ spouses, children and grandchildren may also participate in this benefit within each Director’s limit.

Family members of Directors may accompany Directors traveling on Company aircraft for business purposes on a space-available basis.

Directors participate in the Company’s employee gift matching program. Under this program, the Company matches contributions of up to $20,000 per calendar year per Director to charitable and educational institutions meeting the Company’s criteria.

Directors who are also employees of the Company receive no additional compensation for service as a Director.

Under the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, non-employee Director compensation is determined annually by the Board acting on the recommendation of the Governance and Nominating Committee. In formulating its recommendation, the Governance and Nominating Committee receives input from the third-party compensation consultant retained by the Compensation Committee regarding market practices for Director compensation.

Director Compensation for Fiscal 2023

The following table sets forth compensation earned during fiscal 2023 by each person who served as a non-employee Director during the year.

Fees Earned or Paid in Cash. “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” includes the annual Board retainer and annual committee and committee-chair retainers, whether paid currently or deferred by the Director to be paid in cash or shares after service ends. Directors are permitted to elect each year to receive all or part of their retainers in Disney stock and, whether paid in cash or stock, to defer all or part of their retainers until after service as a Director ends. Directors who elect to receive deferred compensation in cash receive a credit each quarter and the balance in their deferred cash account earns interest at an annual rate equal to 120% of the Applicable Long-Term Federal Interest Rate, as determined from time to time by the United States Internal Revenue Service. For fiscal 2023, the average interest rate was 5.30%.

The following table sets forth the form of fees received by each Director. The number of stock units awarded is equal to the dollar amount of fees accruing each quarter divided by the average over the last ten trading days of the quarter of the average of the high and low trading price for shares of Company common stock on each day in the ten-day period. Stock units distributed currently were accumulated throughout the year and distributed as shares following December 31, 2023.

Stock Awards. “Stock Awards” sets forth the market value of the deferred stock unit grants to Directors and the amount reported is equal to the market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the award times the number of shares underlying the units. Units are awarded at the end of each quarter and the number of units is determined by dividing the amount payable with respect to the quarter by the average over the last ten trading days of the quarter of the average of the high and low trading price for shares of the Company common stock on each day in the ten-day period. Each Director other than Ms. Everson, Mr. Parker and Ms. Arnold was awarded 2,721 units in fiscal 2023. Ms. Everson was awarded 2,346 units as she served only a portion of fiscal 2023. Mr. Parker and Ms. Arnold, who both served as independent Chairman for a portion of fiscal 2023, were awarded 3,141 units and 1,731 units, respectively, in fiscal 2023 due to the annual reta

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Stock Ownership

Based on a review of filings with the SEC, the Company has determined that the following persons hold more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Disney common stock. Applicable percentage ownership is based 1,833,541,083 shares outstanding as of January 3, 2024.

To our knowledge, except as noted below no person or entity is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the voting power of the Company’s stock.

1According to Vanguard’s Schedule 13G/A filing with the SEC, Vanguard has sole voting power with respect to no shares, shared voting power with respect to 2,539,313 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 138,851,722 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 7,476,787 shares.

2According to Blackrock’s Schedule 13G/A filing with the SEC, Blackrock has sole voting power with respect to 107,134,578 shares, shared voting power with respect to no shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 120,970,214 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to no shares.

The following table shows the amount of Disney common stock beneficially owned (unless otherwise indicated) by Directors, nominees and NEOs and by Directors, nominees and executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, all information is as of January 3, 2024.

*Less than 1% of outstanding shares.

1The number of shares shown includes shares that are individually or jointly owned, as well as shares over which the individual has either sole or shared investment or voting authority. Some Directors and executive officers disclaim beneficial ownership of some of the shares included in the table, as follows: Ms. Barra — 229 shares held in a trust and by spouse in trust; Ms. Chang — 120 shares held in a trust; Mr. Chapek — 214 shares held in a trust and by an adult child; Mr. Froman — 20 shares held in a trust; and Mr. Iger — 156 shares held by his spouse. All Directors and executive officers as of January 3, 2024 as a group disclaim beneficial ownership of a total of 747 shares.

2For NEOs, the number of shares listed includes interests in shares held in Company savings and investment plans as of January 3, 2024: Ms. Coleman — 776 shares; Mr. Iger — 20,552 shares; Mr. Lansberry — 767 shares; Ms. McCarthy — 4,307 shares; and all executive officers as of January 3, 2024 as a group — 21,328 shares.

3Reflects the number of stock units credited as of January 3, 2024 to the account of each non-employee Director participating in the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan. These units are payable solely in shares of Company common stock as described in Item 11. Executive Compensation — “Director Compensation,” but do not have current voting or investment power. Excludes unvested restricted stock units awarded to executives under the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan that vest on a performance basis and other restricted stock units awarded to executives that have not vested under their vesting schedules.

4Reflects the number of shares that could be purchased by exercise of options exercisable at January 3, 2024, or within 60 days thereafter under the Company’s stock option plans and the number of shares underlying restricted stock units that vest within 60 days of January 3, 2024, excluding dividend equivalent units that will vest in that period.

Equity Compensation Plans

Information regarding the equity compensation plans of the Company is set forth in Item 11. Executive Compensation — “Executive Compensation — Compensation Tables — Equity Compensation Plans.”

Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions

The Board has adopted a written policy for review of transactions in any fiscal year in which the Company is a participant and in which any Director, Director nominee, executive officer, holder of more than 5% of our outstanding shares or any immediate family member of any of these persons has a direct or indirect material interest. Directors, Director nominees, 5% shareholders and executive officers are required to inform the Company of any such transaction promptly after they become aware of it and the Company collects information from Directors, Director nominees and executive officers about their affiliations and affiliations of their family members so the Company can search its records for any such transactions. Transactions are presented to the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board (or to the Chair of the Committee if the Committee delegates this responsibility) for approval before they are entered into or, if this is not possible, for ratification after the transaction has been entered into. The Committee approves or ratifies a transaction if it determines that the transaction is consistent with the best interests of the Company, including whether the transaction impairs independence of a Director.

Each of the investment management firms, Vanguard Group, Inc. and Blackrock, Inc., through their affiliates, held more than 5% of the Company’s shares during fiscal 2023. Funds managed by affiliates of Vanguard and Blackrock are included as investment options in defined contribution plans offered to Company employees. In addition, Blackrock manages investment portfolios for the Company’s pension funds and provides a risk analytics platform related to management of investments in the pension funds. Vanguard and Blackrock received fees of approximately $1 million and $9 million, respectively, in fiscal 2023 based on the amounts invested in funds managed by them. The ongoing relationships were reviewed and approved in fiscal 2023 by the Governance and Nominating Committee under the Related Person Transaction Approval Policy.

Beginning in fiscal 2021, MVL Productions LLC, a subsidiary of the Company, contracted with a company wholly owned by Mr. Chapek’s son, Brian Chapek (“Mr. B. Chapek”), for Mr. B. Chapek’s exclusive services for a three-year period. The contract provided for Mr. B. Chapek to receive an annual base payment of $322,000 in fiscal 2021, $342,000 in fiscal 2022 and $367,000 in fiscal 2023. These amounts are inclusive of a payment in lieu of benefits. Additionally, Mr. B. Chapek would receive a $200,000 fee for each film on which he served as lead producer and an additional bonus calculated by a predetermined formula based on the worldwide box office of films on which he worked ($31,000 for fiscal 2023), consistent with a range and structure typical of producer deals at Walt Disney Studios. From October 2022 to June 2023, Mr. B. Chapek received $276,500 of the $367,000 annual base payment, plus an additional $74,667 for production work on a film, under the contract.

In June 2023, MVL Productions LLC terminated the contract and re-hired Mr. B. Chapek as an employee with the title of Executive, Production & Development. Compensation terms for Mr. B. Chapek include a base salary of $320,000 (prorated for the final three months of fiscal 2023), with a year-end bonus of $94,000, a long-term incentive award of $48,000 granted in December 2023, a signing bonus of $400,000 that was paid in July 2023 and estimated benefits of approximately $5,663. Mr. B. Chapek is also eligible for Marvel film bonuses. For fiscal 2023, Mr. B. Chapek earned total compensation and benefits of $963,061. Mr. B. Chapek was paid an amount and his compensation was structured the same as similarly situated employees. This relationship was reviewed and approved in fiscal 2023 by the Governance and Nominating Committee under the Related Person Transaction Approval Policy.

In fiscal 2023, Daniel McCormick, son of Christine McCarthy was employed as Senior Manager-Research in the General Entertainment Content business. For fiscal 2023, Mr. McCormick’s base salary was $133,157, his benefits were approximately $11,736 and his bonus was $18,554. Mr. McCormick was paid an amount and his compensation was structured the same as similarly situated employees. This relationship was reviewed and approved in fiscal 2023 by the Governance and Nominating Committee under the Related Person Transaction Approval Policy.

Director Independence

The provisions of the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines regarding Director independence meet and, in some respects, exceed the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Company’s Investor Relations website under the “Corporate Governance” heading at www.disney.com/investors and in print to any shareholder who requests them from the Company’s Secretary.

Pursuant to the Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board undertook its annual review of Director independence in November 2023. During this review, the Board considered transactions and relationships between the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates on the one hand, and on the other hand, Directors, immediate family members of Directors or entities of which a Director or an immediate family member is an executive officer, general partner or significant equity holder. The Board also considered whether there were any transactions or relationships between any of these persons or entities and the Company’s executive officers or their affiliates. As provided in the Corporate Governance Guidelines, the purpose of this review was to determine whether any such relationships or transactions existed that were inconsistent with a determination that the Director is independent.

As a result of this review, the Board affirmatively determined that all of the Directors serving in fiscal 2023 or nominated for election at the Annual Meeting are independent of the Company and its management under the standards set forth in the Corporate Governance Guidelines, with the exception of Mr. Iger and Mr. Chapek, neither of whom is considered independent because of employment as a senior executive of the Company. Additionally, Mr. Chapek’s son provided producer services to the Company and was re-hired as an employee in fiscal 2023, as discussed under the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” above.

In determining the independence of each Director, the Board considered and deemed immaterial to the Directors’ independence transactions involving the sale of products and services in the ordinary course of business between the Company on the one hand, and on the other, companies or organizations at which some of our Directors or their immediate family members were officers or employees during fiscal 2023. In each case, the amount paid to or received from these companies or organizations in each of the last three years was below the 2% of total revenue threshold in the Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board determined that none of the relationships it considered impaired the independence of the Directors.

Auditor Fees and Services

The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and internal control over financial reporting for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022, together with fees for audit-related, tax and other services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP during fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022. Audit-related services consisted principally of audits and agreed upon procedures of other entities related to the Company, viewership rankings and other attest projects. Tax services consisted principally of planning and advisory services and tax compliance assistance. Other services consisted of other miscellaneous services, including accounting research software. The Audit Committee directs and reviews the negotiations associated with the Company’s retention of its independent registered public accountants.

Policy for Approval of Audit and Permitted Non-Audit Services

All audit, audit-related, tax and other services were pre-approved by the Audit Committee, which concluded that the provision of such services by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was compatible with the maintenance of that firm’s independence in the conduct of its auditing functions. The Audit Committee’s Outside Auditor Independence and Pre-Approval Policy provides for pre-approval of specifically described audit, audit-related, tax and other services by the Committee on an annual basis, but individual engagements anticipated to exceed pre-established thresholds must be separately approved. The policy also requires specific approval by the Committee if total fees for audit-related, tax and other services would exceed total fees for audit services in any fiscal year. The policy authorizes the Committee to delegate to one or more of its members pre-approval authority with respect to permitted services, and the Committee has delegated to the Chair of the Committee the authority to pre-approve services in certain circumstances.

PART IV

1.Financial Statements and Schedules

No financial statement or supplemental data are filed with this report on Form 10-K/A. See Index to Financial Statements and Supplemental Data of the Original Form 10-K.

2.Exhibits

The documents set forth below are filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference to the location indicated.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.