OMG! There is so much to say here. Bob and Bob have made the same mistake. If people want to protests, let them. BUT don’t let a bunch noise makers dictate how to run a multi billion dollar business. If you want to appeal to the masses, then appeal to the masses. You can be inclusive without having to replace the past. You should include the past so you can better appreciate the present. Expand on the magic, don’t replace. I long for the day when we had real leaders who led and didn’t ask other’s what the should be doing. Real leaders lead and take chances. AND if you want to be a politician then run for office BUT keep your politics to yourself and focus on running a successful enterprise. Politics is to devisive to take sides on. I keep my political views out of my business because I know that I may alienate one side or the other of those that I do business with. Politics never makes for good business. BTW I have traveled to Walt Disney World over a 120 times since my Grandparents took me the first year it open I have been every year since. I have taken my kids and hope to take my grandkids some day. This year is my first year to skip WWW. I decided to take a year off in hopes they get their shit together. If not, Universal Epic may be worth a trip when it opens. I understand almost half of their creative team is filled with ExImagineers.
You said this so well. Thank you! We have also decided, as much as we always loved Disney, to drop our annual passes. We aren’t spending any more money there until the company gets their priorities straight.
Those are examples of the silent majority painfully reminding the vocal minority (woke) of their dependence on the good grace of others. That how all good societies work (i.e. not woke).
And black Little Mermaid. And same with the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. I understand inclusion, I’ve got nothing against black people, but you can’t just make any character black. Going back to Pinocchio, this story takes place in Italy in 1940. At that time there were no black people in Italy, in fact during that period, Italy was pretty racist and wouldn’t allow people from different ethnicities and/or nationalities in the country. Obviously, in the circus, there could be people from all ethnicities since that train travels through different countries, but in the town? I don’t think that makes sense.
Seriously? What the f*k is wrong with you? Listen to yourself! Ask yourself WHY you have a freaking problem with a black mermaid. If you answer honestly you will find that YOU are part of the problem. Oh also- Mermaids don’t exist. I’m so sick of right wingers making America SUCK again. SMH
I dont have a problem with a black character. What i do have a problem with is the constant rewriting of established characters just to make them black. That is just lazy and insulting. Create new inspiring characters of many races.
Well said. Whi said these characters had to be white? Change doesn’t hurt anyone, except the ones who wanna keep things the same privilege way. It’s gonna happen. Regardless if they want that ” old boy network WY to stay like it is. Trying to erase people od color history. And continue telling ‘ his-story. And continuing to try and hide the truth. The hue-man being will soon replace the false ones.
From the book, The Little Mermaid “They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish’s tail.”
The problem is that Disney is changing the race or gender of established characters in an attempt to pander to the vocal minority. If they suddenly changed the race or gender of a black or Asian character, there would be screams of “whitewashing”, so go peddle your fake outrage somewhere else.
The animated film was released in 1940 but the time period was set in the early 1800s. Same for Disney’s Live Action film. Only Guillermo del Toro’s version was set in the 30s.
I agree, these cancel culture people wouldn’t like it if someone caused them to lose their carreers or run their names thru the mud just bcux they said or did something someone else didn’t agree with. Whatever happened to America being about freedom with freedom of speech, freedom of expression without having to worry about backlash from sensitive people.
I couldn’t agree more. I am tired f corporations allowing a small minority dictate what the majority has enjoyed for years. If the minority is that offended stay home but stop ruining what the majority enjoys because the minority pretends to be offended. I loved Splash Mountain as it was as to me it was pure Disney. I have stopped going to Disney since they have caved to the minority. For me the fun is no longer there.
I lose respect for any individual or entity that doesn’t stand up to this WOKE UN mandated collectivist bull ka ka. All of em need to take a healthy heaping dose Dr. Dowless’s Wonderfull Two Ball Tonic.
Disney dictated this on their own…who cancelled this ride? There really wasn’t an uproar. Remember when right wingers were gonna stop watching the NFL or buying Nike products? Cancel culture goes both ways and let’s be honest, comes more from the right.
Not buying certain brands isn’t cancel culture. It’s deciding to support brands that more closely adhere to your own beliefs. Cancel culture doesn’t offer a choice, it’s their way or destroy it.
Disney is canceling morality, they deserve to be cancelled. The democratic party has been infilitraded by the perverted left wing progressives. They believe in child grooming, fluid genders with 72 pronouns, open borders, letting loose criminals on society. Kids who haven’t been grounded in their sexuality are told they don’t have to conform to their biological sex. Pre-teen are told if they are depressed or going thru emotional trauma gender change will fix all their emotional problems, they are fast tracked by organizations like planned parenthood in to puberty blockers and cross hormones. Disney has no right to push this agenda on kids by their public support.
Disney, Target, Kohls, and Walmart are trying to appeal to 1% of the population and telling the other 99% to pound sand. If the 99% doesn’t go along, they are prejudice and are hateful. It’s hard to sell an expensive Disney vacation to the 99% and ignor their feelings. Disney leadership needs to learn going with the 1% is detrimental to the bottom line. Stop doing it!
Not to mention that most of that 1% can’t even afford a Disney trip, so why pander to them? You’d think that they’d make the masses happy because they’re the ones spending the most money there.
Mary, are you a corporate executive for Disney or one of its shareholders? I would expect your kind of response if one, or both, of those things are true about yourself. Meanwhile, what are you going to do about the Zulock deviants?
Disney has dropped too the bottom of the barrel and it wasn’t the Florida Governor it was the woke people put in management positions who started the battle against the Public
A person that is WOKE is a person that watched the murder of the innocent man George Floyd and refuses to hate a person because the color of their skin… WOKE is the belief “SO WHAT IF THE TRUTH MAKES YOU AND YOUR KIDS UNCOMFORTABLE.” HATE IS a culture that needs canceled. Hey kiddies Ronda Santis is gay and he is not happy about it…
George Floyd was not “innocent.” He was a drug addict with a lengthy history of crime, including assaulting and robbing a pregnant woman at gun point. He could have surrendered to the police, at any time, rather than fighting his way out of the police cruiser and throwing himself on the ground. Wokeness is an absurd degree of willful ignorance, in pursuit of a hypocritical, leftist political agenda. You are a prime example of it. You are happy to repeatedly spout lies in matters where you know nothing.
I agree, like Emmit Till really did sexually assault Caroline Bryant. I wouldn’t have reacted like her old man did, but others don’t think like I do. Point is, in truth, the sexual assault really occured.
Is that a joke? If not, you should know that the DOJ concluded back in 2004 that Till was murdered not for any form assault but because of how he talked to Carolyn Bryant. In fact, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest assault ever occurred. I wanted to clear that up because there is no circumstance where we should be trying to justify the torture of a child, especially as prove of the harm of wokeness
Ok I’m being serious here but are you mentally ill or something? He did not SA her. It was how he spoke. You call yourself “The Truth Shaker” but you’re spreading lies.
While I agree that Chauvin held his knee on Floyd for too long, there are videos out there that show him saying that he can’t breathe as soon as he’s on the ground. If you look at his autopsy report, he had enough fentanyl in him that it’s surprising he wasn’t already dead… not to mention all the other drugs.
Goeroge Floyd innocent LOL LOL LOL what a fun simpleton you are. He was a criminal on drugs. Do some research. All he had to do was do what the police were telling him to do.
Cancel Culture & Woke folks are the same people who want to destroy Disney and all of the Walt Disney Fans will not permit it and there are many times more of us then you, you morons!
Cancel culture & right-wing nut jobs are the same people who want to destroy Bud-Lite, Target & even DISNEY (black Little Mermaid)! But us fans of justice & human decency for ALL PEOPLES will not permit it & there are most definitely MORE of us than you Naz1 pieces of crap!
Nope! Its the companies choice. You don’t see gun manufacturers bowing to the majority of voters,,voters, those whose politicians get the most donations..Similar.
Well written, valid points. Disney is trying to hard to walk a fine line in a tempest, it is impossible. People are always going to complain, they always have, they always will. This truly is nothing new for them, they really just need to keep doing what they are good at, what made them the success they are. In company history there has never been a single thing they have done that hasn’t had it detractors. Nothing on earth is universally loved, it is a fools errand to try make it so. I mean come on, we cannot even agree on the air we breathe. Change is good when it comes organically, forced change never works. Pandering does not either, tides change, as do opinions.
Whether Disney will ever admit it or not their woke pandering and cash grab schemes among other things have really hurt their image. Disney made the mistake of listening and pandering to the woke left in the first place. Now anytime there’s anything at all that suggests they’re doing something different the woke left cry like a spoiled child that won’t stop screaming until they get what they want.
The original Splash Mountain is completely wrapped up in racism. It’s not woke/cancel culture, it’s Disney trying to move onwards and upwards from their racist past.
No it is not. You have no right to say what’s racist and what’s not. As a military man, I outrank you and I have the authority to say what’s racist. There is nothing racist about Splash Mountain and it’s not even closed. It’s still open in both US parks and will still be open for WDW’s 75th in 2046 and Disneyland’s centennial in 2055 in part thanks to the Make Disney Great Again movement restoring Disney to its glory under Walt and bringing back the “What would Walt do?” school of thought that ran Disney after he died. Disney has no right to change Splash Mountain or hide Song of the South either. When I take Disney over, one of my first official acts will be if it hasn’t already been done to give Song of the South a theatrical re-release and a Blu Ray release. Like there’d be a mass boycott against Disney products in response.
How so? List those things from the movie that are racist. Are you applying your standards from today to a movie made decades ago? How is the ride at the parks racist? Please elaborate.
Sorry BigRob029, You are incorrect. Song of The South is based on stories that were collected directly from the African- American storytelling tradition. They were the first to ever legitimately and faithfully record their dialect in print. The gentleman that recorded them and wrote the stories down was one of the loudest reconciliation advocates and supporters after the Civil War. Do some research on Joel Chandler Harris.
BigRob is right, anyone who even remotely understands entertainment history knows that the depictions of Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit are minstrel show-esque. Their language, mannerisms, and even their names are indicative of the time; doesn’t make sense in today’s society. No one, no thinking adult, would allow a minstrel show to have a ride at a theme park. For those of you screaming to “do your own research”, go and see the depictions of Black Americans in those shows then tell me you don’t see the similarities. Unless you are blinded by the idea that any change based on race, culture, sex, etc. is immediately “woke” and bad, you will understand the change. It doesn’t just strictly relate to the Song of the South film but the actual imagery in the ride. They’re not erasing history, they’re changing a ride. And, I’m willing to bet the same people on here screaming about “woke” who don’t want the ride to change are the same who would be on here screaming if Disney simply put up a sign explaining the racist history of the film and the characters. I disagree with pandering and kneejerk reactions but, would you all be complaining if they changed it another film with a predominantly white cast?
I am Hispanic and having Speedy Gonzales cancelled was done put people who weren’t Hispanic. That’s the real crime. Every Hispanics person I know loves Speedy Gonzales. How far will things go?!?
How about Disney cancelling itself and stop blaming cancel culture. Pretty stupid even suggesting such a idiotic idea. Most people are insulted by fan blaming and think you’re the reason why this country is pathetic. Maybe you should get a life and do something important.
I’m not sure if my comment fits in with cancel culture, but I’m going to make a comment anyway. I feel that Disney is really doing a disservice to the Christian people by taking the stand that they are by embracing homosexuality. If the Disney corporation would read the Bible they would realize that God himself said that homosexuality is a sin. I don’t see how anyone who is a Christian can go along with supporting a company that so blaitenly goes against the word of God. As for me and my family we will no longer support Disney and I urge any Christian to take a stand against Disney and choose not to support them for choosing to take the path that they are taking. Wake up America, and follow what the word of God says.
You must remember who’s running the place now. The name will be changed to Walt’s Rainbow World. You won’t find the mention of god anywhere over there.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to make sure your customers and employees feel valued.
And really, who cares? It’s Disney and you’re all adults. Grow up.
Guess minorities were never treated as valued or welcome at the parks during Walt’s lifetime then? Wrong. If you think Disneyland and the other parks weren’t welcoming towards anyone non white during Walt’s lifetime or any time else during the 20th century then I have a bridge to sell you. Disney was at its best when it gave the purists what they wanted regardless of ethnicity and when I take over I will cater only to Disney purists.
Splash Mountain should’ve stayed as it was, maybe with some refurbishment. It was a staple and MANY people’s favorite ride. Its closure was a knee jerk response to George Floyd’s death and that was very obvious. The people calling the shots need to learn that simply ignoring the criticism from these vocal minorities really does just make it go away. One small statement like “‘Song of the South’ was the product of a different time, but Splash Mountain is a staple of the parks…” etc. and that’s that. The keyboard warriors move on pretty quickly if they get no response.
Just keep sexualised content, any person who identifies through their sexuality or dudes dressing up as women or women dressing up as dudes out of any childrens content….pretty simple!
Just leave the kids out of anything to do with sex!!!
They need to bring prayer back to school, and teach our children things to benefit their future not put silly crap in their heads and feed them full of lies just bcux theyre afraid their feelings might be hurt.
I’m so sick of people trying to destroy, hide and rewrite history to better fit their feelings! They don’t care who they hurt in the crossfire as long as their feelings don’t get hurt! Instead of trying to Bury, hide and rewrite history from our children why not teach our children that history is our past but their future is so much different and changes start with us.
I know none of our opinions matter to Disney – but honestly I never agreed with them changing Splash Mountain to Tiana’s….fix up Splash Mountain of any issues but blaming a movie that almost no one has ever seen or heard about (until it was talked about) as the reason the ride was being changed is insane!! Even riding the ride you have no clue about the movie…it’s just a story being laid out about a rabbit, fox and bear….and that being said I don’t know if I will ever ride Tiana’s ride (wasn’t a big fan of Princess and the Frog myself).
With that being said….I agree Disney has had some misses along with their hits. I don’t agree with changing storylines/characters in popular stories either (like Pinocchio – with Tom Hanks- casting a person of color & bald as the fairy godmother when the cartoon had a white fairy with blond hair to be “culture” sensitive. And changing lyrics in the live Little Mermaid…I can’t even bring myself to see the live version – the original is part of my childhood and forever holds a place in my heart). Disney needs to LISTEN to their fans and not just listen to all the “cancel culture” and other crap. Disney listening to all that crap is going to make everyone who once loved Disney hate them and I don’t want to hate them….i have been a Disney girl for as long as I can remember….but if they keep changing (in the wrong way) I don’t know if I can continue to support them….
they are erasing our childhoods to be politically correct and it’s not a good idea if they want to keep the fans they hàve still…..
It’s not just the fact that Disney has kowtowed to the social justice warriors. Disney is infested with woke and untalented activists that have corrupted the culture. There’s no easy way out now — many parents have lost faith in the Disney brand.
And which is why after my hostile takeover of Disney I will make it great again my removing them all and having them blacklisted from Hollywood. The only people I will allow to work for Disney under me are those that share Walt’s visions, idolize Walt, and also are willing to make decisions by asking “What would Walt do?” like Disney management did for decades after his death. I’ll know I’ve done my job when the social justice warriors boycott and attempt in vain to start a nationwide boycott of all things Disney. They won’t be missed
The real problem with splash mountain was the original source material Song of the South, was done at a time when viewpoints were different and it’s now being judged after culture has changed. When the ride was constructed it was very popular, but the movie had not been released in many years because of the sensitive nature of its depictions. Disney already knew that they were on shaky ground. The racist part of this however doesn’t occur until now. Replace the ride, retheme the ride, I don’t have a problem with that. You have literally a ton of material to choose from. It’s racist when the only option that you look for is again a 25 year old movie that is only being considered because it has the first black princess. This should have been used in an attraction when it came out. When it was cutting edge and not just to pander to a set group of people just to prove it’s not racist. It is a double edged sword that they are dealing with, and Disney is unfortunately cutting itself on both edges of that sword. I hope the ride is great, but this inclusion should have happened twenty five years ago. Not just as a half measure now.
History states if you do not stand for something you will fall for anything. If you ignore the past you are doomed to repeat it.
There are always detractors and those that want change for them to feel better or get their own way.
I am not a fan of the WOKE culture and never will.
Get a grip on normal society and stand for something or you will fall for anything.
We have been going to WDW since the late 1980s when there were the Communicores that have been demolished.
I am waiting for WDW to get a leader like Walt Disney that will go back to “A place where dad and daughters could do things together”.
Stand Up!
The author treads so carefully here… so as not to offend ANYONE. Same mistake that Disney is making. Say it loud! WE ARE SO WEARY OF THE EASILY OFFENDED!
Tell that to the parks crowds! Cosmic Rewind reached an hour wait during their three hour after hours event. I’ll worry about Disney’s financial state when they’re desperate enough to cut my AP renewal rate by 50% and start including LL+ at no additional charge.
It’s really simple decision for any company. Decide who you want to listen to. You can listen to a vocal minority or you can listen to your larger audience. Which one is going to be able to pay the bills? If the small vocal minority is spending enough to keep your business going the way you want it to, then by all means listen to them and forgo the larger group’s business. If you want that sweet cash pile from the larger audience, then you’re gonna have to produce goods and services that that group wants to actually see. Trying to have it both ways is what’s killing Disney and these other companies.
Stockholders should be livid. Disney’s corporate woke decisions injecting politics into the narrative has killed their stock. How many customers did they lose over Song of the South? None. How many did they lose over saying it was racist and pulling it. A lot. How many customers did they get supporting queerdom? A lot less than they lost. The company can’t even fix the parks attractions yet they still make movies that lose hundreds of millions of dollars because they depict queer characters to kids. If you don’t want to be in a war stay neutral and do what the company does best entertain. Stay the hell out of culture war. Period. If they persist they will continue to lose and it can get a lot worse.
I could tell this was written by a white man from the south without even reading your bio. Now can you get Disney to open a ride where we relive January 6th? I’m sure you and many of your fans who posted comments would love it!
I am a Disney Vacation Club member and a stock holder in the company. My children grew up to all the clasics. I would now consider selling my DVC membership, cashing in my stock and cancelling Disney plus because of cancel culture and woke movements that serve tor ruin “good family “entertainment”. There are many like me. I have to agree that the current Governor of florida has my vote for President, for his stanc on this problem.
Best article I have read here (and other places) in a long time. These corporations who are in business to sell things, whether it is entertainment or hardware, or hamburgers, should stick to the business of making quality products, as they had since their business model had been written. Nobody writes their business model to tap dance around every public comment ever whispered. Do the business that made you in high regards with the people who appreciate your product, AND JUST BE NEUTRAL. Pandering will put you in a spiral down the drain. Trying to please non-fans and complainers, (the 2%) and turning your back on the loyal establish fans of your business is NOT good thinking. If they don’t like it, invite them to leave, turn the channel, turn the page, etc. UGH. I am so tired of this…..
The problem Zach is that you really only went one side. Yes, cancel culture has caused some lack of innovation. But then again, so has the far right conservative side that throws a fit because a movie has gay characters or POC characters. I can see an argument against pandering by making a character that is a white male in the source material a different gender or race. Although sometimes that works…. Nick Fury was a White guy in the original material and I think all of us agree Sam Jackson as the Ultimates Version is fantastic. Same with creating Miles Morales in the comics originally. Those are the very risks that ARE important. And while cancel culture can limit said risks, so can insistence that any diverse or Queer character is somehow pandering. Did a character such as Luce in Owl House ruin the story by being Queer or Latino? Not in the least. Those are risks that you were referring to that wouldn’t happen if people listen to the far right vocal minority, many of whom seem to live on this site.
Unfortunately Like much of America, the far left and right fringe minorities are destroying this country. DeSantis, Alito, Thomas, Sanders, AOC and others are so extreme fringe compared to the majority of people who couldn’t care less about queer characters or POC characters and are just tired of all the tribal stuff coming from both sides. But because people more need a tribe to belong to than make actual useful change, we are left with the problems we have.
So yes you make some excellent points but you also completely missed another important side of this debate.
Splash Mountain is one of the best attractions Disney ever created. It tells the story of Brer Rabbit. Disney is forcing a Princess and the Frog theme into a setting where it does not fit. (Louisiana has no hills and a bayou is a slow moving body of water.) Disney should have built a new attraction for Tiana. This ride will continue to be controversial and and divisive for Disney guests. Disney can join the ranks of Bud Light and Target. We will ride it because we love water rides in hot weather, but we will never spend a dime on anything that is themed to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Cancel culture hasn’t killed song of the south. Intolerance of racism did. As long as white people thought the crows in dumbo were funny. Racism will flourish and white people who resent being called out will resent it
I’ve never seen the movie “Song of The South.” I’ve heard comments from both sides, and would like to see the movie and make up my own mind, but that will never happen because the film is no longer available. Now I’m in the unenviable position of forming opinion based entirely on bias and here say. Is this the true definition of woke? I’m told how/what to think, my opinion is shaped rather than determined by me, myself?
Sad and pathetic that grown people care about the color of fairies and mermaids. These movies are for kids. And none of them would care unless you made a big deal about it. I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a single fairy or mermaid that’s offended over this!
DISNEY’s ‘WOKE Corporate Elite’ thought that they had more power than they really did – that they could set Ideological Agendas, rather than just provide what the general public wants to see.
That they could directly interfere Florida’s State Education Policy, even though the majority of Florida Residents supported the Anti-Grooming Statutes and DON’T think it’s appropriate for teachers to instruct or even discuss Gender and Sexuality with CHILDREN aged 5 to 8 years old!
Why is it so important to ‘sexualize’ little children?!
Why can’t these topics wait until the child is 9 years old?!
DISNEY has reaped it’s own punishment – stay out of Politics and stay out of School Classrooms. Stick to Entertainment that is APPROPRIATE FOR FAMILIES!!
Walt Disney is literally spinning over in his grave from this horrible distortion of the Entertainment Company that he created and built into a World-Wide Leader!
It’s not cancel culture. What a joke. The writer doesn’t seem to understand. The left want to cancel. Yes dems you.
The right just don’t support or spend money there. Disney has bragged about trying to change children. Hell they just had a princess guy with a mustache.
Espn – political. Stars wars political. Etc.
They go into with the government (don’t say gay isn’t the bill). The bill just didn’t want children in grade school though they were queen.
I don’t care if you are . I just think you should like children decide when old enough (teens).
So people don’t support them anymore. They don’t buy there products. They don’t watch films.
That isn’t cancel culture. No one is shutting down Disney
Sooner or later in the near future Disneyland will likely remove the Native American stereotypes featured in rides like Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in Tobacco Row section and remove Tobacco Row entirely and update it to the Pinocchio 2022 retheming and also in Peter Pans Flight they’ll likely replace the Native American stereotypes with the ones from the 2023 Peter Pan and Wendy film.
Also, the 2 Native American statues featuring Sioux Chiefs on Main Street and Frontierland will likely get removed and Tom Sawyer Island will likely get rethemed to Pirates of the Carribean since Tom Sawyer is a problematic story.
Yes, and also, I really want Autopia ride to get an overhaul retheme to Sugar Rush Go Karts from Wreck it Ralph and Matterhorn ride into Elsa’s Frozen Palace ride from Frozen. Which I hope happens soon.
None of things are going to be happening. There will be no Wreck-it Ralph attraction or Frozen attraction either. Neither deserves any attraction and no Disney movie “deserves” an attraction. Disney will be split up soon under antitrust and Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC, Pixar and everything else they bought will be taken away from them. No one will miss Star Wars, the Avengers, or Pixar in the parks. The Make Disney Great Again movement will take over like Saul Steinberg nearly did and erase the entire Bob era.
Men dressed like Fairy Princesses selling gaudy overpriced Chinese Dresses while confusing and scaring Little Girls is what’s ruining Disney. This nonsense is enough to make Walt’s frozen skull melt.
When I saw splash mountain the first time, I thought, what a funny, cute bear or what a funny fox, etc. Race didn’t even cross into my mind. It’s the DEMO_CRATS, lib_erals, and woke mob that are stirring up racism at every turn. They are the party of destruction and death. Causing race wars. For euthanasia. For abor_tion including up to 9 months. Destroying the family. Every child needs a father and a mother. NOT two dads, etc. They are against law enforcement, which is causing a horrible increase in murders, rape, etc. Mutilating children with sex changes. They are anti-God. Then they think they are righteous.
As an Appalachian American, I find the country bear Jamboree offensive. For some reason, it’s still okay to have essentially minstrel shows about mountain folk. Every kind of entertainment shows always poke fun at white, poor, people. Imagine if they had a Ghetto Bear show. The up roar would be world wide. Once one opens the idea of canceling offending ideas and entertainment, it would be hypocritical to stop at a particular group’s offense.
There has not been one thing “successful” regarding Disney’s Little Mermaid remake. That film is on track to loose Disney 100’s of millions and Disney deserves it.
THANK YOU so much for this article! It is the best one I have read in a long time, on any platform.
This current climate we’re in is infuriating. It shouldn’t have any business anywhere but unfortunately companies are catering to them. It won’t stop until someone ignores them and takes away their ‘power’.
These groups are extremely toxic. They are in a fantasy world to erase the past like it never happened. It’s what made us the strong people we are today. We are to remember it, embrace it and see people for who they were. If anybody needs a check it’s the cancel culture and social justice groups that are assisting in the up-rising on social unrest taking place now. Everybody acting entitled to everything without having to work for it. Spoiled people that don’t want to sweat to make something of themselves. Leave Disney alone or just don’t do to the parks, because other people know how to put things in perspective and just try to have some fun without tearing everything apart. I feel sorry for those people they are so wrapped up in themselves and creating unrest they can’t enjoy anything.
I looked at these comments and it went from bad to worse. I don’t know how we get from Disney ride to Emmett till I don’t know how we got from Disney to sexual assault what in the hell is wrong with all of you people? Don’t you all see- everyone in this thread that you are the problem? quit complaining and find a solution! And just to re-iterate my point this story was about a Disney ride in Disneyland you know DISNEYLAND. What if some kid came across your comments you know like a seven-year-old kid who was just looking at Disney stuff and came across a Disneyland ride and looked at the comments. you would all be ashamed of yourself.
Absolutely! Disney has become “over woke” they used to be the family friendly brand but now pander to a small percentage of rotten apples.
For what? I guess it is just to push the agenda that is in opposition to wholesome family values. Do I mean values of the 1960s or 50s well maybe and whats wrong with that? Just because it is the year 2023 does that mean we are to become more disgusting? If we all go to pleasure island and act like jackasses we will become jackasses.
Comments for Op-Ed: Cancel Culture Is Killing Disney
Gary
Cancel Culture has no business dictating to Disney and Disney should not listen to them at all PERIOD!!!
Jeremy
Neither should Bud-Lite or Target!
DES
OMG! There is so much to say here. Bob and Bob have made the same mistake. If people want to protests, let them. BUT don’t let a bunch noise makers dictate how to run a multi billion dollar business. If you want to appeal to the masses, then appeal to the masses. You can be inclusive without having to replace the past. You should include the past so you can better appreciate the present. Expand on the magic, don’t replace. I long for the day when we had real leaders who led and didn’t ask other’s what the should be doing. Real leaders lead and take chances. AND if you want to be a politician then run for office BUT keep your politics to yourself and focus on running a successful enterprise. Politics is to devisive to take sides on. I keep my political views out of my business because I know that I may alienate one side or the other of those that I do business with. Politics never makes for good business. BTW I have traveled to Walt Disney World over a 120 times since my Grandparents took me the first year it open I have been every year since. I have taken my kids and hope to take my grandkids some day. This year is my first year to skip WWW. I decided to take a year off in hopes they get their shit together. If not, Universal Epic may be worth a trip when it opens. I understand almost half of their creative team is filled with ExImagineers.
Beth
Well said.
MB
I agree.
JC
Disney is lost. They ceased being family friendly a long time ago.
ST
This is exactly it!
Bodro
Thank you.
JoAnn
You said this so well. Thank you! We have also decided, as much as we always loved Disney, to drop our annual passes. We aren’t spending any more money there until the company gets their priorities straight.
Wade
Plus many more . They think playing politics will help them. Go Woke go Broke.
ryu
You talking about Conservatives?
Dan D.
Those are examples of the silent majority painfully reminding the vocal minority (woke) of their dependence on the good grace of others. That how all good societies work (i.e. not woke).
Tomclay
Disney is part of the problem!
Tomclay
Like replacing the race of characters or making the lost boy inclusive by adding females?
Black tinker bell
Avril
And black Little Mermaid. And same with the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. I understand inclusion, I’ve got nothing against black people, but you can’t just make any character black. Going back to Pinocchio, this story takes place in Italy in 1940. At that time there were no black people in Italy, in fact during that period, Italy was pretty racist and wouldn’t allow people from different ethnicities and/or nationalities in the country. Obviously, in the circus, there could be people from all ethnicities since that train travels through different countries, but in the town? I don’t think that makes sense.
Ursula
Seriously? What the f*k is wrong with you? Listen to yourself! Ask yourself WHY you have a freaking problem with a black mermaid. If you answer honestly you will find that YOU are part of the problem. Oh also- Mermaids don’t exist. I’m so sick of right wingers making America SUCK again. SMH
Rox
I dont have a problem with a black character. What i do have a problem with is the constant rewriting of established characters just to make them black. That is just lazy and insulting. Create new inspiring characters of many races.
James
Well said. Whi said these characters had to be white? Change doesn’t hurt anyone, except the ones who wanna keep things the same privilege way. It’s gonna happen. Regardless if they want that ” old boy network WY to stay like it is. Trying to erase people od color history. And continue telling ‘ his-story. And continuing to try and hide the truth. The hue-man being will soon replace the false ones.
Rox
Characters are written how they were intended. Tell me there wouldnt be any issue casting a live action Tiana with a white actress.
Kevin M
From the book, The Little Mermaid “They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish’s tail.”
David K
The problem is that Disney is changing the race or gender of established characters in an attempt to pander to the vocal minority. If they suddenly changed the race or gender of a black or Asian character, there would be screams of “whitewashing”, so go peddle your fake outrage somewhere else.
halloweenguy
The animated film was released in 1940 but the time period was set in the early 1800s. Same for Disney’s Live Action film. Only Guillermo del Toro’s version was set in the 30s.
Nicki
You definitely have something against black people.
Wade
They are the problem for sure.
Laura
Has the same vibe as. “No I’m not. I have black friends.”
Cry about it.
There were black people in Italy at the time bro 😭 what are you on
Angel
I agree, these cancel culture people wouldn’t like it if someone caused them to lose their carreers or run their names thru the mud just bcux they said or did something someone else didn’t agree with. Whatever happened to America being about freedom with freedom of speech, freedom of expression without having to worry about backlash from sensitive people.
RickTR
They can’t create, they can only tear down.
Karen
I couldn’t agree more. I am tired f corporations allowing a small minority dictate what the majority has enjoyed for years. If the minority is that offended stay home but stop ruining what the majority enjoys because the minority pretends to be offended. I loved Splash Mountain as it was as to me it was pure Disney. I have stopped going to Disney since they have caved to the minority. For me the fun is no longer there.
The truth shaker
I lose respect for any individual or entity that doesn’t stand up to this WOKE UN mandated collectivist bull ka ka. All of em need to take a healthy heaping dose Dr. Dowless’s Wonderfull Two Ball Tonic.
Reese
Disney dictated this on their own…who cancelled this ride? There really wasn’t an uproar. Remember when right wingers were gonna stop watching the NFL or buying Nike products? Cancel culture goes both ways and let’s be honest, comes more from the right.
RickTR
Not buying certain brands isn’t cancel culture. It’s deciding to support brands that more closely adhere to your own beliefs. Cancel culture doesn’t offer a choice, it’s their way or destroy it.
Edgar Nazarian
Disney is canceling morality, they deserve to be cancelled. The democratic party has been infilitraded by the perverted left wing progressives. They believe in child grooming, fluid genders with 72 pronouns, open borders, letting loose criminals on society. Kids who haven’t been grounded in their sexuality are told they don’t have to conform to their biological sex. Pre-teen are told if they are depressed or going thru emotional trauma gender change will fix all their emotional problems, they are fast tracked by organizations like planned parenthood in to puberty blockers and cross hormones. Disney has no right to push this agenda on kids by their public support.
Wade
True facts.
ryu
Tell that to Ron Desantis who wants to take control of the Park
beautiful gorgeous
Disney, Target, Kohls, and Walmart are trying to appeal to 1% of the population and telling the other 99% to pound sand. If the 99% doesn’t go along, they are prejudice and are hateful. It’s hard to sell an expensive Disney vacation to the 99% and ignor their feelings. Disney leadership needs to learn going with the 1% is detrimental to the bottom line. Stop doing it!
Better than you
Your percentages are backwards.
Roc
Corporate business, you gambled and lost. Learn from your bonehead experience and correct the course. You have fooled NO ONE!
L. Arena
Spot on! The tail doesn’t wag the dog. Get over yourselves and stop dictating how people should act. Life isn’t fair in case you haven’t noticed.
Drew
No, he’s right.
jal11180
The 99% need to tell the 1% to go pound sand instead or the 1% will become the 100%. Do you want that to actually happen?
Ugh
Not to mention that most of that 1% can’t even afford a Disney trip, so why pander to them? You’d think that they’d make the masses happy because they’re the ones spending the most money there.
Nicki
Are you saying minorities can’t spend money at Disney or that they don’t?
Wade
They don’t.
Mary
More phony anti-Disney propaganda from the DeSantis campaign!
Me
You simpleton these are facts about Disney
Jeremy
No, they are one mans OPINION as to why a ride shut down.
jal11180
Mary, are you a corporate executive for Disney or one of its shareholders? I would expect your kind of response if one, or both, of those things are true about yourself. Meanwhile, what are you going to do about the Zulock deviants?
Dhammer
Disney has dropped too the bottom of the barrel and it wasn’t the Florida Governor it was the woke people put in management positions who started the battle against the Public
Jack
For real, Mary? It’s dumb stuff like what Disney is doing that divides people even further.
Jon Smith
A person that is WOKE is a person that watched the murder of the innocent man George Floyd and refuses to hate a person because the color of their skin… WOKE is the belief “SO WHAT IF THE TRUTH MAKES YOU AND YOUR KIDS UNCOMFORTABLE.” HATE IS a culture that needs canceled. Hey kiddies Ronda Santis is gay and he is not happy about it…
Tem
You don’t even know the governor’s name LOL LOL . What a moron you are.
Laura
The original definition of woke is being aware of the struggles of African Americans. If you walk around with a white hood just tell everyone.
Libby
If you don’t t like the truth too bad. Libtard.
Anony
George Floyd was not “innocent.” He was a drug addict with a lengthy history of crime, including assaulting and robbing a pregnant woman at gun point. He could have surrendered to the police, at any time, rather than fighting his way out of the police cruiser and throwing himself on the ground. Wokeness is an absurd degree of willful ignorance, in pursuit of a hypocritical, leftist political agenda. You are a prime example of it. You are happy to repeatedly spout lies in matters where you know nothing.
The truth shaker
I agree, like Emmit Till really did sexually assault Caroline Bryant. I wouldn’t have reacted like her old man did, but others don’t think like I do. Point is, in truth, the sexual assault really occured.
Luke
Is that a joke? If not, you should know that the DOJ concluded back in 2004 that Till was murdered not for any form assault but because of how he talked to Carolyn Bryant. In fact, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest assault ever occurred. I wanted to clear that up because there is no circumstance where we should be trying to justify the torture of a child, especially as prove of the harm of wokeness
Laura
Ok I’m being serious here but are you mentally ill or something? He did not SA her. It was how he spoke. You call yourself “The Truth Shaker” but you’re spreading lies.
Ugh
While I agree that Chauvin held his knee on Floyd for too long, there are videos out there that show him saying that he can’t breathe as soon as he’s on the ground. If you look at his autopsy report, he had enough fentanyl in him that it’s surprising he wasn’t already dead… not to mention all the other drugs.
Steve
Floyd was far from innocent. Woke means to be brainwashed by lies about America such as the idea of systemic racism ruling everything.
Rroe
George Floyd was a Thug and had a criminal record a mile long…..do your homework.
Me too
Goeroge Floyd innocent LOL LOL LOL what a fun simpleton you are. He was a criminal on drugs. Do some research. All he had to do was do what the police were telling him to do.
Gary
Cancel Culture & Woke folks are the same people who want to destroy Disney and all of the Walt Disney Fans will not permit it and there are many times more of us then you, you morons!
Adam
Cancel culture & right-wing nut jobs are the same people who want to destroy Bud-Lite, Target & even DISNEY (black Little Mermaid)! But us fans of justice & human decency for ALL PEOPLES will not permit it & there are most definitely MORE of us than you Naz1 pieces of crap!
jal11180
The left, right, middle and fringe are all EQUALLY toxic and destructive to society. How about all of you wake up to THAT instead?
Drew
Then prove it by taking up the slack. Buy Bud Light and shop at Target to replace our money. Put your money where your mouth is.
Biden
Woke = Socilaist/Reconstructionists.
They are enemies of people of the United States. Disney is complicit. Would love to see the parks BURN.
Mark
Nope! Its the companies choice. You don’t see gun manufacturers bowing to the majority of voters,,voters, those whose politicians get the most donations..Similar.
Erik
Well written, valid points. Disney is trying to hard to walk a fine line in a tempest, it is impossible. People are always going to complain, they always have, they always will. This truly is nothing new for them, they really just need to keep doing what they are good at, what made them the success they are. In company history there has never been a single thing they have done that hasn’t had it detractors. Nothing on earth is universally loved, it is a fools errand to try make it so. I mean come on, we cannot even agree on the air we breathe. Change is good when it comes organically, forced change never works. Pandering does not either, tides change, as do opinions.
Caleb
Whether Disney will ever admit it or not their woke pandering and cash grab schemes among other things have really hurt their image. Disney made the mistake of listening and pandering to the woke left in the first place. Now anytime there’s anything at all that suggests they’re doing something different the woke left cry like a spoiled child that won’t stop screaming until they get what they want.
Michael
Zach Gass, you make a lot of keen observations, and articulate your points well. Good job.
Aaron
Leftists ruin everything.
These companies SHOULD ignore them in favor of the GENERAL AUDIENCE.
jal11180
No, the left, right, middle and fringe ALL ruin everything…get it correct, you political activist drones.
BigRob029
The original Splash Mountain is completely wrapped up in racism. It’s not woke/cancel culture, it’s Disney trying to move onwards and upwards from their racist past.
Call it like it is.
Steve
No it is not. You have no right to say what’s racist and what’s not. As a military man, I outrank you and I have the authority to say what’s racist. There is nothing racist about Splash Mountain and it’s not even closed. It’s still open in both US parks and will still be open for WDW’s 75th in 2046 and Disneyland’s centennial in 2055 in part thanks to the Make Disney Great Again movement restoring Disney to its glory under Walt and bringing back the “What would Walt do?” school of thought that ran Disney after he died. Disney has no right to change Splash Mountain or hide Song of the South either. When I take Disney over, one of my first official acts will be if it hasn’t already been done to give Song of the South a theatrical re-release and a Blu Ray release. Like there’d be a mass boycott against Disney products in response.
Jack
Ok Mr. Military Man 🤣
Steve
You don’t laugh at military personnel. You follow orders when given commands and answer “Aye aye, sir.”
Ugh
Honestly though, how many people even knew what movie it came from?
Drew
How so? List those things from the movie that are racist. Are you applying your standards from today to a movie made decades ago? How is the ride at the parks racist? Please elaborate.
JS
Sorry BigRob029, You are incorrect. Song of The South is based on stories that were collected directly from the African- American storytelling tradition. They were the first to ever legitimately and faithfully record their dialect in print. The gentleman that recorded them and wrote the stories down was one of the loudest reconciliation advocates and supporters after the Civil War. Do some research on Joel Chandler Harris.
R.T. Firefly
BigRob is right, anyone who even remotely understands entertainment history knows that the depictions of Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit are minstrel show-esque. Their language, mannerisms, and even their names are indicative of the time; doesn’t make sense in today’s society. No one, no thinking adult, would allow a minstrel show to have a ride at a theme park. For those of you screaming to “do your own research”, go and see the depictions of Black Americans in those shows then tell me you don’t see the similarities. Unless you are blinded by the idea that any change based on race, culture, sex, etc. is immediately “woke” and bad, you will understand the change. It doesn’t just strictly relate to the Song of the South film but the actual imagery in the ride. They’re not erasing history, they’re changing a ride. And, I’m willing to bet the same people on here screaming about “woke” who don’t want the ride to change are the same who would be on here screaming if Disney simply put up a sign explaining the racist history of the film and the characters. I disagree with pandering and kneejerk reactions but, would you all be complaining if they changed it another film with a predominantly white cast?
Larry C Hannah
In marketing a business like Disney’s you market to the mass Not a small vocal minority, a mistake Disney’s made.
Tye
I am Hispanic and having Speedy Gonzales cancelled was done put people who weren’t Hispanic. That’s the real crime. Every Hispanics person I know loves Speedy Gonzales. How far will things go?!?
Jayfromfl
How about Disney cancelling itself and stop blaming cancel culture. Pretty stupid even suggesting such a idiotic idea. Most people are insulted by fan blaming and think you’re the reason why this country is pathetic. Maybe you should get a life and do something important.
R Bess
Get over it, change happened. The decision was made long ago.
Eileen
I’m not sure if my comment fits in with cancel culture, but I’m going to make a comment anyway. I feel that Disney is really doing a disservice to the Christian people by taking the stand that they are by embracing homosexuality. If the Disney corporation would read the Bible they would realize that God himself said that homosexuality is a sin. I don’t see how anyone who is a Christian can go along with supporting a company that so blaitenly goes against the word of God. As for me and my family we will no longer support Disney and I urge any Christian to take a stand against Disney and choose not to support them for choosing to take the path that they are taking. Wake up America, and follow what the word of God says.
Chris
You must remember who’s running the place now. The name will be changed to Walt’s Rainbow World. You won’t find the mention of god anywhere over there.
Bambi
There’s nothing wrong with trying to make sure your customers and employees feel valued.
And really, who cares? It’s Disney and you’re all adults. Grow up.
Steve
Guess minorities were never treated as valued or welcome at the parks during Walt’s lifetime then? Wrong. If you think Disneyland and the other parks weren’t welcoming towards anyone non white during Walt’s lifetime or any time else during the 20th century then I have a bridge to sell you. Disney was at its best when it gave the purists what they wanted regardless of ethnicity and when I take over I will cater only to Disney purists.
Jason
If you put imagination above politics your a true Disney kid at heart.
Maggie
Splash Mountain should’ve stayed as it was, maybe with some refurbishment. It was a staple and MANY people’s favorite ride. Its closure was a knee jerk response to George Floyd’s death and that was very obvious. The people calling the shots need to learn that simply ignoring the criticism from these vocal minorities really does just make it go away. One small statement like “‘Song of the South’ was the product of a different time, but Splash Mountain is a staple of the parks…” etc. and that’s that. The keyboard warriors move on pretty quickly if they get no response.
Peter
Just keep sexualised content, any person who identifies through their sexuality or dudes dressing up as women or women dressing up as dudes out of any childrens content….pretty simple!
Just leave the kids out of anything to do with sex!!!
Angel
They need to bring prayer back to school, and teach our children things to benefit their future not put silly crap in their heads and feed them full of lies just bcux theyre afraid their feelings might be hurt.
Angel
I’m so sick of people trying to destroy, hide and rewrite history to better fit their feelings! They don’t care who they hurt in the crossfire as long as their feelings don’t get hurt! Instead of trying to Bury, hide and rewrite history from our children why not teach our children that history is our past but their future is so much different and changes start with us.
Ruth L Bowers
Amen!
Trisha
I know none of our opinions matter to Disney – but honestly I never agreed with them changing Splash Mountain to Tiana’s….fix up Splash Mountain of any issues but blaming a movie that almost no one has ever seen or heard about (until it was talked about) as the reason the ride was being changed is insane!! Even riding the ride you have no clue about the movie…it’s just a story being laid out about a rabbit, fox and bear….and that being said I don’t know if I will ever ride Tiana’s ride (wasn’t a big fan of Princess and the Frog myself).
With that being said….I agree Disney has had some misses along with their hits. I don’t agree with changing storylines/characters in popular stories either (like Pinocchio – with Tom Hanks- casting a person of color & bald as the fairy godmother when the cartoon had a white fairy with blond hair to be “culture” sensitive. And changing lyrics in the live Little Mermaid…I can’t even bring myself to see the live version – the original is part of my childhood and forever holds a place in my heart). Disney needs to LISTEN to their fans and not just listen to all the “cancel culture” and other crap. Disney listening to all that crap is going to make everyone who once loved Disney hate them and I don’t want to hate them….i have been a Disney girl for as long as I can remember….but if they keep changing (in the wrong way) I don’t know if I can continue to support them….
they are erasing our childhoods to be politically correct and it’s not a good idea if they want to keep the fans they hàve still…..
Liberty Lane
I mean, Cancel Culture has ruined Florida in general.
Teachers getting threatened with legal action for showing a PG movie they had slips from all the parents for…
Just because there were some gay characters.
The same people that cry about liberal’s “safe spaces” are mortified of a PG animated kids movie making their kids gay.
I’m ready for the meteor or nukes at this point. Humans are trash.
Peter
It’s not just the fact that Disney has kowtowed to the social justice warriors. Disney is infested with woke and untalented activists that have corrupted the culture. There’s no easy way out now — many parents have lost faith in the Disney brand.
Steve
And which is why after my hostile takeover of Disney I will make it great again my removing them all and having them blacklisted from Hollywood. The only people I will allow to work for Disney under me are those that share Walt’s visions, idolize Walt, and also are willing to make decisions by asking “What would Walt do?” like Disney management did for decades after his death. I’ll know I’ve done my job when the social justice warriors boycott and attempt in vain to start a nationwide boycott of all things Disney. They won’t be missed
Brad
The real problem with splash mountain was the original source material Song of the South, was done at a time when viewpoints were different and it’s now being judged after culture has changed. When the ride was constructed it was very popular, but the movie had not been released in many years because of the sensitive nature of its depictions. Disney already knew that they were on shaky ground. The racist part of this however doesn’t occur until now. Replace the ride, retheme the ride, I don’t have a problem with that. You have literally a ton of material to choose from. It’s racist when the only option that you look for is again a 25 year old movie that is only being considered because it has the first black princess. This should have been used in an attraction when it came out. When it was cutting edge and not just to pander to a set group of people just to prove it’s not racist. It is a double edged sword that they are dealing with, and Disney is unfortunately cutting itself on both edges of that sword. I hope the ride is great, but this inclusion should have happened twenty five years ago. Not just as a half measure now.
Bryon
History states if you do not stand for something you will fall for anything. If you ignore the past you are doomed to repeat it.
There are always detractors and those that want change for them to feel better or get their own way.
I am not a fan of the WOKE culture and never will.
Get a grip on normal society and stand for something or you will fall for anything.
We have been going to WDW since the late 1980s when there were the Communicores that have been demolished.
I am waiting for WDW to get a leader like Walt Disney that will go back to “A place where dad and daughters could do things together”.
Stand Up!
Gary
I have many times mainly because I am Cousins to the Disney Family & I am a VET to so I will not quit!
Polly Gons.
The author treads so carefully here… so as not to offend ANYONE. Same mistake that Disney is making. Say it loud! WE ARE SO WEARY OF THE EASILY OFFENDED!
JP
Tell that to the parks crowds! Cosmic Rewind reached an hour wait during their three hour after hours event. I’ll worry about Disney’s financial state when they’re desperate enough to cut my AP renewal rate by 50% and start including LL+ at no additional charge.
Misha
I’m just wondering when Johnny Depp “lost his entire career”?
Ugh
Disney cut ties with him when his ex wife started falsely accusing him of abuse.
Pete
It’s really simple decision for any company. Decide who you want to listen to. You can listen to a vocal minority or you can listen to your larger audience. Which one is going to be able to pay the bills? If the small vocal minority is spending enough to keep your business going the way you want it to, then by all means listen to them and forgo the larger group’s business. If you want that sweet cash pile from the larger audience, then you’re gonna have to produce goods and services that that group wants to actually see. Trying to have it both ways is what’s killing Disney and these other companies.
Steve
Stockholders should be livid. Disney’s corporate woke decisions injecting politics into the narrative has killed their stock. How many customers did they lose over Song of the South? None. How many did they lose over saying it was racist and pulling it. A lot. How many customers did they get supporting queerdom? A lot less than they lost. The company can’t even fix the parks attractions yet they still make movies that lose hundreds of millions of dollars because they depict queer characters to kids. If you don’t want to be in a war stay neutral and do what the company does best entertain. Stay the hell out of culture war. Period. If they persist they will continue to lose and it can get a lot worse.
BBP
I appreciate you having the courage to write this and agree with you wholeheartedly.
RickTR
You forgot about all the woke changes to Jungle Cruise that cost them millions. RIP Trader Sam.
Marc
I could tell this was written by a white man from the south without even reading your bio. Now can you get Disney to open a ride where we relive January 6th? I’m sure you and many of your fans who posted comments would love it!
Benaniah
I hope Disney and it’s grooming days are over, hopefully they will shut down, never to reopen.
LARRY CURTIS
I am a Disney Vacation Club member and a stock holder in the company. My children grew up to all the clasics. I would now consider selling my DVC membership, cashing in my stock and cancelling Disney plus because of cancel culture and woke movements that serve tor ruin “good family “entertainment”. There are many like me. I have to agree that the current Governor of florida has my vote for President, for his stanc on this problem.
The Good Fairy
Best article I have read here (and other places) in a long time. These corporations who are in business to sell things, whether it is entertainment or hardware, or hamburgers, should stick to the business of making quality products, as they had since their business model had been written. Nobody writes their business model to tap dance around every public comment ever whispered. Do the business that made you in high regards with the people who appreciate your product, AND JUST BE NEUTRAL. Pandering will put you in a spiral down the drain. Trying to please non-fans and complainers, (the 2%) and turning your back on the loyal establish fans of your business is NOT good thinking. If they don’t like it, invite them to leave, turn the channel, turn the page, etc. UGH. I am so tired of this…..
Bob
The problem Zach is that you really only went one side. Yes, cancel culture has caused some lack of innovation. But then again, so has the far right conservative side that throws a fit because a movie has gay characters or POC characters. I can see an argument against pandering by making a character that is a white male in the source material a different gender or race. Although sometimes that works…. Nick Fury was a White guy in the original material and I think all of us agree Sam Jackson as the Ultimates Version is fantastic. Same with creating Miles Morales in the comics originally. Those are the very risks that ARE important. And while cancel culture can limit said risks, so can insistence that any diverse or Queer character is somehow pandering. Did a character such as Luce in Owl House ruin the story by being Queer or Latino? Not in the least. Those are risks that you were referring to that wouldn’t happen if people listen to the far right vocal minority, many of whom seem to live on this site.
Unfortunately Like much of America, the far left and right fringe minorities are destroying this country. DeSantis, Alito, Thomas, Sanders, AOC and others are so extreme fringe compared to the majority of people who couldn’t care less about queer characters or POC characters and are just tired of all the tribal stuff coming from both sides. But because people more need a tribe to belong to than make actual useful change, we are left with the problems we have.
So yes you make some excellent points but you also completely missed another important side of this debate.
PR
Splash Mountain is one of the best attractions Disney ever created. It tells the story of Brer Rabbit. Disney is forcing a Princess and the Frog theme into a setting where it does not fit. (Louisiana has no hills and a bayou is a slow moving body of water.) Disney should have built a new attraction for Tiana. This ride will continue to be controversial and and divisive for Disney guests. Disney can join the ranks of Bud Light and Target. We will ride it because we love water rides in hot weather, but we will never spend a dime on anything that is themed to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Barbara Walker
Cancel culture hasn’t killed song of the south. Intolerance of racism did. As long as white people thought the crows in dumbo were funny. Racism will flourish and white people who resent being called out will resent it
Wally
I’ve never seen the movie “Song of The South.” I’ve heard comments from both sides, and would like to see the movie and make up my own mind, but that will never happen because the film is no longer available. Now I’m in the unenviable position of forming opinion based entirely on bias and here say. Is this the true definition of woke? I’m told how/what to think, my opinion is shaped rather than determined by me, myself?
Cory
Sad and pathetic that grown people care about the color of fairies and mermaids. These movies are for kids. And none of them would care unless you made a big deal about it. I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a single fairy or mermaid that’s offended over this!
Steve
“You’re dead if you aim for kids. Adults are just kids grown up anyway.” – Walt Disney
No Disney is not for kids. Never has been and never will be. Who do you think makes the movies?
Christopher
It’s not cancel culture it’s consequences meeting their actions. They’ve done this to themselves and fully deserve the loss.
theresa
DISNEY’s ‘WOKE Corporate Elite’ thought that they had more power than they really did – that they could set Ideological Agendas, rather than just provide what the general public wants to see.
That they could directly interfere Florida’s State Education Policy, even though the majority of Florida Residents supported the Anti-Grooming Statutes and DON’T think it’s appropriate for teachers to instruct or even discuss Gender and Sexuality with CHILDREN aged 5 to 8 years old!
Why is it so important to ‘sexualize’ little children?!
Why can’t these topics wait until the child is 9 years old?!
DISNEY has reaped it’s own punishment – stay out of Politics and stay out of School Classrooms. Stick to Entertainment that is APPROPRIATE FOR FAMILIES!!
Walt Disney is literally spinning over in his grave from this horrible distortion of the Entertainment Company that he created and built into a World-Wide Leader!
Nicholas
It’s not cancel culture. What a joke. The writer doesn’t seem to understand. The left want to cancel. Yes dems you.
The right just don’t support or spend money there. Disney has bragged about trying to change children. Hell they just had a princess guy with a mustache.
Espn – political. Stars wars political. Etc.
They go into with the government (don’t say gay isn’t the bill). The bill just didn’t want children in grade school though they were queen.
I don’t care if you are . I just think you should like children decide when old enough (teens).
So people don’t support them anymore. They don’t buy there products. They don’t watch films.
That isn’t cancel culture. No one is shutting down Disney
CrosswalkX
Sooner or later in the near future Disneyland will likely remove the Native American stereotypes featured in rides like Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in Tobacco Row section and remove Tobacco Row entirely and update it to the Pinocchio 2022 retheming and also in Peter Pans Flight they’ll likely replace the Native American stereotypes with the ones from the 2023 Peter Pan and Wendy film.
Also, the 2 Native American statues featuring Sioux Chiefs on Main Street and Frontierland will likely get removed and Tom Sawyer Island will likely get rethemed to Pirates of the Carribean since Tom Sawyer is a problematic story.
Yes, and also, I really want Autopia ride to get an overhaul retheme to Sugar Rush Go Karts from Wreck it Ralph and Matterhorn ride into Elsa’s Frozen Palace ride from Frozen. Which I hope happens soon.
Steve
None of things are going to be happening. There will be no Wreck-it Ralph attraction or Frozen attraction either. Neither deserves any attraction and no Disney movie “deserves” an attraction. Disney will be split up soon under antitrust and Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC, Pixar and everything else they bought will be taken away from them. No one will miss Star Wars, the Avengers, or Pixar in the parks. The Make Disney Great Again movement will take over like Saul Steinberg nearly did and erase the entire Bob era.
Mason
Cancel culture took over Disney in 2020.
Citizen M
Men dressed like Fairy Princesses selling gaudy overpriced Chinese Dresses while confusing and scaring Little Girls is what’s ruining Disney. This nonsense is enough to make Walt’s frozen skull melt.
Ed
When I saw splash mountain the first time, I thought, what a funny, cute bear or what a funny fox, etc. Race didn’t even cross into my mind. It’s the DEMO_CRATS, lib_erals, and woke mob that are stirring up racism at every turn. They are the party of destruction and death. Causing race wars. For euthanasia. For abor_tion including up to 9 months. Destroying the family. Every child needs a father and a mother. NOT two dads, etc. They are against law enforcement, which is causing a horrible increase in murders, rape, etc. Mutilating children with sex changes. They are anti-God. Then they think they are righteous.
P.C.Knott
It’s not the “cancel culture” that’s killing Disney. It’s the mindless yahoos that listen to those trying to “cancel culture”
Bob
As an Appalachian American, I find the country bear Jamboree offensive. For some reason, it’s still okay to have essentially minstrel shows about mountain folk. Every kind of entertainment shows always poke fun at white, poor, people. Imagine if they had a Ghetto Bear show. The up roar would be world wide. Once one opens the idea of canceling offending ideas and entertainment, it would be hypocritical to stop at a particular group’s offense.
Grow Up
Touch grass and apologize to your family for being this publicly embarrassing, Zach and everyone associated with this website.
BlueCollarCritic
There has not been one thing “successful” regarding Disney’s Little Mermaid remake. That film is on track to loose Disney 100’s of millions and Disney deserves it.
Heather
THANK YOU so much for this article! It is the best one I have read in a long time, on any platform.
This current climate we’re in is infuriating. It shouldn’t have any business anywhere but unfortunately companies are catering to them. It won’t stop until someone ignores them and takes away their ‘power’.
Marie
These groups are extremely toxic. They are in a fantasy world to erase the past like it never happened. It’s what made us the strong people we are today. We are to remember it, embrace it and see people for who they were. If anybody needs a check it’s the cancel culture and social justice groups that are assisting in the up-rising on social unrest taking place now. Everybody acting entitled to everything without having to work for it. Spoiled people that don’t want to sweat to make something of themselves. Leave Disney alone or just don’t do to the parks, because other people know how to put things in perspective and just try to have some fun without tearing everything apart. I feel sorry for those people they are so wrapped up in themselves and creating unrest they can’t enjoy anything.
Taco bell
I looked at these comments and it went from bad to worse. I don’t know how we get from Disney ride to Emmett till I don’t know how we got from Disney to sexual assault what in the hell is wrong with all of you people? Don’t you all see- everyone in this thread that you are the problem? quit complaining and find a solution! And just to re-iterate my point this story was about a Disney ride in Disneyland you know DISNEYLAND. What if some kid came across your comments you know like a seven-year-old kid who was just looking at Disney stuff and came across a Disneyland ride and looked at the comments. you would all be ashamed of yourself.
Scott
Absolutely! Disney has become “over woke” they used to be the family friendly brand but now pander to a small percentage of rotten apples.
For what? I guess it is just to push the agenda that is in opposition to wholesome family values. Do I mean values of the 1960s or 50s well maybe and whats wrong with that? Just because it is the year 2023 does that mean we are to become more disgusting? If we all go to pleasure island and act like jackasses we will become jackasses.
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