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Credit: Spectrum News Walt Disney once said that Disneyland would never be complete and it would continue to change and embrace new stories and innovation. The same goes for all of the Disney Parks around the world. Over the years, we have seen remarkable technology take over the theme parks, with new ways to create animatronics (we are looking at you, Tokyo Disney Resort), as well as reimagine older attractions so that they can live on with a newer, updated story, look, and technology.
A great example of this is Splash Mountain, which has been undergoing a change after closing permanently. Although many Disney fans did not like to see the ride close, it did so to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! A new ride based on the characters from The Princess and the Frog (2009) will surely blow us all away. This comes after racial undertones were acknowledged in Song of the South (1946), the story that followed the previous Splash Moutain ride.
With that, Disney has also strived towards a much more diverse future.
Over the past few years, we have seen Disney attempt to be much more diverse and inclusive in all aspects of the company, including casting choices. This, for some, has recently gone too far — and now Disney is seemingly looking to make it right.
Previously, Disney launched the Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, stating that “We haven’t always got it right.” This came after the Cast Member dress code changed when it came to the “Disney Look,” allowing Cast Members to express themselves more while at work. We have seen this reflected in the parks as well, for example, with the storyline change on both Walt Disney World Resort’s and Disneyland Resort’s Jungle Cruise attraction to ensure cultural appropriation disappears.
In entertainment, we have seen this as well. Disney began to change their casting, placing different ethnicities into characters that were previously created as Caucasian. The first casting choice to make headlines was when Disney announced they had finally found who would play the iconic mermaid, Ariel, for the live-action remake The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and mermaid, Ariel, is played by actress Halle Bailey, known for her work in ABC’s Grown-ish and as one half of the famous R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle.
Halle, as many of us know, is Black, which did set off some Disney fans who believed that the princess should be white.
Because of their casting choices, Disney has been suffering in terms of their image as of late when it comes to having their fans excited for what is to come in the world of entertainment, especially with live-action films. The overall vibe of live-actions has not always been positive as some feel Disney is just reusing storylines instead of making entirely new films, and doing so in such a close and consecutive order. We saw Cinderella, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, Aladdin, and most recently, The Little Mermaid all made within a short period of time. Many of which flopped at the box office.
Most recently, the upcoming Snow White live-action film starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot has hit some heat. There are two main instances that caused fans outrage with the upcoming film. Firstly, there will be no dwarfs in the film, but seven magical creatures, which deviate from the iconic story that Walt Disney himself created on screen. The second comes from an interview where Zegler and Gadot say that Snow White will not have a prince charming, and there is no one that needs to save her.
At this point, fans accused Disney of creating a totally different film, and creating a pseudo-feminist film that makes Snow White’s ideals and behavior be seen as wrong, creating a corrupt narrative for females who may dream of finding their “prince charming”, or behaving as more of a softer character, than someone who is constantly trying to be the leader, as Zegler said Snow White will now be. With this, fans have been outraged at Disney pushing their “woke” agenda.
The film has had such a negative reception from fans that some believe Disney would cancel the film entirely, even after making it. This is still just a rumor, but the fans have had a strong reaction.
It seems that the current political climate and belief system has some Disney fans very much wanting to see change and inclusivity added, while the other half thinks that Disney is pushing a political agenda. The time of year when things get most dicey and divisive for fans is June, during Pride Month. Over the past few years, Disney has really stepped it up during Pride Month, adding decor, talking about the LGBTQIA+ community, making merchandise, and offering limited-time food options. It has become a celebration.
Although some are very accepting of this, others do not understand why the community is celebrated. Disney has been, politically speaking, leaning far left in their political actions and decisions, which has really upset some with more “traditional” beliefs.
One piece of decor that upset fans that was added back in June was the Pride murals. These were added first at both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT before being followed by Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The murals were large, celebrating many colors of the rainbow, and received a ton of backlash as a photo spot from some. Even with the hate, Disney decided to leave up the murals past Pride month, leaving many to believe the look was much more permanent.
Of course, this sparked even further disgust from those who do not accept the LGBTQIA+ community, but Disney continued to still stand tall and stick with their belief system of acceptance.
Since then, attendance at Walt Disney World Resort has dropped. Some guests believe that Disney has become too woke for them, keeping them from booking a vacation, while others are upset with the overall state of the state due to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis leaning much farther right, as we saw with the Don’t Say Gay bill debacle.
No matter what your stance is, there is a reason to not fly into Florida and, therefore, not go to Disney.
Now, it seems that the “woke” agenda accusations may have gone too far for Disney, and they are trying to appeal to those who do not agree with their recent changes.
At EPCOT, the Pride mural used to be next to Connections Cafe and Eatery. Now, it is gone. ParkTerror (@ParkTwister) wrote: “The pride wall is gone at EPCOT! 😪”
The pride wall is gone at EPCOT! 😪 pic.twitter.com/JJmvV5MLAx
— ParkTerror😈 (@ParkTwister) September 19, 2023
One Disney fan even replied, “Good, because we do not care.”
The mural was never meant to be permanent, but due to its longevity, many thought that it was since it lasted so long past Pride month. The timing of the removal is interesting as Disney has indeed begun to receive a long more negative press, and this decision will certainly appeal to that complaining audience.
There is a mural at Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland, but it seems likely that that one will also soon be removed as well.
What do you think about Disney’s choices as of late? Are you ok with them?
If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.