Credit: DisneyOne Disney resort has announced big plans to support more inclusive businesses.
Disney has made big efforts in recent years to increase the inclusivity of its theme parks. Small tweaks have been made to multiple rides so that all guests feel welcomed, safe, and included.
For example, Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom Park, Disneyland Park, and Disneyland Paris have been updated to remove the scene in which pirates cry, “We wants the redhead” at a bride auction and instead have the redhead herself run the auction as a pirate.
Most famously, the park also axed Splash Mountain—which was based on the controversial film Song of the South (1946), which has been heavily criticized for its romanticized portrayal of the Antebellum South and for reinforcing racial stereotypes—at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, and replaced it with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
This is based on The Princess and the Frog (2009), the first Disney movie to feature a Black princess, voiced by the now-Disney Legend Anika Noni Rose.
There have also been whispers about Disney axing the scene in Haunted Mansion in which a corpse appears to hang from a noose in order to avoid seemingly trivializing suicide.
Back in 2021, Michele Hobbs—who works as a producer for Walt Disney Imagineering and previously managed a refurbishment of the attraction—told the Los Angeles Times that the scene’s removal has “been discussed for sure” and that “it’s definitely something that we’re thinking about.”
Now, another Disney resort has announced plans to support greater inclusivity – and although its effects won’t be seen in the resort, they will hopefully be felt.
Disneyland Paris unveiled a pilot program that will exclusively support women-owned businesses across France.
Announced at the WEConnect International Europe Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Conference – which was hosted at Disneyland Paris – the resort’s president, Natacha Rafalski, revealed that the program will see Disneyland Paris and WEConnect International “further support the visibility and growth of women-owned businesses in France.
The program is set to launch next year and will provide tailored workshops and mentoring opportunities for women-owned businesses in collaboration with WEConnect International. Disneyland Paris also aims to register and certify 100 women-owned businesses within its supply chain over the next three years.
This means that women-led businesses could play an integral role in the day-to-day functions of the resort, which currently encompasses two theme parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park) plus multiple hotels, including the recently reopened Disneyland Hotel and Disney Village.
The latter is currently in the middle of a massive overhaul, as is Walt Disney Studios Park, which will be renamed Disney Adventure World once World of Frozen opens in 2026.
By including diverse suppliers, the resort seeks to deliver exceptional experiences while fostering job creation and opportunities in the communities it serves, encouraging broader support for women-owned businesses across the industry.
What do you think of this new initiative from Disneyland Paris?