Credit: Inside the MagicWeeks after Anaheim police descended on Disneyland Park after viewers falsified reports to call 911 on live streamers at the Southern California vacation destination, reports indicate that Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort plan to ban live streaming at the theme parks.
The rumors come not only after the recent law enforcement response at the Happiest Place on Earth, but also years of complaints from Disney Parks fans about live streamers and influencers talking on rides, crowding walkways, and buying up limited-time merchandise for their personal shopping businesses.
Disney Banning Live Streaming?
This month, TikTok user @sweatyoracle, a former Disney cast member who shares insider information about theater, theme parks, entertainment, and more, reported that “sources” had indicated that Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort planned to ban live streaming at the theme parks. He noted that the Disney parks were specifically looking to prohibit monetized live streams, whether creators were actually reselling products they purchased at the park or earning money through advertisements and gifts from followers.
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He began by citing the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort property rules, which prohibit third-party commercial activity at the theme parks. In the past, Disney has cracked down on guests for reselling merchandise, offering in-room services, and taking photos in the parks to advertise their own personal products. However, the company has yet to apply these rules to social media content creators who film and live stream their visits to earn money online.
“When you buy a ticket to a Disney park, it forbids you, essentially, from monetizing your visit,” the TikToker explained. “…I would argue that bans you from being able to film your visit, put it on the internet, and monetize it, whether it’s through a live stream, whether it’s through vlogs, whether it’s through influencer things…I think Disney has chosen to mostly ignore this because…even if the influencer is making money for it, [it gives] Disney free promotion.”
However, the former Disney cast member argued that influencers are now crossing a line that The Walt Disney Company can no longer ignore.
“There are freaks that are double-crossing this line going to the Disney Character Warehouse [a merchandise outlet in Central Florida], filming themselves there, essentially taking live orders, like…QVC,” he continued. “…But I think the big thing that has made Disney go, ‘No more,’ is the guy who got swatted very recently…Disney trespassed him.”
“Disney’s not playing around anymore,” the TikToker concluded. “Disney is going to ban these live streams. Disney’s going to stop you begging for petty cash so you can buy a new mystery box pin set while complaining that you can’t pay your rent…[Live streamers] are taking away from the experience from a regular guest that’s paying crazy prices to be there.”
Neither Walt Disney World Resort nor Disneyland Resort has officially updated its rules to ban live streaming. Some international Disney parks, like Tokyo Disney Resort, already have strict policies on live streaming and on bringing in external filming equipment.
Here’s What Disney Parks Fans Had to Say
Even though this live streaming ban hasn’t been confirmed yet, Disney Parks fans were overwhelmingly supportive of the idea. @sweatyoracle’s video amassed hundreds of comments discussing the possibility.
“Thank god,” @cowboyslikmee wrote. “I work at WDW and I get filmed way too often when I don’t want to be.”
“The live streamers shopping for people was my final straw….,” said @celestialmad.
“Honestly thank god 😭 ,” @mothergoth commented. “When I saw the Happily Ever After fireworks a few weeks ago (the only thing I wanted for my birthday) there was a few streamers around me that kept talking to their chat through it and I wanted to scream at them to be quiet cause it was ruining the moment for me and others that I could see getting irritated.”
Still, some Disney Parks fans feel that live streamers bring the magic of the theme parks to fans at home, and that a few bad apples shouldn’t spoil the bunch for everyone.
“Wait but there’s this one older lady who’s always live-streaming her days in the park and it’s so cute,” @zamyriahunter replied. “Imma miss her😭.”
“Only thing I’m gonna miss is the livestreams of Fantasmic or [Happily Ever After],” @kaiaozs agreed.
Would you support a ban on live streaming at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!