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The Walt Disney Company is best associated with family-friendly values. From vacations to Walt Disney World Resort to theater outings for the latest Pixar film, parents can count on Disney for appropriate entertainment for their children.
But with Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Hulu, and other expansive media brands has come more adult-targeted content. As Disney fans clamor for more mature material, conservative Christian groups like the American Family Association have led multiple boycotts against the company.
FX and Disney+ shows Little Demon and Pauline sparked expected outrage and calls of troubling times for their adult themes and references to the Devil. But a large group of Christians also protested family-friendly content, including Disney+’s The Santa Clauses and Pixar’s Turning Red (2022). The latter included a brief gay moment removed from the film’s final cut.
These are four recent times Christians have boycotted Disney for “satanic material.”
Little Demon
Little Demon premiered on FX and Hulu in August of 2022. The show explores what happens when Satan’s daughter, Chrissy (Lucy Devito) – the antichrist – hits puberty. Her mother, Laura (Aubrey Plaza), just wants the pair to live everyday life in Delaware. But Satan (Danny Devito) wants his daughter’s soul.
The show had a successful first season, earning an 81 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. But thousands of Christians were outraged at the demonic themes in the adult cartoon, including TikToker Jess (@jessicalieurance):
@jessicalieurance #greenscreen #disneyplus #disneyshow #christiangirl #disneyland #disneyworld #september1st #hulutvshow
“During an interview, no joke, they said they are enjoying normalizing paganism,” Jess said, referencing a San Diego Comic-Con appearance by Aubrey Plaza. “Even if you’re not a Christian, I hope you can tell how wrong this is on so many levels.”
“I love that we are normalizing paganism. Laura is a pagan; she’s a witch; she’s jacked,” Plaza joked in an interview last year.
“If we’re going to normalize this, can we normalize the fact that demons are real and Christians have the power and authority to cast them out? This isn’t some cutesy little show where they’re just like, ‘Ooh, magic!’ Like, this is pretty blatant,” Jess asked. She later called for a boycott and said she was “praying” for Disney.
Commenters agreed with her. “No way will that be watched in my home. I am a big Disney fan but they are off kilter in their business model,” @heidi.gibson86 wrote.
“I am in disbelief that Disney is pushing content like this. Shows how bad our society needs Jesus and his word,” @torreyann said. “I definitely agree w/you on not Boycotting Disney. I will continue to be intentional on what I watch, and listen to. Staying away from content such as this show.”
The Santa Clauses
Tim Allen is a controversial figure in the Disney fan community… but not typically among conservatives. The man we grew up watching transform from Scott Calvin into Santa Claus has come under heated criticism for anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks, supporting former President Donald Trump, and offensive jokes on his sitcom, Last Man Standing.
Related: Nazis and White Supremacists Swarm Walt Disney World
But overall, fans were delighted to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus return to The Santa Clause franchise. Taking place decades after the first The Santa Clause movie, The Santa Clauses explores Santa’s life at the North Pole with his wife (Elizabeth Mitchell) and teens Sandra (Elizabeth Allen-Dick) and Cal (Austin Kane). He ultimately decides to give up the job and antics ensue.
Allen promised fans that The Santa Clauses would embrace the Christ in Christmas – but he infuriated Christians instead. A one-off spelling joke caused some conservative Christians to boycott the show.
As the elves prepare a going-away surprise for Santa Claus, they make letter signs that are supposed to read “We Love You Santa.” They accidentally stand in the wrong order, spelling “We Love You Satan” instead. The innocent elves are horrified as the Calvin family laughs off the mistake.
But some Christians didn’t find humor in the gag. @polishprincessh wrote:
If you won’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. From the new @Disney Christmas mini series The Clauses. They not hiding any longer. They want your kids & so does Satan. Stop supporting this demonic network. This should disgust all parents.
If you won’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. From the new @Disney Christmas mini series The Clauses. They not hiding any longer. They want your kids & so does Satan. Stop supporting this demonic network. This should disgust all parents. pic.twitter.com/lM6crV8kzH
— 👑💥 Serenity 💥👑 (@polishprincessh) November 27, 2022
“I’m boycotting Disney+. I’m deleting my account. I can’t rock with them. I can’t do this,” one user said in response to the clip.
Another account shared the video with hashtags like “#cancelDisney” and “#protectthechildren.”
Despite the boycott, The Santa Clauses Season 2 was greenlit in January.
Turning Red (2022)
Pixar was hit with protests last year before and after the release of Turning Red (2022). The Domee Shi film stars Rosalie Chang as Mei Lee, a tween going through puberty and discovering her ability to turn into a giant red panda. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, the film portrayed the strains of growing up and rebelling against your mother while still wanting to be a part of your family.
Concerned parents successfully protested for the removal of a gay scene from Turning Red, but one pastor warned that the movie was still full of “demonic” material.
Founder and lead pastor of V1 Church in New York City, Mike Signorelli, said that the coming-of-age themes and discussion of the menstrual cycle were inappropriate for kids, encouraging parents to avoid the Pixar movie.
“I believe that every parent — not just a pastor, but a parent — has a mandate to actually screen material because every single device you have in your home is a portal, either a window into the things of God or, unfortunately, things that I believe are demonic,” Signorelli said.
He described some of Turning Red’s themes as “a secular humanistic worldview that says there is no wrong or right anymore.”
Pauline
The most recent boycott target is the German series Pauline, which Disney+ greenlit in April. Pauline (Sira-Anna Faal) is a typical teenager struggling to balance school with thoughts about crumbling society and the ongoing climate crisis. Things get more complicated when she becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a boy named Lukas (Ludger Bökelmann)… who just happens to be Satan. Pauline follows the pair’s complicated love story.
Christian social media creator @robinmartyr posted a video about Pauline, demanding Disney+ cancel the television series. Though it’s targeted toward adults, the TikToker felt it could still impact children:
@robinmartyr ⚠️ Disneys New Show “Pauline” About A Teenage Girl Becoming Pregnant By Satan⁉️😈🤰🤯 ‼️ For FULL Video Subscribe HERE ‼️ 👉 https://www.patreon.com/robinmartyr 👈 #Pauline #DisneyPlus #disney #mickeymouse #waltdisney #waltdisneyworld #pregnant #Teen #freemasonry #masonry #mason #masonictemple #masonic #masonictemple #secretsociety #SecretSocieties
“Somebody, anybody, please justify this one for me,” the TikToker said. “What is the reason? What message are we trying to get across exactly to our children?”
“I don’t even care if you’re a Christian parent,” he concluded. “You’re just a parent that loves your children and wants to instill the right morals and values, ideas and beliefs into your children’s minds. We need to boycott Disney. We need to stand up. This program cannot be released. We are not okay with promoting this to our kids, Disney.”
Commenters agreed. “Exactly why I canceled my subscription,” @issasiah_ wrote.” Disney is getting out of control. They just dgaf anymore.”
“This is vile,” @kristen_is_living_life said. “We have to use our voices… Pretty much all we can do. Use our voice and speak with our wallets.”
Was Walt Disney Satanic?
Some of these Christian creators accused the creator of Mickey Mouse and the founder of The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney, of being Satanic. One said he was a Freemason – a group not associated with the Satanic Temple but often named by Catholic organizations as anti-Christian.
But Disney was never a Freemason; as a child, he was a member of the Masonic youth organization DeMolay International. In truth, Disney was a lifelong Christian. He didn’t regularly attend church – instead, he focused on entertaining all types of people with his cartoons. The animator built Disneyland and, eventually, Walt Disney World Resort to appeal to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or religion.
What are your thoughts on these allegedly Satanic Disney properties? Share your take with Inside the Magic in the comments.