Disneyphiles everywhere rejoiced over the recent departure of CEO Bob Chapek and the reinstatement of Bob Iger at the helm of the entertainment giant. But while many people are looking forward to a return to Disney’s glory days, it may continue to be a Woke World, after all.
The Daily Caller reports that Iger held a town hall meeting with the company’s employees upon his return to the company. The report cited a story in the New York Times that said that an employee asked about Disney’s commitment to telling LGBTQ stories. Iger told those assembled:
“One of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance, and we can’t lose that. We’re not going to make everyone happy all the time, and we’re not going to try to … We’re certainly not going to lessen our core values in order to make everyone happy all the time.”
On an unrelated note, according to CNN, Iger said that the current hiring freeze will remain in place. He also dismissed rumors that the company would be acquired by Apple. And as noted above, he is committed to keeping the current policies in place in terms of entertainment options.
According to Variety, the Mouse’s latest offering, Strange World, is expected to lose $100 million in the wake of a disastrous opening over the Thanksgiving weekend. Many have interpreted this as a rejection of the overtly gay storyline and a negative portrayal of men, among other things. Certainly, the contingent of parents and other people who are tired of woke narratives being shoved down their throats and seeing their lives and families affronted is bigger than Iger and Co. would like to think. And these people have a point about ponying up money from their dwindling bank accounts to have their values kneecapped and their children proselytized.
But there may be more to it than that.
I grew up with the reruns of The Wonderful World of Disney and went to Disney World a few times in its early incarnation. I even played around with the idea of taking the kids and grandkids to the park for a family vacation. But I’ve decided that I will keep both of my kidneys unless someone is in dire need of one. So no organs are going up for sale so we can spend three days at the Contemporary Resort and wait five hours to ride the Haunted Mansion. And even if money was no object, I still wouldn’t go.
People in general want to be entertained to escape the insanity and tumultuous events that are part and parcel of life in America. They live those things, breathe them, smell them, and try to navigate through them every day. These people don’t want those things following them into a movie theater or a theme park. Now more than ever, Americans need a break from all the garbage. I know this American does. People used to look to Disney for that break. Now they know they will just be in for another lecture, either overt or covert.
I remember when the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise first hit the scene. There were whispers that Jack Sparrow was gay. Well, the truth is I don’t care if Captain Jack Sparrow is gay. I just want to see him do cool, funny pirate stuff. When people set sail on The Black Pearl, they are looking to escape reality for 90 minutes or so. They do not need a discourse on non-binary people, CRT, ESG, masks, vaccines, or the environment. People just want to see pirates.
And they do not want to be told that they are horrible, bigoted people with outdated and dangerous beliefs. Their beliefs may be different from the current fads, but for the most part, they are not hate-filled monsters.
Please don’t post that Walt Disney is turning over in his grave. First, that has been said too many times for too many years. Second, he was cremated, so there isn’t much chance of that happening, anyway. But hang on to your money and continue to expect more for your entertainment dollars. Or keep your entertainment dollars. There is a whole world outside of the Disney parks. And it is more interesting and certainly much less expensive.
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