The traditional Christmas story is told each December at Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California with Candlelight Processional events, Bible verses and all. patriotism is on prominent display at Disney’s theme parks. The Walt Disney Company’s namesake founder, after all, was an anti-union conservative. But we are so divided today, so revved up, that even Disney is having a hard time bringing us together.”Īvoiding socially divisive topics, of course, in itself reflects a certain worldview. Let’s all be transformed by the magic wand. “The mission for the Disney brand has always been really clear: Do nothing that might upset or confuse the family audience,” said Martin Kaplan, the Norman Lear professor of entertainment, media and society at the University of Southern California and a former Walt Disney Studios executive. Last summer, to applause from progressives and snarls from the far right, Disney decided to make loudspeaker announcements at its theme parks gender neutral, removing “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” in favor of “dreamers of all ages.” But the entertainment giant has also found itself dragged into the fray, as with the recent imbroglio over a new Florida law that among many things restricts classroom instruction through third grade on sexual orientation and gender identity and has been labeled by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay.” In some cases, Disney has willingly waded into cultural issues. In this hyperpartisan moment, both sides of the political divide have been pounding on Disney, endangering one of the world’s best-known brands - one that, for many, symbolizes America itself - as it tries to navigate a rapidly changing entertainment industry. Lately, however, real world ugliness has been creeping into the Magic Kingdom. In case the fairy tale castles are too subtle, Disney theme parks outright promise an escape from reality with welcome signs that read, “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.” The Disney brand is about wishing on stars and finding true love and living happily ever after. Since its founding in 1923, Disney has stood alone in Hollywood in one fundamental way: Its family-friendly movies, television shows and theme park rides, at least in theory, have always been aimed at everybody, with potential political and cultural pitfalls zealously avoided.
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