A 13-year-old visiting Disneyland was hospitalized after exiting a ride before it finished and plummeting the 50-foot drop on his own in Anaheim, California.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, when the boy was riding Tiana&#8217;s Bayou Adventure, one of the park’s water rides. He climbed out of the ride and descended the 50-foot drop on his own. A park cast member was immediately forced to stop the ride. 
The boy was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation before being released, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/disney-scare-unfolds-after-teen-exits-log-ride-moments-before-50-foot-plunge">according</a> to a Disneyland spokesperson. He suffered minor injuries from the fall. 
The ride remained closed for the rest of the day and reopened on Monday, June 22.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Amusement Ride &amp; Tramway Unit <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2026/06/22/disneyland-visitor-falls-down-50-foot-drop-on-tianas-bayou-adventure/">evaluated</a> the incident and did not find any operational issues with the attraction.
<a href="https://x.com/DisneyScoopGuy/status/2069556763196879270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2069556763196879270%7Ctwgr%5Eff69a86828b054cdff439bd105959bb404f731dd%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthedisneyscoop.com%2Fvideo-shows-13-year-old-sliding-down-tianas-bayou-adventure-drop-at-disneyland%2F">Video</a> of the horrifying fall was posted online, and witnesses took to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Disneyland/comments/1uc9cf7/tiana_closure_tonight_621/">Reddit</a> to describe the incident. “He attempted to exit the ride vehicle at the top of the final drop,” one Reddit user said. “The ride stop mechanism failed to engage or was already past the threshold for the vehicle to enter free fall.”
“Luck was on his side,” another Reddit user wrote.
The ride currently does not have seat belts or lap bars.
Tiana&#8217;s Bayou Adventure, which is based on the movie Princess and the Frog, opened in 2024 as a replacement for Splash Mountain, which many on the Left claimed echoed racist tropes. In 2024, The Smithsonian magazine <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-changes-splash-mountain-tianas-bayou-adventure-reveal-about-how-americans-see-themselves-180984630/">wrote</a> that the original ride was a &#8220;racist whitewashing of American history.&#8221;
&#8220;For some, Splash Mountain represented nothing more than a ride with a fun soundtrack and a chance to get wet under the sun in Florida or Southern California,&#8221; the magazine argued. &#8220;But for those who understood the ride’s deep roots, extending back before Disney even existed as a company, it represented something much more troubling: a racist whitewashing of American history.&#8221;

The Split-Second Decision That Sent A Teen Over A Disney Ride Drop

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Disneyland is cracking down on certain behaviors causing disruption in their theme park, which has some visitors crying foul.
The biggest rule update causing an uproar is a cell phone policy nicknamed &#8220;Stow it, Don’t Show it&#8221; that would require guests to fully put away their phones when going on certain rides, including Mickey &amp; Minnie’s Runaway Railroad and the Incredicoaster, as <a href="https://insidethemagic.net/2026/04/disneyland-bans-stanley-cups-and-phones-on-certain-rides-to-protect-guests-from-themselves-rl1/">reported</a> by the Disney-focused site Inside the Magic.
Another item guests won’t be able to bring on the ride is heavy insulated tumblers. This rule is popularly known as “the Stanley ban,” referencing the popular brand-name cup. It was implemented as a reaction to an increase in “unplanned downtimes” for rides last year, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/travel/disneyland-cracks-down-guests-sweeping-new-restrictions-sparking-backlash">Fox News</a>, which was all due to security incidents related to guest behavior.
It all comes down to common sense. Phones and metal cups can become projectiles during high rates of speed on these and other rides, which poses a potential safety threat to riders. Cast members have been instructed to conduct visual checks and refuse to dispatch the ride if phones or cups are visible, the outlet noted.
There will also reportedly be cast members searching bags before guests get in line for the rides, specifically looking for oversized cups.
Natalie Katzka, director of attractions engineering services at Disneyland, spoke at a briefing on the updates. &#8220;Handheld filming is no longer permitted on these high-motion rides. … Phones must be fully secured in a bag or pocket before boarding,&#8221; Katzka confirmed.
Disneyland will reportedly be providing cubbies and storage lockers for phones and other loose items.
Beyond just posing a risk of flying through the air and hitting someone, Inside the Magic noted, phones and big cups could cause other problems. A dropped phone could trigger an “E-stop,” or emergency safety stop of the ride, while liquid from a spilled cup could mess with magnetic and electrical components of the ride and cause delays. These disruptions have larger repercussions across the park as staff would have to spend time addressing these issues and wait times for other park visitors would increase.
While the changes make logical sense, some Reddit commenters are mad about the cell phone policy in particular because the app is required for ride access and payment throughout the park. 
&#8220;Their entire ecosystem … requires you to use your phone for everything. This is laughable,&#8221; one Reddit user wrote.
&#8220;Disney makes everything as app-based as possible … then complains about people being glued to their phones,” another commenter agreed.

Disney Just Banned Two Items You’d Never Leave Home Without

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Governor Gavin Newsom took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance on Saturday after learning that Vance and his family were enjoying a trip to Disneyland, referencing recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California and other states.
Newsom, broadly discussed as a potential presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2028, responded to a post showing the vice president and his family smiling as they walked around &#8220;Bayou Country&#8221; at Disneyland — and he added his own comment: &#8220;Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you’re tearing apart certainly won’t.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hope you enjoy your family time, <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a>. The families you’re tearing apart certainly won’t. <a href="https://t.co/GjvIUg8I2B">https://t.co/GjvIUg8I2B</a>
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1944155806079042021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Critics were quick to challenge Newsom&#8217;s assessment, however, with a number pointing out that California law allows the state to tear apart families if parents do not accept their child&#8217;s chosen gender identity.
&#8220;In California it is completely legal for child protective services to tear a family apart if they don’t believe their child is transgender. I’ve met families that have had this happen,&#8221; detransitioner and activist Chloe Cole posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In California it is completely legal for child protective services to tear a family apart if they don’t believe their child is transgender.
I’ve met families that have had this happen. <a href="https://t.co/dlHxHCgM8y">https://t.co/dlHxHCgM8y</a>
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1944459241873629656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Your state takes children away from their parents if they refuse to buy into transgender madness You actually have a law on the books that you signed, that says that if a child in another state wants surgery that will sterilize that child, and the parents object, that all they have to do is run away from home and then they can go in front of a judge and get the right to sterilize themselves. You don’t care about tearing families apart. You’re perfectly fine with it for the &#8216;right&#8217; cause,&#8221; Aaron Walker posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Your state takes children away from their parents if they refuse to buy into transgender madness
You actually have a law on the books that you signed, that says that if a child in another state wants surgery that will sterilize that child, and the parents object, that all they… <a href="https://t.co/ykr5UFFItY">https://t.co/ykr5UFFItY</a>
— (((Aaron Walker))) (@AaronWorthing) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronWorthing/status/1944461712771465508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The governor who violated his own rules about eating out during the pandemic by feasting at the &#8216;French Laundry&#8217; lectures the VP about a perfectly lawful visit to Disneyland. Newsom’s petty hypocrisy knows no bounds,&#8221; Fox Business&#8217; David Asman added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The governor who violated his own rules about eating out during the pandemic by feasting at the “French Laundry” lectures the VP about a perfectly lawful visit to Disneyland. Newsom’s petty hypocrisy knows no bounds. <a href="https://t.co/3iP566dTNV">https://t.co/3iP566dTNV</a>
— David Asman (@DavidAsmanfox) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidAsmanfox/status/1944248718301032492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Every person who breaks Americas laws are separated from there families while detained. Some for hours, some for days, some for decades. The onus is on the lawbreakers not law abiding citizens going about their day,&#8221; another reasonably pointed out.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Every person who breaks Americas laws are separated from there families while detained. Some for hours, some for days, some for decades. The onus is on the lawbreakers not law abiding citizens going about their day. <a href="https://t.co/kpKqw8AHEg">https://t.co/kpKqw8AHEg</a>
— Rob O&#8217;Donnell (@odonnell_r) <a href="https://twitter.com/odonnell_r/status/1944425124309918004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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But it was Vance himself who had the last laugh, saying simply, &#8220;Had a great time, thanks.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Had a great time, thanks <a href="https://t.co/dKKA76mqhd">https://t.co/dKKA76mqhd</a>
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1944433280041808120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US Vice President JD Vance

Gavin Newsom Tries To Troll JD Vance Over Family Disney Trip, But VP Hits Right Back

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Politics

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An adult male guest at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneyland-will-host-first-ever-pride-nite-during-after-dark-series" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disneyland</a> was arrested on Sunday after he stripped down fully naked and caused havoc in the California park during the Thanksgiving holiday — boarding a boat on the &#8220;It&#8217;s A Small World&#8221; ride before he was apprehended and removed from the property.
Anaheim Police Department spokesperson Jonathan McClintock told <a href="https://people.com/man-arrested-for-stripping-nude-on-disneyland-s-it-s-a-small-world-ride-8406844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People magazine</a> that officers &#8220;responded to Disneyland to assist Disney security with a guest who removed his clothes and was naked in or near the &#8216;It&#8217;s a Small World&#8217; attraction.&#8221;
&#8220;Upon officers&#8217; arrival, they arrested a 26-year-old man for indecent exposure and for being under the influence of a controlled substance,&#8221; McClintock added, noting that the guest was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A 26-year-old man was arrested at Disneyland after stripping down on the It&#8217;s A Small World ride. Police say he was taken into custody on suspicion of indecent exposure and being under the influence of a controlled substance. <a href="https://t.co/toRd8WRNrt">pic.twitter.com/toRd8WRNrt</a>
— CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1729243702378238403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
One Disneyland Resort representative told <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/11/disneyland-park-guest-arrested-stripping-off-clothes-its-a-small-world-ride-1235637920/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> that the guest got off the attraction while it was in motion and said that once park operators became aware of the situation, they stopped the ride.
Various <a href="https://x.com/BreitbartNews/status/1729213311202267218?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clips</a> later surfaced on social media of the fully naked man. In one <a href="https://x.com/AshleyEsqueda/status/1728898239905276376?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> he&#8217;s seen walking around in the water near the attraction.
In <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0H_TRNy4uP/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another</a> video, he had on what appeared to be a pair of shorts and was off the ride touching the animatronics as a women&#8217;s voice — fellow guest Maegan Carmona — could be overheard pleading with him to stop.
&#8220;We noticed he started climbing onto the different parts of the ride, and we noticed that he was undressed,&#8221; Carmona told <a href="https://ew.com/disneyland-small-world-naked-rider-8406696" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entertainment Weekly.</a>
&#8220;He just looked out of it,&#8221; she added.  &#8220;He just didn&#8217;t look like he knew where he was. He looked worried. My friends and I had seen him, and it looked like he was going to jump on us.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus?_gl=1*1xtnwi0*_ga*NzM5MDUwMzIuMTY5OTAxNTg3Mg..*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTcwMDU2OTYyOS42NS4xLjE3MDA1NzA1NjcuNTIuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus?_gl%3D1*1xtnwi0*_ga*NzM5MDUwMzIuMTY5OTAxNTg3Mg..*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTcwMDU2OTYyOS42NS4xLjE3MDA1NzA1NjcuNTIuMC4w&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700759671228000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0b4zIBU878-U75BbtXztUa">GET 50% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS</a>
Carmona said one Disneyland employee cast member &#8220;got [the streaker] to sit down for a minute,&#8221; but &#8220;after that he continued walking in the opposite direction, behind us. Once he got to a different part of the ride, he ended up walking into the water and started drinking the water, and ran off toward the entrance of the ride.&#8221;
In October, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-world-theme-park-will-issue-pronoun-pins-to-janitorial-staff-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney World</a> guest decided to break the rules and jumped feet first into the World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot before Disney security got to him, <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/epcot-jump-world-showcase-lagoon-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox 35 News</a> reported.

Disneyland Turns 60

Male Disneyland Guest Arrested After Stripping Down Fully Naked On ‘It’s A Small World’ Ride

Male Disneyland Guest Arrested After Stripping Down Fully Naked On 'It's A Small World' Ride

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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disney</a> fans are furious as more photos of male employees dressed in women&#8217;s attire surfaced online.
The newest images come courtesy of Libs of TikTok. The account shared images on its X account which were reportedly submitted by Disney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disneyland">theme park attendees</a>. 
“Disney has men dressed as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-issues">women</a>, wearing dresses greeting children at some of their attractions,&#8221; LOTT wrote in the X caption. “Received both of these this week from disturbed visitors.”
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Disney has men dressed as women, wearing dresses greeting children at some of their attractions. 
Received both of these this week from disturbed visitors. <a href="https://t.co/c0NGDhRKh3">pic.twitter.com/c0NGDhRKh3</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1695164391694487592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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X users expressed outrage and disgust in their replies.
“Imagine paying all that money only to find drag princesses at Disney World,” one account <a href="https://twitter.com/heyjustpray/status/1695241590665515241">posted</a>.
“Total degeneracy,” a second <a href="https://twitter.com/itsreallyleah/status/1695671178755748192">agreed</a>. 
A third follower compared his time working at the parks with the way things are now. 
“When I worked at Disney World in the early 90s, male cast members could not have facial hair, you could not have visible tattoos (either sex), jewelry was limited in size and quantity, and females could only wear muted makeup. Plus, only males could work at 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Jungle Cruise,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeGayHistorian/status/1695172464307826752">wrote</a>. “&#8230;I bet Walt is spinning in his cryogenic chamber.”
This wasn’t the first time Disney parks made headlines for photos of male employees in dresses. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disturbing-man-in-a-dress-welcoming-children-to-disneyland-princess-boutique-sparks-outrage-on-twitter">reported</a> in May, a TikTok clip of a man in a dress welcoming small children into Disneyland’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique went viral on social media.
The new pics appear to be taken outside the same boutique but feature different employees.
Disney Parks updated its uniform policy in 2021 to allow employees, or as they’re referred to in the park, “cast members,” to wear gendered clothing of their preference regardless of their biological sex.
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“We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney,” a Disney official said in a statement at the time. “And we want our cast members — and future cast members — to feel a sense of belonging at work.”
The dress code also allowed cast members to show their tattoos and let men wear nail polish.
“Inclusion is essential to our culture and leads us forward as we continue to realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic,” the statement continued.
“Our new approach provides greater flexibility with respect to forms of personal expression surrounding gender-inclusive hairstyles, jewelry, nail styles, and costume choices; and allowing appropriate visible tattoos. We’re updating them to not only remain relevant in today’s workplace, but also enable our cast members to better express their cultures and individuality at work.”
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(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.)
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‘Total Degeneracy’: More Photos Of Male Disney Employees In Dresses Sparks Outrage Online

'Total Degeneracy': More Photos Of Male Disney Employees In Dresses Sparks Outrage Online

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Social Issues

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There&#8217;s little doubt that Walt Disney, and by extension the company he founded, was one of the greatest pop culture icons of the 20th century, and that influence continues right into the present day.
Walt&#8217;s determination to appeal to both children and their parents represents a core reason for Disney&#8217;s enduring legacy. But, at least at first, it was also clear that the Walt Disney Company&#8217;s values were rooted in those of America at large. “Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world,” Walt <a href="https://d23.com/walt-disney-quote/to-all-who/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> of the iconic theme park.
And he wanted <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/main-street-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Main Street U.S.A.</a>, the first &#8220;themed land&#8221; visitors experience when they enter the park, to <a href="https://www.parksavers.com/main-street-usa-disney-world-guide/#:~:text=Here's%20what%20Walt%20Disney%20had,the%20heart%20line%20of%20America.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">represent</a> &#8220;everyone’s hometown … the heart line of America.”
But the modern Walt Disney Company seems to be at odds with that notion, with many conservatives arguing that it has strayed far from Walt&#8217;s wholesome and patriotic vision. In the last few years, the company has become ever more embroiled in the culture wars. It has filled its recent movie and television content with nods to leftist ideologies, from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-casts-transgender-actor-for-new-star-wars-series-on-streaming-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transgenderism</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/long-before-the-reparations-episode-generated-outrage-disneys-proud-family-was-pushing-extreme-leftist-culture-on-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparations</a>. One executive producer for Disney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-at-all-secret-gay-agenda-disney-employees-break-down-adding-queerness-to-shows-and-degenderizing-theme-parks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boasted</a> during a staff meeting about her &#8220;not-at-all-secret gay agenda.&#8221;
Additionally, the company has become embroiled in a conflict with the state of Florida over the state&#8217;s legislation that <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/03/florida-lawmakers-expansion-desantis-parental-rights-education-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> schools from teaching children from kindergarten through 8th grade about gender identity and sexual orientation.
In contrast with the leftward drift the company has experienced, its founder took the opposite route — evolving from a relatively non-political businessman into a strident anti-communist and impassioned advocate for American ideals.
Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901, but his family moved to Marceline, Missouri, when he was four. There, Disney became interested in drawing, and the family was <a href="https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/how-walt-disneys-faith-was-central-to-his-groundbreaking-career-in-entertainment.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">active</a> in a local Congregationalist church. The Disney family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and eventually back to Chicago, where Walt took classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
<div id="attachment_587725" style="width: 802px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-587725" class="wp-image-587725 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-792x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) Thousands of people in all parts of the world laugh at and enjoy the antics of Mickey Mouse, the star of stars, but few know the pain staking and intricate work necessary in making of the popular films. Scores of artists and sound experts work in the Mickey Mouse Studios just outside of Los Angeles making thousands of drawings and accompaniment under the direction of Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse. This photo shows Disney at his desk in his studio." width="792" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-792x576.jpg 792w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-300x218.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-768x559.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-1536x1117.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515564618-2048x1489.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" />Bettmann/Contributor. Getty Images.</div>
After the U.S. Army rejected him for being too young, Disney <a href="https://d23.com/this-day/walt-disney-enlists-in-red-cross-ambulance-corps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a> the Red Cross in September 1918 as an ambulance driver, but he arrived in France after the armistice that ended World War I. After his stint in the Red Cross, he initially returned to Kansas City to pursue cartoons as a career but soon traveled to Los Angeles to meet up with his brother, Roy O. Disney. Together, they founded the Disney Brothers Studio, which would eventually become The Walt Disney Company, and began producing short cartoon films. The company achieved its <a href="https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/walt-disney-ub-iwerks-steamboat-willie-1928/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breakthrough</a> with 1928&#8217;s &#8220;Steamboat Willie,&#8221; considered to be the debut of Mickey Mouse and the first fully synchronized sound cartoon.
The creation and success of Mickey Mouse cartoons propelled Disney to the forefront of animation in Hollywood in the 1930s and the early &#8217;40s, cemented by the release of such classics as &#8220;Snow White&#8221; and &#8220;Pinocchio.&#8221;
Despite the massive political upheaval taking place in the U.S. in the early 1930s as a result of the Great Depression and the first round of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt&#8217;s New Deal, Disney was reportedly reluctant to even discuss politics. Joe Grant, who worked on &#8220;Snow White,&#8221; &#8220;Pinocchio,&#8221; and &#8220;Dumbo,&#8221; said that Disney was &#8220;very apolitical, believe me,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/04/25/walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a 2007 biography of Disney by journalist Neal Gabler.
He reportedly voted for Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election, which Roosevelt won in a landslide based on the mass appeal of the New Deal.
<div id="attachment_587733" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-587733" class="size-large wp-image-587733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-777x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) Walt Disney, celebrated cartoonist and the creator of Mickey Mouse, is shown on the beach at Waikiki playing on a ukulele, while his brother and business manager, Roy, makes him the subject of a movie. Bettmann/Contributor. Getty Images." width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-777x576.jpg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-300x223.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-768x570.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-1536x1139.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-517363132-2048x1519.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />(Original Caption) Walt Disney, celebrated cartoonist and the creator of Mickey Mouse, is shown on the beach at Waikiki playing on a ukulele, while his brother and business manager, Roy, makes him the subject of a movie. Bettmann/Contributor. Getty Images.</div>
Disney switched his support to the Republican Party in the 1940 presidential election, an affiliation that he would maintain for the rest of his life. Wendell Willkie, a businessman from New York who had never previously held political office and had only become a Republican in 1939, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clinched</a> the GOP nomination as a dark horse at the national convention. There was very little difference between Roosevelt and Willkie on the major issues of the campaign — both <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a> the New Deal and material support for the Allies in World War II &#8220;short of war.&#8221;
&#8220;In the election of 1936, I just couldn’t go Republican … Roy and I split. Roy went Republican and I voted for Roosevelt. By 1940 and everything that happened in the next four years, I was right back on the other bandwagon. I became a [Wendell] Willkie man. He was a great man,&#8221; Disney <a href="https://pjmedia.com/culture/chris-queen/2013/05/03/walt-disneys-fascinating-political-journey-n145297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> told a writer.
Disney declined to officially endorse Willkie and even expressed his wish to stay out of politics, telling the Willkie campaign in a letter that &#8220;a long time ago I found out that I knew nothing whatsoever about the game of politics and since then I’ve preferred to keep silent about the entire matter rather than see my name attached to any statement that was not my own.&#8221;
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and America&#8217;s entry into World War II, Disney&#8217;s involvement in politics began to change. Half of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, was <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/ww2-disney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">occupied</a> by U.S. troops in order to protect a nearby Lockheed aircraft factory from possible air raids (none ever occurred).
Soon, the U.S. government approached Disney with a contract to make propaganda films to help the war effort. The company ultimately made short films for every branch of the military during the war, <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-propaganda-shaped-life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> the Academy Award-winning 1943 short film &#8220;Der Fuehrer&#8217;s Face&#8221; (in which Donald Duck takes on Hitler) and the more serious &#8220;Victory Through Air Power.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_587731" style="width: 673px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-587731" class="size-large wp-image-587731" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-663x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) Prompted by increasing requests from Army, Navy, and Air Corps branches, Walt Disney artists are now working on defense orders for service insignias. Walt Disney shows Air Corps officer Lieutenant Claude Pevey and insignia recently designed for the Navy's torpedo boats, known as the mosquito fleet. Bettmann/Contributor. Getty Images." width="663" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-663x576.jpg 663w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-300x260.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-768x667.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-1536x1334.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/07/GettyImages-515168560-2048x1778.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px" />Bettmann/Contributor. Getty Images.</div>
His first explicit endorsement of a presidential candidate was given to Thomas Dewey, the Republican nominee in the 1944 presidential election — once again facing Roosevelt.
He allowed Dewey to hold a rally on studio grounds, donated generously to the Dewey campaign, and even gave a <a href="https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/photos/id/31700" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> in support of Dewey in Los Angeles to a rally of reportedly 93,000 people in September 1944. Other Hollywood stars who came out in support of Dewey at the rally <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,933080,00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> Lionel Barrymore, Barbara Stanwyck, and Cecil B. DeMille.
Roosevelt <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1944" target="_blank" rel="noopener">again</a> won the White House, for an unprecedented fourth term that would be cut short by his death in April 1945, but it was the closest of his presidential campaigns.
It&#8217;s been speculated that the rise of unions in Hollywood, and in the Disney company specifically, provided the catalyst for Walt&#8217;s political awakening. After a <a href="https://pjmedia.com/culture/chris-queen/2013/05/03/walt-disneys-fascinating-political-journey-n145297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strike</a> by Disney employees in May 1941 while the company was in dire financial straits, Disney became fiercely anti-communist, believing American communists were behind the labor disputes.
&#8220;I definitely feel it was a Communist group trying to take over my artists and they did take them over,&#8221; Disney reportedly said about the 1941 strike.
However, Disney never discriminated against employees based on their personal political leanings, <a href="https://pjmedia.com/culture/chris-queen/2013/05/03/walt-disneys-fascinating-political-journey-n145297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a biography by historian Michael Barrier.
&#8220;He was not an aggressive Red hunter; his conservatism had a strongly personal cast. An employee’s politics were not of any particular concern to him if that employee was not challenging him,&#8221; Barrier wrote.
The experience with the Dewey campaign as well as the animators&#8217; strike would cause Disney to become more politically involved in the late 1940s and &#8217;50s, and Walt&#8217;s conservative values would become more pronounced as time went on.
The difference between the founder of Disney and its modern iteration could not be more stark. Whereas Walt Disney was personally a Republican but tried to stay out of politics as much as possible in his early life, the modern Walt Disney Company seems to have been overrun by avowed leftist ideologues who are determined to inject politics into all of the company&#8217;s products.
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.)

Disney Makes A Point

Walt Disney Would Be Appalled At What His Company Has Become

Celebrities

Los Angeles

Readers Pass

U.S.

World War II

The following is the opening satirical monologue from “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1133-the-shame-of-pride">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.“
Disneyland has assigned a mustachioed drag queen to play a fairy godmother at its princess dress shop for little girls — and Uganda has passed a law instituting the death penalty for homosexual child molesters — making it almost impossible to tell which one is a savage hellhole and which is the happiest place on earth. Politicians as far to the right as Ted Cruz and as far gone in dementia and venality as Joe Biden have condemned the Uganda law, though they admit Uganda is cheaper to get into than Disneyland and the lines are shorter.
The government of Uganda meanwhile is hoping to feature images of Disneyland in its tourism advertisements and is testing out different slogans, such as “Visit Beautiful Uganda. We may be oppressive and violent but at least we put homosexual child molesters to death,” or “Come to Uganda. It may be the armpit of the universe, but at least you won’t have to wait in line for two hours to have your children corrupted,” or “Why Not Vacation in Uganda? Sure, our laws are intolerant and Draconian, but at least we didn’t ruin &#8220;The Little Mermaid&#8221; with a crappy remake.” The Uganda Tourism Board is also hoping to sign a deal with the NFL so that at the end of the Super Bowl, the winning quarterback will announce to the crowd, “After this, I’m going to Uganda, because I sure as hell don’t want my kids anywhere near Disneyland.”
Disney Spokesman Pansy Groomer — Don’t blame me, that’s the guy’s name. Disney Spokesman Pansy Groomer condemned Uganda’s Tourism Campaign in a statement delivered to a 10-year-old boy in a Disneyland men’s room, saying, “Here at Disney, we remain deeply committed to using wholesome franchises created in the past by people with ten times our talent to lure families into a cesspit of sexual deviance and disorder so that their children can one day grow up to live in a world where demons chase them through pits of fire for all eternity. After all, that’s what our founder Walt Disney would have wanted, had he been an evil psychopath.”
Mr. Groomer also defended the company’s decision to cast black actress Halle Bailey as the formerly white Little Mermaid in the remake, saying he loved Halle’s performances in &#8220;Monster’s Ball&#8221; and &#8220;Euphoria.&#8221; When Mr. Groomer was told that those performances were by two entirely different black actresses, he was so humiliated he decided to commit suicide by moving to Uganda.
To be fair, Disney is not the only American company that has taken upon itself the nearly impossible task of making Uganda look good. Retail giant Target recently decided to celebrate Pride Month with a display of transgender children’s clothing designed by a Satanist. Facing a protest boycott, Target said the children’s clothing was not for children when it was, claimed that customers were attacking store staff when they weren’t, put the clothing in the back of the store where, strangely, it continued to be just as evil as it was in the front of the store and finally said they’d removed the clothing altogether, though who can say because they lie about everything and are evil. Target Spokesman Pansy Groomer — and again, don’t blame me. Target Spokesman Pansy Groomer released a statement to a 10-year-old boy in a men’s room in Disneyland, saying, “We at Target are deeply committed to pretending to give a rat’s ass about our customer’s values, while we continue to look for opportunities to undermine and destroy them.”
Reacting to the controversy, The Wall Street Journal ran yet another editorial calling for conservatives to end the culture war against American business in the same way Czechoslovakia ended World War II against Germany. The Journal editorial said, “It’s time to remember that the business of America is business. And the business of business is sexually corrupting children, and the business of sexually corrupted children is being butchered by mentally ill adults, and the business of mentally ill adults is working at Disneyland.”
Now to be fair, there are still those of us who would like to see Americans of all different kinds treat each other with tolerance and kindness while still respecting and elevating the traditional family values that honor creation and keep free countries free. And in the hopes of rediscovering that nation of greater generosity and moderation and common sense, we’re moving to Uganda.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Klavan</a> is the host of The Andrew Klavan Show at The Daily Wire. A popular political satirist and Hollywood screenwriter, Klavan is also an award-winning novelist. His newest novel is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Habit-Mind-Cameron-Mysteries/dp/1613163517/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Strange Habit of Mind</a>, book two in the Cameron Winter Mystery series.
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

AKS_Intro_230602_08

If Disneyland Hires Mustachioed Drag Queens, Why Not Vacation In Uganda?

Andrew Klavan

Pride Month

Satire

The number of universally beloved stars shrinks every year.
Betty White? RIP. Dolly Parton? Good luck finding a Dolly critic. Mel Brooks? He’s 96 and still going strong, but no one lives forever.
It’s even worse for entertainment brands. Most are viewed either with disdain or disinterest. Paramount? Eh, I like that mountain logo. Netflix? Didn’t they run a film sexualizing children (“Cuties”)?
Disney is different. Or – was – to be more accurate.
Walt Disney’s fun factory had America’s heart in its back pocket. Generations grew up on Disney fare, from beloved films like “Pinocchio” (1940) and “The Lady and the Tramp” (1955), to newer sensations like “The Little Mermaid” (1989) and “The Lion King” (1994).
Disney’s cultural reach spanned films and TV shows to major theme parks on both sides of the country. Families scraped up their savings to see wannabe actors dress up as Goofy, Minnie Mouse, and the gang. They endured exorbitant prices, long lines, and scorching heat to experience that Disney magic firsthand, hoping to forge lifelong memories along the way.
The Wonderful World of Disney? It was more than a tagline. It meant something special to Americans, and that stayed true even as the mega studio lost its mojo in the 1980s, courtesy of flops like “The Black Hole” (1979), “The Great Mouse Detective” (1986), and “The Black Cauldron” (1985).
The songs. The movies. The theme parks. The iconic characters we wore on T-shirts, backpacks, and winter jackets. Disney enjoyed the kind of bulletproof brand that other corporations would kill to emulate. The Mouse House nurtured it for decades, long after Walt Disney left this mortal coil in 1966.
Even more vital? 
Disney represented a safe harbor from an increasingly coarse culture. Sick of R-rated movies, sexually explicit TV shows, and raunchy humor? Disney had your back.
Then Disney Nation went woke.
How? It abandoned its prime directive — delivering family-friendly fare to a receptive nation — in favor of cultural messaging.
What happened next? The company began hemorrhaging <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-explains-the-real-story-behind-latest-desantis-disney-battle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">money</a>, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/disney-plus-subscribers-q2-earnings-1235607524/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribers</a>, and acolytes. And there’s little evidence its economic fortunes will rebound or long-time fans will rush back into its corporate arms. 
Disney films now push diversity across the board. Recent flops like “Lightyear” (2022) and “Strange World” (2022) cared more about progressive nods than entertaining moviegoers.
And the paltry box office results spoke for themselves.
Behind the scenes, Disney workers faced indoctrination seminars on DEI and other culturally toxic ideologies. A 2021 report revealed that the company’s <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/disney-employee-training-claims-u-s-was-founded-on-systemic-racism-includes-white-privilege-checklist-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“diversity and inclusion” seminars</a> have employees fill out “white privilege” checklists.
A Disney creator boasted about her “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-at-all-secret-gay-agenda-disney-employees-break-down-adding-queerness-to-shows-and-degenderizing-theme-parks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not-at-all-secret gay agenda</a>” and how receptive the brass was to her maneuvering.
Radical racial theories now pop up in shows like “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” seen on Disney+. An episode tied to the newly announced Juneteenth holiday finds the kiddie show <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-cartoon-demands-reparations-and-more-with-slaves-built-this-country-song" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding reparations</a> in an extended lecture-style sequence.
The new, not-so-improved company seems embarrassed by its own past, a sentiment that isn’t shared by generations of Americans. The studio’s live-action “Little Mermaid” remake erased “problematic” lyrics from the 1989 source material, for example.
Disney+ put warning labels on classic films like “Peter Pan” and “Dumbo” while pushing radical gender theories in its newly made content. Would Walt ever dream of animating a trans character <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-video-from-new-disney-show-features-trans-flag-and-robot-that-needs-help-with-feminine-hygiene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">buying sanitary napkins</a> in a Disney production?
The film’s big-budget adventures, like “Jungle Cruise,” awkwardly insert gay themes into their stories even if they play out as anachronistic to the story in play.
Next up? A Disney+ original dubbed “Pauline” about a pregnant teen’s affection for the baby daddy — <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/04/disney-greenlights-german-original-about-pregnant-teen-who-falls-in-love-with-the-devil-how-to-sell-drugs-online-fast-netflix-1235318430/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AKA the Devil.</a>
It’s a far cry from “Old Yeller,” no?
Disney’s public war on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made everything worse. The GOP presidential hopeful locked horns with Disney on multiple fronts, including the erroneously named “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the Sunshine State.
Why an entertainment company would need to choose sides on a political matter defies belief, but Team Disney did just that. And that fight will rage on for the foreseeable future.
If DeSantis emerges as the GOP’s political candidate for the White House, those battles will chase even more Republicans away from Disney fare. And that could be permanent.
Even Disney park attendees endure the company’s progressive, aggressive makeover. A concerned mom went viral for sharing a video of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disturbing-man-in-a-dress-welcoming-children-to-disneyland-princess-boutique-sparks-outrage-on-twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mustachioed Disney employee greeting children</a>, in women’s clothing, at a Disneyland boutique.
The beauty of the Disney brand mattered even more in the 21st century. American culture is divided into many smaller niche audiences, served up by the web, social media, and a broad pop culture landscape.
Disney didn’t carve up the culture into smaller, digestible markets. 
It reached out to everyone – liberals and conservatives, Heartland denizens, and the coastal dwellers. It wasn’t right, left, or center. It was Disney. And that spoke volumes. It gobbled up populist franchises like “Star Wars” and the “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” properties that entertained large swathes of America.
We needed Disney in our increasingly tribal times. Then Disney made those mega-franchises go woke, too, and the box office numbers fell.
Today, evoking the Disney brand means rolling up your sleeves and choosing sides in the culture wars for many Americans. That’s the opposite of what Disney has meant for many, many years.
That image, that brand is gone, and it’s not coming back in this generation. And Disney has only itself to blame.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Disneyland Holiday Castle and Fireworks

Dismantling Disney: America’s Most Iconic Family Brand Is Now In Ruins

Disney World

Entertainment

Woke Culture

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok">TikTok</a> clip of a man in a dress welcoming small <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/children">children</a> into a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disneyland</a> boutique full of princess costumes has gone viral on social media.
The original <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kourtnifaber/video/7237564436070812974?lang=en">video</a>, which has racked up more than 7.1 million views as of Tuesday, was posted by self-described dental hygienist and mom of three Kourtni Faber’s account over the weekend. In it, a man with a mustache wearing a gown waves enthusiastically to a child and introduces himself as Nick as the customer enters the store.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is reportedly happening at Disneyland.
Grooming Exhibitionism or Trans Rights? <a href="https://t.co/6l72kT8BfW">pic.twitter.com/6l72kT8BfW</a>
&mdash; Bree A Dail (@breeadail) <a href="https://twitter.com/breeadail/status/1663452775580065792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I’m here to shop you around and make all your selections for the day,” the employee says. The video pans around the store full of princess costumes on mannequins and states that price captions ranging from &#8220;$250&#8221; to &#8220;$450.&#8221;
The video goes on to show a female store employee in the same uniform helping a young girl get a princess makeover. The original poster included the caption, “A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep #disneyland #bibbidibobbidiboutique #corememory.”
Many commenters on TikTok professed that they “love” Nick and said he’s been working at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a while. 
“This is insane,” one Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/lax_miami/status/1663500860364660736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
“Absolutely grooming. That is a moment for little girls. Mustache has no business there,” another account <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChrisMoreno/status/1663504890084163586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a>. 
“Disney is just an LGBT activist organization at this point,” another commenter <a href="https://twitter.com/dekach1n/status/1663525260254416898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “Any sane company would have backed down by now. Disney keeps doubling down because it would rather engage in political activism than return value.”
Another viewer <a href="https://twitter.com/afewcrayons/status/1663511430857932802" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoed</a>, “This is disturbing and sick. You are vile.”
Disney Parks updated its uniform policy in 2021 to allow employees, or as they’re referred to in the park, “cast members,” to wear gendered clothing of their preference regardless of their biological sex.
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&#8220;We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney,&#8221; a Disney official said in a <a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/04/a-place-where-everyone-is-welcome/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> at the time. &#8220;And we want our cast members — and future cast members — to feel a sense of belonging at work.&#8221;
Other changes to the dress code included that cast members no longer had to cover their tattoos if appropriate, and men were permitted to wear nail polish.
“Inclusion is essential to our culture and leads us forward as we continue to realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic,” the statement continued. 
“Our new approach provides greater flexibility with respect to forms of personal expression surrounding gender-inclusive hairstyles, jewelry, nail styles, and costume choices; and allowing appropriate visible tattoos. We’re updating them to not only remain relevant in today’s workplace, but also enable our cast members to better express their cultures and individuality at work.”
Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.

‘Disturbing’: Man In A Dress Welcoming Children To Disneyland Princess Boutique Sparks Outrage On Twitter

Man In A Dress Welcoming Children To Disneyland Princess Boutique Sparks Outrage On Twitter

TikTok

viral video

As fans get ready for the iconic Disneyland ride Splash Mountain to close at the end of May, the company revealed details for the new ride that will take its place.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be coming to both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walt Disney World Resort</a> in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. The new attractions will take inspiration from the animated <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney</a> movie &#8220;The Princess and the Frog” (2009).
&#8220;The magic of the bayou is calling, so listen closely because we’re ‘digging a little deeper’ into the experience guests can expect from the future attraction coming to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” a recent Disney <a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/04/mama-odie-to-appear-in-tianas-bayou-adventure-plus-more-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> says. 
“The enchantment of the bayou will illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. And today, I’m thrilled to announce that Mama Odie will reprise her role as the catalyst to that magic,&#8221; wrote Carmen Smith, the senior vice president of creative development. 
Splash Mountain is being shut down following criticism that it included “stereotypical <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/racism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racist</a> tropes.” Florida’s version of the popular attraction <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fans-bid-farewell-to-disney-worlds-splash-mountain-as-it-closed-after-30-years-due-to-racism-assertions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed in January</a> after 30 years in operation.
The ride was modeled after Brer Rabbit&#8217;s adventures in the 1946 &#8220;Song of the South&#8221; Disney film, which has since come under scrutiny for not being an accurate representation of life on a plantation.
“Song of the South” is set in Reconstruction-era America during a time when slavery had been abolished following the Civil War. The character Uncle Remus is not a slave but is sharing stories with a 7-year-old boy named Johnny, who is visiting his grandmother’s plantation.
&#8220;I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that &#8216;Song of the South&#8217; was – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today’s world,&#8221; Disney CEO Bob Iger said during a March 2020 shareholders meeting. Former executive secretary of the NAACP, Walter White, said the movie “helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery.”
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Splash Mountain&#8217;s replacement is described as &#8220;inclusive&#8221; for all theme park visitors.
“Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important,” a 2020 <a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2020/06/new-adventures-with-princess-tiana-coming-to-disneyland-park-and-magic-kingdom-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> from Disney explained of their decision to replace Splash Mountain. 
“And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
The new attraction is scheduled to open in 2024.
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Splash Mountain

As Iconic Disneyland Ride’s Closing Date Looms, Disney Unveils Details About Replacement

As Iconic Disneyland Ride's Closing Date Looms, Disney Unveils Details About Replacement

Racism

Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted Thursday that the company has charged consumers exorbitant prices at the entertainment giant&#8217;s theme parks.
Iger, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, said the Disney brand must be &#8220;accessible,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11842523/Disney-CEO-Bob-Iger-admits-firms-theme-parks-rip-thanks-aggressive-pricing.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a>. The CEO, who came out of retirement last November to retake the company&#8217;s reins, indicated lower prices were necessary to expanding the company&#8217;s consumer base.
&#8220;In our zeal to grow profits, we may have been a little bit too aggressive about some of our pricing,” Iger said. “I think there’s a way to continue to grow that business, but be smarter about how we price so that we maintain that brand value of accessibility.”
Iger suggested that the high prices had helped make the theme park experience more enjoyable for those who could afford them.
“One of the things that we had to do was we had to improve the guest experience by reducing crowding,” Iger <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-03-09/bob-iger-says-disney-price-hikes-too-high" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. “It’s tempting to let more and more people in, but if the guest satisfaction levels are going down because of crowding then that doesn’t work. We have to figure out how we reduce crowding but maintain our profitability. And we did that well.”
Disney has recently moved to lower some prices at the theme parks, <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/">reinstating</a> overnight free parking at Disney World and offering more days at Anaheim’s Disneyland in Anaheim when adults can buy tickets at the lowest price option.
Prices at Disneyland have <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11307811/Disneyland-hikes-ticket-prices-costs-soar-244-DAY.html">soared</a> to as high as  $244 for a single day&#8217;s pass. Preferred parking at the theme park <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/cost-disneyland-17801824.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">costs</a> $50 per vehicle, self-parking $30 per vehicle. Disney Genie Plus, which permits booking specific time windows for certain rides, costs an additional $25.
At Disney World, Disney opened a Star Wars-themed hotel titled “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” in March 2022. It has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/business/disney-star-wars-galactic-starcruiser.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> guests between $5,000 and $20,000 for two nights. The hotel has charged $13.50 for a single beer and $23 for cocktails.
During the global pandemic, when Disneyland was closed, Disney’s Annual Passport system was <a href="https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2561461/disneyland-is-going-to-make-a-massive-change-when-it-reopens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled.</a> After the park reopened, Annual Passports were replaced by Magic Keys, which included the Dream Key, the Believe Key and the Enchant Key, then became temporarily unavailable.
One disgruntled Disneyland fan <a href="https://twitter.com/gingernspicee/status/1349841487572307970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1349841487572307970%7Ctwgr%5E0fc2119eb35828565f55a4d1fb3f2bb91629dc42%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cinemablend.com%2Fnews%2F2561496%2Fas-disneyland-shutters-annual-passes-those-fans-have-a-lot-of-feelings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote,</a> “i am HEARTBROKEN about disneyland canceling annual passes. (i mean who knows when they’ll reopen &amp; i wasn’t planning on going to disneyland during the pandemic) i can’t afford to go to disneyland 1-3x a month without my pass, so this totally sucks.”
Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids’ entertainment content.

“The King’s Man” World Premiere – Arrivals

‘Our Zeal To Grow Profits’: CEO Admits Disney Charged Too Much At Theme Parks

CEO Admits Disney Charged Too Much At Theme Parks 

Bob Iger

Prices

A school principal accused of crimes against a child jumped to his death at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disneyland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disneyland</a> late last week and blamed his suicide on the upcoming court battle.
The Los Angeles Daily News <a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2022/12/04/man-jumps-to-death-from-disneyland-parking-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> the man as 51-year-old Christopher Christensen, who served as the principal of Huntington Beach elementary schools for 22 years.
Christensen was scheduled to appear in court this week for a pre-trial hearing for child endangerment and battery charges, both misdemeanor charges.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/06/man-who-jumped-to-death-at-disneyland-was-son-of-famed-musical-director/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Christensen was the son of famed Disney theme parks music director James “Jim” Christensen, who passed away in 2020 at age 84.
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Christensen explained in a note what allegedly happened that led to the charges and how the charges led to his decision to end his life at Disneyland.
&#8220;I hate when people leave this Earth with so many unanswered questions,&#8221; he began in a note that included pictures of his wife Marlena. &#8220;Most of you don’t know this but we privately married 3 ½ years ago. Marlena and I love and adore each other and our relationship has been amazing…up until recently.&#8221;
&#8220;Unfortunately, two weeks ago she and I got into a heated argument at home in front of the girls,&#8221; the note continued. &#8220;Tempers were flared and strong words were exchanged between us. However, never in this exchange did I hit, slap, or hurt Marlena in any manner. Nor did I ever touch the girls (I never have and never will). I love the girls like my own and they know that, as does everyone else who truly knows me. Unfortunately, Marlena’s anger got the best of her that night and she called the police, which landed me in jail that night. Yes, me! A man who has never hit or harmed ANYONE in his life! I think it’s safe to say that Marlena truly regrets making that call, because the events of that night have completely unraveled both of our lives.&#8221;
&#8220;I am on the brink of losing my job, as I am out on administrative leave until my case is &#8216;resolved,’” Christensen continued. &#8220;However, the legal system is extremely flawed (especially against men/fathers) and it’s sickening how quickly and easily an innocent man can be thrown in jail based on zero evidence or proof!&#8221;
Christensen said that he saw messages that his wife sent to one of her friends in which she allegedly &#8220;had no intention on having that night come this far.&#8221;
&#8220;She knows I would never hurt her or the girls and she, too, has been trying to clear my name with little success,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Again, the legal system is deeply flawed, to say the least! So, here I am…writing my final FB post to all of you. I need you all to know that a gentle, kind, loving and sincerely good man has been destroyed by one unfortunate night. It really is unfortunate! This is NOT me! This is NOT something that I ever thought would happen to me. With all of this said, I have truly loved educating and leading thousands of students and families as a principal in FVSD for the past 21+ years.&#8221;
&#8220;Please, please, please be kind to one another! Treat each other with kindness and grace,&#8221; he later added. &#8220;There is too much anger in the world and people need to start treating each other better. What I’ve shared with you above is a prime example of how &#8216;anger&#8217; can really have long-lasting and extremely damaging effects on a person’s life.&#8221;
If you or someone you know is struggling or thinking of harming themselves, please call or text the 988 Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Anaheim Exteriors And Landmarks – 2021

School Principal Accused Of Crimes Against Children Jumps To Death At Disneyland, Leaves Behind Note

General

Suicide

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