One of the hopes from the 2024 elections is that major corporations such as Disney would reevaluate to whom they are trying to appeal. It appears that the House of Mouse is finally starting that self-reflection.
In the aftermath of the election, Disney has changed course on some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The changes are modest, but they include reorienting performance factors for executive compensation away from diversity and inclusion and toward values that promote business success. Disney is also taking off the condescending trigger warnings from the beginning of classic films such as Peter Pan and Dumbo, instead exiling them to the details sections of those films.
Disney is also reportedly reevaluating the costs at its Disney parks, with the percentage of people planning return trips to Disney parks dropping. In Anaheim, California, the cheapest tickets start at $104 per day for just one of the two parks, Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, with tickets often going past $200. That is the cost for just one adult, with the total cost of tickets for the whole family, as well as food costs in the parks, making visiting Disney a one-time experience for many families.
These changes show that Disney is at least looking to appeal again to the majority of normal people who aren’t obsessed with race and to families who simply want to be able to afford what Disney is offering. Even before the 2024 elections, there were signs that Disney was coming around. The company stood down from the political fight it picked with Florida Republicans, and Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that the quality of Disney’s entertainment was declining.
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It is a welcome shift from the woke corporate posturing that plagued the 2010s and was amplified in 2020. Google, McDonald’s, Target, and Walmart are among the major corporations that have been reevaluating and removing their DEI policies. But none has the influence over children and families that Disney has through its entertainment offerings. For Disney to be focused on eliminating divisive DEI policies and on making itself more affordable for families is a massive step in the right direction.
Disney never had to make itself a soldier in the political Left’s culture war. By exiting that culture war and focusing on appealing to families, Disney can once again be the family-friendly entertainment company it used to be remembered as, so long as it continues to stay out of the racially divisive DEI movement moving forward.