Disney versus DeSantis: A History and Timeline of Events

Disney versus DeSantis: A History and Timeline of Events 

https://deadline.com/2023/05/ron-desantis-disney-not-made-a-peep-skirmish-dont-say-gay-law-party-is-over-1235358563/

    Let’s set the scene: March 8, 2022. A sunny, partly cloudy Tuesday in Orlando, Florida. The perfect weather and atmosphere for a peaceful day at Walt Disney World. For Florida politics, however, this day was the beginning of a long-lasting storm. March 8, 2022, was the day that the Florida Senate passed legislation that restricted schools from teaching things involving sexuality and identity from school years kindergarten through third grade (Hari & Marques, 2023). This was an extremely controversial decision, even for the Republican state of Florida. This legislation could result in repressed sexualities in children and close-minded behavior towards members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some people were flabbergasted that Florida was more concerned over what was coined as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill rather than gun violence, something that continues to grow in the cause of child mortality (McGough et al., 2023). Not more than 24 hours later did Bob Chapek, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company make an official statement (Hari & Marques, 2023). He said he disapproved of the legislation and personally called Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, to express his disappointment. This piece of legislation was only the beginning of what The Walt Disney Company would disagree with the governor on. 

             

    Later that month on March 28, DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law. House Bill (HB) 1557 “reinforces parents’ fundamental rights to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children” (Governor Ron Desantis signs historic bill to protect parental rights in education, n.d.). This bill includes the previously mentioned legislation, as well as requiring the school to notify parent’s if there is a change in a child’s “mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.” This time, Disney itself released a statement that said the bill “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law” (Hari & Marques, 2023). Less than a month later, DeSantis reacts publicly by asking the state’s legislature to “terminate long-standing special privileges granted to Walt Disney World and its associated theme parks in the area” (Hari & Marques, 2023). This would specifically target the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which gave Disney the ability to act autonomously in certain regards. Following this, on April 22, DeSantis signed the law that took way Disney’s self-governance, beginning June 1, 2023. He said, quote, “If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy” (Hari & Marques, 2023). This quote almost proves that his actions were a personal retaliation to Disney’s disdain towards his “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

  

    Several months later in 2023, on February 6, a bill was filed that would give DeSantis the ability to choose the five-member board of supervisors who are in charge of Disney’s special district. This would ultimately allow him power over Disney that was not in place before. This bill was approved on February 10, and Reedy Creek was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Keep in mind that in late 2022, on November 20, Bob Chapek was replaced with previous CEO Bob Iger. Ultimately, Chapek was the one who began this feud with DeSantis, and Iger was not hesitant to finish it. On April 3, at Disney’s annual meeting, Iger accused DeSantis of being “not just anti-Florida, but anti-business.” On April 17, things take a slightly ridiculous turn when DeSantis threatens to build a prison near the theme parks. Along with this, he threatens to impose taxes on hotels and add tolls on roads that are near Disney properties. Less than 10 days later, Disney officially sued DeSantis for “threatening billions of dollars in business as retaliation for the company speaking against his policies.” 

    In the following blog posts, I will take a deeper dive into how the media reacted to these happenings and how this affected the public’s opinion on Disney and DeSantis. 

 

References 

Governor Ron Desantis signs historic bill to protect parental rights in education. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (n.d.). https://www.flgov.com/2022/03/28/governor-ron-desantis-signs-historic-bill-to-protect-parental-rights-in-education/ 

Harif, T. B., & Marques, F. (2023, April 27). Disney versus desantis: A timeline of the Florida feud. Time. https://time.com/6275097/disney-desantis-florida-feud-timeline/ 

McGough, M., Amin, K., Panchal, N., & Cox, C. (2023, July 18). Child and teen firearm mortality in the U.S. and peer countries. KFF. https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/#:~:text=Provisional%20CDC%20data%20from%202022,third%20year%20in%20a%20row 

 

An Introduction to Disney and DeSantis

    Walter (Walt) Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 ("About Walt Disney") Disney was interested in drawing at an early age, and when he was 19 he began a career as an advertising cartoonist. Although born in Missouri and later locating to Kansas City, Disney ended up in Hollywood by 1923 to pursue his dream of animation. Along with the help of his brother Roy O. Disney, the two began their career on little money, few tools, but a lot of motivation. In 1928, the beloved character known as Mickey Mouse was created and debuted in Steamboat Willie. From here, Disney's creations only got more creative, more profound, and more technologically advanced. Following Steamboat Willie came the iconic first Disney princess in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Following this were Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. Disney's dreams expanded beyond the big screen, and he eventually created Disneyland in 1955, the first of the Disney parks. Walt Disney created much more within the Disney company before his death on December 15, 1966, and his legacy lives on within the many movies, park expansions, and stories told under his name.

    Ronald D. DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978 ("Ron DeSantis") His career begins after he graduated from Yale University and then Harvard Law School, both with honors ("Ronald Dion DeSantis"). DeSantis spent some time in the military within the Navy, and then afterwards worked as a federal prosecutor with a specialization in putting away child predators. His political career begins in 2012 when he was elected to Congress. In 2017, Donald Trump became president, and this decision was supported heavily by DeSantis. In return, former President Trump supported DeSantis' run for governor of Florida the following year. His run for state governor was not an easy one, as he and his party were accused of racism, although DeSantis has denied these claims. DeSantis narrowly won the election, winning 49.6 percent of the vote, as opposed to his competitor's loss of 49.2 percent. DeSantis began his term in 2019, one year before the infamous pandemic hit. DeSantis is currently known for his controversial decision making concerning the pandemic, LGBTQ+ rights, and his ongoing feud with the Disney company.

    Although I am a Disney fan, I understand the unfortunate history of the company. Its whitewashed, racist, and sexist history was once accepted as the norm for the company's productions. Peter Pan (1953), for example, portrays extremely stereotypical depictions of Native American culture On the other hand, Pocahontas (1995) attempts to introduce different cultures to younger audiences, but is ultimately a romanticized version of the Powhatan woman saving a white man's life (Pocahontas [1995 Film]). More recently the controversy surrounding the 1946 film Song of the South has resurfaced due to the theme change of the iconic Disney World and Disneyland ride, Splash Mountain. The ride, based on the film mentioned, in itself was harmless, but the movie contained racist depictions of Black Americans (Han). The ride is set to reopen in late 2024 with a new theme inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009), a Disney princess film completely centered around people of color, specifically a black woman (GMA Team). These instances just scratch the surface of Disney's offensive history, however there are current attempts to turn things around.

    This blog will examine the political history of the Walt Disney Company and Ron DeSantis in an attempt to better understand the current turmoil.

https://deadline.com/2023/08/disney-ron-desantis-lawsuit-dont-say-gay-2-1235522270/

Works Cited

“About Walt Disney.” D23, 10 Apr. 2018, d23.com/about-walt-disney/.

GMA Team. “Iconic Ride Splash Mountain Closes at Disneyland.” Good Morning America, ABC News, 1 June 2023, www.goodmorningamerica.com/travel/story/iconic-disney-ride-splash-mountain-closes-99736448#:~:text=The%20ride%20will%20officially%20reopen,at%20Walt%20Disney%20World%20Resort.

Han, Yoonji. “Explaining the Controversy around Disney’s Splash Mountain and the ‘racist’ Movie That Inspired the Popular Ride.” Insider, Insider, 22 Jan. 2023, www.insider.com/song-of-the-south-disney-splash-mountain-closing-controversy-racism-2023-1#:~:text=The%20movie%20behind%20the%20ride,Disney’s%20troubled%20history%20with%20racism.

“Pocahontas (1995 Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_(1995_film).

“Ron DeSantis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 25 Aug. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Ron-DeSantis.

“Ronald Dion DeSantis.” Florida Department of State, dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/florida-governors/ronald-dion-desantis/. Accessed 25 Aug. 2023.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Candace King. I am a senior at Kennesaw State University studying Media & Entertainment. Some things about me - I work full-time at The Home Depot in the Garden Department, I live with my two cats and my boyfriend, and I am a self-acclaimed Disney Adult.

My journey as a Disney fan started in 2020 when the world began to crumble around me. COVID-19 was spreading globally and my family life had reached an all-time low. I became attached to Disney movies as a distraction for the problems plaguing my mind. From there, my appreciation grew from movies, to television shows, to the parks. Not everything about this love for Disney is peachy, however. The politics surrounding Disney recently have put a damper on the Happiest Place on Earth. The purpose of this blog is to explore the new and old politics within the Disney company, how it affects the content they produce and the parks that so many families know and love, and how it impacts me personally.

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella_Castle