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.
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| https://deadline.com/2023/08/disney-ron-desantis-lawsuit-dont-say-gay-2-1235522270/ |
“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.
Hi Candace. This seems like a perfect topic that pertains to this class! Disney itself can be considered a MAJOR player in the mass media. As we have seen in the first chapters of our textbooks, the media sometimes creates friction in politics, especially if they are at odds with each other. Since Disney is such a major media player, I am sure DeSantis feels "betrayed", since politicians are often aligned with many mass media sources. Maybe he expected them to not speak out at all against some of his policies. It will be interesting to see what transpires. Also, I know that Disney has had a troubled history, but the "war" against Disney seems pretty ridiculous, especially considering DeSantis loves talking about freedom and pro-business.
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