Menu

How Long Until “Environmental” Concerns and “Equity and Inclusion” Kill Disney Fireworks?

Disney Fireworks
Credit: Disney

Since the Disney Parks reopened after the COVID-justified shutdown, changes relating to the suddenly important trending corporate virtues like “Environmental Social Governance” (ESG) and “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” started popping up in the Theme Parks and Resorts.

Disney ESG Reporting

Credit: Disney

First taking hold in Cast Member training, the ideologies spread to eliminate gender-specific greetings, most outrageously being that women were no longer to be automatically referred to as “princesses.” More recently, Disney has officially adopted a pro-LGBTQ agenda through its Disney+ and Disney Channel programming and by announcing the first-ever Disney-sponsored Pride event at Disneyland Park.

Meanwhile, it also seems that as long as one argues hard enough that they cannot wait in line, they can receive a disability pass, and environmental measures, including pursuing solar energy at the Resort with the least amount of annual sunlight, have also been stories propagated by the PR teams.

If The Walt Disney Company is serious about its “socially moral” evolution, how long can it be before they justify the end of its beloved fireworks spectaculars?

Disney World Fireworks Return

Credit: Disney

Since Disneyland first opened in California, fireworks have been the “goodnight kiss” to a Disney Parks day, and that tradition continues with each Theme Park’s own nighttime spectacular, most recently including “Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland Park, “Happily Ever After” at Disneys Magic Kingdom Park, as well as EPCOT Forever (formerly Harmonious) on World Showcase Lagoon at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida.

And those company traditions have sparked Guest traditions, be it standing in the same spot down Main Street USA or outside California Grill on top of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, or enjoying their favorite rides like Space Mountain or Jungle Cruise as the crowds converge on Sleeping Beauty Castle or Cinderella Castle.

But when you take the time to reflect on the company’s new, utterly twisted view of the world, you see that fireworks are actually a terrible thing that human sentimentality just can’t justify.

The sensory barrage of lights and explosive sounds are a detriment to anybody who might have sensory issues from epilepsy to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and are, therefore, grossly insensitive. They are also incredibly detrimental to the environment, frivolously releasing extra carbon and other toxins into the air and posing a fire hazard to the surrounding wildlife.

Drone shows are much better. Forget about the fact that we need to mine extremely rare and toxic minerals from horrible mines in Africa and China to make the batteries. That part doesn’t matter. Neither does the increased threat of bird strikes (which the booms of fireworks help prevent) Drones produce none of the bad carbon emissions, and according to the narrative, that’s all that matters. And they have been proven to be useful in creating aerial spectacles like Disney D-Light at Disneyland Paris.

Disney D-Light, Disneyland Paris

Credit: @DLPReport

I’m being ironic, of course, about any actual moral superiority to this plan. If one thing is clear about Disney Parks and Movies lately, it is that the days of fun, magical escapism are over. The corporate agenda now dominates everything.

New fireworks shows at Disneyland and EPCOT are still being planned and performed for now. But if the company’s attitude doesn’t change, I would be that Disney Parks will replace all fireworks shows with drone shows within the next ten years.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiment of Disney Fanatic as a whole.

About T.K. Bosacki

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, TK Bosacki is a professional writer, amateur adventurer, and lifelong Disney Fanatic. His Disney Park days include Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Nomad Lounge. He believes in starting at the Canada pavilion (IYKYK), and the Monorail is superior to all Ferry Boats.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.