After Disney’s Latest Scandal, Critics Accuse Them of “Alienating…Audience with Political Posturing”

Disney’s newest scandal has some calling out the House of Mouse for “[alienating] half [their] audience with political posturing.”

The Walt Disney Company has seen its fair share of controversy recently. From the feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and dissatisfaction when it comes to the representation of minorities in their films to the alleged “pandering to woke audiences,” it seems that the Walt Disney Company hasn’t been able to do a single thing right.

“Woke” Disney Frustrates Fans

One of the primary complaints for a while now has been that Disney has become “woke” and is constantly favoring left or liberal perspectives in their storytelling, whether due to casting actors of different races in roles that were historically white characters (think Halle Bailey playing the fictional Princess Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid) or because of their decision in the Disney Parks to permanently close down Splash Mountain in favor of retheming the classic ride as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Wall Street Journal Opinion Piece Takes Disney to Task

One writer slammed Disney for their recent decisions in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal. Allysia Finley asserted that Disney was making bad decisions by alienating half its audience with “political posturing” while revenue was already declining.

Finley argued that much of Disney’s recent choices, including removing the seven dwarfs from the upcoming Snow White remake, was nothing more than “virtue-signaling.” Finley also continued with criticizing the current warnings Disney has in place on their streaming service Disney+ before films like Peter Pan, Jungle Book, and Dumbo:

These films include “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures” that “were wrong then and are wrong now.”

Finley also attributes much of Disney’s problems to “currying favor with the left.” She disagrees with, and challenges, Bob Iger’s position that the Walt Disney Company is struggling with its streaming and film and television entertainment sectors primarily due to the industry-wide problem of overproduction.

Finley concluded, “By projecting their politics into children’s movies, Disney employees may end up casting themselves into the woods.”

While this is just one voice, the sentiment is one that many have expressed and agree with. Of course, much of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s present task involves making sure that he sets right many of the issues Disney saw during former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s reign.

He’s even recently extended his contract in order to see the task through. While Disney rarely comments and responds to opinions like this, it certainly makes for an interesting debate about the future and legacy of the Walt Disney Company.