Disney was already facing an uphill battle with many middle-class families finding a trip to The Most Magical Place on Earth financially out of reach. Add to the mix the company’s perceived attack on its core audience, families with young children and the nearly-100-year-old American mainstay could find itself in a whole new world of trouble.
What happened to the company that gave us Davy Crockett, Spin and Marty and the Mouseketeers? For 34 years I worked right down the block from the Disney Burbank lot. I have been on the studio grounds many times and it was a fun place to be. You could feel Walt Disney’s presence as you roamed the sound stages and post production buildings. So what happened?
In 1985 the Disney company was in trouble financially. They needed to widen their audience from G rated films to PG and R rated films, something Walt would never have sat still for. So they created Touchstone pictures. And for the first time in Disney history, produced violent and language orientated movies like Con Air and Gangs Of New York. From that point on Disney went from family orientated to the selling of Walt’s soul.
Disney has gone from the Most Magical Place on Earth to the Most Scandalous Place on Earth. Even good old "Uncle" Walt has not been without controversy himself as highlighted by a speech made by Meryl Streep at the National Board of Review Awards. Streep indicated that Disney was anti-Semitic and a "gender bigot." I’ll leave out my thoughts on Meryl Streep. I’ll not lower myself to her standard’s.
So what happens now? In this writers opinion we the American people have a voice that can change things economically for Disney. We have a voice that can change things politically in this country. God has called us to be the salt and light in every part of society. So when issues like this happen, we don’t just back down,
We have to stand up.
Written By Walt Ryba April 11, 2022
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