Best Disney Links for March 2021
Over the past month, we’ve learned about cast members who got fired for drinking water, cast members who left when they didn’t become CEO, and cast members who want vaccinations.
There’s a lot of fun stuff in this month’s Disney links!
Fired for Going Viral
TikTok user showmelovejete proved ironically named this month. The former Disney cast member, Jason Jeter, lost his job in a hilarious way.
Jeter posted videos of drinking water at various Disney Springs fountains, which is mega-gross.
The social media maven also showed a video of an unsecured spot at the Wedding Pavilion at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Both TikToks went viral, earning millions of views on his account. Here are the clips:
@showmelovejete where disney princesses are made #fyp #disney #magickingdom #wedding #YesDayChallenge
and:
@showmelovejete disney springs needs to up their water fountain game #fyp #disney #shopping #YesDayChallenge #coldest @thecoldestwater
Alas, Disney deemed both these TikToks as huge no-nos, especially the one that exposed a security risk. And that led to this clip:
@showmelovejete i was really hoping it was just a prank #jeteout #castmember #disney #fyp #OverShareInYourUnderwear
Whoops.
Jeter has found a possible happily ever after, though:
@showmelovejete thank you for everything Disney #jeteout #disney #castmember #fyp #EnvisionGreatness
The Business of Disney
The Walt Disney Company experienced an eventful month, as Disney+ crossed 100 million subscribers after only 16 months.
Sometimes, we lose sight of the other parts of the Disney media conglomerate, though.
Specifically, ESPN just finalized two massive sports agreements that will secure the cable network AND ESPN+ for the next seven years…and more.
First, Disney brought back hockey for the worldwide leader, paying $2.8 billion or $400 million per year for most NHL broadcasting rights.
ESPN wanted this deal to provide massive amounts of content for its streaming service, which will air most out-of-market games.
Before the ink had dried on that agreement, Disney extended its current NFL contract through 2033 (!) by paying $2.7 billion annually.
At these prices, Disney will fork out $3.1 billion to air NHL and NFL games through 2028/2033.
The company did this with an eye on the future, as ESPN+ had enjoyed runaway success in recent years.
The fledgling streaming service has increased subscriptions by a factor of 8.6 in two calendar years. It’s currently at 12.1 million and will only grow from here.
Bloomberg evaluates Disney’s NFL negotiations as a masterstroke, and the company might not be done. NFL Sunday Ticket goes up for bidding next year.
Of course, Disney hasn’t claimed universally positive headlines recently.
Cinemark and other exhibitors balked at playing Raya and the Last Dragon.
This move represented a somewhat arbitrary punishment for Disney’s decision to air Mulan and Raya on Disney+.
Not coincidentally, Raya has struggled at the box office, but Disney will get the last laugh with Black Widow in May.
By the way, for obvious reasons, Disney is a buy right now. Also, employees can return to the office starting after July 4th.
Disney Miscellany
We’ve got plenty of random stuff this month that I couldn’t decide how to categorize.
My favorite link comes from Reddit. A user left some snarky feedback about the quality of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
Yes, the piece is satirical, but some cast member played along by sending back an apology letter for the hotel’s current state of disrepair. It’s pretty great.
In less sunny news, cast members fret over the speed of the vaccination process in Florida, which undeniably has proceeded slower than other states.
These Disney workers believe that they qualify as essential workers, which is an interesting debate.
Tens of thousands of people have flocked to Walt Disney World at a time when few public sites have enticed customers.
Before the parks reopened, would-be tourists petitioned for their return. Is that enough to justify an earlier place in line for vaccination?
When the governor’s office heard of the quest, a spokesperson said the equivalent of, “We’ll take it under advisement.”
Given the rapid distribution of the vaccination in recent weeks, the issue may solve itself in the coming days.
In less happy news, rapper Joey Bada$$ discovered the hard way that Disney provides a zero-tolerance policy for face masks.
The rapper brought a party of roughly 30 to Walt Disney World, only to discover that his autistic cousin couldn’t enter the park without a mask.
The celebrity isn’t the first family member of a special needs child to discover this rule. However, he is arguably the most famous one.
Disney cannot make exceptions. Otherwise, nefarious park guests would take advantage of such rules.
Having recently eaten dinner at Disney with an autistic nephew, I fully appreciate the rapper’s point of view, just as I know why Disney must do this. It sucks for everyone.
Fun Stuff
I’ve had too much other stuff lately to leave you with entertainment options. So, I made sure to have some options this month!
Here’s a (somewhat tame) Yahoo! story on the worst things tourists have done at Disney.
Yes, you’ve read some of these on MickeyBlog. And yes, we need to update with an article that takes some of the heinous pandemic behavior into account.
Meanwhile, someone at Screen Rant has taken a detailed look at Disney Princesses. This article also explains why some don’t count.
The same site has also done something clever. It’s examined the ages of various Disney Princesses.
I wish I’d thought of that one. Also, I wouldn’t have guessed the youngest (it’s not Pocahontas!), but I would have gotten the oldest. How about you?
Buzzfeed has let me down with the quizzes so far in 2021, but they did publish this. It’s a celebration of some spectacular Disney Princess outfits.
Since I know you want some quizzes, here are the best recent ones.
Which Disney Channel original movie best matches your personality? I’m a Lemonade Mouth.
How good are you at Disney lyrics? Try to name these 12 tunes from their dialogue. I got nine, but I’m sure the missus will get all of them.
Finally, this one helps you determine your Disney character archetype. It’s weird, and I’m pretty sure a photographer did it. But I’m a mentor, so I’m pleased.
PS: I’d recommend that you read this Kevin Mayer interview wherein he explains his understanding of why Chapek became Disney CEO instead of him.