Disney in the News This Week for May 8, 2021
Welcome to a new feature on MickeyBlog! While we cover Disney park updates in MickeyBlog News, we sometimes must skip some stories.
In many instances, the fun Disney stuff is what gets left out, as it doesn’t quite fit with park news.


Photo: Matt Stroshane
So, here’s our new thing, Disney in the News This Week, which talks about a TikTok banning, a Snow White controversy, and a real lightsaber.
Unexpected Snow White Backlash
Okay, let’s get right to it. Disneyland reopened last week and immediately faced a surprising controversy
Are you familiar with the story of Snow White? An animal-friendly woman moves to the woods, lives with Seven Dwarfs, eats the wrong fruit, and falls asleep.
As the story goes, only true love’s kiss can awaken Snow White from her magical slumber.
Fortunately for the Disney Princess, her Prince Charming (no relation) takes note of her plight and shoots his shot. He kisses her, breaking the curse.
Since 1937, this story has embodied romanticism in society. When Imagineers re-themed Snow White’s Scary Adventures, they chose happiness.
The new version, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, includes that magical moment when the Prince kisses Snow White, and she reawakens.
This scene has generated controversy, as writers at the San Francisco Gate note that Snow White never consents to the kiss.
This has triggered a backlash that has, in turn, led to an equally ridiculous cancel culture outcry.
To be clear, nothing has been canceled here. Disney has heard the critique of the ride but doesn’t have any plans to change anything about it.
So, Snow White will continue to wake up when Prince Charming breaks the curse.
If the thought of this scene makes you uncomfortable, you may want to skip the ride.
Also, parents may choose to have a conversation with their children about the importance of consent.
I don’t feel that diminishing any perspective on this topic helps anything.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is 84 years old. Times have changed, and that’s the primary takeaway here.
We shouldn’t fear change, just as we shouldn’t rewrite the post to fit any particular narrative.
Everyone’s learning from this discussion, and that’s what matters most.

TikTok Sensation Banned
MickeyBlog has discussed showmelovejete before. The viral video sensation used his access at Walt Disney World to earn online celebrity status.
Alas, the person behind the TikTok account, Jason Jeter, lost his job at Disney due to some of his clips. They painted his employer in an unflattering light.


Photo: TikTok/JasonJeter
The last straw happened when Jeter accidentally captured video of a security issue at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. And he made fun of the water that day.
The two-fer led to his termination, which enabled him to do his most viral video yet, a clip wherein he explains his termination.
https://www.tiktok.com/@showmelovejete/video/6941163840893766917
On April 1st, the former cast member posted a video wherein he acted like Disney had banned him…and then rehired him. It was an April Fool’s Day joke.
Well, life has imitated art, as he DID get banned from Disney the other day. And it’s a lifetime ban! You can watch the details here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@showmelovejete/video/6958233777248242950
Roughly 6.2 million people have already watched the clip. So, we’ll see whether Disney changes its mind.
I can say that Adam the Woo once got banned by Disney. You can watch the story here:
Three years later, Disney rescinded the ban. So, don’t give up hope, TikTok sensation! Celebrity status cures many ills!
A Real Lightsaber? A Real Lightsaber!!!
So, Disney slipped in some disappointing news on May 4th.
While everyone flooded Disney+ trying to watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Walt Disney World officials revealed something somewhat unexpected.


(© Disney © & TM Lucasfilm)
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser won’t open until 2022. Everyone involved with the project had felt optimistic about its progress.
Alas, the pandemic apparently set Imagineers back so much that another delay is necessary. The Star Wars Hotel will open in 2022.
Disney hid this information in plain sight, as it revealed the details of a working lightsaber! Here, watch this:
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro had previously shown the lightsaber. Now we know that it will retract just like the ones from the movies!
Beyond that, we haven’t learned much more, just that guests at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will get to use them.


(© Disney © & TM Lucasfilm)
Similarly, cast members portraying members of The Resistance will roam the hotel and presumably Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge while wielding lightsabers!
Alas, Disney isn’t saying anything for the time being, simply letting the video build hype for what’s sure to be a highly desired product.

Free-Roaming Baby Groot
Something I’ve always loved about Disneyland is that characters roam the parks non-stop. You never know who might be lurking around the corner.
Walt Disney World has made its character greetings more stationary in nature, which works best for crowd control.
Well, Disney is apparently throwing out its playbook, as Imagineers have created a wandering Baby Groot Audio-Animatronic. Here, watch!
Obviously, Baby Groot is very, very small, but the adorable, light-up movements promise a delightful character encounter.
Disney has confirmed that this technology will apply to other characters, not just Baby Groot. He’s just the one that they filmed for PR purposes.
Please pay attention to the 45-second mark of that video. You’ll see that Groot can do a LOT already!
This tech could become a regular part of future park visits, and I’m here for it.

Another Reason to Love Katy Perry
Finally, for no particular reason, here’s a clip of Katy Perry transforming into Tinkerbell for Dancing with the Stars.
No, we didn’t need another reason to love Katy Perry, but we still appreciate that she keeps providing them, don’t we?
Still, for me, this will always be her finest moment: