Disney in the News This Week for May 14, 2021
What’s going in the wide world of Disney this week? Imagineers defend kisses, Muppets invade mansions, and alligators relocate.
I’ll explain all the ways that Disney made the news this week.
Photo :Getty Images
Let’s Talk True Love’s Kiss
No, I’m not talking about a Hallmark movie. I’m referencing the beloved ending of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
As a reminder, toward the end of the movie, a prince encounters a woman who has been cursed asleep after eating gift fruit.
The moral of the story? Fruit baskets are terrible gifts, especially for Disney fans.
Anyway, when Snow White’s Enchanted Wish debuted, a pair of writers at the San Francisco Gate criticized the final scene.
This sequence commemorates the classic movie scene wherein a movie kiss breaks the curse, allowing true love to win in the end.
Well, the writers pointed out that it’s maybe not the best scene to highlight on a ride today due to the lack of consent from Snow White.
A disproportionate amount of backlash has occurred afterward, as people seem more upset about the criticism than the scene.
Well, a Disney Imagineer, Jim Shull, has chimed in. Here’s his thoughtful tweet:
Allowing for the fact that cultural changes occur over decades it must be acknowledged that in the context of the tale on which the film is based that the ride is accurate. People are of course allowed to dislike the story but the Imagineering team did a spectacular job! #Disney pic.twitter.com/3aXFkNvHv4
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) May 5, 2021
Shull summarizes the challenges that Imagineers face in representing older, possibly ideologically dated films with modern themed attractions.
The Muppets Head to Disney’s Haunted Mansion
In potentially the most fabulous pairing since Reese’s Cups married peanut butter and chocolate, the Muppets are going to Disney’s Haunted Mansion!
Here’s the trailer:
The situation here is exactly what you would expect. Disney+ will air an original program featuring the Muppets.
The premise is that Kermit and the gang wind up at the Haunted Mansion for some reason.
Welcome foolish mortals to #MuppetsHauntedMansion! 👻 Our all-new @DisneyPlus Original Special is streaming this fall. #HalfwayToHalloween pic.twitter.com/BlfJavcZzK
— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) May 7, 2021
One of the other Muppets challenges Gonzo to spend a night there, which is fine since he’s the world’s foremost daredevil, right? I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Perhaps the best part of this story stems from a YouTube video that was posted the week before the announcement.
The creator of this video either had an inside source or predicted the future.
That’s a Lot of Alligators
A tragedy occurred at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa a few years ago.
I won’t go into detail due to the sadness of it. You either remember the story or are better off not knowing.
Photo: Disney
Anyway, the incident caused Disney to take action to protect against future incidents.
Specifically, Disney added fencing at the monorail resorts near Bay Lake to protect guests.
Since then, cast members have quietly gone about a more impactful practice. They’ve contacted official Florida trappers to safeguard the waters.
Disney can and does contact trappers working for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
This past week, we learned that park officials have made that call 226 times.
Yes, Walt Disney World has pulled 226 alligators from its man-made lakes.
Apparently, Disney used the pandemic’s park closures as an opportunity to remove 46 of those gators.
Florida really is gator country.
The Bright Fight
Brightline will revolutionize the way that we visit Walt Disney World…in 2026. That’s the current target date for a Disney Springs station.
However, not all Florida residents are in love with the idea of a high-speed train system running through their area.
Photo: janshroder.com
In fact, the Hunter’s Creek community has taken a stand. They’ve lawyered up while announcing the intention to prevent the planned train route.
Current blueprints call for the train tracks to run near State Road 417. That’s too close for comfort for people living in the area.
Photo Credit: Brightline Trains – https://www.sun-sentinel.com/
The lawyer argued that “the proposed route through the SR-417 would impose all of the burdens of a high-speed train on the Hunter’s Creek community with none of the benefit.”
Now, this could be a negotiating tactic wherein Brightline agrees to pay the residents or make some concessions about the project.
Should Hunter’s Creek win any legal cases, Brightline would face route changes that could add several minutes to each trip through the area.
More importantly, it would incur additional expenses in laying track that isn’t as straight.
Photo Credit: https://www.local10.com
Even so, legal challenges have been known to delay projects like this indefinitely. This story bears monitoring.
#DisneyMustPay
Have you noticed this hashtag on social media and wondered what it referenced?
Well, when Disney acquired Fox’s assets a couple of years ago, it gained the rest of the Star Wars franchise.
Image Credit; Star Wars
Specifically, Disney picked up the rights to all the Star Wars books. What happened next? None of the authors received a check from Disney.
You see, writers get paid royalties based on sales of their books. For whatever reason, Disney has chosen not to pay royalties for Star Wars.
Photo: Disney
Last November, this matter came up when noted Star Wars scribe Alan Dean Foster went public with his complaint. He stated:
“My wife has serious medical issues, and in 2016 I was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. We could use the money. Not charity: just what I’m owed.”
Last week, the #DisneyMustPay hashtag went viral. Other Star Wars writers added their own accounts of Disney stiffing them on royalties.
In Disney’s defense, it wasn’t even aware of many of the complaints until recently. The book publishers it acquired represent a fractional part of Disney’s empire.
Alan Dean Foster and Others to be Paid Overdue Royalties by Disney – https://t.co/LhpRSxmOkE #StarWars @sfwa #AlanDeanFoster #DisneyMustPay @StarWars @bleedingcool pic.twitter.com/0wa4cRmszv
— Jedi News (@JediNewsNetwork) May 13, 2021
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Disney has made good with several authors, thankfully including Foster.
However, many more Star Wars authors indicate that they’re still awaiting the first contact from Disney.
A #DisneyMustPay Task Force Update – Alan Dean Foster, James Kahn, and Donald F. Glut, the novelization authors of the original Star Wars trilogy, have resolved their royalties’ issues and will be paid by Disney. Lower-profile authors have not received the same treatment. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/ZsaBcPM4Db
— Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (@sfwa) May 11, 2021
So, this story (and hashtag) isn’t going away anytime soon.
