Disney Headlines for June 7th, 2023
When you gift someone a free Disney vacation, what are your obligations to them?
We’ll discuss the ethical dilemma of an AITA in this week’s Disney Headlines.
Did Someone Say Free Disney Vacation?
Photo: Disney
The AITA subreddit is where the action is on the internet these days. And for whatever reason, Disney comes up a lot.
The most recent inflammatory topic focuses on the generosity of a family member gifting a loved one a Disney vacation.
(ABC/Matt Stroshane)
As usual, there’s a catch here. The loved one in question recently learned that the Disney vacation they’re getting isn’t as nice as the gift-giver’s trip.
Here’s how the conversation starts:
“I travel a lot for work so I have so many hotel and airline points it is crazy.”
Photo: Disney
You may wonder whether this is possible, and I can confirm that it is. A dear friend of mine flies business class internationally at least twice a month.
We have a running joke that he could buy a small country with his frequent flier mileage. It’s in the millions…with multiple airlines and hotels.
So, this person probably isn’t exaggerating.
Their message continues:
“This summer I am taking my family to Disney World. We are going to stay at one of the resorts on the property.
“My sister in law and her family had a hard time during the pandemic so I decided to do something nice and invite them along. My treat.”
That offer sounds too good to be true, right? Well, to her sister-in-law, it’s not quite good enough, as there’s a catch.
“I said I would pay for their flights, hotel, and park tickets.
“Everyone was excited until she started talking to my wife. Now she is upset that we are staying at one of the resorts and they have to stay in Disney Springs.
“Apparently I’m being cheap by using points for their hotel instead of just paying for them to stay at the same resort as us.”
A Different in Resorts but a Free Disney Trip
Grand Floridian Resort
The conversation devolves from there, but that’s the gist. A free trip offer has alienated a family member.
Their aggravation stems from the fact that some family members will stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the poshest Walt Disney World hotel.
(Kent Phillips, photographer)
Meanwhile, the sister-in-law and her family will stay at a Disney Springs property, presumably one of the locales with official Disney resort benefits.
So, I see both sides of this argument. On the one hand, who would say no to a free Disney vacation where someone else pays for everything?
I mean, they’re even throwing in travel expenses! The sister-in-law’s family would only pay for meals and merchandise.
Any Disney fan would take that!
I understand the annoyance, though. I really do. By scheduling the trip this way, the gift-giver has accidentally (?) created tiers of family members.
The ones staying at the Grand Floridian seem more important than the ones sent to Disney Springs, which is the Siberia of Disney in this example.
Hilariously, every one of us would happily spend the night at Disney Springs tonight if we could.
Still, the way the gift-giver has presented the options, it somehow seems like…less.
Where Do You Stand in This Conflict?
(IMAGE: DISNEY)
Thus, this ultimatum was understandably not well-received:
“So I finally talked to them and gave them the choice of accepting my gift or not coming since I could still cancel their reservations.”
This individual later indicated the following: “I thought it would be nice if we weren’t spending every minute together.”
Photo: Disney
When I hear that part, the whole story doesn’t sound as passive-aggressive.
I travel to Disney with family and friends regularly. We rarely stay in the same hotel for that very reason. But we talk about it first.
Who do you think is in the wrong here, the gift-giver who wants space or the recipient who feels slighted?
I’m genuinely conflicted here. If someone in my family had done this, I’d bite my tongue…but I’d definitely joke about it with the others in my room.
If someone takes offense and doesn’t want to go afterward, I can’t really blame them, although it strikes me as cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Just grit your teeth and remember that you’re at the Most Magical Place on Earth…and on someone else’s dime.
What do you think?
Disney Lays Off Two Interesting Pixar Folks
Photo: Disney/Pixar
You might have missed the other significant Headline this week, as it involved Pixar.
During Disney’s final round of layoffs, Pixar lost two high-level employees.
One of them was Angus MacLane, who learned the hard way that Hollywood fortunes turn quickly.
Pixar
Last year at this time, MacLane was doing the rounds for his feature standalone feature film as director, Lightyear.
MacLane had previously directed the well-received Finding Dory, which features this magical climax:
This scene legitimately belongs in the conversation for the best parental moment in a Disney film.
Dory’s mom and dad never gave up hope for their lost daughter and laid shells every day!!!
Pixar
Alas, Lightyear didn’t go anywhere near as well, ultimately becoming one of the biggest bombs of 2022.
Disney also laid off Galyn Susman, thereby ending one of the most fascinating relationships in digital animation ever.
Many had considered Susman Pixar for life due to how she famously saved Toy Story 2.
At the time, Pixar had failed to save any backup copies of this digital animated title.
An employee accidentally deleted 90 percent (!) of the footage in the film, thereby wiping out all hope for Toy Story 2’s release.
Susman saved the day by discovering a copy of the movie in her home!
The Pixar employee had worked from home some during her maternity leave…and thankfully kept a copy!
In case you’re wondering, that sort of heroism earns you about 24 more years of Pixar employment.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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