Disney seems to be backtrack of culture and political wars after years of negative reactions.
The billion-dollar company has recently taken an active role in distancing itself from hot-button political issues, in a way that appears to signal a shift in priorities. For example, the company confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that it would remove a transgender story from the upcoming Pixar animated series “Win or Lose.”
“When it comes to animated content aimed at younger audiences, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and on their own schedule,” a spokesperson said.
The Disney Company has faced backlash regarding the “wokeness” of its products. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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This contrasted with what had been seen as a focus on diversity and inclusion in his films in recent years, which some have attributed to his film series. box office failures and disappointments in 2023. As he begins to see more success with non-political films such as “Deadpool & Wolverine” and the recent “Moana 2,” experts believe it could be a return to entertainment.
“Disney has one product: entertainment,” Charles Elson, former director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, told the Los Angeles Times. “This shouldn’t be about politics.”
Beyond entertainment, Disney has been cited as a factor behind Recent ABC News Settlement with President-elect Donald Trump earlier this month. Trump sued the Disney-owned media company for defamation after host George Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed on air that he had been found “responsible for rape,” when in fact he was held liable. responsible for “sexual abuse”, which has a different definition in the New York Times. York’s Law.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company is pushing the message “entertainment comes first.” (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media)
Rather than pursue a costly lawsuit, ABC News and Trump reached an agreement that would see ABC News pay $15 million to a Trump presidential foundation and museum, as well as $1 million in legal fees. The move was met with backlash from more liberal commentators who believed the company was caving to Trump.
“When you go into politics, you make a statement,” Elson said. “And when you come out, it also becomes a statement.”
“You don’t want to fight with the head of a government that is regulating you,” he added. “Politics is bad for business.”
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The feeling was shared by CEO Bob Iger in an interview with CNBC earlier this year.
“I think the noise has kind of died down. I was preaching that for a long time in the company before I left and ever since I came back, our number one goal is to entertain,” Iger said. “The bottom line is that making the message kind of the number one priority in our films and our TV shows is not what we do. They need to be entertaining and where the Disney company can have a positive impact on the world. , whether it’s, you know, fostering acceptance and understanding of people of all types, it’s awesome.”
Disney has recently avoided wading into political issues by removing a transgender storyline and recently settling with President-elect Donald Trump. (iStock)
“But generally speaking, we need to be an entertainment-driven company,” he added.
Fox News Digital has contacted Disney for comment.
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