Bob Chapek Named CEO of The Walt Disney Company

[Sotiris]

Disney Will Not Fight DeSantis Takeover of Special District in Orlando
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/disne ... 235520205/

[blackcauldron85]

I can understand not wanting a drawn out legal battle, stopping production of work. But this makes me nervous:

DeSantis and future governors will have broad power to make life difficult for Disney if they choose to exercise it.

[singerguy04]

We really can't be getting the full story here. Disney has a lot of political influence for just it's money alone. I don't like DeSantis's "culture wars", but Disney must not see this as hurting them as much as the rest of us has seen it. Otherwise why would they take this so lightly? It sorta seems as if they still see this plan falling through and are basically calling the FL governments bluff? Maybe if DeSantis announces a presidential bid all this just... goes away?

[Sotiris]

Here are the reasons why Disney didn't fight back over the Reedy Creek district.

Why would the Walt Disney Company, one of the largest and most powerful media conglomerates and certainly one of the most litigious, allow this to happen? Political pragmatism and even concern about how the dispute was affecting the theme parks played a role. According to internal polling obtained by TheWrap, Disney had been losing ground with two key demographics: families with young kids (due to the parks’ exorbitant pricing) and those over 50 (over perceptions of the company’s political stances). As a result, Disney asked itself a huge question, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation: “Do we want to be DeSantis’ punching bag for the next two — or four — years? Is that worth whatever economic benefit comes from controlling the Reedy Creek Improvement District? The consensus was ‘No.’”

The new arrangement could open up unexpected possibilities, including the sale of land within the vast Walt Disney World empire. Reedy Creek board members previously had to be landowners, something Disney handled by giving each of its hand-picked appointees a five-acre parcel of land that was to be returned after the board member stepped down. Actually selling land to outsiders might have allowed them to bid for a district board seat. But now that DeSantis has taken over, Disney can sell residential plots, something it is actually considering.

DeSantis was initially seeking legislation that would have stripped Disney of all of its privileges (mostly in terms of regulations and related fees). Floridians became nervous because the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s debt would then be offloaded to neighboring counties. Calmer heads prevailed and that dissolution will no longer happen. Disney can point out that things could have been worse.

Source: https://www.thewrap.com/disney-florida- ... -district/

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

https://deadline.com/2023/02/ron-desant ... 235272903/

Great. Now Disney may be forced by DeSantis to stop construction of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, cut out LGBTQ representation in future content on screen like Wish, and not have cartoons like Proud Family Louder and Prouder (should it get a 3rd season) have anymore political commentary, or face threatening consequences of being taxed for their choice to defy DeSantis.

I hope they don't cave and accept being taxed for their choice to represent all people and not just white males.

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't think the governor can force them to do anything creatively, whatever mayhem he causes. I assume Florida taxpayers will be picking up the tab still. I take that as the best indicator he will be announcing a presidential run soon, he won't be sticking around (he hopes) for when the people on the ground feel the consequences of this PR stunt.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

I don't think the governor can force them to do anything creatively, whatever mayhem he causes. I assume Florida taxpayers will be picking up the tab still. I take that as the best indicator he will be announcing a presidential run soon, he won't be sticking around (he hopes) for when the people on the ground feel the consequences of this PR stunt.

Well, let's hope Trump beats him in the primaries now that he's called DeSantis a groomer so Biden can beat Trump AGAIN in 2024.

[carolinakid]

Gov DeSantis: Making Disney Great Again!

I just joined a Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC and sent them $100.
Y’all just convinced me!
Thanks, guys!

[singerguy04]

https://deadline.com/2023/02/ron-desant ... 235272903/

Great. Now Disney may be forced by DeSantis to stop construction of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, cut out LGBTQ representation in future content on screen like Wish, and not have cartoons like Proud Family Louder and Prouder (should it get a 3rd season) have anymore political commentary, or face threatening consequences of being taxed for their choice to defy DeSantis.

I hope they don't cave and accept being taxed for their choice to represent all people and not just white males.

This is a bit over the top. DeSantis would hold as much creative control as the Chinese Govt has because of Shanghai Disney... very little. I think that has to do with Disney not taking a more aggressive stance on this. They've kind of been there, done that in a way. I'd be more concerned if this were California, or the US govt (as a whole), because that's where Disney is head-quartered. What this could do is give DeSantis leverage and say over what comes into the park in FL. He probably could impact Tiana's, but I have a sneaking suspicion he wont. I think at the end if the day, he has no clue what he's doing and as long as Disney minds it business (which they looks like they're doing) he'll move on to shinier objects.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

https://deadline.com/2023/02/ron-desant ... 235272903/

Great. Now Disney may be forced by DeSantis to stop construction of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, cut out LGBTQ representation in future content on screen like Wish, and not have cartoons like Proud Family Louder and Prouder (should it get a 3rd season) have anymore political commentary, or face threatening consequences of being taxed for their choice to defy DeSantis.

I hope they don't cave and accept being taxed for their choice to represent all people and not just white males.

This is a bit over the top. DeSantis would hold as much creative control as the Chinese Govt has because of Shanghai Disney... very little. I think that has to do with Disney not taking a more aggressive stance on this. They've kind of been there, done that in a way. I'd be more concerned if this were California, or the US govt (as a whole), because that's where Disney is head-quartered. What this could do is give DeSantis leverage and say over what comes into the park in FL. He probably could impact Tiana's, but I have a sneaking suspicion he wont. I think at the end if the day, he has no clue what he's doing and as long as Disney minds it business (which they looks like they're doing) he'll move on to shinier objects.

Why do you have a sneaking suspicion he won't impact Tiana's Bayou Adventure?

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

At 48:33, Grace Randolph in her Q&A for today's BTT Live (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ES5owdZmAo) says Bob Iger, despite being dealt a punishing blow to Disney with the parks from Ron DeSantis by way of dissolving their Reedy Creek district, isn't likely to remove the LGBTQ representation from Wish because she claims the movie is completed. But she thinks we may not see any Wish characters at the Disney Parks and hope Iger doesn't give in to Ron DeSantis and cut that stuff out or stop Asha from being in the parks.

[Disney's Divinity]

In what way could DeSantis stop Disney from featuring Asha in the parks or stop Tiana's ride from being made? He'd like to be a dictator, yes, but for the present we still live in a free country. There's nothing he can do about a company's creative decisions other than throw tantrums.

Who knows. Maybe this could lead to Disney World being slowly re-built and moved to a better state, hopefully closer to where I am. Virginia perhaps? Florida's loss in tourism $$$ would be another state's gain.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

In what way could DeSantis stop Disney from featuring Asha in the parks or stop Tiana's ride from being made? He'd like to be a dictator, yes, but for the present we still live in a free country. There's nothing he can do about a company's creative decisions other than throw tantrums.

Who knows. Maybe this could lead to Disney World being slowly re-built and moved to a better state, hopefully closer to where I am. Virginia perhaps? Florida's loss in tourism $$$ would be another state's gain.

In what way could DeSantis stop Disney from featuring Asha in the parks or stop Tiana's ride from being made? Because of his hate for LGBTQ people and African American people.

[Sotiris]

Chapek was in over his head and made one mistake after another. He should have anticipated the massive backlash. Where was he in the last decade when activists took over the industry? He mishandled the response to backlash too. He could have spoken against the law without vowing it to fight it in the courts which was what set DeSantis off. He overcompensated when he should have been more measured in his response.

The governor wrote that as controversy swirled around the proposed legislation, Bob Chapek, then the CEO of Disney, called him and talked about the pressure he was getting to speak out against the legislation. “As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill,” DeSantis wrote. According to the book, Chapek told the governor, “We get pressured all the time. But this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before.”

DeSantis said that he warned Chapek in the call that if the company got involved, “People like me will say, ‘Gee, how come Disney has never said anything about China, where they make a fortune?’” He said that he told Chapek that while the company would face “48 hours of outrage” when the bill passed and then when he signed it, the furor would dissipate.

In his book, DeSantis said that Chapek “caved” to the “leftist media” and activist pressure, and accused Disney of escalating the situation by vowing to help fight it in the courts. That is when DeSantis championed legislation to dissolve a special district that has allowed Disney to self-govern land use and other infrastructure decisions at its Florida theme parks.

Source: https://deadline.com/2023/02/ron-desant ... 235272987/

[Disney's Divinity]

In what way could DeSantis stop Disney from featuring Asha in the parks or stop Tiana's ride from being made? Because of his hate for LGBTQ people and African American people.

Being a racist and a homophobe won't give him the power to stop Tiana's bayou ride from being made or actors for Asha walking around the park.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

In what way could DeSantis stop Disney from featuring Asha in the parks or stop Tiana's ride from being made? Because of his hate for LGBTQ people and African American people.

Being a racist and a homophobe won't give him the power to stop Tiana's bayou ride from being made or actors for Asha walking around the park.

Dude, he’s literally threatening to force Disney to censor inclusivity in any of their upcoming content to make it about white men: https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/statu ... 92032?s=46.

You may not think he has the power to do that, but clearly this quote scares me into think he does. And that makes me worried for Wish, Tiana, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

[Disney's Divinity]

Disney is a private company. It's not like the education system that ultimately is a government institution and susceptible to be leaned on by someone with corrupt intentions like DeSantis. His ability to harm Disney is limited, and his input on their creative decision-making in particular is nil.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

Disney is a private company. It's not like the education system that ultimately is a government institution and susceptible to be leaned on by someone with corrupt intentions like DeSantis. His ability to harm Disney is limited, and his input on their creative decision-making in particular is nil.

You'd better be right. At least, I hope you're right.

[Sotiris]

In The End, Disney’s Florida Dream Succumbed To Its Democracy Problem
https://deadline.com/2023/03/disneys-fl ... 235273474/

[carolinakid]

Fair and balanced article, S, although the comments are typically anti the governor, containing the usual hyperbole and misinformation.