Disney’s political entertainment is flailing
Zachary Faria
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Disney is laying off 7,000 employees after the company has slogged through the past year. Coincidentally, the company is also trying to cozy up to China by censoring its own content once again.
The 7,000 employees that Disney is laying off account for roughly 3% of the company’s global employees and are part of an effort to save $5.5 billion. Disney had a difficult year last year: After picking a fight with Florida Republicans over the state’s Parental Rights in Education Act, a law the company knew nothing about but was determined to fight against anyway, Disney’s profits took a hit. The company also tried to make up some of those losses by raising the price of admission to Disney World twice in 2022.
WATCH: DISNEY+’S PROUD FAMILY REBOOT FEATURES PROTEST OVER STATUE, POLICE CLASH
Aside from the political drama, Disney’s animated film Strange World flopped on its Thanksgiving release last year. The film, which cost $180 million to produce, opened to just $27.8 million worldwide and settled its box office run at just $73.4 million. Disney’s Lightyear also flopped, mired in its own political controversies.
So, while its streaming service remains dedicated to lecturing viewers about Left-wing politics, with critical race theory lectures from the Proud Family reboot and LGBT pandering in various shows, Disney is also ensuring that it sufficiently panders to the Chinese Communist Party. Disney+ removed a line from an episode of The Simpsons on the Hong Kong version of the platform about China’s use of forced labor. This follows years of pandering from Disney film franchises and the company’s sports network, ESPN, in order to maintain a presence in China and access to the Chinese market.
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Disney has open contempt for half of its potential American audience, and the company now prioritizes political messaging over creativity (unless you think another cut-and-paste Marvel movie or an uninspired remake of a classic film or show is creative). As a result, the company has tried to make up that audience in China, requiring its executives and every employee who makes content decisions to sell their souls to avoid offending the emotionally-fragile genocidal regime that runs the country.
Perhaps now would be the perfect time for Disney to focus on making quality content that everyone can enjoy instead of low-effort political pandering at home while pandering to authoritarians abroad. Or maybe another critical race theory lecture from cartoon characters on Disney+ is exactly what the doctor ordered.