Disney's frosty government relations have gone coast-to-coast

Jack Birle

May 07, 09:16 AM May 07, 09:16 AM

Disney's icy relationship with the Florida government has been dominating headlines, but in recent years the company has also had a frosty relationship with the California government regarding its theme park operations.

Here is a look at the times when Disney's relationships with state governments went sour in recent years for both Florida and California.

THE KEY MOMENTS OF THE DISNEY-DESANTIS BATTLE

California

When the coronavirus pandemic swept through the U.S. in March 2020, nearly all businesses shut down, including theme parks.

Disney closed the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, on March 14, 2020, and the Walt Disney World Resort in central Florida on March 16, 2020, for what was supposed to be until April 1, 2020. Later, the closure of both resorts was made indefinite as much of the country remained on lockdown, but in May 2020, states began to reopen with restrictions.

The company announced plans to reopen the theme parks of the Walt Disney World Resort on July 11, 2020, and plans to reopen the theme parks of the Disneyland Resort on July 17, 2020. The Florida resort's plans were approved, but the California resort's reopening was later delayed indefinitely after the state stalled on giving reopening guidelines.

With the June 24, 2020, announcement that Disneyland's reopening had been indefinitely delayed due to a lack of state guidance, the company was at the mercy of the California government for reopening. Months passed without guidance, and tensions grew between Disney and the California government.

On Oct. 1, 2020, Bob Iger, who was executive chairman of the Walt Disney Company at the time, abruptly resigned from Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) COVID-19 economic task force. Days later, Newsom said at a press conference that he was in "no hurry in putting out guidelines" for theme park reopening, adding that "we are going to be led by a health-first framework."

Disney publicly condemned Newsom's comments, adding that all other theme parks Disney operates had been able to reopen at a limited capacity by that point in the pandemic.

“We absolutely reject the suggestion that reopening the Disneyland Resort is incompatible with a ‘health-first’ approach,” Chief Medical Officer for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, Dr. Pamela Hymel, said in a statement.

“The fact is, that since March, we have taken a robust science-based approach to responsibly reopening our parks and resorts across the globe. Our health and safety protocols were developed in consultation with epidemiologists and data scientists, and after considering guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and experts in local government and health agencies. All of our other theme parks, both in the United States and around the world, have been allowed to open on the strength of our proven ability to operate with responsible health and safety protocols.”

On Oct. 20, 2020, the state of California released guidelines for larger theme parks to reopen, which specified they may do so at 25% capacity if the county the park resided in was in the least restrictive tier of the state's reopening guidelines. At the time, Orange County, where Disneyland is located, was in the second-highest tier and was far from the necessary tier.

Angered by the guidelines, which would not allow the resort to reopen in the near future, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock slammed the guidelines as "arbitrary" and "unworkable."

"We have proven that we can responsibly reopen, with science-based health and safety protocols strictly enforced at our theme park properties around the world. Nevertheless, the State of California continues to ignore this fact, instead mandating arbitrary guidelines that it knows are unworkable and that hold us to a standard vastly different from other reopened businesses and state-operated facilities," Potrock said in a statement.

"Together with our labor unions, we want to get people back to work, but these State guidelines will keep us shuttered for the foreseeable future, forcing thousands more people out of work, leading to the inevitable closure of small family-owned businesses, and irreparably devastating the Anaheim/Southern California community."

The resort would not be allowed to reopen until April 1, 2021, after Newsom revised guidelines amid pressure to reopen the state. The Disneyland Resort reopened on April 30, 2021, and was the final pair of Disney theme parks to reopen from the initial pandemic closure.

Since its reopening, Disney's relationship with the California state government does not appear to be as adversarial.

Florida

Unlike in California, Florida's government allowed Disney to reopen its theme parks on time and did not impose any additional restrictions on the resort. However, the relationship soured in 2022 after Disney spoke out against the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill.

The bill outlawed classrooms from kindergarten through third grade from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity and forbade schools from withholding information from parents about students' health and well-being. The bill was dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by opponents.

After pressure from activists within the company, then-CEO Bob Chapek spoke out publicly against the bill. After the bill was signed, Disney issued a statement saying its goal was to get the law repealed or struck down in the courts.

The day after Disney released the statement, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said Disney's vow to get the law repealed had crossed the line.

"I think one was fundamentally dishonest, but two, I think that crossed the line," DeSantis said. "This state is governed by the interests of the people of the state of Florida. It is not based on the demands of California corporate executives. They do not run this state. They do not control this state."

Shortly after those comments, DeSantis began to work with the legislature to restructure Disney's central Florida district, which encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort. After nearly a year, DeSantis signed a piece of legislation in February 2023 to restructure the district and give the state oversight via a governor-appointed board.

Disney had remained quiet as DeSantis bashed the company and restructured its central Florida district, but the company did work to undermine the takeover.

The same day the Florida House passed the bill to restructure the district, Feb. 8, 2023, the Disney-backed board of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Disney instituted an agreement that would undermine the legislation and effectively allow Disney to retain its control over the district.

The new agreement was discovered by the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board in March 2023, which vowed to have the accord voided.

The agreement essentially made it so the new board of the district would be unable to make most changes without permission from Disney. It also mandated that it "shall continue until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England, living as of the date of this declaration."

"All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida's Government in the Sunshine law," Disney said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

DeSantis then vowed to have the agreement nullified via the board, declaring it void through one of the "plethora of legal infirmities" and through legislative action.

Shortly after the board declared the agreement void, Disney sued DeSantis and the board, alleging a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials."

"Today’s action is the latest strike: At the governor’s bidding, the state’s oversight board has purported to 'void' publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts, which had laid the foundation for billions of Disney’s investment dollars and thousands of jobs," according to the lawsuit. "This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional."

In the Sunshine State, Disney's frosty relations do not appear to be relenting anytime, as the lawsuit will likely be a lengthy saga itself.

'Lobsta Mickey' statue resurfaces in Boston

Jack Birle

November 25, 11:13 PM November 25, 11:13 PM

An obscure statue of Mickey Mouse has reappeared at a store in Boston after being out of public view for nearly 17 years.

The unique depiction of the world famous cartoon character features him with lobster claws instead of normal hands, a nod to the popularity of lobsters in the Boston area.

CHAPEK OUT AT DISNEY: THREE TIMES BOB BLUNDERED

"Lobsta Mickey" was originally commissioned by Disney as part of the 75th anniversary of Mickey Mouse in 2003. The company had artists in various regions make versions of the iconic mouse suited for specific regions, with the "lobsta" statue for Boston being displayed at Quincy Market until 2005.

Deon Point, creative director for the Boston sneaker store Concepts, told the Boston Globe he searched for the statue for years before finally finding it on eBay. Point says he hired an artist to refurbish the statue and placed the statue in the Concepts store in Newbury Street in Boston at the end of October.

Point said that customers were befuddled by the art installation at first.

“People were a little terrified,” Point said to the outlet. “People think we created this thing, which, of course, we didn’t.”

The statue will be on display at the Concepts store at least until the end of the holiday season before being relocated to a different place in the city, per the outlet.

Chapek out at Disney: Three times Bob blundered

Jack Birle

November 21, 12:19 PM November 21, 12:29 PM

The Walt Disney Company announced Sunday night former CEO Bob Iger would be returning at the helm of the company while announcing Bob Chapek was out as CEO.

The shake-up comes after Chapek's turbulent 33-month tenure, which featured several high-profile blunders. Here are three key blunders that likely led to Chapek's exit.

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Florida Parental Rights in Education Act comments:

Chapek's most high-profile gaffe was his handling of internal backlash to Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, which outlawed teaching classrooms kindergarten through third grade about sexual orientation and gender identity while forbidding schools from withholding information from parents about students' health and well-being.

The bill was dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by opponents, who falsely claimed it would outlaw words such as "gay" from classrooms.

Initially, Chapek stayed publicly silent on the issue, expressing support to people within the company who were opposed to the bill but was against a public stance.

"As we have seen time and again, corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds. Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame. Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change," Chapek said in an internal memo.

After more pressure from activists within the company, Chapek reversed himself and publicly called out the Florida government over the bill. As part of the reversal, Chapek held a company town hall, where the company discussed its "not-so-secret gay agenda" in videos leaked to journalist Christopher Rufo.

Chapek's reversal frustrated consumers but also angered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state politicians, who signed a bill to revoke the Disney company's special tax district, where the Walt Disney World resort is located, after Disney threatened to do everything in its power to overturn the education law.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District had allowed Disney to bypass red tape for construction and other functions for the most magical place on earth. The deal was originally brokered with the Florida government in the 1960s with the help of Walt Disney before his untimely death.

Chapek's Florida debacle hurt Disney's public image and government relations for its signature resort, as DeSantis was overwhelmingly reelected earlier this month.

Disney-Scarlett Johansson feud:

Another blunder under Chapek's reign was the fallout with superstar actress Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson sued Disney in July 2021 after the film Black Widow, in which she played the titular character, was released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for an additional fee. The actress had argued her contract stipulated the film be released exclusively in theaters before being made available on streaming services and other platforms.

Disney, in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter in July 2021, said the lawsuit had "no merit" and was "especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."

The public monthslong battle led to several talent agencies and actors calling out Disney over its role in the dispute.

Johansson and Disney settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount in September 2021. In reflecting on the lawsuit in an interview with USA Today, Johansson said she was "fortunate" to "stand up for what was right."

"I feel very fortunate that I was able to stand up for what was right," Johansson said to the outlet. "In the end, I’m really thankful that no one else will ever have to deal with that, and so that feels good to me. … It feels like some progress."

Quality issues at theme parks:

Chapek's tenure has also been dominated by quality issues at the company's various theme parks.

The parks, specifically at the U.S. resorts, have had rides see more downtime recently when compared with years past, per a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The report showed that monthly unplanned ride stoppages rose by 58% at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, from 2018 to 2022 and by 42% during that same time period at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The increase in ride downtime comes as prices at the Disney Parks continue to rise, with a ticket price increase announced for the Florida resort last week.

Chapek, who was thrust into the role of chief executive officer in February 2020, is the second shortest-tenured CEO of the Walt Disney Company behind Walt Disney's son-in-law, Ron Miller, who served as CEO from 1983 until 1984.