Over the past week, the entertainment juggernaut flipped and flopped in an attempt to reassure its employees and its massive fanbase about its position on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Disney’s uncanny ability to minimize controversy (even when it comes to navigating human rights violations in China) and maximize sunny feelings is part of what makes its current controversy so uncharacteristic. Over the last few decades, no company has done a better job at capturing fans across seemingly every kind of demographic - all races, all religions, young and old, straight and gay - all while slyly becoming the most powerful entertainment entity on the planet. It’s proof of Disney’s success that almost everyone has a favorite Disney movie: The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Frozen, Tangled, WALL-E, the list goes on.
