Though this passionate feminist was already 71 years old and had already planned to retire a year ago, this latest episode with Musk has seemingly pushed her to expedite the process.
The new ‘woke’ row came barely a month after another one involving Anthony Mackie, who plays Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World — a Marvel Studios production, owned by Disney. In a January interview, Mackie refused to define his character as representing the United States: “To me Captain America represents a lot of different things, and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations.” Instead, he gave him other features, such as: “a man who keeps his word, who has honour, dignity and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable.” This sparked immediate criticism from conservative influencers and MAGA supporters. Later, in an effort to deflect the criticism, the actor insisted that he was a “proud American”.
Disney Leaving DEI to Die
Following the election of Donald Trump, ‘wokeism’ doesn’t seem as fashionable as it used to be,— neither for actors, nor for their employers. The latest corporate leader to put the brakes on it was none other than Bob Iger, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company. In an interview on CNBC last year, Bob Iger pledged a return “to our roots” whilst acknowledging that “they [the public] want to be entertained and sometimes they can be turned off by certain things and we just have to be more sensitive to the interest of a broad audience. It’s not easy, you know, so you can’t please everybody all the time.”
When asked whether a new Trump presidency would change Disney’s approach to the film production, Iger declined to give a clear answer. However, in December 2024 Disney pulled a storyline featuring a transgender athlete from the upcoming Pixar animated series “Win or Lose”.
The explanation provided by Disney was quite revealing: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognise that many parents would prefer to discuss on their own terms and timeline.” This move took place only a month after Donald Trump’s election, suggesting that Disney was attempting to avoid a culture war with the president’s future administration.
Disney’s Cultural Shift
Disney’s focus on DEI has notably declined since Trump’s election. Earlier this year, Sonia Coleman, Disney’s chief human resources officer sent a letter to the company’s 230 000 employees, stating that Disney was intending to “align our initiatives with our business goals and company values.” As a result, the company has removed the “Diversity & Inclusion” performance from executive compensation criteria.
This move comes at a time when the Trump administration is more determined than ever to lead battles against “wokeism”. One of his administration’s tools in this fight is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the United-State’s communications regulator. Only a few weeks after taking office, Brendan Carr, the newly appointed chair of FCC launched an inquiry into Comcast, owner of NBC and the Universal movie studio, aimed at discovering whether its DEI efforts were “promoting invidious forms of discrimination.” Given that Disney is the owner of ABC news, one of America’s largest news broadcasters, it seems unlikely they would seek to provoke any similar investigation.
The Republicans’ War on Disney
Disney’s change of tack comes after three years of animosity between the company and the Republican party. The fiercest battle took place between the Florida governor and former Republican Primary candidate, Ron DeSantis and the Florida-based company. In 2022, Disney criticised the DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Act prohibiting classroom discussion and instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida’s public schools.
In response to this, the Republican governor passed legislation that stripped Disney of its long-standing self-governing status in Florida, first granted in 1967. Disney opened a legal case against the state of Florida. In January 2024, a judge ruled that DeSantis was entitled to do so, and the case ended in a settlement between the two parties.
For Florida, Disney is a vital economic asset. Walt Disney World Resort, located in Orlando, attracts over 55 million annual visitors, making it the most visited tourist attraction in the world. According to a study by Oxford Economics, in 2022 alone, Disney generated $40.3 billion in statewide economic activity and $6.6 billion in taxes. That same year, 263,000 jobs were sustained by the corporation.
De Santis’ victory against Disney in Florida was the start of a strong Republican push back on wokeism. Though Donald Trump’s reelection and the launching of his ‘revolution of common sense’ have made cinema corporations and their actors reconsider previous strategies, progressivism remains strongly embedded in America’s cinema culture. More rows are bound to come!
Statement
American cinema remains one of the most powerful cultural forces in the world and has been at the heart of controversies for promoting “woke” and ideological messages in its movies. Since Trump’s election, there are many indications that this trend is changing, especially in the world’s largest film corporation: the Walt Disney Company. The company's priority now seems quite clear: avoid getting caught in the culture war as much as possible and focus on making money once again.