The battle between Walt Disney World and Florida has continued to make headlines as both sides continue to make moves in both state and federal court. Disney, being one of the biggest media companies in the world, would likely rather be focusing on its business of making movies and running theme parks. And to that end, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently told investors Disney plans to “quiet the noise” when it comes to the culture war that started the fight.
The battle between Disney and Florida began when the Mouse House came out against a Florida law that detractors referred to as “Don’t Say Gay.” Alongside that, Disney has received criticism from conservative media for making movies and shows that include gay characters or otherwise push what DeSantis and others refer to as a “woke agenda.” Iger’s comments, which came as part of a recent presentation to investors on the future Disney Parks business (via Reuters), indicate a desire to move on and an apparent understanding that these sorts of battles are not good for business.
The comments echo other statements that Iger has made in recent months. In answer to a question from a stockholder at the last Disney Shareholders Meeting, he made it clear that the goal of Disney is to entertain, and that choices are not made from the standpoint of following an agenda. Iger said…
Our primary mission needs to be to entertain and then through our entertainment to continue to have a positive impact on the world. I’m very serious about that. It should not be agenda-driven.
While agenda-driven media is exactly what Disney is being accused by some of creating, Bob Iger doesn't accept that's the case. While Iger clearly wants to focus on Disney as an entertainment company, he also clearly feels that Disney can focus on entertainment, and still create stories that reflect the world that we live in. He continued…
I want parents to be able to trust content that we’re creating for their children and we’re committed to delivering age-appropriate content for family audiences while also telling stories that reflect the world around us and that foster greater understanding, greater perspective, greater acceptance of all people.
These statements would seem to indicate that while Bob Iger wants to quiet the noise, simply stopping what Disney is doing (which is causing a lot of that noise) isn't exactly the plan. It leads to the obvious question of just what the plan then is. Some sort of settlement with Florida over the various lawsuits would be an obvious solution, but the fact that Disney filed them first would likely indicate they would need significant concessions from Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in order to stand down, and in the current political climate that seems unlikely.
At the same time, money talks, and Disney just announced it's planning to double the investment it was going to make in its parks over the next 10 years. While some updates to Walt Disney World are planned, the biggest known expansion is taking place at Disneyland Resort, and Disney not spending money in Florida, may be the best way it can make its expectations known without making too much "noise."
