Well, this is a take.
Not a convincing take, but I suppose that if you love Disney so much that you think they can do no wrong it is likely the best you can come up with.
Inside the Magic, a Disney fan site of longstanding (18 years and counting) influence, has discovered the real reason Disney is suddenly suffering from a severe decline in attendance.
Climate change.
It might be the best time to visit the Disney Parks. https://t.co/VuGyKIUKuI
— Inside the Magic (@InsideTheMagic) August 20, 2023
There are a lot of conflicting stories about just how awful attendance really is at Disney theme parks and resorts–even with lower attendance the parks can be crowded at times. But it’s clear that Disney is suffering quite a bit, closing low-performing properties and lowering prices. July 4th is usually a huge day for them, but not this year. And there are videos of Disney facilities with next to no attendance.
A ghost town today at Disney Hollywood Studios. pic.twitter.com/x46MWR00mQ
— 🇺🇸 Brian E. Gordon (GAB @realBrianGordon) (@realBrianGordon) August 19, 2023
Defenders of Disney are blaming the heat, which is notoriously not a problem in Orlando. Until 2023 heat and humidity were rarely an issue in Florida, and the Los Angeles area is hardly known for being hot in the summer.
Uh, yeah. Right.
Overwhelming numbers of floods, fires, and heat waves have shown how seriously climate change impacts Disney theme parks. And sources say it’s only going to get worse.
Disney’s attendance has dropped substantially, but while there is worry about Bob Iger deceiving attendees and the area being a “ghost town,” the answer can also relate to something simpler: weather. While weather and climate change are inherently different, the impacts of climate change on Disney show in meteorological events.
Who wants to go to the theme park when it’s rained out? Why would you risk bringing the family to Disneyland Resort if there is smoke in the air from a fire? These events are getting more common, and the inability to plan for them is one huge way climate change impacts Disney.
There is, of course, an alternate explanation. And one that would also account for the fact that Disney movies as a group have been seriously underperforming. Rain, heat, and other weather-related issues are hardly a major factor when it comes to the movies, after all.
That explanation? The wokification of Disney. For the past few years Disney has been a vocal political activist and has spent a lot of effort insulting its customers, transing its staff, and fighting with the wildly popular governor of Florida.
Heat, in other words, is likely a factor. But it is the political temperature that is killing Disney and not the garden-variety hot days of summer in Florida.
It just gets worse and worse….
The new Snow White says that the Prince was a creepy stalker and suggests that all scenes of the Prince could be cut
She’s a walking PR disaster for Disney pic.twitter.com/7QJGDIx5er
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 13, 2023
Disney keeps doubling down on woke, and customers just don’t seem to like it.
I didn’t grow up in a Disney family–the one time my parents took the kids to Disneyland I was not born yet. I watched a few Disney movies, but the true Disney fanatics came of age after me.
So losing what little interest I had for the brand is no great loss to the company. But plenty of parents today are looking at the company and losing their loyalty to the brand. It simply doesn’t look like anything they grew up with.
Brands are built on consistency, and social change is about…change. That’s why pushing the idea of social revolution is a dangerous game for major corporations.
I don’t know if the climate change excuse is being pushed by the company or not–it has appeared in a few places in the media–but if so it is a pretty lame excuse.
The reality is much simpler: Disney is insulting its customers and its customers have gotten the message.
Read the full article here
