All the changes Disney has made to become more WOKE

Disney has taken numerous strides to become more inclusive in recent years – changing park policy to stop staff from using gendered greetings, implementing an anti-racism training course for employees, giving old characters progressive makeovers, and removing offensive imagery from rides and movies – however, some people feel that the company has gone too far in its woke changes.

One of those people is billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, who recently declared war on the company’s ‘excessive spending and mismanagement.’

The 80-year-old – whose daughter Nicola is married to Brooklyn Beckham – is now battling to secure a board seat, setting the stage for a spectacular showdown between him and returning CEO Bob Iger… and leaving many to wonder – is this the move that will put an end to Disney’s controversial awokening? 

The brand has made numerous steps towards becoming more comprehensive recently – it included a gay kiss between two female characters in the movie Lightyear, and black actress Halle Berry was cast as Ariel in its upcoming, live-action re-make of The Little Mermaid.

And while many have praised the company – which was previously known for including numerous racist undertones and offensive stereotypes in its old movies, like a crow in Dumbo portrayed by a white actor who spoke in an African-American-sounding voice named Jim Crow – for it’s change of direction, the question has lingered in recent months if they have taken it too far.

As the debate continues, FEMAIL has taken a look back at all the woke changes it has implemented recently – from dressing Minnie Mouse in a pantsuit to slapping a racism warning before their old movies. 

Minnie Mouse swapped her classic red and white polka-dot dress for a more ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit in January 2022

Back in January 2022, Disney debuted a ‘woke’ new look for Minnie Mouse, which saw the beloved character abandoning her signature red polka-dot dress in favor of a ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney.

Disneyland Paris unveiled the iconic character’s new outfit via Twitter, announcing that Minnie had undergone the high-fashion makeover in honor of its 30th anniversary. 

However, the move was met with uproar online, and within minutes of the tweet being posted, dozens of users began voicing outrage over the iconic mouse’s style change. 

Despite having a few different ensembles over her years as a cartoon, Minnie’s signature red and white dress had become a staple for the character’s look in the theme parks. 

In addition, she has almost always worn a skirt or dress – and only rocked pants once before (when she dressed as Captain Minnie for Disney Cruise Line in 2019) – making the new outfit one that went go down in history. 

Stella explained in a press release that the ensemble – which was temporarily worn by the character in the French park – was meant to transform the cartoon into ‘a symbol of progress for a new generation.’

‘I wanted Minnie to wear her very first pantsuit at Disneyland Paris, so I have designed one of my iconic costumes – a blue tuxedo – using responsibly sourced fabrics,’ she said in a statement. 

‘This new take on her signature polka dots makes Minnie Mouse a symbol of progress for a new generation.’ 

The designer added that Minnie has always had a ‘special place in her heart’ since they share the ‘same values.’

‘I am delighted to be working with the one, the only, the iconic Minnie Mouse,’ she continued. ‘Minnie has always had a special place in my heart. We share the same values.

‘What I love about Minnie is the fact that she embodies happiness, self-expression, and authenticity, and that she inspires people of all ages around the world. Plus, she has such great style.’

Minnie’s new ensemble contained a blue polka-dot blazer with matching pants. Stella also replaced the nearly-100-year-old character’s famous red bow with a blue one and swapped her beloved yellow pumps for a pair of black shoes.

The new look sparked backlash on social media – with one person calling it ‘more woke BS’ from the company and another comparing her ‘fit to something that former Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton would wear.

‘Way to go Disney, you turned Minnie Mouse into Hillary Clinton,’ they wrote.

‘I was never a Disney mascot fan but WTF?’ someone else said. ‘A covert Hillary homage or just woke pandering run amok.

‘What’s next, will she transition into a Michael so Mickey can full express himself?’

Another disgruntled user tweeted: ‘More woke BS. The design’s nice but we’re talking about a character that is almost 100 years old.

‘The OG look is timeless, and the whole point of it was to differentiate her from Mickey (especially back in the ’20s). Minnie in a suit makes her look like Mickey in a suit.’

Documents detailing an anti-racist training course for park employees leaked in May 2021 – but it was canceled days later

In May 2021, reports emerged that Walt Disney World was implementing a new anti-racism training course for its park employees – which asked them to complete a ‘privilege checklist.’

City-Journal‘s Christopher F Rufo shared leaked documents about the ‘diversity and inclusion’ program, called Reimagine Tomorrow, to Twitter, explaining that it was set to teach staffers about ‘systematic racism,’ ‘white fragility,’ and ‘microaggressions.’

It encouraged its staff to ‘take ownership of educating themselves about structural anti-Black racism’ and asked white employees to ‘work through feelings of guilt, shame, and defensiveness to understand what is beneath them and what needs to be healed.’

Staff were also told to reject ‘equality,’ and instead strive for ‘equity,’ while ‘reflecting’ on America’s ‘racist infrastructure.’

The leaked training documents also included a how-to guide called 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.

After the documents were made public, the company was branded as the ‘wokest Place on Earth’ rather than the ‘happiest place on Earth’ by Twitter users.

Some employees stated on Twitter that they had taken the course but that it was not required, simply recommended. 

Days after City-Journal shared the documents, however, it was reported that the program had been canceled.

Disney has made many changes to its parks – like removing racist undertones from rides and telling staff not to use gendered greetings with guests

While Disney’s controversial anti-racism training course seemed to be short-lived, the company has made numerous other ‘woke’ changes to the park that did stick.

In March 2022, it was announced that staff members, as well recordings throughout the parks, would no longer include ‘gendered greetings’ like ‘boys and girls’ or ‘ladies and gentleman.’

Instead, they opted for gender neutral terms like, ‘Hello, everyone,’ or, ‘Hello, friends.’ 

‘We don’t want to just assume because someone might be, in our interpretation, presenting as female, that they may not want to be called “princess,”‘ Vivian Ware, Disney’s diversity and inclusion manager, said in a leaked conference call with employees.

‘So let’s think differently about how do we really engage with our guests in a meaningful and inclusive way that makes it magical and memorable for everyone.’ 

One year earlier, in April 2021, the brand announced on its blog that it was changing its rules to allow cast members to wear ‘gender-inclusive hairstyles, jewelry, nail styles, and costume choices,’ while noting that ‘the magic they make must include everyone.’

‘We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney,’ it said at the time.

‘And we want our cast members – and future cast members – to feel a sense of belonging at work.’

Over the years, many Disney parks have also many numerous changes to their rides – removing various racist undertones from attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise.

It was also announced in December that Disney was going to permanently close Splash Mountain – which was based off of the 1946 movie Song of the South – to replace it with a ride based off The Princess and the Frog.

Song of the South was previously removed by Disney from all streaming services due to allegations of racism stereotypes of African Americans.

‘We want to make sure everybody has the best time – that guests from all over the world can connect with the stories we share and that how we bring those to life are respectful of the diverse world we live in,’ Chris Beatty, Walt Disney Imagineering creative portfolio executive, previously told D23.

Disney announced that the Seven Dwarves from Snow White will be removed from the upcoming live-action remake of the animated classic

In January 2022, Disney revealed that its upcoming live-action remake of Snow White will not feature the classic depiction of the central character’s seven companions as dwarves.

Following furious criticism from Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, the company said it had been ‘consulting with members of the dwarfism community’ throughout the early stages of production, and decided to take ‘a different approach’ to the seven dwarves that appeared in the original animated classic ‘to avoid reinforcing stereotypes.’ 

Peter blasted Disney for remaking the 1937 film in the first place during an appearance on Marc Maron’s podcast.

He called out the contradiction between the studio’s decision to cast Latina West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler as Snow White, while still moving forward with a movie about a ‘backward’ story that focuses on the seven dwarves.

‘Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White – but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,’ Peter said.

‘Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. 

‘You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing man?’

Disney has already removed things that were considered offensive while remaking its old movies, and slapped warnings on others that include racism

Disney has already removed or changed things that were considered offensive while remaking its old movies. 

The 1992 animated movie Aladdin contained a line in the opening song, Arabian Night, that many considered to be racist against Arabs. 

‘Oh, I come from a land / From a faraway place / Where the caravan camels roam,’ the lyrics read.

‘Where they cut off your ear / If they don’t like your face / It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.’

When the released a new, live-action version of the movie in 2019, they changed the line to: ‘Oh, I come from a land / From a faraway place / Where the caravan camels roam.

‘Where it’s flat and immense / And the heat is intense / It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.’ 

Some people also felt that the 1994 movie Lion King had racist undertones due to its overwhelmingly white voice cast.

However, the hyenas – portrayed as low-life gangsters who are outcast from the rest of the community – were voiced by people of color. Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin famously played the animals.

When a live-action version of the movie came out in 2019, it featured a much-more prominently-Black cast. 

In October 2020, Disney also made a big move when it announced that it would be slapping racism warnings on a number of its decades-old movies as they were released on its streaming service, Disney+.

Movies that now come with an anti-racism warning include 1970 musical comedy The Aristocats, 1955 canine love story Lady and the Tramp, and 1960 adventure Swiss Family Robinson.

The disclaimer added to these movies – and others like Peter Pan, Dumbo, and The Jungle Book – appears at the start of the movie and reads: ‘This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.

‘These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.’

In relation to The Aristocats, Disney explained in a press release about the warning that it contains a scene where one cat, voiced by a white actor, yelled out stereotypical Chinese ‘words’ while playing the piano with chopsticks.

It also noted that in Peter Pan, Native Americans Indians are referred to as ‘redskins’ and described a scene in which Peter and The Lost Boys dance in Native American headdresses as a ‘form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples’ culture and imagery.’

Disney’s former CEO publicly spoke out against Florida Governor Ron de Santis and tried to overturn his Don’t Say Gay bill

In March 2022, Florida Governor Ron de Santis signed a bill that prohibited many schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity, often referred to as the Don’t Say Gay bill.

Soon after, Disney’s CEO at the time, Bob Chapek, spoke against the bill, stating that could ‘be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.’ 

His comments came after Disney employees staged a walk-out in protest of the company’s response, or lack-thereof, to the Florida law. 

Bob also apologized for not publicly denouncing the bill earlier, adding, ‘While we have been strong supporters of the community for decades, I understand that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill.

‘We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes engaging directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.’

Afterwards, many conservative families called it their last straw, and said they were boycotting the park.

One Texas father-of-two, named Trent Talbot, slammed Disney to Fox News for ‘surrendering to the woke mob.’

‘Disney has surrendered to the woke mob and is using its platform to indoctrinate the children of America into becoming the woke activists of tomorrow,’ he said. 

‘Kids need entertainment that is a refuge from this crazy culture, where they can be entertained with just great stories and fun characters. 

‘And parents should have confidence that their children are seeing and hearing stories that are good and true.’

Ohio mother and grandmother Patti Garibay suggested people ‘void your household of all things Disney.’

‘Walt would turn over in his grave to see what his beloved company has become,’ she added.