Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, recently said the theme parks will see more changes to show inclusion and diversity, according to Walt Disney World News Today.
- D’Amaro — who spoke at the IAAPA Expo Monday — said there would be “more to come” when it comes to inclusion products, WDWNT reports.
- He said that the first step would be fixing Splash Mountain to be more inclusive. The parks are now working on projects that will do the same in the near future.
Key quote:
- “This represents transformative cultural change,” D’Amaro said.
Context:
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Back in June, Disney announced that Splash Mountain, which is based on the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South,” will be reworked to focus on characters from the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog.”
- The decision to fix the rides came after controversy sprang up about the ride’s connections to “Song of the South,” which has been criticized for its portrayal of African Americans and reliance on racial stereotypes, as I reported for the Deseret News.
- Disney fans signed a petition to retheme the ride, which suggested that it rely on “The Princess and the Frog” instead. And that’s exactly what happened.