Disney’s Publicity Stunts of The Week: A Roundup

There’s trouble at the Mouse House – again! Let’s dive into Disney’s disastrous PR week.

At The Parks

First off, the least problematic issue for Disney: resellers are clearing the parks out of items for third-party sites like eBay, Facebook, and Mercari. They are even using their children to purchase items, and many items have a limit of two per customer. This is upsetting visitors as they travel across the globe to visit the parks and cannot even buy the merchandise they desire!

For example, the Figment Dragon Popcorn Bucket, which was originally twenty-five dollars, is now easily selling for over seventy-five dollars on eBay. This is a park-exclusive item. This doesn’t bode well for Disney, as guests will worry if they can buy any items as souvenirs.

Moving right along, drill teams participated in a parade on March fifteenth at Magic Kingdom. The “Indianettes” from Port Neches-Groves Independent School District in Texas made headlines for the show, but not in any beneficial way for Disney.

The team’s chants and movements are inspired by Native music and traditional cheerleader poses. They were, apparently, upset that they weren’t allowed to wear their “war bonnets” at the park. Watch the chant below.

Cuz a bunch of kids in fringe chanting “scalp ‘em Indians, scalp ‘em” is honor, right?

And any Natives who attend @pngisd should prolly just accept their classmates dehumanizing them cuz “tradition”, right?

Shame on @DisneyParks hosting this. Nostalgic racism is RACISM. pic.twitter.com/ELsJHRgJlw

— tara houska ᔖᐳᐌᑴ (@zhaabowekwe) March 18, 2022

If you listen carefully, you can hear the chant “scalp em Indians!” For a company that preaches inclusivity and diversity, they sure dropped the ball on this one.

Disney spokesperson Jacquee Wahler issued the following statement:

“We regret this performance took place, as it did not reflect the audition tape that was submitted. We have immediately put measures in place to ensure performances reflect the auditions.”

Disney has issued a statement in response to the Port Neches-Groves High School performance at Magic Kingdom earlier this week, saying the performance did not reflect what was included in the school's audition tape. pic.twitter.com/kLYuIayzwE

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 18, 2022

On the other hand, there will always be people offended by everything. It would behoove Disney to find out if this actually offends Native Americans or if it’s just a bunch of white people claiming it is offensive for Native Americans.

There is even an issue with Disney’s Lightning Lane, which is an additional cost to use!

For more information on all things Disney parks, follow Geeks + Gamers Park Hoppin’ on YouTube!

“Don’t Say Gay” Bill Reactions

Jumping right along, Disney employees are reacting to this “Don’t Say Gay” bill (which doesn’t even include the word “gay” in it) by staging a walk-out! Watch the video below for a full breakdown!

After this walk-out was planned, Disney bent the knee yet again and reinstated a same-sex kiss scene between two female characters in the upcoming Pixar film Lightyear. This comes around the same time Encanto‘s Mirabel voice actress Stephanie Beatriz announces that Mirabel isn’t bisexual and has no love interest.

A same-sex kiss has been restored in Pixar’s upcoming film #Lightyear following staff uproar over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. https://t.co/vqytNeG9Tv pic.twitter.com/5fbjavOxBy

— Variety (@Variety) March 18, 2022

It’s ironic because this scene will, without a doubt, be cut from the Chinese edition of the film. Disney needs that Chinese audience to be happy and spend lots of money on their films and merchandise!

After this walk-out announcement, it turns out that four Disney employees were involved in human trafficking! So much for protecting children! Look at who Disney hires!

Star Wars & Marvel

Next up on Disney showdown, their recently opened Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel is having difficulty filling its rooms! The reviews are in, and they aren’t looking too good. High prices are keeping average fans and visitors away. Not to mention their marketing for the hotel has been abysmal. Check it out below!

Lastly, Marvel released a trailer for the Disney+ exclusive Ms. Marvel, and a majority of the Geeks + Gamers+ crew were unimpressed.

Did I miss any Disney headaches? Let me know in the comments below!