From Newsgroup: rec.arts.disney.parks

NEW YORK (AP) u Abigail E. Disney has been critical of the company that
bears her name before. But for the first time, Disney, the granddaughter
of co-founder Roy O. Disney, has put her views into the medium the Mouse
House was built on: a movie.

In the new documentary oThe American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,o Disney argues that the Walt Disney Co. has lost its moral compass. As one of the companyAs most prominent and outspoken critics u one who happens to be
from within the Disney family u Disney lays out an unflattering portrait
of the company, particularly in regard to pay inequity and the struggles
of some theme park employees to sustain their families on minimum-wage salaries.

oThey have gone the way of most every other company in this country. They started with a bigger idea of themselves than that,o Disney said in an interview. oThe Walt Disney Co. was better. It was kinder, it was gentler.
It was a human company.

oWe have lost the plot,o said Disney.

oThe American Dream,o which is playing in select theaters and debuts
Friday on video-on-demand, is directed by Disney, an activist and film producer, and the filmmaker Kathleen Hughes. It was made on the heels of a series of tweets from Disney in 2019 in which she slammed Bob Iger, then- Disney chief executive, for compensation that in 2018 surpassed $65
million. DisneyAs siblings, Susan Disney Lord and Tim Disney, are also executive producers on the film, which was made without any interaction
from the company.

oNo oneAs reached out to me. IAm a little mystified by it, frankly,o said Disney. oIAm happy to talk if thatAs what they want to do. I am rooting
for them. I love this company. This is a love letter to the company. But
when you really, really love something and see it going off the rails, you canAt be silent.o

Disney World aenthusiastsA believe trip cost too much for families
The film follows four Disneyland custodians who on a salary of $15 an hour struggle to make ends meet in the high-priced Anaheim, California, area. Growing pay gaps between executives and low-rung workers is an issue
Disney knows goes far beyond the company her film concerns. At one point
in the film, she describes her hope for change as oa little Disney.

oI know that people think IAm just living out here in abstract land,o
Disney said. oBut the abstractions matter a lot, and the sensibilities
must change.o

Wages for some Disney workers have been changing. Unions representing
9,500 workers at Disneyland averted a strike by ratifying a contact that raised pay from $15.45 an hour to $18. A union representing hotel workers
at an Anaheim hotel also recently reached agreement on $23.50 an hour. (AnaheimAs living wage ordinance, which is $23.50, was earlier ruled not
to apply to Disneyland.)

In response to oThe American Dream,o a Disney spokesperson replied with a statement.

oOur amazing cast members, storytellers, and employees are the heart and
soul of Disney, and their wellbeing is our top priority. We work hard to ensure that our team is supported in ways that enable them to grow their careers, care for their families, and thrive at work u which is why so
many people choose to spend their entire careers with us.o

The spokesperson also cited medical coverage, access to tuition-free
higher education and subsidized child care as worker benefits. oWe are committed to building on these impactful programs by identifying new ways
to support our cast members and communities around the world,o said the spokesperson.

When Roy E. Disney, who founded the company with his brother, Walt, in
1923, stepped down from the board in 2003, the family ceased participating
in running the company. Since Abigail Disney made her documentary, which
first premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Iger has been succeeded by Bob Chapek, who had previously run parks for the company. In
that period, prices have risen sharply at the companyAs theme parks u
another point of contention for Disney.

Disney World gives new look at aMoanaA attraction at Epcot
oI just donAt think itAs a good idea for Disneyland to become a luxury vacation that most Americans canAt access,o she said. oI donAt know how
much more the brand can take.o

Disney, though, was encouraged by workers who protested ChapekAs response
to Florida legislation that critics have dubbed the oDonAt Say Gayo bill.
To Disney, the situation reflected the corporationAs struggle to maintain
a role as any kind of moral authority amid such politically polarized
times.

oThere is no such thing as not having a position on this question,o she
said. oThere is no neutral ground. To pretend you can stand still on a
moving train is a terrible mistake.o

Ultimately, Disney increasingly doesnAt recognize the company that for
much of her life was the family business. Making a movie about her disapproval, she says, was oexquisitely uncomfortable.o But she hasnAt
given up a happily-ever-after ending.

oI really do mean well,o Disney says. oYou can say a lot of things about
me, but I mean well.o

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