Another Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative that has been quietly removed from The Walt Disney Company website is the “Stories Matter” initiative. This is part of the sweeping changes that Disney is making to its DEI programs. Here’s a recap of what “Stories Matter” was, and why it mattered to theme park fans.
What Was Disney “Stories Matter”?
Here’s some information about the Stories Matter initiative from the Stories Matter webpage before it was removed overnight.
Stories shape how we see ourselves and everyone around us. So as storytellers, we have the power and responsibility to not only uplift and inspire, but also consciously, purposefully and relentlessly champion the spectrum of voices and perspectives in our world.
As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures. Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all. We also want to acknowledge that some communities have been erased or forgotten altogether, and we’re committed to giving voice to their stories as well.
We can’t change the past, but we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together to create a tomorrow that today can only dream of.
To that end, we’ve brought together a group of experts from outside our company to advise us as we assess our content and ensure it accurately represents our global audiences.
As we embrace each other’s stories, we embrace possibility. And that’s why we’re committed to doing the best we can to represent communities authentically. So people not only see the best in themselves, but the world can see it too.
Stories Matter on Disney+
The Stories Matter initiative is mostly thought of as impacting Disney+. The Stories Matter advisory was most visible on Disney+ shows and movies that contained “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures”. As part of recently announced changes, Axios reported that its sources indicated that the unskippable content advisory pop-up before certain shows and movies on Disney+ would be removed. Instead, the advisory would simply live in the “details” section of the movie page, as seen below.
Stories Matter in Theme Parks
As readers of this site may know, the Stories Matter initiative didn’t end on Disney+. Indeed, Stories Matter extended to the theme parks, and perhaps the biggest example of the theme park angle of the initiative was the reimagining of Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Before the Stories Matter webpage was removed, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was the poster child for the theme park segment of the initiative. Here’s Disney in its own words:
We are reviewing our offerings beyond the screen, which include products, books, music and experiences. While advisories for negative depictions of people and cultures may be added to some offerings, others will be reimagined. We are also investing in new ways to better reflect the rich diversity of stories in our world. This work is ongoing and will evolve as we strive toward a more inclusive tomorrow.
While Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was the most obvious example of the Stories Matter initiative shaping the theme parks, other Magic Kingdom attractions such as Jungle Cruise and, most recently, Peter Pan’s Flight were also updated. It’s likely that the Stories Matter initiative also included changes at “it’s a small world”.
Right now, it’s unclear what the future of DEI is in the theme parks. There are a number of items in the theme parks that could change, but it seems unlikely that we’ll see the type of sweeping updates to the theme parks that we have in recent years. While Reimagine Tomorrow was mentioned by name in the memo sent out to leadership this morning, Stories Matter was not. Walt Disney World did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
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