Disney Puts Up Website About How Important They Are To America.

Disney has just launched a website with flags on top and a quote by Walt Disney to showcase how important they are to America. It seems very random, but recently Disney’s CEO Bob Iger was allegedly upset about the tariffs with China. Disney is also losing footing with the American people as some feel the company is too political, while others feel they are too greedy in their pricing.

This all comes ahead of price cuts, kids getting 1/2 off on tickets, and kids’ free dining in 2026.  Sounds like Bob Iger suddenly wants to be America First again. Nevermind all those times he chased China.

Disney shaped America.

The message of the website seems to be that Disney shaped America.

This is true. The Walt Disney Company, especially under Walt Disney himself, did shape American pop culture with original films and shows and amazing innovation. Walt was very much America first and he considered himself a patriot, even helping with the war efforts.

They even used a quote about how American he was at the top of the website, 

“Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them.” – Walt Disney

Lately, it’s more about remakes, sequels, and the acquisition of other intellectual properties (and then running that into the ground).  Bob Iger spent a lot of time chasing China, and now he’s worried about tariffs, a declining box office, stunted growth with Disney+, and people feeling like Disney is no longer about the average family.

Disney has been treating the American people like a piggy bank, even offering far better deals to those in other countries than they offer to the people they want to pander to now.

The first paragraph of the website goes on about Walt and Roy Disney and the American dream, innovation, imagination, family, and community. Most of those words were true then, but many feel they aren’t true now as Disney’s stock won’t move back into the $100 range, and recently almost fell below $80.

“In 1923, when Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, first set up a cartoon studio in pursuit of their American dream, few could have imagined what the future would hold. This company was built from Walt’s extraordinary ambition and boundless creativity. Many others have come and gone over the past century. And yet Disney has stood the test of time as a constant source of happiness for families and communities, and a shining example of innovation and imagination. That enduring cultural influence sets Disney apart as both a brand and business, which is a privilege we take seriously. That’s why we’ve always believed it’s important to be one of the world’s most admired companies — not only for what we create, but for the positive impact we have.”

When Bob Iger starts going on about how important Disney is to the economy, he usually wants something.

Iger tried this with Florida over the end of Reedy Creek and pushback from Governor Newsom making their employment numbers in Florida and tourism dollars leverage to try and sway public opinion in their favor.

Meanwhile, they fight paying their fair share of property taxes in Florida every year! That money would go to the local economy and schools.

At the end of the day, this website is likely about PR for the Walt Disney Company.

Here are the facts about Disney in America they are sharing,

Including Walt’s face on the image.

• Disney employs 160,000 U.S. employees across all 50 states. 75k of those people are in Florida, and 36k are in California, about 10k are in the other United States resorts, so that leaves about 44k at other places like call centers, travel agencies, and stores. They used to have far more but Disney shuttered a lot of the Disney Stores to save money.
• Disney is going to spend $30B in 10 years at Walt Disney World and Disneyland and will make 10k new jobs between the two.
• Disney has spent $23 B on film and TV content to benefit themselves and film most of it overseas for tax credits. Not really sure how that benefits the United States.
• They deliver one Make-A-Wish wish an hour. Which is nice.

And finally, the part impacted by tariffs.

• Disney is the number one licensor of consumer merchandise in America, having deals with 500 companies.

The rest of the website is spent talking about things I 100% support like their work with veterans, children’s hospitals, and volunteer hours.

It’s just very odd that Disney puts this website up now.

Nothing discussed is different from all the other PR pieces they put out mentioning the same things. The only interesting thing is the timing which coincides with the tariff situation, Epic Universe opening, and public opinion moving away from the “super American” company they claim to be.

Disney wouldn’t go to all this trouble unless they seriously thought they needed to sway some opinions.

But that is my opinion.