By Sarah Holliday

As Disney starts to pull back on some of their radically left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, many wonder: Could the Magical Kingdom finally be making a return to sanity?

A franchise once known for its whimsical entertainment has been wrapped up in utter political madness in recent years. The world of Walt Disney, “where dreams come true,” “laughter is timeless,” and “imagination has no age” took a notable shift that fans did not take kindly to. Instead of producing unbiased, fun content, Disney seemed to go headfirst into pushing what has been described as “progressive rhetoric at every turn,” with a special emphasis on “woke.”

And yet, earlier this week, Fox Business reported that “Disney dropped its ‘Reimagine Tomorrow’ program from their [DEI] section of its 2024 SEC 10-K report.” According to its website, the “Reimagine Tomorrow” program is designed to “[amplify] underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment.” Additionally, the page highlights how “the Walt Disney Company Has Established Business Employee Resource Groups Across 10 Dimensions: Asian/ Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, Black/ African American Disabilities Hispanic/ Latin X Jewish, LGBTQ+, Multicultural, Native American/ Indigenous Veterans/ Military, Women.”

In addition to dropping “Reimagine Tomorrow,” Disney also scrapped “The Disney Look” from the SEC reporting, which was also a part of their DEI agenda. However, despite ending these programs, people aren’t entirely sure if they can trust that the shift is genuine. As director of the Free Enterprise Project for the National Center for Public Policy Research Stefan Padfield told Fox, “Disney dropping [Reimagine Tomorrow] from their DEI section could mean they’re walking back their DEI investments, or it could signal they’re hiding them. Either they recognize that more litigation is coming, or it could be part of a vibe shift.”

But before considering what this potential “vibe shift” means for the future, and whether it’s genuine, a look back is in order.

Disney’s emphasis on DEI and LGBT-related matters have put a major financial dent in the company — damage many believe may stick with the company indefinitely. Investors, government officials, and everyday Americans made their disapproval known, but Disney only seemed to double down on its left-wing activism. The clearest marker of this shift was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s ® promotion of the Parental Rights in Education bill, which was designed to protect children in school from identity politics. Disney publicly opposed this, exposing its LGBT agenda with increased vigor.

In response to the radicalization of a once-family friendly organization, Congress and shareholders spoke out, Americans protested, investors stopped investing, and Disney’s stocks plummeted. Disney+ lost roughly 700,000 users toward the end of 2024. Disney was also sued by America First Legal earlier that year due to the “misalignment between its woke political and social agenda and the vast majority of the Company’s customers.”

In May of last year, Disney director John Musker offered what appeared to be a glimmer of hope for those who wanted to see change in the Magic Kingdom. He said the company was due for some “course correction.” However, what came to light later was that changing course did not mean they planned to “exclude agendas.”

At the time, Family Research Council’s Meg Kilgannon was not deceived by Musker’s masked attempt at change. “Disney needs to decide whether they want to serve the public on the whole, or just certain segments of it,” she told The Washington Stand at the time. FRC’s David Closson had also warned that “Disney is making clear that they have no intention to change course when it comes to the entertainment we allow our children to consume.” And assuming that is the case, he warned, “It’s the parents who should make a course correction away from Disney.”

Fast forward to 2025. President Donald Trump is in the White House, and he’s made it his personal mission to take a wrecking ball to anything that can be considered LGBT indoctrination. Immediately upon taking office, he began tackling the DEI that invaded the government under the Biden administration. He is now working to weed out woke agendas from schools and other areas of public life. And perhaps the most notable aspect of Trump’s war on leftist ideology is that the vast majority of Americans are all in on it.

In fact, a recent poll found that 70% of surveyed Americans believe Trump is fulfilling promises he made during his campaign. An additional 53% approve of Trump’s overall job thus far, and, at least for Republicans, 67% “support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies.” Another “53% viewed Trump’s recent actions as better than expected.” This all comes after Trump made history during the November election, securing the popular vote, the electoral vote, and all seven battleground states.

So, in relation to Disney and the reports that they’re supposedly ridding themselves of DEI, the question remains: Is it real change that reflects the will of the people? Or is it just a “get out of jail free” card?

Experts suggest that Disney’s apparent shift away from DEI is due to pressure from investors. They are also pressing the company to stop partaking in the far-left Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, which measures a company’s “compliance with a litany of LGBTQ initiatives,” including transgenderism.

Still, many have taken to X, posting that any changes — real or not — from Disney are simply “too little too late.” One user wrote, “Too late for me and people I know. We stopped watching Disney and Hollywood years ago. Not interested [at] all.” Another urged, “We must not let up until Disney stops all of the woke stuff. Until then, don’t trust them because they only care about their bottom dollar.”

However, despite the apparent skepticism, some are still choosing to celebrate wins where they can. As one user posted, “You know you’ve spectacularly lost the culture war when Disney of all companies ends its racist DEI programs. It’s glorious to see. RIP DEI. You won’t be missed.”

Ultimately, whether Disney is truly retreating from woke initiatives has yet to be determined. As some have asserted: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Not just in the headlines as some kind of potential lip service, but “on the screen in their productions;” tried and true.

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.