Facing increased scrutiny over its recent clashes with Florida’s government, Disney has decided, finally, to fall into line with the rest of the state on at least one policy.
Starting this month, Disney World’s costumed characters will be able to hug children, sign autographs, and take up-close pictures with visitors again. The policy change marks an end to Disney’s COVID-19 restrictions and will apply to all of the company’s amusement parks, including Disneyland in California and Disney cruises.
“Very soon, you will once again be able to hug Mickey Mouse, get an autograph from Mulan, and share a laugh with Goofy,” Disney said in a statement this week. “We know many of you have missed these special moments, and your Disney character friends have missed you, too!”
It’s worth asking why the company thought this social distancing protocol was necessary in the first place. Children, the visitors most likely to ask Goofy or Cinderella for a hug, are the least likely to spread COVID-19 to others, especially in an outdoor setting such as Disney World. And most Disney employees have also been required to wear masks while working, which presumably protects them from the coronavirus to a certain degree.
Yet this policy has been in effect for nearly two years, forcing visitors to wave to their favorite characters and take pictures with them from a distance.
Predictably, the policy’s effects have been demoralizing, especially for families with young children. Videos of toddlers running to greet Mickey Mouse only to be yelled at and turned away by a park employee acting as the character’s de facto bodyguard are all over the internet.
It’s safe to assume this was not the experience parents were hoping for. After all, part of the fun in taking children to Disney’s parks is getting to see them meet and interact with their favorite characters in real life. It’s what makes Disney magical.
But a lot of parents are starting to figure out that the magic in Disney isn’t what it once was. COVID-19 paranoia has dragged on in its parks for way too long, and the company’s obsession with leftist gender ideology is starting to creep into its programs and material. Parents should start asking themselves whether this is really a company that prioritizes the well-being of their children.
On COVID-19, at least, Disney is finally correcting its course. But the time for that was a year and a half ago. Disney could have led the charge toward a full return to normality. Instead, it waited until everyone else had already moved on from the pandemic to take action. That was a decision made not out of an abundance of caution, but out of an abundance of cowardice.
