Several news reports have surfaced that the Mouse House has gone woke. Is it true? Perhaps. But it may be a bit more complicated than that.

NOTE – This is not a political article, just a Disney insider’s perspective.

First off, it is important to state that the report is about the WHOLE Walt Disney Company. It is very large with over 175,000 employees in a wide range of businesses including Media Networks, Parks, Products, Walt Disney Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, ESPN and many others. Any inclusiveness initiative will look different at different divisions.

And also importantly, Disney replied, "These internal documents are being deliberately distorted as reflective of company policy, when in fact their purpose was to allow diversity of thought and discussion on the incredibly complex and challenging issues of race and discrimination that we as a society and companies nationwide are facing."

There is an image of Disney as a conservative company. It’s not. It’s an entertainment company based in California. There are those who work for the Mouse because of the family friendly values Walt championed. But entertainment by its very nature is a creative entity and people with a more artsy, liberal outlook are drawn to Disney too. Think about the mindsets of those in Hollywood and you see the point.

During my 25 years at Walt Disney World, including tiI saw a continual leftward drift in attitudes and policies as the old timers faded away and new people came on board.

In the 1980s, the Disney University all-staff meetings included 10 minutes each week where team members shared every international holiday and celebration going on that week. Nigeria Independence Day? Blessed Rain Day? First Feast of the Aardvark? We heard about them.

In the 1990s, inclusive support groups like HOLA for Hispanics, PRIDE for LBQTs, and others were internally established and supported by the Company. Those groups still exist but are being reported as new.

In the 1990s, at an advance screening of upcoming animated films, we were told that Animation was going to tackle serious issues. Pocahontas would be the first and would focus on racist white men destroying the new world. Whether it is the Zootopia message of anti-discrimination, the Frozen feminist message, or the live action Beauty and the Beast explicity turning LeFou gay, the trend continues.

In the 2000s, the Disney Institute hotel complex did away with its Christmas party celebration and had us all celebrating something called a winter fest.

More recently, attractions have been modified. The original Pirates of the Caribbean, for example, had a sight gag where a first pirate chased a pretty girl. A second pirate repeated the behavior. A third pirate was then seen being chased by an ugly girl. All three now have [pirates chasing pies.

Other attractions, including Splash Mountain and Jungle Cruise are being modified as well.

The Disney look dress code, as we discovered in an earlier Snap, has been modified for a more inclusive look.

Just this week, they announced when the Disney College Program returns, housing will return with a gender-neutral housing option.

The Mouse recently added Inclusion to its four, now five, priorities (Safety, Courtesy, Inclusion, Show and Efficiency). Some mandatory training for parks personnel is likely to follow. I also suspect that leader messages to cast will be heavily salted with inclusion messages and that attendance at non-mandatory trainings will be added to employee annual valuation expectations.

You can also divine the company’s attitude by the [termination of Rosanne Barr’s and Gina Carano’s contracts over comments they made. I suspect there has also been pressure on ESPN correspondents to stick to sports.

So, what does all this mean? The two Bobs (Iger and Chapek) are incredibly smart men. I’ve not met Chapek but have attended meetings where Iger spoke and saw in him a thoughtful, caring, humble man. He specifically has stated that he wants Disney to be the most admired company in the world. Both Bobs likely believe in what they are doing. They may also be betting they can build market share by appealing to a broader base of people without losing part of their core audience. Will it work? I don't know. But they have obviously decided that Disney needs to do all it can to welcome everyone. In that sense, they are fulfilling Walt’s statement when he, at the dedication of Disneyland, said, “To all who come to this happy place, welcome.”