The Most Controversial Changes Disney Has Made Over the Years

Over the years, Disney has made a number of changes that have been very controversial among Guests. These changes have caused disagreements, debates, and heated arguments. When it comes to Disney, it doesn’t seem to matter what is changing. There's always someone that's about it.

It’s important to remember that Walt never intended for his park to remain how it was at the time that he built it. He once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world”.

Even though Walt was clearly open to change and was eager for it, not everyone has that same outlook when it comes to the Disney Parks. Let’s take a look at what changes Disney has made over the years that have caused the most controversy and how the public reacted to them.

Main Street Bakery Turned into Starbucks

Main Street, U.S.A. is known for its quaint small-town charm. From the exterior, the buildings showcase businesses such as a confectionary, bakery, cinema, magic shop, and penny arcade. However, the interior of these buildings is much more contemporary. As you make your way down Main Street, what you’ll actually find are dining options and shopping locations.

In the past, these shops were much more “of the time”. However, over the years, they’ve been renovated to meet the needs and interests of today’s Guests. Some of these changes were not taken well by all Guests, such as the renovation of the Main Street Bakery.

Prior to the year 2013, the Main Street Bakery was exactly what you’d imagine a bakery to be. There was a large case full of fresh and delicious pastries, drinks to pair with them, and an area to sit and enjoy your delicacies. It had a special and authentic feel to it that’s very similar to that of Main Street Confectionary, only with baked goods instead of sugary confections.

In 2012, the bakery closed down for a lengthy refurbishment. When it reopened, many Guests were appalled with what Disney had done to the bakery. While it opened back up with the same name, the Main Street Bakery was no more. Instead, the bakery was now a standard Starbucks location. While still offering pastries along with their specialty drinks, Guests did not enjoy that the beloved bakery had been turned into a commercialized business.

Sorcerer Hat at Hollywood Studios

In 2001, Walt Disney World hosted the 100 Years of Magic celebration in honor of Walt Disney’s 100th birthday. Along with this celebration came a new “decoration” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A giant Sorcerer’s Hat was built in front of the Chinese theater, complete with a gloved Mickey hand and two silver Mickey ears.

When the hat first debuted, there were a number of Guests that weren’t too thrilled with it. There were complaints that it blocked the view of the Chinese Theater (which it did) and didn’t fit in with the overall theme of old-school Hollywood that’s very apparent in the front portion of Hollywood Studios.

The 100 Years of Magic celebration ended in 2003, but the Sorcerer's Hat didn’t go anywhere. It actually stuck around for quite some time, which bothered some Guests, but gave it time to grow on others. It wasn’t until January of 2015 that the hat started to come down. While some Guests were pleased that it was finally leaving, others who grew fond of it over the years, were sad to see it go.

Loss of Holiday Lights

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge brought a new and exciting world to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While this land takes Guests on a never before experienced immersive journey to a galaxy far, far away, it didn’t come without a price. In order to build this new land, Disney needed more space. To make room, a portion of Hollywood Studios, called Streets of America, had to be destroyed.

The deconstruction of this portion of the park led to the loss of a treasured holiday attraction – The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The display included millions of glowing holiday lights and grew over the years to include even more lights as well as Hidden Mickeys. The lights were synced to dance along with classic holiday tunes. When the news broke that The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was going to shut down for good, a wave of disappointment spread across Disney park goers. Many hoped that the light display would relocate to another location on Walt Disney World property, but unfortunately, the lights took their last dance on January 3rd, 2016.

Another light display that Guests have been missing during the holiday season is the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. This is a beautiful display that creates the image of sparkling, frosty snow and icicles hanging from Cinderella Castle. While there was never a public announcement that these lights were going away, they haven' t been seen at the park since 2019. Ever since then, Guests have been voicing that they’d love to see the Dream Lights return, but to no avail.

READ MORE – 11 Weird Things We Can’t Believe Were Once at Disneyland

Cinderella Castle Paint Job

In 2020, Cinderella Castle received a new paint job in honor of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. The castle went from a grey and blue to a rose pink and royal blue color scheme. Additionally, for the 50th Anniversary, the castle was also adorned with bunting ribbons and other decorations that were EARidescent, gold, and blue.

When the castle was first painted, it was much more vibrant than it is now. Many guests dubbed it as “Pepto Bismol Pink”. Today, the color is much more toned down, giving off a creamy sand color with rose gold tones.

The castle is extremely beautiful with this new color scheme and has a very regal aesthetic. However, some Guests still voice that they miss the original grey and blue color scheme. This color change has certainly taken Guests back to the classic “Make it Pink! Make It Blue!” argument.

Changes Made to Journey Into Imagination

Journey Into Imagination with Figment is a hit or miss among Guests of Walt Disney World. Those who have started visiting the parks within the last few years may not understand why this family-friendly dark ride gets such a bad rap. The truth of the matter is, Guests who have been frequenting the parks for a while miss the original version of this ride.

This particular attraction has undergone multiple reimaginations over the years. It first began as Journey Into Imagination, then changed to Journey Into Your Imagination, and is now Journey Into Imagination with Figment. The unanimous vote among Guests is that the very first version was the best, making the versions that followed a disservice at best.

In all three versions, Figment the purple dragon has been present. However, in the newer versions, Figment comes off as a much more annoying character than he did previously. This is most likely due to the fact that his presence now needs to make up for the absence of the other main character of the original ride – Dreamfinder.

Dreamfinder was a well-liked character from Journey Into Imagination. Fans were distraught when the ride reopened as Journey Into Your Imagination and Dreamfinder was nowhere to be found. The new version of the ride was also much shorter and less impressive overall. Guests simply couldn’t understand why Disney would take a beloved ride and turn it into a knock-off version of itself.

Fixing Cultural Problems in Jungle Cruise

In 2021, the Jungle Cruise attractions were updated at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Disney announced that these changes would be made to correct the negative representation of natives that the rides held at the time.

Some of the specific scenes in question featured Africans being put in danger ahead of a white explorer, a headhunter tribe, and a character named Trader Sam who was depicted to be a cannibalistic tradesman who sold shrunken heads. These scenes were not only insensitive, but also inaccurate for the tribes, people, and locations being portrayed on the attraction. Many of the storylines, chosen costuming, and actions were placed in the ride to make these characters seem more violent and threatening than they realistically would be.

Over the years, there were many complaints about the racism that was on full display within the Jungle Cruise attraction. Even so, following the announcement of the changes that were being made, there were some disgruntled Guests that were upset that the classic ride was being altered. Others, however, praised Disney for finally taking the step towards making the attraction one that was culturally accurate and ultimately inoffensive.

Reimagined Pirates of the Caribbean Scene

Pirates of the Caribbean, another classic Disney attraction, also received an update in order to make necessary changes to a controversial portion of the ride. As a whole, Pirates didn’t need nearly as much done to it as Jungle Cruise did. However, there was one particular scene that rubbed Guests the wrong way – especially the women.

The scene that was frowned upon was the auction scene. Previously, at this auction, women were being auctioned off to be brides. A banner hung in the background that read “Auction: Take a Wench for a Bride”. During the scene, the auctioneer could be heard saying a variety of crude phrases towards the women such as, “Strike your colors, you brazen wench. No need to expose your superstructure” and “Shift yer cargo, dearie, show 'em your larboard side”.

The Rise of Redd

During the scene, attention was drawn specifically to a beautiful redheaded woman at the front of the line. Today, in the updated scene, this woman stands proudly as a confident pirate, named Redd, who is now running the auction. Rather than auctioning off women, animals and stolen goods are up for bid. If you pay attention to Redd’s lines, you’ll notice that one of them is a snarky nod back to the original script. However, this time, rather than patronizing women, the words are being said to a chicken. You’ll hear her say, “Strike yer feathers deary, show em yer flock”.

While this change in the attraction was necessary for the forward moving motion of the Disney Parks, not all Guests were happy about it. Again, they didn’t like that changes were made to a classic Disney attraction. Due to the multiple changes that Disney has made over the past couple years in an effort to be more aware and correct, many feel that the company is caving to those who are overly sensitive and easily offended.

Maelstrom Re-Theme

Maelstrom was a water ride that was located in the Norway Pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase. If you’re not familiar with this attraction, chances are, you’re familiar with its replacement – Frozen Ever After.

Maelstrom had a decently long run at EPCOT, running for a total of 16 years. However, as the years passed, the ride became less and less popular, taking up space and not bringing in the necessary attention that the Norway Pavilion needed. Because of this, it was decided that the ride would be closed down and rethemed to something that would attract more Guests to the area. The retheme to Frozen did just that.

While Maelstrom wasn’t very popular when it closed down, there were quite a few Guests who were disappointed about its closure. It was commonly felt that this iconic ride was more culturally fitting for the Norway Pavilion than a ride that was based on a movie that took place in a fictional country.

Even though some Guests mourned the loss of Maelstrom, a much larger number of Guests are thrilled with its Frozen-themed replacement. Today, almost 10 years prior to the opening of Frozen Ever After, the ride still regularly sees extremely long wait times.

DAS Pass Limitations

This year, Disney faced quite a bit of backlash when it changed availability for its DAS (Disability Access Service) pass. DAS passes are intended to help Guests with disabilities who struggle to stand in lines for long periods of time. With the pass, Guests with disabilities were able to schedule rides and attractions in advance, wait for their turn in a location of their choosing, and return to the ride when it was their turn. Previously, the DAS pass was available for Guests with any type of disability.

Unfortunately, Disney was forced to step in and make changes to these qualifying factors after a large number of Guests who didn’t actually need this pass took advantage of the system. Now, DAS passes are only available to Guests with developmental disorders such as autism.

As you can imagine, this resulted in a large uproar. Many Guests who have disabilities of their own, or travel with someone who does, are irate over this change. With arguments that Guests who live with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, and more, deserve the same opportunity to have access to this pass. Unfortunately, those who wanted to take advantage of the system ended up ruining it for those who could actually benefit from it.

The End of The Great Movie Ride

The Great Movie Ride was a nostalgic opening day attraction for Disney’s Hollywood Studios (known as MGM-Studios at the time). On this family-friendly dark ride, Guests were taken through a variety of iconic scenes from classic Hollywood movies. During the attraction, you would have up close, cinematic experiences in movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Raider of the Lost Ark, Casablanca, and more.

The Great Movie Ride truly did encompass the appreciation of film, movies, and Hollywood, which was what MGM-Studios was all about. However, as years passed and times changed, it was felt that Guests needed an attraction that gave them more, which resulted in the end of The Great Movie Ride.

The news of this closure left many fans upset. In the eyes of many, The Great Movie Ride was an “oldie, but goodie”. Even though it was outdated in comparison to some of the newer rides and attractions, it was still well-loved. To the disappointment of many, The Great Movie Ride took its final bow in 2017.

What Replaced It

Three years after the closure, the replacement for The Great Movie Ride opened up. The ride that took the place of this classic was Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. At first, many fans were hesitant to accept the idea of this new Mickey-themed attraction. While they appreciated that Mickey was finally getting his own ride at the Disney Parks, they wished it could have come without the sacrifice of The Great Movie Ride.

Fortunately, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has been a huge success. With a fun story, innovative ride technologies, and familiar faces, this attraction has remained popular among Guests.

For those who still miss The Great Movie Ride, keep your eyes peeled the next time you ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. There are multiple nods to its predecessor that can surely be appreciated. To find out where to look, read our article “10 Incredible Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway”.

Advanced Park Pass Reservations

When the parks reopened after the COVID-19 closures, they did so with a variety of changes. One of these changes was Advanced Park Pass Reservations. This new system was put into place in order to monitor the capacity level at each park.

With this new reservation system, Guests are required to select which park they would be visiting and what day they will be doing so. These reservations needed to be made prior to the Guest’s visit and were encouraged to be made at the time that tickets were purchased.

This was something that Guests were not used to and something that many were against. Understandably, the new reservation system took the spontaneity out of the vacation. Rather than showing up and choosing a park on a whim, it needed to be planned out in advance.

This is one change that came along with COVID that still hasn’t left. At Disney World, the system is a bit less restricting now and is only required for some Guests, such as Annual Passholders. At Disneyland, everyone is still required to make Advance Park Pass Reservations. To this day, it’s still unclear if this is something that will ever fully go away at the parks or if this is part of the “new normal”.

Disney's Not-So-Magical Express

In the past, Disney provided a complimentary transportation service from the Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World Resort hotels. This service was called Disney’s Magical Express. With the Magical Express, you didn’t need to worry about your luggage or how you would get to your hotel from the airport. Disney handled it all. It felt like your magical vacation began as soon as you boarded the Disney-themed bus and sat down on the pixie dust-patterned seats.

When Disney announced in January of 2021 that Disney’s Magical Express would be discontinued the following year, Guests were shocked. This was one service that simply felt like it was part of the Disney experience. The thought of no longer having the Magical Express seemed unreal.. but it was.

Since the ending of the service, MEARS, the company that owned and operated the Magical Express buses, has made transportation options available for Guests of Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Essentially, when using these options, you’re taking the same ride that you would have taken on the Magical Express, except now it comes at a price.

Realistically, Guests traveling from the Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World now simply have to make arrangements to and from the airport like they would for any other vacation. Options such as car rentals, shuttle services, and rideshares are readily available. However, that was part of the Guest complaint. Disney is starting to feel more and more like a normal vacation as bits and pieces of magic, such as this, are slowly being taken away.

Genie+ Replacing FastPass+

FastPass+ was a skip the line system that was in place at Walt Disney World. This service was both complementary and it also allowed Guests to make a select number of their ride reservations in advance.

In 2021, it was announced that FastPass+ was going to be replaced by a new system called Genie+. When Guests heard the details of Genie+, they were not happy. Genie+ was not only complicated and confusing, it also was a service that Guests would have to pay for.

Again, Guests felt like the magic was dwindling away from Disney as yet another service that used to be part of the experience now came at a price. While Genie+ was rather affordable in comparison to other skip the line services that are offered at other theme parks, it still became a costly expense for Guests that they didn’t need to previously worry about.

Since the debut of Genie+, we have seen some changes made to the service that seem to be pleasing for Guests. Unlike when it first premiered, Guests are now again able to make select ride reservations (called Lightning Lane Passes) in advance. The service now seems to be more like FastPast+, apart from the price tag that’s attached to it.

Splash Mountain Re-Theme

While there have been a variety of controversies over the years in regards to the Disney theme parks, one of the biggest was the re-theme of Splash Mountain. It was 2020 when it was announced that Splash Mountain would be completely rethemed. Disney made this decision because of the fact that Splash Mountain derives from the movie Song of the South.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Song of the South is a movie that Disney released in 1946. Not long after its release, the movie was pulled from the public eye and Disney has not released it since. Negative reception of the film pointed out the racist undertones in the movie that also wrongly portrays the life of slaves and African Americans post Civil War.

While the ride itself didn’t exactly shout racism, the characters and storyline still come from Song of the South. In an effort to be more aware and inclusive, Disney will continue to make these types of changes to correct wrongdoings and poor choices that have been made in the past.

The New Theme

The new reimagined version of the ride was set to be themed after The Princess and the Frog. The ride, called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, opened up this year at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The ride gives Guests a peek into how Tiana’s life has flourished after the ending of her movie. It includes a new story, characters, songs, and impressive animatronics.

A large number of Guests are thrilled for this new Tiana-inspired re-theme. However, an equally large number of Guests were very much against it. Whenever a classic Disney ride is touched, there are going to be people who are wildly against it.

Luckily, now that Guests have been able to experience the ride, the complaints have seemed to die down. The ride is very popular and is getting amazing reviews from those who have ridden it.

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