The D-Files Part 3: Disney the Killer of Dreams

Bye, Bye, Old White Guy

Disney could not reach 50/50 male/female equity without clearing out the “Old White Guys.” They needed to go, and outright firing them was not an option. The tactic was simple: first, exasperate, and then attack.

It started with “demotions” for the “Old White Guys” in an attempt to demoralize them. The targets were given mundane and inconsequential scenes to work on, regardless of their vast experience…scraps for the dogs. Second, if they questioned or complained about their assignment, they were given impossible scenes to work on in an impossible amount of time. When the work was turned in, the new emboldened recruits harshly criticized their work to the point of humiliation. The goal was to make life so miserable that they’d quit or be forced to fall in line with the new normal. If that didn’t work, something worse was waiting in the wings.

The once-happy Disney family created over the decades was quickly torn apart. One YouTube commenter said, “male animators are hesitant to work with or around women in fear of being canceled, fired.” The passive-aggressive messages began to sink in…they were no longer wanted. Many veterans chose to leave for the sake of their mental health and self-respect. Others were forced to endure the abuse for financial reasons and simply sit quietly and mind their business.

Toxic Work Environment

Sadly, the tactics worked. The effort to remove or control the “Old White Guys” was effective, and the activists began to “hunker down.” As the young Millennial and Gen Z artist-activists began filling quickly vacated positions, their behavior was emboldened. These recruits had an advocate in Women in Animation (WiA). At this point, WiA was becoming a powerful player in animation. Their leadership was filling prominent executive positions at ALL the major studios as well as within the Animation Guild (the animators’ union).

Being the resource that they were, the female recruits had access to lectures on gender/social issues on the WiA website. These lectures included how to handle situations where you feel uncomfortable at a studio, discussions on how to be “heard” at staff meetings, “seen” at creative meetings, and how to “rise” through the ranks of leadership quickly. Everything you need to have a “successful” career was there without mentioning “animation” entering the conversation. Ironic as the “A” in WiA stands for “animation.”

“These new hires were recruited as activists and trained to be ‘bullies.'”

The toxicity of the Tumblr and Reddit forums now invaded all corners of Disney Animation. These new activist recruits were being groomed to be office “bullies.” They were actively encouraged to expose inappropriate office culture behavior and report it to HR. They were proactively looking for men and non-compliant females to complain about, all under the guise of “making a more healthy working environment.” Spies were everywhere in the office, and you didn’t know who was listening to your conversation or where they were lurking. Question. Wasn’t there a time not so long ago when citizens were asked to spy and report on their “problematic” neighbors? Keep your answer to yourself, and for God’s sake, don’t tweet about it.

Soon, there was an effort to root out the infidels. All meetings opened with the gentle encouragement that “this is a safe space.” It meant everyone was free to talk over any issues and be heard. In the immortal words of Admiral Ackbar, “It’s a trap!!!” One source told me that no one over 40 would say anything to avoid heat from the “crybabies” existing in this safe space, which then turned into a public lecture or reprimand about racism or misogyny. If your “crime” was especially horrible (or perceived that way), you were forced to take sensitivity punishments courses to keep your job and become an ally.

Question: What is the difference between an adult and a child? Adults have thick skin and let criticism fall off their backs. Children fall apart and run to mommy (HR) to take care of the bad man. The problem was that this “tattletale” behavior was encouraged by senior management. All it would take was someone in power to tell these kids to grow up, and this behavior would end. Yet, the calvary never came.

White male artists were constantly being brought into HR for the most minor infractions on race, gender, or sexual orientation. Most of the complaints were described as ridiculous and dumb. NOTE: When asked for specific examples, all of my sources said that the details of their “crimes” were so specific they would reveal their identities and jeopardize their current jobs. Believe me, I asked many times, which leads us to the “Animation Blacklist.” [click CONTINUE]