Fire Chapek Petition Gains Major Steam, Over 30K Signatures in 24 Hours

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

Yesterday, it was reported that a petition calling for the firing of Disney CEO Bob Chapek was gaining steam after being shared by several former Disney Imagineers. The petition claimed that Chapek was making decisions that decreased the quality of in-Park experiences, as well as favoring reusing IPs instead of coming up with new and original ideas at the Parks. The petition also claimed that Chapek was putting making money over Disney products and the quality of The Walt Disney Company.

Now, the petition was started over one year ago, but in that time, it had only amassed several thousand signatures — including over 300 in the time it took to write and publish this article. However, after being shared by some with larger social media followings, the petition exploded and now has just over 40,000 signatures — receiving nearly 35,000 signatures in just 24 hours. Thousands of users are sharing the petition on social media and encouraging others to sign.

According to the Change.org petition:

In early 2020 he became the CEO of the Walt Disney Company which was extremely concerning. Bob Chapek has made an excessive amount of budget cuts, even with the Covid-19 pandemic being considered. Budget cuts began before the pandemic began, and increased. He recently reinstated full executive salaries at Disney, and also has laid off over 28,000 employees throughout the company. And now he is moving the focus to Disney plus, the current big money maker, instead of keeping the parks at high quality.

Normally you would think to keep the quality of the parks during a time of decreased revenue, but he is concerned about what will make him the most money quickest. Maintenance at the parks has also gotten its worst under Chapek, and is not getting better. Chapek has proven he doesn’t care about the quality and legacy of Disney.

Within the petition to fire Chapek is one that suggests Josh D’Amaro — the current Chairman of Disney Parks, Products, and Experiences — should take over as CEO of the massive company. Chapek had been in the position D’Amaro now occupies before he was promoted to CEO in February 2020 with former CEO Bob Iger taking the rank of Executive Chairman.

It is important to remember that just because the petition has amassed tens of thousands of signatures, that does not mean that Disney will be required to make any changes to its current leadership. However, if enough fans voice their concerns, Disney may perk up their ears and take note.

There’s a Petition To Rehire Johnny Depp For Pirates Of The Caribbean

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Via DisDining.com

When you think of Pirates of the Caribbean, we are guessing Captain Jack Sparrow comes to mind right away. This iconic character in the Pirates movies in many ways defined the movies themselves propelling them to greatness. This is why many are surprised that Disney would continue on without the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow.

Following his legal feud with former wife Amber Heard, Disney seems reluctant to continue to work with Depp moving forward if there were to be a Pirates reboot.

As you’d expect, fans of Jack Sparrow took to social media to show their support for the iconic character and they even started a petition to have the Mouse House rehire Depp, which is currently closing in on 400K signatures on Change.org, as it currently sits at just under 370,000 and is gathering steam rather quickly. It is hard to imagine Pirate without Captain Jack’s charm and charisma.

Disney Cast Members Start Petition To Delay Reopening

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Select Walt Disney World Resorts reopened today, June 22. The next step is the phased reopening July 11 (Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom) and July 15 (EPCOT & Hollywood Studios). As Disney gears up for the big reopening, it seems Cast Members are petitioning otherwise as COVID-19 is re-surging in Florida.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, some Disney World workers are pleading with theme park executives to reconsider plans to reopen in July, following days of record-number cases of COVID-19 infections that have pushed the statewide total past 100,000. Reopening would mean bringing back tens of thousands of workers who were furloughed April 19 and since then have struggled to navigate Florida’s broken unemployment system. Still, workers who signed the petition said it’s too soon to welcome back guests.

“This virus is not gone, unfortunately, it’s only become worse in this state,” reads the petition, which was approaching 4,000 signatures Monday, a small showing of the resort’s 78,000 staffers. “While theme parks are a great way to relax and enjoy free time, it is a non-essential business; it is not fair to the people who work there to risk their lives, especially if they are at risk or have family members who are at risk. People are more important than making a profit. Mayors, theme park executives, government officials — please hear what we are saying.”

But with Disney set to start its phased-in reopening in just a few weeks, nearly four months after it voluntarily shut down on March 16, it’s unclear if executives will be swayed by the plea.

Disney also is facing pushback from Disneyland workers who over the past two weeks have collected nearly 45,000 signatures calling to delay the Anaheim, California, park’s reopening amid rising ICU hospitalizations.

Disney would not comment on whether there had been any discussions over postponing the Orlando return, but the parks have previously laid out the safety precautions, as well as the decision to give paid sick leave to workers who develop symptoms and need to quarantine.