In yet another twist involving the Walt Disney Company, Elon Musk posted a chart showcasing “Disney General Entertainment Content Inclusion Standards” that someone reportedly sent him anonymously. But it isn’t new.

This is not the first time we have seen this chart before. Variety posted one like it back in 2020 from ABC.

Disney didn’t hide it then. They unveiled it to everyone. 

An anonymous source just sent me this from Disney. It is mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism! pic.twitter.com/npMy8YfA1j

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2024

Whether or not Disney is still using these standards is unclear, but we do know that ABC passed on good shows because they did not meet the standards.

Back in 2021, Walt Disney Television chairman of entertainment, Dana Walden, was part of a Chapman University and “Glamour” panel where she said they passed on good shows but didn’t meet the standards. 

“I will tell you for the first time we received some incredibly well-written scripts that did not satisfy our standards in terms of inclusion, and we passed on them.”

She used an example of a script that centered on a white family with diverse neighbors, and they passed because “That’s not going to get on the air anymore because that’s not what our audience wants. That’s not a reflection of our audience, and I feel good about the direction we’re moving.”

The graphic explains a lot of Disney’s choices of late.

This would likely explain why many shows and films from Disney, Lucasfilm, and Marvel have race or gender-swapped characters. Reboots of shows like “The Wonder Years” with a BIPOC cast or even a race swapped Ariel for “The Little Mermaid.” Or does it explain why Disney has replaced most of the male Marvel heroes with female or race-swapped character versions?

We also have had a lot of films and shows of late that featured directors for “underrepresented demographics,” even if they didn’t have the experience or qualifications they should have had. Of course, other diverse directors have that experience but weren’t chosen or didn’t want to work for Disney. 

I only point these out because it seems to confirm what the graphic indicates. Disney was not alone in this. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also put up DEI mandates in late summer of 2020. A studio wants nominations; they had to abide by the diversity rules.

Several studios then implemented similar guidelines to ensure they would be eligible for various things, including awards. 

However, it is unclear if these are still being used. Disney has suffered many show cancelations, box office failures, and declining viewership on Marvel and “Star Wars” streaming shows. Many have been based on changes that could possibly be tied to these studio mandates. 

Currently, “Daredevil: Born Again” was completely revamped with a new team brought in, and old fan-favorite actors/characters suddenly returned when they were told not to be part of the original plan. But at the same time, Disney is said to be doubling down on Rey films, too. Now we may have a black woman replace Captain Jack Sparrow for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. So, who knows? 

But this is an actual guideline Disney was using, at least at ABC.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!