Disney to Permanently Shutter Its Expensive, Interactive ‘Star Wars’ Hotel

Given the anxious vibes in the entertainment business of late, the NBA and NHL playoffs have been a welcome throwback to happier times.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Obama-appointed judge who was overseeing Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recused himself on Thursday over a relative’s ownership of 30 shares of Disney stock. The case was transferred to Judge Allen C. Winsor, an appointee of President Trump who previously upheld the state’s Parental Rights in Education law. That law, known to its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, is at the center of the Disney-DeSantis controversy. Disney sued DeSantis in April, alleging that the state had engaged in a campaign of retaliation against the company over its opposition to the bill. The state rescinded Disney’s special governing district in Orlando, and then reconstituted it under the control of five DeSantis appointees.

2ND UPDATE, 5:20 PM: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today won a victory in his legal skirmishes with the Walt Disney Company — but not for the reasons he wanted to.

This year’s Gay Days, the annual LGBTQ+ pride event that draws tens of thousands to Walt Disney World and other attractions around Orlando, is taking place amid concerns over the ultimate impact of a series of new laws championed by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis.

Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis once again called out Disney over Memorial Day weekend, and, come Tuesday morning, the hosts of “Morning Joe” were cracking up at the Florida governor’s assumption that invoking his feud with the company would help him in a state like Iowa.During an interview with “Fox and Friends”, DeSantis argued that Iowans should vote for him over twice-impeached-once-indicted former president Trump, because Trump has “taken the side of Disney” and “I think a multi-billion-dollar company that sexualizes children is not consistent with the values of Florida, or the values of a place like Iowa.”After playing that clip on Tuesday morning, the “Morning Joe” hosts and panelists were stunned before anything else.“Ron DeSantis decides that he’s gonna launch his campaign by talking about how the Magic Kingdom sexualizes children,” Scarborough marveled. “This is something that, again, we’ve all grown up with Disney.

Having seen his 2024 White House bid embarrassingly misfire on the launch pad last week, Ron DeSantis is once again being mocked by both the Walt Disney Company and Donald Trump for his luckless battle with the Mouse House.

After waving their sports flags proudly last week at their upfronts pitches to ad buyers, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery are confronting a head-scratching situation with the NBA and NHL playoffs.

If the feud between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was going to be escalated yet again, parks chief Josh D’Amaro didn’t seem like he would be the one to do it.

If you figured the war between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis was going to take a breather for the weekend, think again.

K.J. Yossman Less than eighteen months after Disney opened its first “Star Wars” themed hotel in Orlando, Fla. to much fanfare, the company has confirmed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is set to cease operations. “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment,” said a spokesperson for Disney, according to CNBC. “This premium experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and we will take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”

A spokesman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis downplayed the company’s announcement that it was canceling a planned project that would have moved thousands of employees from California to the Sunshine State.

Just over a week ago, Bob Iger rhetorically asked the adversarial  Gov. Ron DeSantis if Florida really wanted Disney’s considerable business and tax revenue, or not. Now, without mentioning the would-be presidential contender nor his attacks on the company, the Mouse House has pulled some of that business and taxes revenues from the Sunshine State.

About four years after it was announced by then chairman of Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Bob Chapek and about a year after it officially opened, Disney revealed today that it would be closing the pricey (for guests, anyway) Star Wars themed Galactic Starcruiser experience in September. The news came on the same morning that Parks and Resorts boss Josh D’Amaro sent a note to Disney Parks, Experiences & Products employees confirming that Disney is abandoning its plan to move around 2,000 staffers and their families to central Florida from California.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Walt Disney Co. has scrapped plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Orlando, as the company continues to wage a political and legal battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. In an email to employees on Thursday, Disney executive Josh D’Amaro said that “considerable changes,” including “new leadership” and “changing business conditions,” had led to the decision to cancel the project. Disney had planned to move 2,000 employees to the Lake Nona complex once it was complete, mostly from the Imagineering division. The company announced the project in 2021, and reports indicated it could have benefited from as much as $500 million in state tax incentives.

As many of you know, the company had decided to build a new Disney campus in Lake Nona and many Cast Members, Imagineers, and Employees were asked to commit to making a move to Florida. While some were excited about the new campus, I know that this decision and the circumstances surrounding it have been difficult for others.Given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus.

Rita Ferro, Disney’s ad sales and partnerships chief, urged media buyers at the company’s New York upfront Tuesday to “lean into all aspects of diversity” with their marketing commitments.

The Walt Disney Co. is asking a judge to dismiss or stay a state lawsuit brought by the special district that oversees its Florida property, calling the litigation “moot” given recent actions taken by the state.

A school teacher is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education after she showed the class the Disney animated movie Strange World.

Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the lawsuit brought by Scarlett Johansson over her share of “Black Widow” streaming revenue. Daniel, formerly Disney’s Film and TV Distribution Head, left shortly after Iger’s return.

TikTok video posted on Saturday. Barbee says the film — which is Disney’s first movie with an openly gay character — aligned with students’ Earth science lesson. Barbee stated that every parent previously signed off on their children being shown PG films in class.