Alyees Qureshi
N00939178
MMC 1004
FINAL CASE STUDY
1 WEBSITE ANALYSIS:
The mission of the Walt Disney Company is “to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.” Unsurprisingly, Disney does a phenomenal job of staying true to their mission.
Disney not only creates but also inspires future artists, music, television, and various other forms of media. Disney has formulated a grand level of invincibility in the entertainment industry, as they pioneer media from the very shows that children watch to their upbringing into adulthood.
Besides remaking classic Disney movies into new modern films, Disney has the influence to even inspire those same adults to work in their company as Disney actors and performers. This all constitutes from Disney’s iconic brand of “magic” and influencing adults to play a part in that magic whether in media or as performer at their numerous amusement parks.
Disney owns various brands in the entertainment industry, many of which include: Pixar,
Marvel, American Broadcasting Company, Lifetime, Hollywood Records, and The Muppets.
Each brand has their own focus and brings their own specialty to the company (Wilson.) For example, Pixar primarily focuses on animated and computer generated films while the Marvel is dedicated to producing films based on Marvel Comics characters. Pixar films typically cater towards a younger audience while Marvel films are geared towards a more mature audience.
With this distributed branding strategy, Disney is able to target any age demographic in their audience to maximize profit and loyal viewership.
2 While Disney is widely dispersed geographically in many large cities across the globe, the company is headquartered in Burbank, California. Additionally, Disney Land parks have numerous locations in: Florida, California, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Hawaii
(Velu.) This shows the true global impact that Disney has on the world as it spans across many continents. Disney has chosen highly populated cities with very large inflows of tourist to brand their amusement park as a trademark tourist attraction. Disney Land experiences about 18 million visits per year and provides almost 100,000 jobs (Velu.) These numbers portray just how massive the company’s global reach is.
The layout of the Walt Disney Company’s website is very visually appealing, yet professional. The company showcases their most recent and important headlines on the front page, with additional information about investor relations and environmental impact further down the homepage. The website has easy accessibility as there are various tabs provided at the top of the page to guide the user towards their desired navigation path. The website is very transparent as it provides information on careers, environment, philanthropy, and current events regarding the company to its audience. The colorful yet minimalistic design of the layout and information makes this website extremely user friendly (Disney.)
3 CURRENT NEWS:
Article One
The Walt Disney Company article, “Disney Team of Heroes Debuts Innovative
Experiences at Texas Children’s Hospital,” discusses the company’s efforts to impact a positive change in children’s hospitals around the world. Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney
Company announced a $100 million commitment to support children’s hospitals. Leaders from the Texas Children’s Hospital and Disney have designed an initiative to exhibit murals, interactive art, and anecdotes to provide comfort and inspiration to children and their families.
This initiative is called “Disney Team of Heroes” and resonates strongly with the company’s ongoing mission to inspire and comfort to families with children facing serious illnesses.
The exhibition fuses many of the children’s favorite Disney characters and their classic stories with the patient journey to help reduce the anxiety of hospital stays for children. The company’s talented professionals and performers are what makes this challenging feat possible, and help bring back the magic in children’s’ lives. This strategy effectively aligns with the company’s brand to bring out the magic in people’s everyday lives.
Disney has implemented interactive Magic Windows that provide imaginative views into the living world throughout the spaces of Texas Children’s Hospitals. Furthermore, many breathtaking murals scale the walls of the hospital which sparks life into the environment. The
Disney WOW app can be used to activate the augmented reality with these art pieces that build into the personal narrative with the patients.
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Article Two
“The Walt Disney Company Pledges $5 Million to Support Rebuilding of Notre-Dame
Cathedral,” by the Walt Disney Company discusses the company’s announcement to commit 5 million dollars to aid in the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris,
France. The cathedral was devastated by a fire which severely damaged the historic landmark earlier this week. However, Disney has generously donated to help rebuild this “real world castle.”
Disney is well known for being an entity of art, talent, and culture and therefore this announcement shows that the company is willing to maintain that artistry in the real world as well. This aligns perfectly with the company’s mission to inspire people across the globe. This is a smart move as it further helps Disney bridge the magic between fantasy and the real world.
Many of Disney’s films are inspired by European fairy tales, so helping to preserve the integrity of Europe’s culture is a grand gesture by the company. The Notre-Dame is a structure of architecture and art and Disney has even created films and characters influenced by the structure itself. This shows that Disney has not forgotten its own artistic roots.
Additionally, Disney has its own amusement park in Paris, France. Therefore, it is a very smart business tactic to help rebuild the Notre-Dame in order to avoid any decrease in tourism to the city and their parks. Furthermore, this philanthropic move will only bode well for the company’s reputation who is otherwise infamous for maintaining a dramatic monopoly on the entertainment industry.
5 6 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW:
Interviewee: A high school friend who became a Disney princess performer at Disneyland.
Actors are required to remain anonymous by the company.
1. What was the audition process like to be a Disneyland cast member?
a. “I remember it was a two-day open call process in a very not-magical building
called the TDA. Most of Disney’s behind the scenes developments take place
there. The line wrapped around the entire building and people were called in by
groups of fifty. Everyone was lined up and given a number and then we were
examined by the judges. They called up the numbers who made the first cut,
which were not many. Then we had to do dance auditions and were cut again.
After that we were given wigs and makeup and were told to smile. That was the
first day. When we returned the second day, they asked us to tell a story about
Mickey Mouse and use different voices. After that was the final cut, and I was
lucky enough to make it.”
2. Did you have to go through rigorous training to act like your character?
a. “Yes we had to train and observe for two months at Disney University before we
were even allowed work in the parks.”
3. Were there any tasks that you didn’t like while working?
7 a. “Not particularly. However, when princesses first start, they have to train as a fur
character first. These characters have full costumes that are really hot and their
characters don’t even speak!”
4. Who does your hair and makeup for your character?
a. “We do our own hair and makeup. It was difficult at first but they have makeup
guides that you can follow. Eventually I got used to it!”
5. How long does it take to get ready for your character?
a. “It normally takes about 45 minutes to get ready, which isn’t much longer than my
own usual makeup routine.”
6. Are you required to look absolutely perfect as a Disney princess?
a. “The whole point of being an actor is so that every guest meets the same exact
princess every time. You can get written up if a Disney Princess wears nail polish
or a Disney Prince forgets to shave.”
7. What is the hardest part about being a Disney princess?
a. “Being a Disney princess means that you have to know the entire character inside
and out, and that becomes even harder when you act as multiple characters. You
must know their favorite color, her lines, and their mannerisms down to the tee.
8 8. Have you ever accidentally came out of character?
a. “At first I would mix up my own name with my characters when introducing
myself or signing autographs.”
9. What was your favorite part about being a Disney princess?
a. “My favorite part about being a Disney princess is definitely playing a part in
Disney’s magic. When I was a little girl I used to love playing princesses with my
sisters, and actually becoming one at Disneyland makes that memory come full
circle.”
10. What is the environment like working at Disney backstage?
a. “While you do get to know your coworkers well and their lives outside of work,
there definitely is an interesting social hierarchy at the workplace. The princesses
are like the queen bees because they’re are beautiful and most sought after at the
parks. But in reality, that stigma is untrue, most princess are actually just college
students like me!”
9 TEXT CONCEPTS:
The text describes that culture is a way of life that are passed on to members of a society through time and keep the society together.” Disney implements a sense of culture by implementing magic in people’s everyday lives. For example, Disney donating money to support and redesign children’s hospitals is an attempt to project Disney culture to the benefit of ill children to positively change their experience through serious illness (Turow.)
According to Turow, stereotypes are defined as “predictable depictions that reflect (and sometimes create cultural prejudices.” While the Walt Disney Company has a scary stereotype of being a large monopoly in the entertainment industry, they do break that stereotype as seen in the news articles discussing their donations to children’s hospitals and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
While Disney is still able to maintain their magical persona in the real world, behind the scenes they are still strict company. As seen in the interview, Disneyland actors can be written up for even just having the wrong nail color or an untrimmed beard. This is a form of internal pressures on the media to self-regulate the company (Turow.) In order to maintain Disney’s credibility with the public and their target audience, Disney media executives set up self- regulation policies and code of conduct. Part of that conduct is playing and looking the part for
Disney actors. However, even Disney’s written media sugarcoats the verbiage of the company’s activities. In their press release, Disney described the Notre-Dame as “a beacon of hope and beauty” and that they “stand with their friends and neighbors.” While Disney is philanthropic, it is still a business, and they do everything to maintain their public image.
10 This all falls in line with media literacy principle one that the media constructs our induvial realities. Disney’s face In the media is their public persona that they are allowing their audience to see and believe (Turow.) They implement this face on their television shows, films, and amusement parks. Finally, this is all derived by media literacy principle two, since Disney is a business and faces the industrial pressures to make money (Turow.) The selling of their perfect brand is crucial to Disney’s marketing, and is what makes a visit to Disneyland every child’s dream and the wallets of parent’s nightmare.
11 Works Cited
“Disney Team of Heroes Debuts Innovative Experiences at Texas Children’s Hospital.” The
Walt Disney Company, 17 April, 2019. Web. 17 April, 2019. https://
www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-team-of-heroes-debuts-innovative-experiences-
at-texas-childrens-hospital/
“The Walt Disney Company Pledges $5 Million to Support Rebuilding of Notre-Dame
Cathedral.” The Walt Disney Company, 17 April, 2019. Web. 17 April, 2019. https://
www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/the-walt-disney-company-pledges-5-million-to-
support-rebuilding-of-notre-dame-cathedral-2/
“The Walt Disney Company.” The Walt Disney Company. Web. 15 April, 2019.
https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com
Turow, Joseph. “Media Today: Mass Communication in a Coverging World.” Routledge, Taylor
& Francis Group, 2017.
Velu, Archana. “All you know about Disneyland Locations Around the World.” Sky Scanner, 27
June, 2018. Web. 15 April, 2019. https://www.skyscanner.co.in/news/all-you-know-
about-disneyland-locations-around-the-world
Wilson, Kevin. “13 Brands You Didn’t Know Were Owned by Disney.” Screen Rant, 21 Jan.,
12 2016. Web. 15 April, 2019. https://screenrant.com/disney-owned-brands-properties-trivia/
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