WELCOME!

Drawing on the principles of Diffusion of Innovations, this paper examines Disney’s emphasis on public speaking through its various television programs, during training sessions for employees, and even at its theme parks. Introduced by Everett Rogers (1962), Diffusion of Innovations postulates that an innovation is initiated within a specific group of people. Then, it is diffused via specific channels across the larger cultural context. What this analysis has demonstrated is that stressing the importance of public speaking for Disney’s employees can be an innovation that matches Disney’s pre- existing system, which would require fewer changes and would be easy to adopt. The wider environment of the Walt Disney Company exerts pressures on the organization itself. If public speaking is increasingly diffusing through the organization’s environment for any reason, it is likely that the organization will adopt it as a major policy or practice for its employees.

In Case 3 of the Regional Ethics Bowl Cases, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, is brought into question about her recent transphobic tweets. Some fans of the series are unsure as to whether they can continue to consume her work or not, fearing that doing so will be supporting views that are inherently against their moral values. In order to understand this case more, this paper provides a more inclusive summary of the case, the ethical dilemma of whether or not it is okay to separate art from the artist, and a response in favor of this separation using a variety of ethical arguments including utilitarianism, virtue ethics, the values of aesthetics and beauty, and an analogous connection to Walt Disney.

The Walt Disney Company is a multi-billion-dollar company that is known to have an extreme influence on people of all ages, from infants to adults to the elderly. Fans around the world tend to expect the Walt Disney Company to represent ethical values and be a trail blazer in pushing humanity into a future of morals and goodness. The issue, though, is that many people disagree on what is considered morally good. Especially today, a huge debate centers around the inclusion of homosexuality. This paper seeks to explore whether or not the Walt Disney Company includes an adequate representation of queer characters in their media and products.

As theme parks progress into the future, they are developing attractions and experiences that engage the guest more than ever before! It can be argued that theme parks are taking hints and inspiration from the world of theatre, specifically, immersive theatre. In an article titled, “You’re in the Parade! Disney as Immersive Theatre and the Tourist as Actor,” it is said that “‘the multidimensional medium’ of immersive theatre ‘blur[s] spaces and roles,’” (Kokai & Robinson, 2019), allowing both audience members and actors to have a say in how a story unfolds. This same methodology can be applied to theme parks, especially the Walt Disney theme parks, as guests are expected just as much as Cast Members to play along in the themed environment around them, set to immerse them in whatever story they are located. In order to understand immersive theatre and theme parks, this paper will provide a clear definition of immersive theatre, an application of immersive theatre to theme parks, and examples of immersive theatre taking place in themed environments and theme parks.