Disney has come under furious fire after debuting a ‘woke’ new look for Minnie Mouse, which sees the beloved character abandoning her signature red polka-dot dress in favor of a ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney.
Disneyland Paris unveiled the famous character’s new outfit on Tuesday via Twitter, announcing that Minnie has undergone a high-fashion makeover in honor of its 30th anniversary. However, within minutes of the tweet being posted, dozens of users began voicing outrage over the style change.
Minnie – who was created almost 100 years ago, in 1928 – has famously worn a red and white polka-dot dress in the park for years. Until now.
Stella created the new costume for Minnie in honor of Women’s History Month, which takes place in March, and in celebration of the French park’s anniversary, explaining that the ensemble is meant to transform the cartoon into ‘a symbol of progress for a new generation’.
However, the move has been met with uproar online, where many are questioning why Minnie has been given a ‘woke’ new makeover, which comes in the same week that Disney found itself at the center of another furor over its upcoming live-action remake of Snow White, and amid increasing outrage over the studio’s haphazard attempts to present a more politically-correct image.
In the past two years, Disney has implemented several woke changes across its entire company, from adding racism warnings to several of its classic movies – including Peter Pan and The Jungle Book – to encouraging white staff members to ‘decolonize their bookshelves’ as part of anti-racism training.
Disney sparked outrage after debuting a ‘new look’ for Minnie Mouse – ditching her iconic red polka-dot dress in favor of a ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney
Disneyland Paris unveiled the famous character’s brand new outfit on Tuesday via Twitter – but many people were not a fan and quickly put the company on blast for the change
Minnie – who was created almost 100 years ago, in 1928 – has famously worn a red and white polka-dot dress in the park for years
Earlier this week, Disney left many fans scratching their heads when it announced that its upcoming live-action remake of Snow White will feature ‘a different approach’ to the seven dwarves that appeared in the original story, following criticism from Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage.
Its latest controversial move sees the company transforming Minnie Mouse – arguably one of its most well-known characters – with McCartney dressing her in a blue polka-dot blazer with matching pants instead of the white-and-red polka dot dress she is best known for.
Stella (pictured) created the new costume for her – in honor of Women’s History Month, which takes place in March, and in celebration of the French park’s 30th anniversary
She also replaced Minnie’s red bow with a blue one and swapped her beloved yellow pumps for a pair of black shoes.
Despite having a few different outfits over her years as a cartoon, Minnie’s signature red dress has become a staple for the character’s look in the theme parks.
She has also always worn a skirt or dress – and has never rocked pants before this, making her new outfit one that will go down in history.
‘I wanted Minnie to wear her very first pantsuit at Disneyland Paris, so I have designed one of my iconic costumes – a blue tuxedo – using responsibly sourced fabrics,’ Stella – who is also the daughter of Paul McCartney – said in a statement.
‘This new take on her signature polka dots makes Minnie Mouse a symbol of progress for a new generation.’
The designer, who launched her own clothing line in 2001 and has since gone on to make a major name for herself in the fashion industry, said that Minnie has always had a ‘special place in her heart’ since they share the ‘same values.’
‘I am delighted to be working with the one, the only, the iconic Minnie Mouse,’ she continued.
‘Minnie has always had a special place in my heart. We share the same values.
‘What I love about Minnie is the fact that she embodies happiness, self-expression, and authenticity, and that she inspires people of all ages around the world. Plus, she has such great style.’
Despite having a few different outfits over her years as a cartoon, Minnie’s signature red dress has become a staple for the character’s look in the theme parks
She has also always worn a skirt or dress – and has never rocked pants before this, making her new outfit one that will go down in history
However, the change was met with a very cold shoulder from fans, launching a vicious attack against the company – with one person calling Minnie’s new look ‘more woke BS.’
Some even compared her ‘fit to something that former First Lady Hillary Clinton would wear.
‘Way to go Disney, you turned Minnie Mouse into Hillary Clinton,’ one person wrote.
Another added: ‘People: “Hey Disney, you should actually give gay/queer characters storylines and also maybe pay your employees a livable wage.”
‘Disney: “Minnie Mouse wears a pant suit now.’
‘I was never a Disney mascot fan but WTF?’ someone else said. ‘A covert Hillary homage or just woke pandering run amok.
‘What’s next, will she transition into a Michael so Mickey can full express himself?’
However, the change was met with a very cold shoulder from fans, launching a vicious attack against the company – with one person calling Minnie’s new look ‘more woke BS’
Some even compared her ‘fit to something that former First Lady Hillary Clinton would wear
Another disgruntled user tweeted: ‘Oh Hell no. I’m re-designing this. Love the idea… despite the execution. But it’s not even red?’
‘More woke BS. The design’s nice but we’re talking about a character that is almost 100 years old,’ someone else pointed out.
‘The OG look is timeless, and the whole point of it was to differentiate her from Mickey (especially back in the ’20s).
‘Minnie in a suit makes her look like Mickey in a suit.’
Author, talk show host, and conservative political commentator Candace Owens even got involved, and she blasted Disney for the change during an episode of Fox News on Wednesday.
‘I am so glad they are doing this,’ she said sarcastically.
‘This is why people don’t take these people seriously, they are taking all of these things that nobody was offended by and feel they have to get rid of them and destroy them.
A second new look was also created for Minnie, which consisted of a pink shiny dress with white embellishments throughout, as well as a top hat that had a giant pink bow on it
Mickey will also be wearing something different for the anniversary. His new outfit will be made up of blue pants, a white vest, purple coat, and lavender bow-tie
Author, talk show host, and conservative political commentator Candace Owens even got involved, and she blasted Disney for the change during an appearance on Fox News
‘[This is] because they are bored, they are absolutely bored, they are trying to destroy the fabrics of our society pretending that there are issues.
‘This is so everybody looks over here, look at Minnie Mouse, don’t look at inflation. Look at Minnie Mouse, the world is going forward because we have got her in a pantsuit.
‘Never mind that you can’t get anything in the grocery store and you can’t buy a piece of bacon unless you have got thirty dollars in your pocket, at least we are addressing the real problem which is Minnie Mouse.’
A second new look was also created for Minnie, which consisted of a pink shiny dress with white embellishments throughout, as well as a top hat that had a giant pink bow on it.
Mickey will also be wearing something different for the anniversary. His new outfit will be made up of blue pants, a white vest, purple coat, and lavender bow-tie.
Disney’s overhaul of Mickey and Minnie’s ensembles is the latest in a long line of controversial moves made by the company, which has been heavily criticized over the past few years as a result of its attempts to implement more progressive policies.
One of the moves that prompted the most fury was Disney’s announcement in October 2020 that it would be slapping racism warnings on a number of decades-old movies as they were released on its streaming service Disney+.
Movies that now come complete with an anti-racism warning include 1970 musical comedy The Aristocats, 1955 canine love story Lady and the Tramp, and 1960 adventure Swiss Family Robinson.
The disclaimer added to these movies and others like Peter Pan and The Jungle Book, appears at the start of the movie and reads: ‘This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.
‘These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.’
When it comes to the studio’s live-action remake of Snow White, Disney is taking preemptive action, revealing earlier this week that it will not feature the classic depiction of the central character’s seven companions as dwarves.
Following furious criticism from actor Peter Dinklage, the company – which is in its third year of development for the live-action remake of the Disney classic tale – announced that it has been consulting with members of the dwarfism community throughout the early stages of production.
Earlier this week, Disney left many people scratching their heads when it announced that its live-action Snow White will ‘take a different approach’ to the seven dwarves
‘To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,’ a spokesperson said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday.
‘We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.’
It is currently unclear what that ‘different approach’ is.
In 2020, it was also announced that Disney was overhauling its Splash Mountain ride so that it would no longer be based off of the 1946 movie Song of the South.
Song of the South was previously removed by Disney from all streaming services due to allegations of racism and stereotypes of African Americans.
Last year, the company also revealed that it was going to update the ride Jungle Cruise and remove all ‘negative depictions of natives.’
‘We want to make sure everybody has the best time – that guests from all over the world can connect with the stories we share and that how we bring those to life are respectful of the diverse world we live in,’ Chris Beatty, Walt Disney Imagineering creative portfolio executive, told D23 at the time.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel
Source link