Reel News: Christian Family Group Gives Up Nine-Year Disney Boycott
American Family Association ends Disney boycott. Light sabers are dangerous. Farewell to "Tony the Tiger" and the "Grinch" singer. And more.
by Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 05/31/05

The Incredibles. Holes. Spirited Away. Pirates of the Caribbean. Finding Nemo. Toy Story 2. Lilo and Stitch. The Rookie. The Emperor's New Groove. Remember the Titans. The Straight Story. Tarzan. The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

What do these films have in common?

They were all released by Walt Disney Pictures in the last nine years. And that is how long that the American Family Association, a Christian organization, has been boycotting Disney films due to the company's policies regarding homosexuality.

Last week, Tim Wildmon, AFA president, said that the company was dropping the boycott due to "positive signs" that Disney has shown improvement in certain areas, particularly regarding what he described as "arrogance" and an "embrace of the homosexual lifestyle."

"We feel after nine years of boycotting Disney we have made our point," Wildmon said. "Boycotts have always been a last resort for us at AFA, and Disney's attitude, arrogance, and embrace of the homosexual lifestyle gave us no choice but to advocate a boycott of the company these last few years."

How effective was the boycott? Disney will proceed with the 15th anniversary celebration of Gay Day at Disney World in Florida. Disney's profits have grown in recent years, according to reports from the Associated Press. The founder of Gay Day, Doug Swallow, remarked at Gay.com, "Why are they announcing the end of a boycott that can only be characterized as unknown, and certainly not effective? They're seeking publicity and they're likely going to use the opportunity in some manner to aid their continuous fundraising efforts."

Some recent events—CEO Michael Eisner's replacement and the departure of Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the notorious heads of Miramax, a Disney subsidiary which often releases films that are considered too violent or sexual for family viewing—have pleased the AFA. But Wildmon will not rule out the possibility of another boycott in the future.

Whatever the results of the boycott, Disney has produced some of the finest family entertainment ever produced for the screen in the past few years, like the pro-family storytelling in The Rookie and Pixar's The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Some of the Christians working in Hollywood are busy developing the big screen adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for Disney.

You can read more about the story in Christianity Today's Weblog, Yahoo! News, Church Central, ClarionLedger.com, and the gay magazine The Advocate.

In other movie news:

Light saber duels: Don't try them at home! (Yahoo! News)
Star Wars fans maimed during home-style saber fight.

Thurl Ravenscroft, Disney voice and singer of "Grinch" songs, dead. (IMDb.com)
Tolkien fans may remember his resonant singing from the Rankin/Bass Hobbit film.

School of Rock director working on Fast Food Nation. (Empire)
Linklater plans to look at fast food industry from many angles—especially the wide angle.

Rolling Stone puts Darth Vader on the cover (Rolling Stone)
George Lucas discusses the origins of the character.

Terry Mattingly muses on Sith and "absolutes." (Scripps Howard)
Mattingly highlights contradictions in Lucas's lessons.

Four—yes, four—soundtrack albums for first Narnia film (Yahoo! News)
The soundtrack, a children's album, a collection of rock songs, and a collection of Christian rock songs.

Ismail Merchant of Merchant/Ivory period-piece films passes away. (Yahoo! News)
Moviegoers bid farewell to the man behind A Room with a View and Howard's End.

Sylvester Stallone to direct film about Edgar Allen Poe (Coming Soon)
Film may star Robert Downey, Jr. in the lead role.

Masterful French filmmakers take top prize at Cannes (Movie City News)
The Dardennes Brothers, who made Rosetta and The Son, earn another prestigous award.

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