maybe, i'm not a fortune teller. though i can say that seeing the smiling faces of kids going on splash mountain and jungle cruise every time i go would mean that they are not offended by anything they see. so unless somebody is telling them to be offended i dont see kids growing up to hate disney because of things like splash mountain.
i agree with your examples and think things have changed for better but i dont think what your describing applies to things like these disney changes.
I'm going to separate my response into two thoughts:
1) Splash is primarily popular because of the large drop into water on a hot day, not because of the characters from a movie that 99% of guests have
not seen. Jungle Cruise is popular (is it really though?) because of the skippers and jungle animals, not because of the depiction colonialism and caricatures of indigenous people or minorities. The fact that, as you said, the kids are smiling and don't notice, shows that changing the themes, scenes or depictions will not make a material change to the rides, therefore, updating them to be more open-minded will not have a negative impact on enjoyment of your average guest.
2) Kids, today, are learning to be open-minded, to accept that their friend has same-sex parents, that minorities and biracial families are depicted in commercials (remember a few years ago when Cheerios got in trouble over a biracial commercial? Now that is the default "family" on TV commercials), that animals should not be in cages or tanks (SeaWorld issues), that people are not property and that we are a nation of immigrants and our diversity makes us stronger. If Disney does not reflect that, they will seem outdated and out of touch. Disney will be left behind by future generations.
If wondering, I am a straight, married, white guy (Italian, French, Austrian and Slovak) and a moderate-Republican (since I was 18). I just realize that change is ok and necessary.
As a shareholder that scares me!
What would be scary is if DIS did
not change with the times. Are you, a shareholder, familiar with ESG? You probably are, but let me just explain why it matters with this topic.
Environmental, Social, Governance, are areas that investors are taking into consideration more and more today. Today, you can invest in ESG Funds which are comprised of companies who reflect positively on ESG ideals.
How do they impact the environment today/tomorrow, do they take care of their communities, employees and impact society, are they governed by a board of directors that is diverse, varied and do investors have a voice?
Some people believe that not being ESG positive risks a company facing future government regulation, lawsuits and a negative view of investors. This view, today, is already changing investment strategies.
In the near future there could be major indexes made up of ONLY companies with a high ESG score. Maybe the S&P500 adjusts the rules to be a constituent to require a high ESG score, or kicks out current members with low ESG scores. If in the future DIS is considered to not be ESG qualified they could be left out of major indexes and risk reduced investment by pensions, funds and individuals.
Good PR today from small changes is nice, but this is what could be detrimental to the company in the future.