Taking on Disney - CBS' 60 Minutes (1997)

In the mid 1990's the Catholic Church League of Religious & Civil Rights, The Knights of Columbus, The American Family Association, The Assemblies of God, The Southern Baptists, Focus on the Family, and other Christian denominations and groups boycotted The Walt Disney Company over their embrace of anti-Christian and anti-family policies across all areas of the company. This history has been purged but, at the time, it was an important enough story that then CEO of Disney Michael Eisner appeared on the CBS News Magazine 60 Minutes to refute these claims. For Eisner to have done this prove what a financial hit the company was taking from the boycotts. Up until the boycotts, Disney animated features consistently broke over 100 million at the box office. After the boycotts films like Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame struggled to break 100 million.

Richard Land is interviewed as representative of the Southern Baptist Convention. He makes the accusation that the priest in the Little mermaid has an erection and Eisner debunks it with the correct fact that it's his knee. However, when The Little Mermaid was reissued they digitally erased this animation implying their guilt and that the boycott was effective.

Land also points out Disney's Pocahontas is a reverse of the actual history. Eisner points out the real figure became a Christian after the movie ends. However, Disney made a cheapquel set during the time the real Pocahontas became a Christian where the Disney Pocahontas takes her paganism to England and converts the British.

Lesley Stahl is the "reporter" assigned to this segment and she uses the same tactics she became known for decades later. In one instance she corners the children of parents boycotting Disney and tries to pit them against their parents and create division.

It's also pointed out when Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on her sitcom on April 30, 1997. Bob Iger was the executive at ABC who made that call.

In response to the boycotts, Disney also pandered the Christians after this. The Nights of Joy event cited her were shut down a few years later. There was also a sudden appearance of Christian content in a few Disney broadcasts but that also went away when the PC crowd felt the coast was clear.

Eisner claims Disney has nothing to do with the Gay Days held in the park. Under Iger that's completely changed. Not only do they sell gay pride merchandise in the parks but they also hold rainbow jihad events targeted at kids.

This historical broadcast documents that the decline of Disney has been going on for a long time.

Original airdate November 19, 1997

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.