USA TODAY US Edition

Tens of thousands sign petition to keep California Disney parks shut

- Morgan Hines USA TODAY Contributi­ng: Dawn Gilbertson and Carly Mallenbaum

Walt Disney’s announceme­nt Wednesday that it plans to reopen Disneyland and sister theme park Disney’s California Adventure on Wednesday, July 17 (the 65th anniversar­y of Disneyland’s opening), was met with a petition asking the Anaheim, California, parks not to do so. The petition has garnered more than 35,000 signatures toward its goal of 50,000 as of Monday.

The anonymous Change.org petition argues that now is not the time to reopen the parks.

“Many people have lost loved ones due to this pandemic and by reopening the parks they are endangerin­g cast members (Disney’s term for its employees) and guests to be exposed to Covid-19,” the petition reads.

“There are more cases now than when the parks closed on March 13th, 2020,” it says. “Health Officials have stated that the 2nd wave of Covid-19 will be worse. So reopening before the 2nd wave even hits us is irresponsi­ble and greedy.”

According to USA TODAY data, there were more than 280 total cases in California on March 13, one day after Disney announced it would close its U.S. parks; as of Monday, there were more than 152,000 cases.

“Let’s remember that a theme park is NOT essential! Disney prides itself on putting safety as a priority, yet here they are gambling not just their employees’ and Cast Members’ lives, but Guests’ lives as well,” signatory Christine Chung wrote. “Coronaviru­s cases are still on the rise and there hasn’t been sufficient testing done. If Orange County residents are threatenin­g and terrorizin­g health officials over a face mask, then they sure as hell aren’t ready to go to a theme park with a face mask.”

Some employees have spoken up, using the petition as a springboar­d to launch discussion about whether reopening Wednesday is unwise.

“I work there!” Elena Morales commented. “The last thing I wanna do is go back while this pandemic is getting worse.”

USA TODAY couldn’t reach Disney for comment.

The parks’ signature parades, nighttime shows and meet-and-greets with Disney characters will not resume immediatel­y. Characters will roam the parks, though.

Another petition was signed by more than 21,000 people to change the popular Splash Mountain log flume ride’s theme to reflect 2009 animated musical “The Princess and the Frog,” which features the studio’s first black princess, Tiana.

Disneyland and Disney World’s attraction Splash Mountain has an innocuous-sounding name, but the ride includes characters and plotlines (including a rabbit who outsmarts a fox and a bear after they torture him) from the Jim Crow-era film “Song of the South.”

The 1946 movie is a mix of live action and animation that features an old Black plantation laborer named Uncle Remus who tells stories to a young white boy. Groups, including the NAACP, protested the film’s initial release.

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