Documentary critical of Disney, from Disney family

Three years ago, Abigail E. Disney began to publicly excoriate The Walt Disney Co. for its “obscene” pay inequality, with Robert A. Iger, who was then CEO, at one end of the scale and hourly theme park workers at the other. The company founded by her grandfather and great-uncle repeatedly returned fire, at one point calling her assertions a “gross and unfair exaggeration of the facts.”

But Abigail Disney has refused to back down, even though the company recently agreed to a 16% raise for certain theme park workers. In fact, she is escalating her campaign — and, for the first time, bringing along two of her three siblings.

“The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” an activist-minded documentary about the pay gap between corporate haves and have-nots, will premiere Monday as part of the

Sundance Film Festival, which is being held digitally because of the pandemic. Disney and Kathleen Hughes directed the film; Disney’s sister, Susan Disney Lord, and a brother, Tim, are among the executive producers.

Disney and Hughes profile four Disneyland custodians, who, at the time of filming (pre-pandemic), earned $15 an hour. They all struggle mightily with soaring housing costs in Southern California.

The New York Times was allowed to view the film before its premiere. Disney, which was not given early access, responded to queries about the film’s content and tone with the following statement:

“The well-being and aspirations of our employees and cast will always be our top priority. We provide a leading and holistic employment package that includes competitive pay and comprehensive benefits for our cast members to grow their careers and care for their families.”