Disneyland

Do viral images authentically capture the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Milton at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida? No, that's not true: Those pictures were generated by AI and first posted on a website with a satire label. On October 11, 2024, Disney announced it had reopened its theme parks. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Did Disney cut Tinker Bell from meet-and-greets on the basis that she has a "problematic" image? No, that's not true: A Disney spokesperson told Lead Stories that Tinker Bell is a "beloved character, and she continues to appear in all of our parks around the world." The spokesperson said they had no record of a "Disney rep" making the claim…

Was Walt Disney a founder of NASA? No, that's not true: Disney founded an animation, television and movie studio as well as a theme park empire. He produced a television series about space travel in 1955 with a NASA rocket designer. This was three years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which…

Did Joe Rogan, in an episode of his podcast, say that a U.S. Navy ship was attacked by a megalodon? No, that's not true: Narration that sounds like Rogan telling a tale of a Navy ship being ambushed by an ancient, giant shark is covered by images other than any showing Rogan's mouth, so that viewers can only hear the…

Is Disneyland in California likely to be closed indefinitely as of November 2023 over an alleged child kidnapping? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Disneyland is closing and no evidence for the alleged child kidnapping was provided in the video making the claim. As of this writing, the park was open to the public and accepting visitors.…

Did podcaster Joe Rogan discuss a child being abducted through secret tunnels at Disneyland on his show? No, that's not true: The audio making the claim about a child being taken away from his family via a secret underground tunnel at Disneyland in California does not match the movements of Rogan's mouth. He did not discuss secret tunnels at Disneyland…

Did Walt Disney World remove "all American flags" and replace them with "the Pride flag" to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights? No, that's not true: As of May 25, 2023, the Walt Disney Company had not announced such a change ahead of LGBTQ Pride Month, the annual June commemoration of the LGBTQ+ rights struggle. The claim…

Did Disney decide to remove Mickey Mouse as the official mascot in 2024 because the famous mouse's copyright is going to expire -- and will the purple dragon Figment take Mickey's place? No, that's not true: The claim, along with a digitally edited photo, originated on a satire website called mousetrapnews.com that specializes in fake stories about Disney parks. Clear…

Is Disney giving away $1 tickets for "women born before 1980"? No, that's not true: The company's website contains no mentions of this alleged promo campaign. The claim appears to be a bait likely aimed at making users share their personal information. The claim originated in a post on Facebook on January 30, 2023. It contained a shared link showing…

Do Disney World character performers who die while in costume remain in costume until the park closes? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a policy exists, according to historians of The Walt Disney Company. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on June 15, 2021 that features a vintage picture of a man and…