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Disney is accused of exacerbating a grieving father’s heartbreak out of capitalistic greed and unsympathetic practices in reference to a Walt Disney Company character. A parent living in the United Kingdom named Lloyd Jones raised a superhero-loving son named Ollie Jones. Unfortunately, Ollie suffered from a rare disease called leukodystrophy – a genetic disorder that affects the brain, spinal cord, and other nerves in the body. The four-year-old passed away from his illness in December 2022.
Credit: Marvel Studios
In the midst of his grief, Lloyd Jones wanted to honor Ollie’s life with Ollie’s favorite character – Spider-Man. Jones told Yahoo that Ollie’s “coffin was covered in Spider-Man” and “the procession was led by someone dressed as Spider-Man,” so he designed a headstone with the Marvel character watching over the tombstone. Jones explained that the tombstone design meant the world to his family. He was met with an unexpected call from the funeral director, explaining it could not be done without the permission of Spider-Man’s copyright owner.
The Walt Disney Company, of course, is the rightful copyright owner of Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man, like so many other iconic characters – whether created by the company itself or absorbed after purchasing a subsidiary. Lloyd Jones reached out to the Disney Company with his request and was denied. Jones, sure they would allow it, described the response as a “massive blow.”
Credit: Jason Jones/ Facebook
The Sun reported on the Walt Disney Company’s permissions department’s reply:
We extend our sincere condolences. If we played a small part in Ollie’s happiness, we are honored. Generations of fans have responded to our characters with the same wonder and delight that Ollie did. In fact, many believe the characters to be real. We have striven to preserve the same innocence and magic around our characters that brought Ollie such joy. For that reason, we follow a policy that began with Walt Disney himself that does not permit the use of characters on headstones, cemetery or other memorial markers, or funeral urns.
Credit: SWNS: South West News Service
Ollie leaves behind his parents and five siblings, including one sister with the same disorder. His father said this about the situation with his son’s beloved character: “I think this is all about money. Ollie’s last holiday was at Disneyland. He loved Spider-Man, and we had bought him all the toys. But now he has died, and we won’t be spending any more money, they don’t care.”
