This is tragic news for the Disney community.
Right now is a highly transformative time for the Walt Disney Company. Since returning as CEO, Bob Iger has been working to improve the company’s financial situation and replenish its debt. Unfortunately, this has meant that the company will lose 7,000 employees in the process. This week was the ‘second wave’ of terminations at Disney, and thousands lost jobs.
While Cast Members at the Disney Parks were not directly targeted by the layoffs, this does not mean they are not significantly affected.
How Disney’s Terminations Will Effect Fan Events
There have been lots of tragic terminations during Bob Iger’s “waves.” However, perhaps the most personally heartwrenching has been the reductions within Disney’s D23 fan club. D23 is known as the Official Disney fan club, and it has been uniting Disney fans since 2009. Every year, D23 hosts an annual event; the D23 Exp fan Confab conference at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, or the Destination D23 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
It has been reported the D23 will lose 25% of its workforce by summer. With the significant layoffs happening within D23, it is fair to assume that this major fan event will be affected. This year, Destination D23 is set to celebrate an extra-special milestone, the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary.
D23 is a massive part of the Disney community. This organization has created events that have united Disney fans from all over the world. It is truly devastating to think that Disney is firing its biggest fans.
During this tough time, it is more important than ever that the Disney community remains strong and sends positivity toward those affected by the job cuts. As of now, D23 is still up and running as usual. We can all hope that their team is able to navigate these tough times and keep the official Disney fan club going for years to come.