The humorous animated show South Park went after The Walt Disney Company in a recent special episode. In response to the episode, business guru Elon Musk took to social media to praise the show for its âtimelyâ episode.
South Park
South Park is an animated show that debuted in 1997 and has since produced over 300 episodes. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone often use the show and the four boys who are stars of the show- Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick to make comments about larger issues using humor and satire.
Throughout the twenty-six seasons, South Park has focused on pop culture, celebrities, and other issues in the headlines. Because of this, each episode opens with a humorous disclaimer for audience members:
“All characters and events in this showâeven those based on real peopleâare entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated…..poorly. The following program contains coarse language, and due to its content, it should not be viewed by anyone.”
At the end of episodes, we often see the four boys coming together to discuss the lesson they all learned. Even though the shows are often full of profanity, crude humor, mockery, and satire, in the end, the boys’ innocence does come through.
The bellwether has sounded https://t.co/MvTE0Qa12V
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2023
South Park Takes on Disney
In the latest episode aired on Friday, October 27 on Paramount+, South Park goes after Disney, Lucasfilm, and Kathleen Kennedy. The special episode âJoining the Panderverseâ focuses on Cartmanâs fear that a diverse woman will replace him.
The episode follows Cartman as a Black woman replaces him after a portal to the multiverse is opened. Cartman meets a variety of Disney executives, including CEO Bog Iger and Lucasfilmâs Kathleen Kennedy. During the meeting, it was discussed how pandering to everyone isnât working anymore. âWe keep making the same movie repeatedly and pandering to everyone, but suddenly itâs not working.â One executive tells Iger during the meeting.
The episode hits on the criticism that Disney and Lucasfilms have faced in the past few years regarding productions such as The Little Mermaid (2023), which saw Halle Bailey as Ariel. Just recently, Disney announced the delay of Rachel Zeglerâs Snow White (2025) as controversy continues to surround the production of this movie.
The South Park episode focuses on the backlash that Disney faces from many right-wing YouTubers and others on social media regarding the diversity changes Disney is taking.
Related:Â Disney Star Takes Over as the New âSnow Whiteâ
Elon Musk Praising South Park
Following the release of the episode, business guru and founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, took to social media to praise the episode, calling it âtimely.â Musk also posted the trailer on X, adding, âThe bellwether has sounded.â
Musk wasnât the only one to make his opinion of the episode known. Gino Carano started in The Mandalorian but was let go following controversial posts on social media. In her post, Carano comments that Kennedy would want YouTubers who share and laugh at the episode to be censored.
Although many viewers might enjoy the most recent episode of South Park, it is also important to point out that Kennedy shouldnât be singled out for the struggles that Disneyâs box office is facing. Kennedy is the face of Lucasfilm; she is not in charge of Disney overall or the direction that the Walt Disney Company seems to be heading.
South Park addressed some of the concerns and questions that many fans are having with Disneyâs recent work. The episode might have been slightly overly critical of Kennedy, but it criticism of Disneyâs âwokeâ focus as of late.