Disney has fallen out of the top Internet searches for travel destinations, as prices at its various theme parks continue to rise, its movies are laying goose eggs at the box office, and its streaming service continue to struggle.
The new study by FamilyDestinationGuide looked at searches for tourist attractions in each state, and the results were bad news for Disney, according to The Street.
Check out this guide before choosing a destination for a family vacation in the U.S. #familyvacations #travelmore https://t.co/lVRV165MTM pic.twitter.com/uT9WHhubJe
— Lori Beeman (@beeman_lori) March 12, 2023
The group logged all sorts of searches, including national parks, beaches, Elvis’ Graceland, the Grand Canyon, and places such as Universal Studios in Florida.
But one major theme park operator was often missing in the top tier of searches; Disney. The Mouse House’s big resort in Florida, Disney World, did not show up in the searches at all. And Disney Land in California only made it to the top ten in its home state.
Meanwhile, in four of the country’s largest states, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Texas, Universal Orlando often figured prominently in searches.
The Street speculates that Disney’s dive into woke politics, especially in Florida, has contributed to its fall from grace. Though, the site also added that Disney is still getting its quota of visitors, despite the hefty price hikes.
Prices are still an issue. Last year, it was revealed that the company’s costs have soared past the affordability of the average American family.
Disney has been under pressure for its political campaign to stop Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law — which prevents school children from pre-k to third grade from being exposed to gender identity politics in class.
Despite losing its initial political battle to stop the bill, then CEO Bob Chapek and Disney vowed to continue to fight to have the law repealed.
The political attack on Florida’s legislature, though, led to Gov. DeSantis and the legislature taking an axe to Disney’s special tax carveouts that had been in place since the 1960s. By April of last year, Gov. DeSantis signed the bill dismantling its Reedy Creek Improvement District tax allowances. And by Feb of this year, DeSantis also signed a bill into law that ended Disney’s self-governing status.
But that is far from the only issue many Americans have had with Disney. It ultra-woke programing has also become a sticking point.
Disney has suffered a string of woke flops, including the animated environmental movie Strange World, which featured a gay teen protagonist, and Pixar’s Toy Story spin-off movie Lightyear, which featured a lesbian kiss.
Lightyear‘s box-office performance prompted a lot of soul searching at Pixar, though Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter claimed the movie’s woke theme did not play a role in the fiasco.
On top of all that, Disney’s streaming service is still losing tons of cash. Last month it was reported that the streamer lost more than $1 billion a quarter.
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