Film producer, GOP candidate who did business with Disney says company's 'wokeness' will be their 'downfall'
Deborah Flora said 'McCarthyism is alive and well in Hollywood'
FOX Business' Ashley Webster reports from Orlando, Florida, where residents are speaking out against Disney's progressive push.
FIRST ON FOX: A Colorado Senate candidate and film producer who pitched projects to the Mouse House torched Disney in an interview with FOX Business, warning the company’s adoption of "wokeness" will be their "downfall."
Deborah Flora, a Republican seeking to challenge Democrat Sen. Michael Bennett in the 2022 midterm election, posited that The Walt Disney Company may not survive the injection of "wokeness" flowing through the company.
Flora criticized Disney for doing business in China amid the state-sponsored genocide of Uyhgur Muslims — calling China "one of the largest human rights abusers on the entire planet" — while simultaneously "vilifying parents’ rights."
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"It is absolutely hypocritical," Flora said. "And it's really disturbing because when Walt Disney is now synonymous with wokeness, we know that this ideological agenda that is out of touch with the vast majority of American people has hit a point where we all need to stand up and take notice."
Flora said that she and her non-profit organization, Parents United America, have had parents tell them they will "never go" to Disney’s theme parks again and that the company’s recent decision to remove "boys and girls" from their theme park greeting in the name of inclusion left the parents "heartsick."
"It’s a sad day for America, but honestly, I believe it's going to be the downfall of The Walt Disney Company because they have just ignored the very demographic that they are supposed to be appealing to," Flora warned.
Flora is a film producer who founded Lamplight Entertainment and her husband, Jonathan Flora, is a former Walt Disney Studios producer.
Bob Chapek, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company during the opening ceremony for Avengers Campus inside Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Republican Senate candidate also said that she and her husband had pitched a movie to Disney that was eventually rejected because it was "too Americana" and "would not sell in China."
Flora also warned that it is not just Disney marching leftward — Hollywood as a whole is under the thumb of "woke thinking" that has forced conservatives into hiding over fears of being booted from the industry for not going along with the "group think."
The Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse greets children at Magic Kingdom on Nov. 11, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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"McCarthyism is alive and well in Hollywood, but it’s the exact opposite," Flora said. "If you are someone who holds traditional values, if you are someone that believes that the history of America is a great history, if you are someone that is willing to stand up in a non-work non-PC manner, you are now on that hit list."
Disney did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.