“The Rivers of America are filling back up. Could you possibly head to Magic Kingdom and check that out?” was the request I received from our team before heading over to Walt Disney World. I had to see this for myself. What’s happening at Disney’s Magic Kingdom right now is definitely magical, but not at all in the way most would think of.
Empty Main Street USA and Cinderella Castle hub on Labor Day 2025 Magic Kingdom Disney World – Photo Credit: That Park Place
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Decisions by today’s Disney corporate leadership to change Walt’s park in ways Walt himself would clearly have been very much against seem to be meeting with resistance that can only be described as “ethereal.” And if the past is any indication, Disney leadership is most certainly not going to take the hint.
My Time As a Pixie Duster
As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved theme parks.
Growing up in St. Louis, MO, my family had season passes to Six Flags. While I loved going out there, I’ll never forget my first time laying eyes on Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom in July of 1977. It was truly magical, and I was immediately as hooked as a pirate in a Disney classic cartoon!
Yes, to quote a good friend, “pixie dust is a powerful drug!”
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom closed down – Photo Credit: That Park Place
We returned several times during my youth, and Epcot was an absolute dream come true. I sang Disney music and loved 1990’s Disney (Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Lion King). It was magnificence!
In 2005, I received a call back to potentially take on the role of Gaston at Hollywood Studios. In 2006, I brought my own family for our first Walt Disney World vacation, and in 2009 I moved to Orlando and became a passholder.
It was fantastic! My love for everything Disney only grew. And in 2014 I was blessed to take on my first role as a cast member.
Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World at Dusk looking into Liberty Square – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
I would be an “Advanced Sales Associate” for the Disney Vacation Club. Working for “The Mouse” was a life long dream come true, but dreams can change. I saw “how the sausage is made.” A lot of that was great, but then 2020 happened.
Upon returning to work in 2021, the sausage ingredients seemed to have changed. Disney was no longer producing that wonderful pure country sausage — the kind you wake up to with the smell of your granny cooking in the kitchen on a chilly winter’s day. You know: that wonderful scent that wafts in to your bedroom and coaxes you out of your cozy slumber for a delightful home cooked country breakfast!
Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World at Magic Kingdom during a clear Orlando day – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
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That was the Disney of the past; the Disney I fell in love with and went to work for. But after 2021, I noticed the sausage had changed and that Culture Casino is right on the money with what he calls it, because now it was “Baloney Sausage!”
The Disney Difference That Was, But No Longer Is
“Zippety Doo Dah” rang with joy through the hearts of Disney lovers with this wildly beloved ad touting “The Disney Difference” back in 2015.
Extra Magic Hours, complimentary Magic Bands, Disney’s Magical Express, free fast pass plus, and so much more were once offered. Guests and the guest experience were clearly at the forefront of the Disney brand.
Sadly, those days are long gone. I had no idea that the Disney downward spiral had already started. And to be honest, there’s many a Disney fan out there today, oblivious to the poor decisions Iger and company have made, whom I envy for that perspective.
But unfortunately, I’m at the parks enough to notice the slide.
The Mama Odie animatronic in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
Of course it’s not just parks that are going down fast, it’s the entire Disney brand. Ideological messaging that flies in the face of the traditional family are being injected into Disney television shows and movies, extending to the now Disney owned brands of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.
It’s come to the parks as well.
That messaging that skews in a particular direction, a direction clearly in opposition to the morals and ideals held firmly by Walt, is like a poison to creativity. The Disney “creatives” now responsible for the once beloved brand are so distracted by their “message” that they forgot how to shape a great story for all. They now only create for themselves, and it shows.
The holiday gingerbread house at The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa Lobby in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
They’ve stripped away every one of the perks of “the Disney Difference” and have lowered the standards of safety, show, and courtesy with a branding key touted as “inclusion.” In reality, this is the most exclusionary force Disney has ever implemented. And to top off all bad Disney decisions, perhaps the worst is adding alcohol to the Magic Kingdom and opening up a full fledged bar in the heart of Adventureland.
Is Walt Sending “A Message, From Somewhere Beyond”?
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome.”
While Walt always wanted those who came to Disneyland or The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World to feel welcome, he also very clearly wanted his parks to attract good people.
Walt Disney in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1966), Walt Disney Productions
He never wanted any presence of alcohol in his parks. When asked about this his answer was a simple one, “No liquor, no beer, nothing. Because that brings in a rowdy element. That brings people that we don’t want, and I feel they don’t need it.”
Walt was clear: he wanted families to enjoy the park without any type of potentially immoral or distracting elements. His parks were meant to be enjoyed by the vast majority of people, but not necessarily everyone, and that’s okay.
But now, the current company leadership is putting bars everywhere they can. The latest to open is “The Beak & Barrel” at the Magic Kingdom. The alcohol forward establishment opened to the public on August 29th, 2025. And with the opening of that bar came a massive blackout.
Plunderers Punch drink at the Beak and Barrel in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
The entire Walt Disney World Resort experienced major power outages from the morning and throughout the day. The monorail went down, rides stopped, guests were stuck in eerie situations, and well over 40 attractions went down.
The outage affected stores, restaurants, and the entire Walt Disney World operation. Some experts estimate the company lost millions of dollars in that single day from the outage.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Walt was sending a message of disapproval from the spirit world? Walt also designed the initial concepts for Tom Sawyer’s Island and the Rivers of America that have currently been shuttered to make way for a non frontier era land called “Piston Peak” themed in the vein of the Cars movie franchise.
Concept art for Piston Peak, the new Cars Land coming to Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World – Disney Parks
Imagineers began to drain the Rivers of America in July, and had the river bed nearly dried up. But that didn’t last. In recent weeks, rains have completely re-filled in the waters.
Again, what they may be struggling against is the very spirit of Walt himself. One can only speculate, but as I gazed upon this sight with my own eyes on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 it felt like Walt was sending a message. A severe and strong one.
A partially refilled Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Follow The Bradley’s Fun
He wants Americana, and American history to survive and be represented in his parks. Honestly, that feeling hit me at the core, and I was saddened and heartbroken. It’s easy to laugh at all of the bad decisions Disney is making. And I’ll join in that laughter from time to time. But fundamentally, I believe this country could use an extra dose of the moral ideals of Walt right now.
The hero’s journey, right versus wrong, good overcoming evil, and the struggle to gain liberty over forces that oppress — these are all so desperately needed in our society today.
The refilled Rivers of America and Big Thunder Moutnain – Photo Credit: Follow The Bradley’s Fun
Walt Disney World was once a great refuge from the world and it’s tragedies; a place to celebrate fantasy, our amazing American past, and an incredibly hopeful future. It’s losing that under the company’s current leadership.
I don’t know for sure if Walt has been attempting to send a message or not, but as a fan of traditional Disney, I hope that all of us do send that message: “give us back what we love.”
The historic Liberty Belle Riverboat in the Magic Kingdom – Photo Credit M. Montanaro
Tradition, great story telling, and a clear moral compass of right overcoming wrong. We need that now more than ever. Unless Disney gets new leadership in alignment with Walt himself, we may lose the pixie dust and the magic forever.
How do you think Walt Disney would feel about the Rivers of America being drained? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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We are seeing the wilful destruction of White, heterosexual history by Disney.
One ought decline to pay the left-wing globalist-fascists a penny. Starve them of cashflow.