Happily ever after? Disney in the 21st century

Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2022 is dedicated to one of the world’s most powerful cultural forces: Disney. What happens when a company with that much influence just keeps growing? We visit Disneyland for a rare interview with CEO Bob Chapek, with FT reporters Chris Grimes and Anna Nicolaou. We explore where Disney Plus fits into the digital streaming wars. And Lilah speaks with a Disney expert, Sabrina Mittermeier, about how the company is reckoning with its prejudices 100 years into its history. 

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If you want a great offer on an FT subscription specifically for listeners, use this link: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast

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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap. 

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Links and mentions from the episode: 

– Chris and Anna’s profile of Bob Chapek, Disney CEO: https://www.ft.com/content/69e1cc1e-9c64-4000-b47f-a7e448107a5b 

– And their follow-up on the streaming wars: ​​https://www.ft.com/content/ae756fda-4c27-4732-89af-cb6903f2ab40

– Dr. Sabrina Mittermeier’s book, A Culture History of the Disneyland Theme Parks: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo70345519.html

–Follow Anna Nicolaou on Twitter @annaknicolaou

–Follow Chris Grimes on Twitter @grimes_ce

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design is by Breen Turner.

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