At the beginning of the pandemic, Americans came to understand the true value of everyday work. Janitors, grocery store workers, cooks, and other professions typically thought of as menial or ‘unskilled’ were praised as heroes alongside doctors and nurses. Many thought similar things well before the pandemic, some of whom would be relatively unexpected: An heir to the Disney fortune and her grandfather. Abigail Disney was in disbelief when she learned of the everyday suffering happening in the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
The majority of the wage workers at California’s Disneyland were on food stamps, half were living below the poverty line, and almost a third were experiencing homelessness or housing instability. How could a multi-billion-dollar corporation not afford to pay the people who keep the enterprise running a living wage, the same people her grandfather Roy Disney called “the heart and soul of the company.”
This documentary is more of a personal essay, lending itself to drama at times. Because of this, those looking for non-fiction entertainment will be most pleased with The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales. Abigail Disney does a great job setting up the moral, ethical, and economic arguments, utilizing a few workers from the theme park and their families as case studies into this issue of wealth inequality. The CEO of Disney makes over 800 times a janitor at the park, and even through the worst of the pandemic the company made record-breaking profits.
Some political issues are touched on, but Abigail seems to shy away from the politics of change, focusing instead on the problem of mass inequality as a whole. If her conservative grandfather could pay his people back in the 50s, why is a modern CEO spending mad stacks on a second superyacht when his employees have to choose between rent and food? Those seeking an easily accessible documentary about wealth inequality in America with brand recognition should look no further than The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales. Highly Recommended.
Where does this film belong on public library shelves?
The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales belongs on economic and social issue documentary shelves.
What type of college instructor could use this film?
Those teaching economics, labor movements, and public policy will make the best use of this film.