The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales (2022) Poster

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8/10
The American Dream
Foutainoflife30 September 2022
In this documentary, Abigail Disney looks into the huge wage gap issue that is currently breaking down middle class America by shining a light on the problems DisneyLand employees are facing.

While it is no secret that the wage gap between the 1%er's and everyday Americans is cause a decline of the middle class, Dr. Disney really took the time to look into both current and past wages of DisneyLand employees. There was once a time when an average worker could make a living by having the means to procure a decent home, provide food, and live a comfortable middle class life. The myth of "trickle down economics' and the idea that "greed is good" took hold of and have comfortably set up the upper class as middle class Americans have steadily been running an never ending rat race to keep up with the costs of living, housing and health care on their ever shrinking paychecks.

For the fiscal year ended Oct. 2, 2021, Disney CEO, Bob Chapek's base salary was $2.5 million (up from $1.8 million in FY2020). His compensation include $10.2 million in stock awards, $3.75 in stock options and a $14.3 million cash bonus, according to Disney's proxy filing with the SEC.

Bob Iger, who formally stepped aside as CEO in February 2020 after 15 years, received $3 million in salary for the most recent fiscal year (up from $1.6 million the year prior and the same as in FY2019). Iger's compensation for the most recent fiscal year included a $22.9 million cash bonus, plus $9.5 million in Disney stock and $9.3 million in stock options. That does not include stock Iger was entitled to receive when his contract expired at the end of calendar 2021, worth $231 million as of Oct. 1, 2021, according to Disney's filing.

As of Sep 23, 2022, the average annual pay for the Disneyland Cast Member jobs category in California is $30,022 a year. That works out to be approximately $14.43 an hour. This is the equivalent of $577/week or $2,501/month.

The difference is jaw dropping.

This was an excellent layout of an ugly American truth. The American Dream is out of reach for hard working Americans because the super wealthy use those dreams to build their own wealth. Too many people have been hoodwinked into believing all their hard work and loyalty will get them somewhere when all it really does is allow their bosses to buy yachts.

Very interesting and frustrating watch.
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8/10
It's eye-opening, and shocking, and exposes the wealth inequality among employees at Disneyland and other companies in the United States.
rannynm25 September 2022
Have you ever wondered if the cast members and staff at the "happiest place on Earth" are actually happy themselves? Well, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales is the documentary you need to watch! It's eye-opening, and shocking, and exposes the wealth inequality among employees at Disneyland and other companies in the United States.

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales follows philanthropist and co-director, Dr. Abigail Disney, the great-niece of Walt Disney and the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, as she embarks on a journey to bring awareness to pay gaps between the rich and poor workers at companies such as Disney. The story starts in 2018 when Dr. Disney is contacted by Disneyland employees for help because they are struggling to afford food, housing, and even cover medical expenses.

This documentary uses videos of protests, court proceedings, cast member interviews, and experiences to tell the stories of how employees that help create the magic at Disneyland don't have fair and equal pay and how that needs to change. My favorite part of this documentary is seeing how all the workers featured were willing to share their stories, rally, protest, and even host food drives for workers to help make a difference. While most would be scared to make a film like this, I love the bravery it took for Dr. Disney to speak up and make these issues public, especially since the fight is against the company that bears her name and family legacy. It's a documentary that is sure to stun its audience.

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales highlights how companies must have fair and equal pay for all employees. It's not right for people to work hard to make CEOs and others rich at a company and still have to be on food stamps and homeless. While there isn't anything for parents to look out for, I wouldn't recommend showing it to young viewers to avoid ruining the magic of Disney for them.

While the topics covered in The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales are very serious, somehow Dr. Disney and co-director Kathleen Hughes courageously deliver this bold film in a very easy-to-understand and entertaining format. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12-18, plus adults. This inspiring documentary will debut first in Orlando, Florida, starting on September 16, 2022. It will be available in additional markets and video-on-demand on September 23. By Tiana S., KIDS FIRST!
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10/10
Eye-opening
pegasus-6705017 April 2024
Disney certainly isn't what it used to be. Good on you Abigail for exposing the truth of all those suffering under d1ct4t0r B0b! It's such a shame that the documentary was removed from the mainstream media.. The magic has been removed in favour or corruption and greed. Too many stories have come out and it's only a matter of time before things change.

Can't wait for part two of your documentary and hopefully it will stay intact on the streaming services and not mysteriously removed as if Deisney is trying to hide a few things...Abigail has every right to sue those who did her family name wrong!
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5/10
The American Dream starts off strong but didn't go as planned.
chenp-5470820 April 2022
Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

This documentary premiered at the last minute under the Special Screenings Selection of the festival. This documentary is directed by Abigail Disney who is a relative of the Walt Disney Family and this documentary is about the dysfunctional and unequal economy issues in the United States but also in the Disneyland system. This caught my eye because I was interested on hearing from a relative of Disney on the issues of how Disneyland has become more of a cooperation and the dysfunctional system it has become worldwide. Not just as a business but also as a brand for everyone. However, unfortunately this wasn't the documentary I was excepting and it ends up becoming bland and forgettable for the most part.

Disney offers really good conversations between the participants she is interviewing and there were some really good facts presented about the CEO of Disney and the economy issues surrounding the United States. I wish it dived deeper into more aspects about other controversial topics revolved with Disney as a business but it didn't go much justice. There are some really bad camerawork presented in the documentary and several noticeable technical parts presented throughout. It's a shame because this one could have been great. But it wasn't. I still recommend if you wanna check it out but it's was underwhelming.

Rating: C+
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