Disney heiress blasts company founder, says Walt 'bordered on rabid fascism'

Walt Disney's grand-niece derided the American entertainment titan in a new documentary criticizing the origins of the family's media empire.

In "The American Dream and Other Fairy Tails," Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Disney cofounder Roy O. Disney, criticizes her relatives' willingness to profit off of common stereotypes and Walt's political views.

Speaking about the documentary on the "WTF" podcast with host Marc Maron last week, Disney addressed the prevalence of racial stereotypes in the company's films.

"They weren't shy about delving into the stereotypes if it served them," she said, per the New York Post. She specifically cited racial references in "Dumbo," "The Three Little Pigs," and "Song of the South."

"When they made 'Song of the South,' people from the NAACP came to the studio and they said, 'Please don't do it this way. Please talk to us,'" but the company produced the film anyway, she added.

Disney also took aim at the political influences on the company, saying Walt "bordered on rabid fascism." Maron echoed this idea, saying "[i]n some enclosed way, Disney is an American fascist fantasy."

"Well, yeah, that's what it is — and it isn’t," she replied, according to the Post. "They were men of their time, but that's not an excuse... they knew."

The company has attracted conservative ire in recent years for its management decisions which many have perceived as woke. Most recently, the company dropped the term "Fairy- Godmothers-in-Training" in favor of the term "apprentice" for staffing positions at company stores.