According to the Orlando Sentinel, special advisor John Classe has officially ceased all work with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD).

Formerly an administrator of the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) for almost a decade, Classe was asked to stay behind and help organize the transition of the RCID into its newest iteration, consisting of leaders hand-picked by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In a statement to the Sentinel, the CFTOD gave a brief explanation:

Mr. Classe was offered a consulting contract to assist with the transition to the new leadership. That transition is now complete. The district thanks him for his service.

It’s still uncertain if the advising contract was terminated by Classe or the CFTOD Board. As a special advisor, he was required to assist in legal action against Disney and prohibited from working for the company. Primarily, he was also tasked with advising Glen Gilzean, the new administrator of the district.

Classe was previously named in Disney’s ongoing lawsuit against the Governor and District Board, but he has since been removed from the list and replaced with Gilzean.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has recently made some major changes to the area in and around Walt Disney World, approving property tax cuts and a new Reedy Creek Fire Department contract.

A History of the Disney-DeSantis Feud

The Florida Governor and Walt Disney Company initially clashed over the corporation’s opposition to a much-debated and controversial Florida law regarding classroom instruction and discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, alongside various other recent state laws and proposals in a similar vein.

Bob Chapek was Chief Executive Officer at the time and initially remained silent and passive on the issue — until massive internal criticisms from Cast Members, the LGBTQ+ community, and controversy over Disney’s practice of making hefty political contributions to campaigns and individuals allegedly against their own stated human principles came into focus.

In an apparent act of retribution over Chapek’s expression of dissent, the Governor moved forward with various verbal and legal assaults on Disney, including the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and eventual transfer of power directly under his control. DeSantis argues he is attacking an incredibly vague perception of something he calls “woke politics,” allegedly invading the state — frequently stating his intention to put the people of Florida first through these actions and the newly-formed CFTOD board:

Disney has gotten away with special deals from the state of Florida for way too long. It took a look under the hood to see what Disney has become to truly understand their inappropriate influence.

Every member of this governing body has been a handpicked ally of the Governor thus far, including a Christian nationalist and lawyer who donated $50,000 to the DeSantis gubernatorial campaign, among others. In May, an administrator for the district (Glen Gilzean) was also appointed, with a significantly increased $400,000 salary directly related to ongoing DeSantis-led legal fights regarding Disney and several other issues around the state. The legal expenditures made by the Governor are being funded by Florida taxpayers.

Critics worry the role and its new incumbent could be weaponized for further orchestrated attacks, fines, and intentionally disruptive impediments on Walt Disney World, and that Gilzean himself is essentially receiving compensation to be aligned with the Governor’s whims. Daniel Langley, special general council for the district, alternatively describes the Administrator as “another tool in the toolbox for enforcement.”

Currently, Gilzean is the Chair of Florida’s Commission on Ethics, a position Governor DeSantis appointed him to. The Commission “renders legally binding advisory opinions interpreting the ethics laws and implements the State’s financial disclosure laws.” Recently, it rejected a complaint from the MAGA Inc. Super PAC backing Donald Trump, which claimed DeSantis was violating campaign finance laws and running a “shadow” campaign for President (via AP News).

After heated exchanges and dramatic actions taken by the Governor alleged to be intentionally harmful punishments, The Walt Disney Company sued him and his newly handpicked board not long after Bob Iger’s return as CEO, citing a “targeted campaign of government retaliation — orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech.” The plaintiff argues that this chronology of events “threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.”

The Walt Disney Company is suing for “declaratory and injunctive relief.” Injunctive relief forces a party to act in a certain way or prevents them from doing various things. An “injunction” is sometimes known as a restraining order.

Disney regrets that it has come to this, but having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its cast members, guests, and local development partners from a relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.

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Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion” movie only made about $24.2 million during its opening weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” continue to dominate theaters.

Slow Start for ‘Haunted Mansion’

Outside of the U.S., “Haunted Mansion” raked in about $9.1 million from 53 territories, for a total of $33.3 million. The film cost at least $200 million to produce and market.

For comparison, the 2003 “The Haunted Mansion” made $24.3 million, not adjusted for inflation, during its opening weekend twenty years ago.

Movie-going has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many films making less than expected, but “Haunted Mansion” is particularly suffering for a few reasons. While audiences are mostly enjoying it, critics have been giving it poor to mediocre reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 85% audience score versus a 41% Tomatometer.

The SAG-AFTRA strike also began just days before the Disneyland Resort premiere of “Haunted Mansion.” The premiere went on with fans and characters instead of stars. The “Haunted Mansion” cast is full of big names — like LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, and Rosario Dawson — but they didn’t have much of a chance to promote the film before going on strike.

Tony Chambers, executive vice president of theatrical distribution for Disney, told The New York Times, “Not having the cast available definitely had an impact, especially with ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ attracting so much attention — they’re just behemoths.”

The “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” casts mostly finished their promotional tours before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, with the “Oppenheimer” cast leaving the premiere after walking the red carpet but before the film began.

Chambers is hopeful “Haunted Mansion” could still do well in the coming weeks without many other family films on the horizon. “We’ve got a relatively clear runway for the next four weeks,” he said.

“Elemental” — another film from The Walt Disney Company with a fairly weak start — is close to crossing the $400 million mark in somewhat of a comeback. This places it ahead of other relative financial disappointments such as “The Flash” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”

Have you seen this film yet? Let us know what you think in the comments. Read our “Haunted Mansion” review here.

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