Controversy surrounds Disneyland ride and kiss with Snow White while she's unconscious
CALIFORNIA - Just days after reopening to the public, Disneyland is getting caught up in controversy and it all has to do with a ride for one of its classic movies.
After being closed for nearly a year, Disneyland in California opened to fanfare and excitement Friday.
But once fans got a look at its newly renovated Snow White ride, some people -- including a local newspaper -- were not happy with what they saw.
People are upset with the kiss between Snow White and Prince Charming. The San Francisco Gate newspaper wants the kiss removed from the attraction.
The publication argues the kiss comes while she is unconscious and without her consent and that it "cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it's happening."
Disneyland has not responded to the criticism.
The theme park's reopening highlights a big shift for the nation’s most populous state from just months ago when COVID-19 cases were surging, hospitals were running out of ICU beds, and hundreds of people died from the virus each day.
Now, California boasts the country’s lowest rate of confirmed coronavirus infections and more than half of the population eligible for vaccination has received at least one dose. Children have been returning to in-person classes, shops and restaurants are expanding business, and Gov. Gavin Newsom set June 15 as a target date to further reopen the economy, albeit with some health-related restrictions.
Theme parks were among the last California businesses allowed to reopen, in contrast to states with fewer restrictions such as Florida, where Disney World’s Magic Kingdom resort has been up and running, though at lower-than-usual capacity, since July.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.