Disney’s race recasting of “The Little Mermaid” and use of non-binary characters in the movie “Elemental” turned out to be stupendous busts for the House of Mouse and have allegedly contributed to the departure of Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President Latondra Newton.

Variety obtained a memo that shows Newton is leaving after six years with the company. A source told the media outlet that she will join the corporate board of another company soon, and plans to devote more time to her self-owned creative company. The internal memo from Disney’s Chief Human Resources Officer Sonia Coleman announced Newton’s departure to staff on Tuesday.

The memo claims that Newton “…decided to leave The Walt Disney Company to pursue other endeavors.”

“Latondra has led the company’s strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including partnering with stakeholders across the enterprise to amplify stories of the world by people around the world. She has been dedicated to ensuring every person sees themselves and their life experiences represented in a meaningful and authentic way,” Coleman stated.

Disney’s first-ever film featuring a nonbinary character “Elemental” had the company’s lowest opening weekend revenue in it’s history

Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer just “resigned”

Target’s stock is down nearly $15,000,000,000.00

Starbucks is “toning down” Pride decorations…

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 22, 2023

“I know you all join me in thanking Latondra for her many contributions, including the lasting impact she has had on our employees and our culture,” Coleman said. “Working alongside all of you and so many others, she has inspired countless cast members and employees to bring about lasting change and to help create a world where we can all feel safe and we all belong.”

“Latondra’s direct reports will report to Julie Merges on an interim basis until a new DEI leader is identified,” the memo added.

“Elemental” bombed at the box office on opening weekend. The woke film appears to be on track to be one of the lowest premiers for the company since the late 1990s. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the film earned an estimated $29.6 million over the three-day June 16 weekend. It’s the lowest weekend premiere for a Pixar movie since “Toy Story” was released in 1995.

Bye Latondra Newton, you won’t be missed. About time. Now, @RobertIger , let’s turn this ship around. $DIS pic.twitter.com/ryJEtGf76h

— Wonder W (@LittleDack1) June 22, 2023

“The Little Mermaid,” which now features a black actress named Halle Bailey as the main character Ariel, is set to bomb in China which is a major market for Hollywood. “The film is likely to be Disney’s worst-performing Chinese release this year,” and has only earned $13,000 in pre-sales, Comic Book Resources reported.

The flopping of the two woke movies comes after the massive failure of 2022’s “Lightyear” which featured a lesbian kiss. The scene was originally cut but then put back in after employees carped that Disney was not doing enough to take a stand against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education bill.

Newton’s bio for Disney indicates that she was responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusion initiatives which included working with “…various business segments and leaders across the enterprise to build on Disney’s commitment to produce entertainment that reflects a global audience and sustains a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone.”

Celebrating Diversity! #BudLight VP Alissa Heinerscheid
and
Latondra Newton, Disney VP for diversity
People whose wokeness lost their company billions of dollars & the goodwill of their customers.

These two should hang out! pic.twitter.com/0piYiuhrSF

— Populo Iratus (@astronomy89) June 21, 2023

Following the death of George Floyd, she co-signed a May 2020 memo issued to Disney staff titled, “Resolve in the Time of Unrest,” along with Bob Iger and Bob Chapek, according to Variety.

The executives who signed the memo pledged “to use our compassion, our creative ideas, and our collective sense of humanity to ensure we are fostering a culture that acknowledges our people’s feelings and their pain. We also realize that now more than ever is the time for us all to further strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere.”

Before Disney, Newton was Group Vice President, Social Innovation and Chief Diversity Officer at Toyota Motor North America, Inc., and Chief Program Officer, at Toyota Mobility Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation. She began her career at Toyota in 1991.

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