Disney Account Roasted Fans Of Its Own Star Wars Movies, Then Deleted The Tweet

Rey and Kylo Ren in lightsaber duel in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker poster
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

When a social media meme gets big, it is not uncommon to see the accounts for popular brands try to get in on the trend. Some brand accounts, like Wendy’s and Universal Orlando Resort have built a reputation, and a strong list of followers, from doing this. But you rarely see Disney try to get in on the action. Now, we’ve possibly begun to see why, as a recent attempt to use the “red flags” meme did not go over well.

Of the dozens of social media accounts in question that Disney runs, the one we’re dealing with here is the official Latin American Disney+ account. A couple days ago it posted the statement (in Spanish) that “The final Star Wars trilogy is the best,” followed by a series of red flags. The implication being that if you hear somebody say this, you should be wary of them because there is clearly something wrong. Somebody didn’t think that was funny, as the tweet has now been scrubbed from the timeline.

It’s certainly a somewhat odd joke to make. Yes, it will certainly set off some people. Every movie is somebody’s favorite and along with that there are certainly people who think the most recent trilogy was really good, even great. But what makes it all the stranger for a Disney account to even think of such a tweet is that the most recent trilogy is the only one of the three produced by Disney. 

Perhaps there was a feeling that by picking the newest trilogy Disney could be seen as being self-deprecating, which isn’t a bad idea on its face, but it doesn’t appear to have worked.  The prequel trilogy is the one that tends to get all the flack, even from fans, so it feels like there was a safer way to make this joke, laughing at the part of the franchise even most fans are ok with laughing at, but maybe that could have been seen as an unnecessary shot at George Lucas.

One starts to see here that social media can be a minefield, which is part of why many brand accounts don’t try wading into these waters, and Disney is usually one of those that does not. Most Disney accounts stick to providing information within their sphere, and on the occasion that they might try to have a little fun, it’s still always in the interest of promoting something.

There was another Disney account that decided to dive headlong into the “red flag” meme itself, the account for Walt Disney World, which surprised many who follow the account, as it doesn't usually do this, but it still picked a safe way to do it

It’s possible this is the start of something and Disney social media accounts are going to start trying to draw more attention by engaging with followers a little more. It’s also possible this recent lesson has shown that maybe that’s not really a great idea.  

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.