ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both Disney and the entertainment industry in general. With respect to Disney in particular, this chapter builds on the concept of remediation to frame Disney+ as a kind of virtual theme park. The infrastructure of the platform simulates many spatial and geographic conventions of the theme park and also organizes customer experiences and interactions with Disney texts and characters in ways similar to Disney parks. While the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly not a part of the plan when the service launched, this chapter discusses how Disney+ provided an opportunity for Disney to engage consumers in familiar ways during the period of the pandemic when people were stuck at home, and other spaces important to Disney – like theme parks and movie theaters – were closed.
