Disney World has removed the longtime "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls" greeting from its "Happily Ever After" fireworks show at Magic Kingdom in an effort to be more inclusive.
Employees who were invited to a "cast member" preview of the show on Wednesday highlighted the changes on social media, Insider reported.
While the fireworks display, which was the first to be hosted at Disney World since the shows were paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, remains unchanged, the greeting has been replaced with one that now says "Good evening, dreamers of all ages!"
Twitter user @ShowcaseWishes shared a video on Twitter comparing the new greeting with one heard in 2020.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls FOREVER!" the caption read.
Social media users were divided. While some supported the change, others disagreed with it.
"Seriously? Pirates, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise, now this too? I just wish the pendulum would hurry up and swing the other way...I'm so tired of this extremist way of thinking and being overly sensitive to everything!" one commenter wrote, referring to Disney's past efforts to be more inclusive.
"I'm not a dreamer though...I'm kinda offended by this to be honest," another wrote.
"The only reason people have a problem with this is because it isn’t just this. Why does everyone and everything have to change because some people are not comfortable in their own skin? so let’s change the world," a third Twitter user argued.
"It's a matter of inclusion. We need to actively INVITE those previously s'lined & excluded, into the circle. This will be accomplished over time, until we dont even think of it, it's inevitable, why u cant see the need for this is hard to comprehend," another added.
This is Disney's latest bid to be more welcoming to guests.
In January, the company announced its Jungle Cruise rides would no longer include "negative depictions" of native peoples and would instead reflect "the diversity of the world around us," according to New York Post.
In 2020, Disney also revealed changes it made to its Splash Mountain at U.S. theme parks, which included the removal of music and characters from "Song of the South," a 1946 Disney film that's been widely criticized for its racist plot and imagery.
Additionally, Disney park guide maps across the world now feature same-sex couples and children with disabilities.
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