Abigail Disney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abigail Disney
Born	Abigail Edna Disney (1960-01-24) January 24, 1960 (age 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Yale University (BA) Stanford University (MA) Columbia University (PhD)
Occupation	Film producer, philanthropist
Years active	2008–present
Known for	Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Pierre Hauser ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	4
Parent(s)	Roy E. Disney
Relatives	Disney family

Abigail Edna Disney was born on January 24, 1960. She is an American filmmaker who makes documentary movies. She is also a philanthropist, which means she gives money and time to help others. Abigail is also a social activist, working to make positive changes in society. She is a member of the famous Disney family.

Abigail Disney produced a documentary in 2008 called Pray the Devil Back to Hell. She also produced and directed The Armor of Light (2015) and The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales (2022). These films have won awards for being outstanding documentaries about social issues.

Early Life and School

Abigail Disney is the daughter of Patricia Ann and Roy E. Disney. Her grandfather was Roy O. Disney, who helped start The Walt Disney Company with his brother, Walt Disney. Walt Disney was Abigail's great-uncle.

She grew up in North Hollywood, California. She went to the Buckley School there. In 1982, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Yale University. Later, she received a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University. She also earned a PhD in philosophy from Columbia University in 1994. While studying for her PhD, Abigail taught English and American literature at Iona College.

Making Films

Abigail Disney decided to follow her family's path into filmmaking. She started with the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell. This film showed the important work of Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee. It told the story of how women helped bring peace to the country of Liberia after a war.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell won an award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. It was shown in 60 countries around the world.

Fork Films and Peace is Loud

In 2007, Abigail Disney and Gini Reticker started a film company called Fork Films. Abigail was the president and CEO of the company. In 2009, they organized a tour to show Pray the Devil Back to Hell in many places. This tour ended on the United Nations' International Day of Peace. The film was shown in 31 countries and 235 cities in the U.S. The main person in the film, Leymah Gbowee, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

Because of the success of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Abigail Disney worked on a TV series for PBS. It was called Women, War & Peace and aired in 2011. This series explored how women are involved in wars, not just as victims. It showed how women actively work for peace in their communities. In 2011, Abigail Disney received an award for using film to create social change.

She also helped produce The Trials of Spring in 2015. This project included a long documentary and six short films.

Directing Films

Abigail Disney directed her first film, The Armor of Light. ..... It also featured Lucy McBath, whose son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in Florida in 2012. Jordan Davis was not armed when he died. The film looked at "stand-your-ground" laws in the United States. The Armor of Light was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015. In 2017, it won an Emmy Award for being an outstanding documentary about a social issue.

In 2018, Abigail Disney helped start Level Forward. This company makes films, TV shows, and theater productions. It focuses on projects that support new voices and creative ideas. Fork Films closed down in October 2022.

Helping Communities

Abigail Disney and her husband, Pierre Hauser, started The Daphne Foundation in 1991. This foundation helps programs that work to solve problems caused by poverty in New York City.

In 2008, Abigail Disney started Peace is Loud. This group uses media and events to highlight women leaders who work for peace. She is the founder and president of this organization.

In 2011, Abigail Disney traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Nobel winner Leymah Gbowee. They worked with other women peace activists there. The next year, they visited Sri Lanka. Women activists in Sri Lanka started their own plan for peace, inspired by Leymah Gbowee.

In 2012, Abigail Disney decided not to keep her share of profits from a cosmetics company called Ahava. The company's factory was in a settlement in the West Bank. She felt it was wrong to profit from resources taken from occupied land. She donated her investments and profits to groups working to stop this.

In May 2015, Abigail Disney joined Leymah Gbowee and 28 other women peacebuilders. They crossed the border between North Korea and South Korea. This was an act of solidarity with Korean women. They called for an end to the Korean War. The peacebuilders held meetings in Pyongyang and Seoul. They listened to Korean women and shared ideas about how women can help end conflicts.

Abigail Disney is also part of a group called the Patriotic Millionaires. These are wealthy people who believe that rich people should pay more taxes. In January 2020, they asked for higher tax rates at the World Economic Forum.

In June 2021, Abigail Disney wrote an article in The Atlantic. She criticized how some wealthy people reduce their taxes. She explained how they use different methods to avoid paying their fair share.

Thoughts on The Walt Disney Company

In April 2019, Abigail Disney shared her thoughts on social media about the pay of Disney CEO Bob Iger. She felt his pay was too high. She said that no one should earn 500 times more than the average worker. Disney company responded that they had invested a lot in their workers' pay and benefits. They also said the CEO's pay was mostly based on how well the company performed. Abigail Disney continued to speak out, asking for fairer pay for all workers.

In July 2019, Abigail Disney talked with employees at Disneyland. She then criticized the working conditions there. She said some employees had trouble finding enough food.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abigail Disney again spoke out. She criticized the company for temporarily stopping the pay of many low-paid workers.

In May 2020, Abigail Disney gave a TED talk. She talked about the pay of Disney theme park employees. She said that when she was young, a Disneyland cleaner could earn enough to support a family and own a home. Today, she said, many employees who make visitors happy cannot consistently afford food. She added that it's upsetting because Disney promotes ideas of magic and family love. Yet, some workers, like those who play Cinderella, might be sleeping in their cars.

In 2022, Abigail Disney joined other Disney employees in criticizing Bob Chapek, who was then the CEO. They were upset that he did not speak out against a Florida law. This law limited discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

Personal Life

Abigail Disney married Pierre Norman Hauser in 1988. They live in New York City and have four children.

Abigail Disney is a member of the Democratic Party. In July 2024, she stated she would not donate to the party until Joe Biden decided not to run for president in the 2024 election.

Filmography

Films Produced

Awards and Recognition

Abigail Disney has received many awards for her work:

• The Women's Image Network Awards (2015) – Woman of the Year
• Global Women's Rights Awards (2009)
• Auburn Lives of Commitment Award (2009)
• 1st Annual Media Awards (2009)
• Visionary Social Change Award (2011)
• Athena Award (2011)
• International Advocate for Peace Award (2011)
• Gracie Award for Outstanding Producer-News/Nonfiction for Women, War & Peace (2012)
• The James Park Morton Interfaith Award (2012)
• Morton Deutsch Award for Social Justice (2014)
• Legacy Award (2014)
• Public Health Change Champion Award (2014)
• IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation) Courage in Journalism Awards: Leadership Honoree (2015)