Image made by Nishika Datla.
From movies, to TV shows, and even theme parks, most of us have grown up with Disney in some way, and many of us feel a strong sense of nostalgia for the era of Disney that defined our childhood. In contrast, we look at the Disney of today and scoff at the unoriginality and blandness. But, is the company actually in decline? Or are we simply blinded by bias for what we grew up with?
There is some merit to the idea that Disney is in decline. Nine out of the eleven movies released by Disney in 2023 underperformed. Audiences also feel exhausted: there has been a trend in recent years for movie studios to make sequels or prequels rather than original content. Disney has been one of the biggest culprits of this. It feels like hit movies are being milked for the sake of profit. Some sequels such as Frozen 2 and Inside Out 2 have been received well by audiences, but on some level they still feel stale. These franchises can’t be dragged out forever. Were 5 Toy Story movies really necessary? The fifth installment will be released over 20 years after the original came out.
Another trend that Disney arguably created was live action remakes. These can have value, as they bring animation to life and make fictional worlds seem tangible. Yet, most of them fall short of the originals due to problems like poor production value. From movies like The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Mulan, and Aladdin, many, if not all of these remakes have flopped or underperformed at the box office. Even if the movies are good, they never live up to the originals due to audience expectations. Disney seems to be churning out movies and prioritizing quantity over quality. Live action remakes have felt like soulless cash grabs that prey on the nostalgia of people who grew up with these movies.
Along these lines, live action remakes and casting choices have recently caused a lot of controversy. Disney has been trying to increase diversity and representation in their media which is intrinsically a good thing, but once again they fall short in the execution. Some commend the company for inclusion and blind casting through projects like the live action Snow White and The Little Mermaid, while others have complained that they are not staying true to the originals. We believe that Disney’s approach to diversity is outright lazy, and that underrepresented communities deserve their own characters and movies instead of hand me downs. In any case, these remakes have further divided and upset audiences.
This perceived downfall isn’t isolated to Disney and Pixar; many people have felt similarly towards franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars. Marvel has become somewhat oversaturated. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become so sprawling that it can be confusing and even overwhelming for people to follow. In the last few years, since the release of Avengers Endgame, the quality of Marvel projects has gone downhill. Movies such as Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels, and Ant-Man Quantumania have all-star casts and massive budgets, but they are lacking in plot which in the end is the core of any movie. The recent announcement of Robert Downey Junior returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom feels like a ploy to bring audiences back to a dying franchise. As much as we love RDJ, it would be amazing to see different actors and upcoming talent in new roles. Let the dead STAY DEAD, we say.
The same can be said for Star Wars. The franchise has dragged on for so long, and in the last few years many Star Wars properties have flopped. The sequel trilogy is heavily criticized, and more recently, Disney canceled the Acolyte series after the first season came out with poor viewership and reviews. All Disney franchises seem to be on this downward trend. Disney is just doing too much, and due to this many facets of the company are suffering.
There are mixed feelings when it comes to Disney+ as well. The streaming platform has a wide array of movies and shows that people love to binge; however, many have grown bored of it after a while. Some people feel as if Disney+ and streaming platforms in general have cheapened the movie going experience. What’s the point in going to the theater to watch the latest Marvel movie, when it will be on streaming just 3 months later? Ticket prices have also skyrocketed, which further discourages audiences from going to movie theaters.
Finally, going to Disneyland is a core memory for many of us. From the rides to the characters, the magic that we grew up watching comes to life here. However, even Disneyland doesn’t seem that special anymore. Disney tickets used to be cheaper, but now they are unaffordable. The lines are huge and the rides break down constantly. Disney is a 170 billion dollar company, and Disneyland is the epitome of capitalism. Is it naive of us to expect anything else? Universal Studios seems like a far better option these days. Still, as much as we complain about modern Disney, the reality is that kids today still enjoy it as much as we did as children. Although Disney’s newest original, Wish, was a box office flop, the kids that watched it loved it as much as we loved Frozen 10 years ago. Disney is undeniably for all ages, and animation and heart-felt messages resonate with everyone, but the target audience for Disney movies is children. The movies have become less original over time and the quality has gone down. Children today still love Disney, but don’t they deserve better?