Disney's iconic stories are part of the reason it has endured forever, or at least as long as it has. However, many fans would agree that some of the latest offerings from The Walt Disney Company aren't exactly the gold standard.
One only has to look to the recent Snow White adaptation to see just how far Disney has fallen from its heyday. However, one of the newest additions to the Disney Cruise Line might hold the key to the studio's restoration.
A tale as old as time
Many of Disney's recent releases at the box office, have one major flaw in common: they are all very modernized takes. Whether that's Snow White, Wish, or even some of the most recent Star Wars entries, they all play to a certain set of modern values that differ from traditional Disney themes.
Although it would be unfair to say that every modern Disney flick is a dud, some of the studios latest releases have been accused of virtue, signaling and pandering to what men call the "woke mob." that all being said, something is happening with Disney's newest cruise ship, and it might need to make its journey to the mainland as well.
Heroes & Villains is the new theme for the Disney Destiny. It's an overarching storyline in which Captain Minnie must unite with some of Disney's best and brightest to combat the forces of Hades, Scar, and the rest of their fiendish friends.
While simple and chocked to the gills with nostalgia, the ships theming presents an element that has arguably been absent from some of Disney's most recent materials. Whatever happened to the neverending saga of good versus evil?
From the very first full-length animated feature, a common theme amongst many of Disney's classic stories has been the triumph of good over the forces of evil. Every spell is broken by true love's kiss, every hero is strengthened by an act of virtue, and every villain meets a just demise. So what happened?
In this writer's opinion, Disney's films haven't gone "woke," but they have undeniably strayed away from the formula that made them all such successes to begin with. Films like Encanto and Turning Red weren't awful, and they appealed to the human condition. However, they lack that same magic seen in other films from Disney's past.
Why does the studio continue to push nostalgic flavors in the parks and merchandise? Because audiences still love what already worked before. Audiences want to see their favorite heroes take on Disney's rogue's gallery of villains, and they will even pay a cruise-ship-priced ticket to do so.
The problem with that is that the concept hasn't been seen at the animation studio since Wish, and even that felt a little forced. At the end of the day, what Disney truly needs to do is return to the trade and true formula. Good vanquishes, evil, and true love triumphs over all.
Do you think Disney has lost it's roots?