One of the biggest criticisms lobbed at The Walt Disney Company is that they "don't make them like they used to." In an era of sequels and remakes like Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), it feels like Disney is relying too much on its nostalgia factor than something original.
Although Disney has tried (and often failed) at trying to recreate the success of the past, that doesn't mean an audience for its material doesn't still exist. The older films worked for a reason, the trouble seems to be finding out what the magic formula was.
Know your viewers
There's no denying that Disney's remakes and sequels take in a lot at the box office, but the nostalgia will only last for so long. Disney's last original IP, Wish (2023) tried to capitalize on these "classic" elements but only went part of the way, resulting in a lackluster performance.
Think about this, why would Disney be so hungry for remakes of their classic characters? Because they've been a part of the collective consciousness for decades. Naturally, fans love watching their favorites, but that doesn't mean life has to stop at happily ever after.
There's a right way and a wrong way to capitalize on IP, but Disney has dropped the ball by making it the primary focus. In a sense, they're playing it too safe and lingering in the shadows of what's been done before by trying to modernize too much. Take a look at the Disney hot take in the musical number below.
As Mother Gothel (played by Grace Lord) sings, "Children may be the target, but children grow up." Disney was built on the backbone of family entertainment, but lately, the gameplan has simply been trying to make movies that are popular in the here and now. That's not going to work forever.
Voice acting icon Brian Hull puts it better in the monologue for the song when (as Judge Frollo,) he makes the following statement as a call out to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
"You’ve been so focused on milking your franchises for all their worth, you’ve forgotten what true originality is. Forget “what the fans WANT. What do they NEED? They need magic, true magic that cannot be made from a formula: it has to come from something real, something so real it terrifies them. That’s how you make them remember you."
Disney came close to its former glory with the Once Upon a Studio short, but 12 minutes of footage was only a small taste of the magic fans were used to. That said, the foundation for the right direction is still there.
There's no reason Disney can't keep their beloved established characters alive while still trying out new things. In a perfect world, Disney would crank out something for the classic fans and something for the contemporary audience, but the main idea here is to remain timeless.
At the time of writing, only one Disney film has an original concept this year, and they might lose the Best Animated Feature Oscar to The Wild Robot (2024). If there was ever a time for a wake-up call, it's now.
Do you think Disney can recover?