Disney Has Brand CANCER | A Company Analysis

[@jljl5449]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish should be required watching for all Disney writers. It's the Humbled-Hero arc done correctly and with respect.

[@GLJosh]

A Disney writer might just see the female cat hero and think that was the main reason the movie did well.

[@adampkalb]

​@@GLJosh Not every modern writer of Disney films are that narrow-minded! I made a review of Zootopia and Encanto to prove that to you. The subtext of that review was, Judy Hopps and Mirabel Madrigal were likable and relatable female protagonists who accepted accountability for their mistakes, and Nick Wilde and Bruno Madrigal are misunderstood good guys who are feared at first, but the reason why they were feared and misjudged had nothing to do with their gender. Besides, Kathleen Kennedy hiring male chauvinists to make a bad sequel trilogy about a boring female lead immediately defeats her purpose of wanting more women to represent Star Wars, when she did not hire more experienced female writers and directors who would have done a better job with The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. February 8, 2024, 1:59pm

[@adampkalb]

I want to know how you feel about Wreck-it Ralph and Descendants. They are both Disney movies about a villain who becomes a hero, but almost nobody compares them this way because when they compare films like Megamind, Despicable Me, Wreck-it Ralph or The Bad Guys...Descendants is sadly usually left out of the discussion due to it being a Disney Channel TV movie that could easily fly under the radar, even though it is based on many of the classic animated Disney fairytale films known to us. February 8, 2024, 2:00pm

[@matityaloran9157]

@adamkalb1, personally, I’ve never actually seen the Descendants. That’s why I don’t tend to comment on it, whereas the other films you mentioned are movies I have seen

[@firefly44220]

It was fantastic

[@Merchantic]

Joker: Burns a giant pile of money -> says its about sending a message. Hollywood: Burns giant piles of money -> says its about sending a message. Coincidence? I think not

[@613harbinger316]

Some people just want to see the world burn.

[@stevenschultz9637]

Not the role model I woulda gone with

[@gregowen2022]

And both are villains. Appropriate

[@jonathanschell964]

I’m so sick and tired of seeing messages and agendas in what’s supposed to be entertainment. We get enough of it everywhere else in society. Don’t need it in movies.

[@613harbinger316]

@@jonathanschell964 Funny thing is, all media has some kind of message or agenda, but there's something else about the woke/SJW agenda that's particularly grating. It's like an angry street preacher yelling at you or some nose-ringed, multi-colored hair teenager yelling "I'm trying to educate you!" It's just so obnoxious and self-righteous.

[@DSzaks]

As an actual cancer survivor, my cancer cells are deeply offended that you would compare them to the monstrosity that is modern Disney. Or they would be if they were still alive. So I will be offended on their behalf instead!

[@gregowen2022]

Hahaha, poor Disney is even offending diseases, they are in a bad spot

[@adampkalb]

How can diseases feel offended? Diseases do not have feelings! 😭 But seriously, I feel very depressed to live in a world when nearly everybody hates Disney enough to make casual jokes at their expense. I do not feel too upset when it comes from someone who never liked Disney even in their better years, but I feel a lot worse when somebody hates Disney too much to even care about the few good films that Disney still makes, like Encanto or Elemental. Now, if Disney wanted you to be offended by good old films, but bad new films offend you even more...is this conflict a draw where both sides win either way?

[@adampkalb]

The cancer cells are not offended because even when they were alive, they had no feelings. The cancer patient is the one who is offended.

[@DSzaks]

@@adampkalbDid I strike a chord? I was just joking around. I mean I did have cancer. And sure it was trying to kill me which sucked. But at least it never tried to convince me that my very existence as was some sort of affront to the universe.

[@Captain_FIipper]

@@adampkalbshit dude the joke might as well have been an airplane cause it went way over

[@toddsalisbury3851]

I wish i could do a shit job for a year straight, lose the confidence of my clients and then write off a billion in losses and be fine. Lifes just bit tougher for us poors

[@arostwocents]

Way more than a year straight dude 😂

[@stackels97]

I went from being a massive Disney Adult nerd to wanting absolutely nothing to do with any of it. It's actually heartbreaking. Disney basically raised me and I don't even recognise it anymore.

[@iangiovanni6555]

certainly explains the stupid

[@adampkalb]

This is very depressing for Disney to become the opposite of what made it successful, to get rid of everything that people liked about it for no good reason to cater to a different audience that could never care about good entertainment products. I hope Disney does not remain this bad forever. We can not prove there is no way for Disney to go back to what it was when it raised you.

[@awesomesauce94]

@@adampkalb redemption is possible for disney, companies at the end of the day are defined by how they are run and what the priorities and goals are of the leaders. executives come and go, if disney cleaned house and got new people to run things who actually see the writing on the wall and understand the problem and recognize what made people like it in the first place and embrace that, things could become better. I do think this whole obsession with companies trying to pander and push agendas at the expense of their art and fans is a cultural fad and will eventually die out, it's not sustainable for the entertainment industry to keep going this direction. hopefully when things do became more balanced the extreme levels of cultural disdain will fizzle out as well. not saying people still won't argue or disagree, but not the blazing warzone it is right now. that's my hope

[@JaimeTanner-b2i]

Yeah, me too.

[@SusieQ3]

When we had our 3rd kid, we got an RV. Now that we're about to have our 5th kid, we're resolved that places like national parks are a much better vacation option than a Disney park. Not only can we comfortably house and reasonably feed our family without having to sacrifice one of our kids as a down payment, we can be reasonably sure they're not going to encounter anything that will rot their brain or screw them up for years to come. We also got rid of Disney+ several years ago, and haven't gone to any of their movies in theaters since the snap.

[@gregowen2022]

I want an RV so bad! However, my wife still wants Disney, just using their RV park, haha. Trouble is, with our Nissan NV, there are very few trailers that will both house all 8 of us and meet the tow limits. Gotta have that dual bump-out bunk room in the back, but they are PRICEY. Congrats on the new addition!

[@mynamenoone5967]

That is good pretty simple And that's genius. Good job

[@fredkelly6953]

Camping is a far better option for the family no matter what Disney is doing.

[@MB-lz5eb]

Is it possible to be a family in an RV without being one of those "family van life" people? No offense, just curious.

[@WillFredward7167]

For most of my childhood, summer vacation meant staying in a little rented house about an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park. It became such a deep joy, and generated so many enduring memories.

[@geishasha]

If anybody is wondering, Greg earned his medical degree on Udemy and is actually qualified to talk about brand cancer. Personally I think Disney's DEI tumor is so large that removing it will kill the patient. Disneyland Paris is good though, as it's really easy to get drunk there.

[@MrMirageCaster]

You can't trust your Brand Doctors unless they keep a kitchen whisk on hand.

[@Gottgamerrasm]

Funny you mention disneyland paris, we in denmark are currently getting alot of tv ads for exactly disney land paris. If i were a gambling man i'd say disney is getting desperate since their parks in the us are trash.

[@ArwensHubby]

😂

[@itsallfunandgames723]

I hope he waited for one of their weekend sales, you get like 90% off. Which for a medical degree is substantial savings.

[@Goldenspiderducck]

I heard he went to the Fummunda School at Updog University.

[@elusivemayfly7534]

Disney went from subtly shaping culture through storytelling to becoming ham-fisted moral arbiters. That feeling isn’t in everything they make, but it’s in enough.

[@joshualieberman138]

The problem with the parks is they have become SO reliant on the entertainment side of things that every failure is a problem. When EPCOT was about introducing you to the culture of the countries or showing you really innovative technology then you can keep coming back to see that. When they actually taught you how to make movies at the Studios then you would come back because you might catch them animating their next movie (I saw them drawing Lion King). That is amazing and a must see. Watching them push their most recent movie is not a reason to pay inflated prices year after year.

[@gregowen2022]

Very true, they need to keep the parks more evergreen instead of relying on quick hits from the movies. I haven’t been to epcot in too long, and strolling around getting snacks from different regions was my fat kid dream. What a great day.

[@joshualieberman138]

@@gregowen2022 I used to be a Disney adult, but when their CFO actually said, "Some people have more time and some people have more money." to justify their pricing decisions I was done. The beauty of old Disney was everyone was basically treated the same. The family at the Floridian got the same three fast passes as the one staying at Pop Century. Everyone came with the same dream to see things that you could see nowhere else.

[@blackpanther8716]

Totaly agree, well said! I wish that Disney will more away from IP related attractions and instead create new experiences.

[@joshualieberman138]

@@blackpanther8716 As I said, I'm a Disney fan so I want them to amaze me. I want them to be great and I am willing to pay the inflated prices for a good product, but they are as good as Universal and more expensive. So who needs them.

[@lanceburkhardt8265]

@@gregowen2022 I just had the unfortunate experience of visiting the original park (we were given tickets). Compared to decades ago, it seems kitsch and dated with long lines for mediocre attractions from yesteryear.

[@chica4253]

Disney is not making anything worth rewatching. They haven’t been for years. They also started to take loyal canvases extremely for granted and just assumed ppl would show up bc STAR WARS! 🙄 In short, Disney convinced themselves that their poop don’t stink.

[@gregowen2022]

Agreed. You can really feel them taking the audience for granted when they blame the audience for not seeing the movies. Like I owe them a watch?

[@jimmyboydonald6578]

Disney died of lung cancer back in 1966. And people have been predicting the death of the company ever since. A long time to be on death row, eh? 😊

[@frankieseward8667]

​@@gregowen2022it's really a common problem most brands that lasted for decades deal with.

[@Stew91]

"They haven't been for years". Watch Andor, or Moongirl and Devil Dinosaur.

[@NapaCat]

​@@Stew91 that's TV, I think this is about movies even if their wording was unclear.

[@normsti000]

Greg, you rarely disappoint and this is no exception. You went into data we hardly see and put it into a solid conclusion, Brand Damage is real and will impact future Disney.

[@gregowen2022]

Thank you so much!

[@lasercraft32]

For a second I read that as "you really disappoint and this is no exception" and I was _very_ confused lol.

[@stevenschultz9637]

Their customers were parents but they thought their customers were children. A classic blunder.

[@BennysGamingAttic]

I don't like cancer. I wouldn't wish it on anyone... but if Disney has cancer, then so be it.

[@gregowen2022]

Agreed. I try not be happy, but I’m sure as hell not sad for them

[@adampkalb]

I am confused. Do you want Disney to get brand cancer? Because it makes no sense that once a good entertainment company goes bad, that you would suddenly want it to continue being bad because for some reason, you enjoy it keep getting worse. That would be like if Star Trek: Discovery made you stop caring about Star Trek, so you could enjoy seeing Paramount+ tarnish the reputation of Star Trek even more by erasing everything you liked about Star Trek from decades ago. I thought I would like this five years ago because I did not want Disney to be the all-powerful media conglomerate it once was in the 2010s...but much like Spider-Man at the end of Infinity War, now I do not feel so good. I want the whimsical storytelling of classic animated Disney films we used to like to come back, before they got all wrapped up in Marvel and Lucasfilm content and almost forgot about Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. February 8, 2024, 1:43pm

[@adampkalb]

When a once-good entertainment company goes bad, but you did not want them to get bad, then why would you change their mind and say that watching Disney get worse (by only hearing about it from other people) is more entertaining than Disney trying to be good? That makes as little sense as wanting Paramount+ to make Star Trek worse because Star Trek: Discovery caused you to give up on Star Trek, and you do not even want to remember the earlier good times.

[@lindasmith320]

So true it’s all fun and games until it’s not then it’s just wired.

[@nostromza3433]

@@gregowen2022 Down with the monopoly

[@gbalfour9618]

I can say iger is a bad business man with a straight face. That time he was “doing good” was the company running itself. In good times you can get a potted plant to run a company, in bad times (like what Disney is in now, due to Iger incompetence) is where your skills as a ceo and business man shine; and right now Igers skills shine as bright as a black hole. All the people what are causing Disney problems were hired under Iger, and Disney is a large enough company that it would take several years to start seeing any issues. He is a terrible business man, full stop.

[@gregowen2022]

I just can’t agree. I think it’s like a band with a good drummer and bassist. When they are good, they fade into the background and seem unimportant, but when they are bad it’s terribly noticeable. When he knew his audience and expanded the mostly female Disney audience to include boys with Marvel and LucasFilm, those were great calls. But then he mixed in his politics, and it’s pretty wild how quickly he undid all the good work from before.

[@gbalfour9618]

I will concede and say Iger is savvy as he took advantage of the situation when Eisner was thrown out. But I don’t think he is a good business man. He bought Pixar in 06, which was doing fine till he fired Lasseter and it’s been misfire from then. Marvel 09, then fired Perlmutter and then down hill. LucasFilm cost 4.5bill and I don’t think it’s made that money back. Then Comcast ran up the price of Fox to 71.3 billion and Iger didn’t know when to walk away, what at Fox would be worth nearly twice as much as Marvel or Star Wars? Iger has taken out many of the people who made the products he purchased successful. And I’m sure he’s done to the rest of the company he’s done to the board. I forget which board member but he guy has no entertainment experience but Iger and the guys wife’s are friends. I think he’s a good bullshitter but can’t actually do the job. And why I say he is seen as good bc a lot of successes under him were managed and set up by others who Iger has since gotten rid of. But ultimately he’s not good. Marvel and Star Wars great buys but then he dropped the ball again and again with them. At this point I think the purchase of Star Wars and Marvel were just dumb luck then brilliant strategies. And anyone could have seen Marvel and Star Wars we’re good purchases, it’s like saying ‘great job for figuring out what 2+2 is timmy’ all the while being in an algebra class.

[@gregowen2022]

@@gbalfour9618 that's a good point about the firings/hirings. He was fine with perlmutter and Lasseter getting the axe, but has protected Kennedy. That's not good people management

[@alpyki2588]

​​@@gbalfour9618Not to mention when they bought Fox, there are a lot of assets from that that they aught to sell off, because Disney doesn't understand the IP, or its not compatable with who they are or what they do. Great example is this: they own Phantom of the Paradise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. How do you as a family entertainment company try to use those two properties? Or any of the Charlie Chan mysteries from the 30's if you won't even let Song of the South out with a big warning label on it? Its just sitting there, and in a few years time some of this stuff is going to go to public domain, without any utilization. And imagine the amount of copyright lawyers and management needed just to make sure no one's illegally streaming Grapes of Wrath. Its almost 100 years of movie history and Disney's only going to use maybe 5% of it. If I was Iger I'd start peddling off some of it for ready cash. Or at least lease some of the lesser titles to streaming services for a quick buck.

[@2099EK]

Something to add--parents go on date nights, and my wife and I don't go to Disney movies anymore. So not only are the families not going, but neither are the parents when they have free time. Also, very timely video given Carano's wrongful termination lawsuit. Finally, I second the All-In podcast--they cover a wide swath of issues from different viewpoints.

[@gregowen2022]

My wife got me onto the All-in, and I’m loving it. Such good chemistry with those guys. And I agree, my wife and I don’t see disney stuff anymore, nor are we excited about a kid-free park trip like we were at one point in our lives. Disney is just fading for many people, and that apathy is what will kill them, not the loud opposition folks.

[@jaydeeao]

Man, every time I see or hear anything about Wish all I can think of is how much of a better movie it would have been if they kept the idea of the movie being an origin story of the song "When you wish upon on a star". Imagine that being the Anniversary movie instead of what we got. Granted, it would still have to be written well, which I'm not sure they could do, but I can't help but think on how much of a missed opportunity it was.

[@gregowen2022]

HUGE missed opportunity. It feels like a movie made by committee, then given to another committee to rework, then a third, then a fourth. The final product is an amalgam of 62 ideas stuffed together. It also feels like they realized last year that it was the centennial and did their report the night before it was due. Just sloppy all around, sadly

[@adampkalb]

So, how did Wish come off as a film made by four committees that crammed together 62 ideas from Artificial Intelligence, instead of being an origin story for When You Wish Upon A Star? It only has 8 writers and 2 directors, so 62 sounds like too much.

[@BrokensoulRider]

You're forgetting all the underlings and the investors and shareholders and boardmembers that it also had to screen through, along with audience testing. What upsets me most about Wish is that it had the opportunity to show a Bitter-sweet sort of ending and a Gomez/Morticia if they were Actually Evil powercouple with some great relationship goals despite being so goddamn evil even Frollo may bear his cross. @@adampkalb

[@DarkLordReturned]

​@@adampkalbAside from the fact you are a salty Disney shill, and in quite a lot of other comments, a movie can come across as one thing even if it's not. The fact that you are saying this is either intentional and evil, or just plain old stupidity. I hope for your sake it's intentional.

[@crazy_pyromaniac]

When it comes to Marvel, I remember hearing people say “what did you think about the new Marvel movie?” all the time. Now, I haven’t heard anyone ask me what I think about Ant Man Quantumania.

[@gregowen2022]

Right? Last month people were talking about “What If…?” Season 2, and I had zero clue it was even out. Very few people even care anymore

[@conqueringflower7466]

For the prices the parks are charging, in many cases, it would be cheaper to go to Europe to see a real castle. The old talent retired, or got pushed out, and their corporate culture is now toxic, so they can't attract new talent. Promising new talent doesn't want to apply to work there anymore. It's not the dream job. They're left with people who are willing to to up with a bad work enviroment for the paycheck. Even outside companies don't want contracts with Disney anymore.

[@Theobuomai]

You might appreciate the article recently in the Atlantic, "Why Activism Leads to So Much Bad Writing," by George Packer. The gist he argues is that activism has to simplify human complexity and experience, but stories are precisely about engaging that messiness honestly and coming out of it with a meaningful truth: "When artists turn to activism or introduce politics into a work of art, it’s usually taken as something virtuous, an act of conscience on behalf of justice. But artistic and political values are not the same; in some ways they’re opposed, and mixing them can corrupt both. Politics is almost never a choice between good and evil but rather between two evils, and anyone who engages in political action will end up with dirty hands, distorting the truth if not peddling propaganda; WHEREAS an artist has to aspire to an INTELECTUAL and EMOTIONAL HONESTY that will drive creative work away from any political line. Art that tries to give political satisfaction is unlikely to be very good as either politics or art... ...[such activist] fiction fails the main task of art...because it DENIES human complexity and insists that our “categorization alone” is real."

[@emmybellbell]

I will have to check this article out! This is a great summary of why I am uncomfortable with activism!

[@McDLT999999999999999]

That’s a lot of words to say woke movies suck but that might be what is needed to get through to the entrenched cultists.

[@princessthyemis]

Wow that is so well-worded!

[@nicoler5713]

I would probably be classed as a "woke" person here, but I... half agree with this? I don't think politics and art are inherently opposed, and in fact great art can come from political movements. Punk music and fashion is the first thing to come to mind. Hell, there's some modern fashion designers doing amazing and interesting things with scrap material and deadstock in the name of environmental causes. BUT there's a particular intersection of art, politics and capitalism, which is where Disney and a lot of modern "activist" media lies and THAT is where the problem comes into the fray. Disney will never let their products go to the levels of commentary that makes for great activist art. There's a reason the "MCU first gay character!" Joke persisted for so long - because gay characters kept getting used as some headline grabbing title for western audiences while also having to be inconsequential enough that they could be cut for audiences like China. Great political art requires people to really dig in and make cutting commentary about these subjects. That will never happen while a company is trying to pander to as wide an audience as possible. You cannot have political art while also trying to be inoffensive.

[@ColinFox]

A key metric for me regarding movie enjoyability is: What quotable lines, or memorable moments, were there? Ask about any of the big movies of the past, and there will be lots to talk about. But modern movies are bland lectures on some societal subset's demands, not actual storytelling. Ask someone what bits they liked in Snatch, or Deadpool, or Singing in the Rain. Now ask them what bits they liked about The Marvels.

[@Stew91]

Deadpool came out in 2016, so it's still a modern movie. What even is your argument here?

[@liabw05]

Bad examples but get your point

[@biornr.4031]

I don't mind more inclusion and diversity in itself. I don't see why we should chain ourselves to some pseudo-50s sensibilities. I'm also from a culture that isn't as prudish as the US, so some adult references and bits aren't an issue in my book as long as it's limited and down to earth - such things are simply part of life and children should know that too. What I *do* mind is terrible writing, preaching, and meesages more blunt than a sledgehammer. This is where Disney really does things poorly, as that is exactly what they do. They seem to have inclusion for the sake of some coorporate quota list, rather than the sake of telling good and sincere stories - sometimes from perspectives that we don't see so often. Had they bothered with the latter, I think Disney would be in a very different place right now

[@colbyreader]

Wish was a pile of shit because of the CONTEXT. As a 100 anniversary movie for a multi-billion dollar corporation they shit all over artists everywhere but especially their own. Wish had SO MUCH potential and that’s why us artists are absolutely infuriated with Disney.

[@CrackDad]

The thing is, they don't even need to choose between those two because the ladder is still profitable for BOTH ends. All of us millennials with no kids just want good content. It's a much much smaller amount of people who are pushing a social agenda within Disney that don't seem to realize that they are the problem. Entertainment is exactly that, entertainment. People have muddled the line between business and pleasure so much in the last 20 years that it has blinded us.

[@xyzculture]

Losing billions is a new trend in hollywood💀💀

[@gregowen2022]

2023 sure makes it seem that way. It was a race to the bottom last year, sheesh

[@artistaccount]

Music industry too they don't even make albums anymore for the most part

[@dustinhollis]

There's a reason why when Disney wanted to start putting out movies that's were not family oriented, the started the "Touchstone" films brand. Now Disney bought FOX studios and doesn't know what to do with it. All the kid friendly stuff needs to be under the Disney umbrella and branding, the rest under some other brand, not connected to Disney.

[@txag007]

I wish Disney was interested in making money and release the Fox back catalogue on physical media. It will basically become lost media over the next decades as Disney locks Fox behind the "vault".

[@tesnacloud]

As someone who is a social progressive, Disney has another problem. Their diversity stunts feel hollow and transparent. I don't think they are run by progressives, I think they are run by cynical marketers who want to cash in on progressive ideology. But because they want to cash in, they constantly advertise how progressive they are with stuff that doesn't feel special. And they don't screen their progressive hires properly for either skill, or other toxic ideologies. The She-Hulk example you provided is an excellent demonstration of this, as that was blatant misandry. And most social progressives hate misandry, because our goal is social equality, not to replace the target of systemic oppression with a different target for systemic oppression.

[@Detwhat]

They don't want equality, they want equity. They are extremely authoritarian. Equity is outright discrimination.

[@arostwocents]

I don't think you understand what the woke movement is if you believe you represent it instead of she hulk. That was not an outlier.

[@arostwocents]

You are what's known as a "useful idiot" where you back something believing when they use words like diversity and inclusive that they have the meaning that you understand them to have. But like politicians, these people's language has a totally different meaning to yours and mine. The ideology itself is racist, sexist, bigoted but when it says it is against these things, people like you believe them rather than understanding what they really mean.

[@arostwocents]

It sounds like the anti-woke traditional left would represent you a LOT better than woke. I suggest channels like Due Dissidence where they believe in actual diversity, inclusion, anti war etc.

[@tesnacloud]

@@arostwocents Funny, I never once used the word Woke to describe either myself or the movement I support. It is almost like you are projecting a label onto me to dismiss me. But that must just be my imagination.

[@thedarvatar5690]

What makes me the most disappointed is the state of the Disney park prices. Disney wanted to take advantage of the DINKs with all their disposable income, in the process shutting out the hoi poloi masses. There's something to be said that the conservative Republican Christian anti communist walt Disney had more regard for keeping his parks accessible to the common folk than the modern, progressive, liberal "we care" Disney company.

[@mjsprouse]

Those growing up in the 90's (or slightly before and after) had FAR LESS viewing options. Disney movies were a huge thing when you only had a few cartoons Sunday morning. These days my kids have an almost infinite selection of options; between Netflix, PBS, Paramount, KZbin, Disney, and others they have many favorites other than Mickey and the Gang. With so much character overload, I don't think my kids will be particularly locked in to the mouse when they've got Mario, Harry Potter, Blaze, Power Rangers, and so many more I can't keep track of.

[@arostwocents]

Nah in the 90s cartoon network had already launched. Disney movies were just fantastic. Maybe 70s?

[@cpuuk]

Disney attempted a paradigm shift towards an audience that wasn't there: 1. it ignored what actually made up the current profitable target market 2. mistook social media noise (comments) as a market opportunity in-waiting. Consequently they burned the audience from 1, and found nothing waiting to replace them within 2. And the most heinous crime of all- all the terrible writing! Also I want to go on record in saying that of any demographic, SF\Fantasy fans are the most open and accepting of "difference" in the world- it's what we crave from the genre.

[@gregowen2022]

It’s been kind of funny to see so many companies mistake internet chatter for potential customers. We’ve been in the social media age for some time now, I’m a little surprised they are still not getting the disconnect between tweeting/posting you like [thing] and actually buying [thing]. And yes! SF/fantasy is BUILT on diversity! It’s just the natural kind, not the weird virtue signal kind. How do they not see it?!

[@Anayoth]

@@gregowen2022 Because they live in Commiefornia. People tend to forget about the Democrats KKK/Confederate background. They’re just compensating for that.

[@seaofseeof]

25:50 Disney has a HUGE identity problem. It's always been on sort of shaky grounds since Walt died, but when I saw them advertising for Disney+ with the Kardashians, I knew they had no idea what they even are anymore. The theme parks are turning into IP parks, and while no one knew that Miramax was owned by Disney in the 1990s, people can't help but feel like the brand is one big hodgepodge of conflicting IPs and daughter brands now. That have collectively really muddled the waters about what that "Disney magic" is even supposed to be anymore. Not putting the brand 'Disney' front and center on all of their IPs anymore would be a great start for Disney to turn things around. When I think of Disney, even when it comes to the movies, I want to be reminded of walking on Mainstreet USA or into Frontierland. Not of the Kardashians yelling into their phones, or even the MCU (which I used to love).

[@misterfevillord1588]

I am a molecular biologist and cancer is a serious issue. I totally approve the analogy.

[@jwt6577]

I think the biggest lesson of the last five years is that people will put up with all the West Coast nonsense as long as it remains entertaining but once that second part stops...

[@gregowen2022]

Yep. I think The Boys is the best example. People told me it’s mocking conservatives, and I don’t really care because it was entertaining.

[@ASpooneyBard]

My two favorite music groups are Pink Floyd and Gorillaz. Both hold VERY left wing views and write songs about it (to the point where Gorillaz released a very dark, angry album about the end of the world in 2016... because of Trump of course. It wasn't their best work), but I don't mind because the music is great and the lyrics are poetic and usually don't interfere. Meanwhile, I don't listen to Rage Against The Machine. Partly because it's not my kind of music, but mostly because their activist anthems are so blatant and unsubtle that I can't even think about the music. It's just depressing to listen to. Same thing holds with movies. If you make a movie that is just a barely disguised lecture about how every thing that's bad is my fault because I'm a white male, and there's nothing else to it, I won't be entertained. Starship Troopers and Robocop are classics though.

[@jwt6577]

@@ASpooneyBard My problems with Rage Against the Machine started as soon as I heard they met at Harvard. You can't be "Against the Machine" if you attended Harvard. That place is their recruitment center.

[@101Snipeshot]

@@gregowen2022 Honestly it mocks both sides because I see Vought as almost essentially if Disney was a company that sold super heroes. It does go out of its way to make fun of woke pandering.

[@the_fool_of_space]

​@@gregowen2022 i'd say its more of a screw you to big corporations. sure theres all the action stuff but at its core its about a company thats absolutely scummy putting up a facade.

[@JP2GiannaT]

And this is why weird little companies like Angel Studios and Bentkey are acting like they have a shot...they kinda do. There's a vacuum opening up to be filled.

[@riftshredder5438]

You know it's bad when parents have to ask the theaters if Wish is even safe for kids lol

[@sunflowerfoxs]

yeah.

[@princessthyemis]

Omg they asked that?! Yikes. Haha!

[@613harbinger316]

4:56 Hey Greg. I'm just going to say THANK YOU for properly using (or just plain using) the word 'healthful'. It's so rare to see it that I really appreciate when it is used correctly (or at all). This has been a thing for me ever since my English teacher explained it in 10th grade in freakin' 1990!

[@NOYFB982]

Hasn’t Disney also killed Hasbro, because there are no new toy properties to sell??

[@Sound_Tech]

Hasbro has been killing Hasbro pretty well all its own by strangling any of their intellectual property that isn't raking in the big dough.

[@mysocalledgenxlife]

I’ve seen five seconds and it already earned a like. I’m so looking forward to this!

[@gregowen2022]

Thank you!

[@darkdudironaji]

Love the Schoolhouse Rock reference thrown in there. After you said, "but low sell high" I sang, "take a piece of the pie." before I looked up to see the pigeon. Unfortunately, it looks like nobody in the comments appreciated as much as me.

[@silverheart4049]

The funny thing about Wish is there's a small fandom popping up for the early version of it where the star was a star *boy* and it was a love story.

[@MichalisG1821]

>"...movies that have writing so horrible, it's an insult to real writers to call it writing!" As someone whose also a writer, I cannot agree enough with this statement. When I watch a film, I'm always looking at how it's written, as this is the soul of any decent film. However, the more Disney movies I watched in the past 5-10 years, the more I felt my intelligence as a writer being insulted. I found myself being pandered to by what was on the screen, all while the plot and even the dialogue was just utterly unfulfilling. It's why I eventually stopped watching anything Disney was putting out.

[@mothramaster1837]

I mean a lot of people crapped on Wish due to the seemingly subpar animation quality, uninspired nonsense with a generic "quirky girl" protagonist. Like- the movie just gets worse and worse the more you look into it, and the message it is tryna tell children ("You are entitled to what you want and if you don't magically get it then the person denying you it is EVIL) is outright dangerous. That and Disney claimed it was a movement back to their older films, which was a blatant lie, and that definitely upset people.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

There is a reason that for all of the company's inconsistencies, people still love Dreamworks. We understand that not every movie they make is great, so we just patiently wait for the next good one. And we can usually pick up on a movie before it's released on whether or not it will be good.

[@Zethuzian]

I'd rather live a week in an immersive Owl House attraction than the new Star Wars land.

[@WasatchWind]

I feel you with the parks pricing - with my family, where we have my parents, us five kids, three spouses and then two grand kids, going to Disneyland all together is virtually impossible.

[@danz1182]

This is so true. If everyone in the room thinks the same way, you cannot see the potential pitfalls. Marvel has excised anyone who loves the IP from the glory days of comics. The characters are just empty shells for the people they hire to fill with their messages. Marvel, as a brand, is damaged beyond redemption. Captain America and Fantastic Four will be box office disasters (the casting for Fantastic Four tells you where that train wreck is headed) and after they flop the movies will die, followed by TV, followed by the publishing house. Its like a patient that has received a fatal dose of radiation. Its already dead, it just does not quite know it yet. There is still potentially time to save Star Wars, but not with these people in charge. They do not understand the brand and they will kill it just like Marvel.

[@princessthyemis]

I haven't been a fan of Marvel/superhero movies since the beginning, but hearing that they were actively hiring people who weren't fans outraged me!

[@emeraldlibrarian6112]

(My goodness, I didn't think this'd turn out so long... I think it might be too long, but oh well. Love your videos, Greg! Keep it up; can't wait to see what you do next!) This comment you refer to at 18:27... I will say that I agree with the concept, specifically when writing for oneself. I write as a hobby, for fun, for myself, and I have a pattern of using my writing to explore my ideologies and questions I have. One characterization of this is putting pieces of myself into my characters (i.e. X shares this hope and fear, Y personifies that trait, etc.). Another is exploring stories/genres that I'm inexperienced with. Now, there's nothing wrong with writing for yourself... unless you expect others to laud it as you do just "because". Yes, others can enjoy things you have written for yourself, but there's always a limit. And the closer the story is to ""Mary-Sue" or "my-perfect-life-as-written-by-me" (in shorthand, "shallow" and "petty"), the sooner that limit will be found. I will freely (and gladly) admit that I haven't watched most of the "new" stuff from the last few years. I will also admit that I've been watching videos by a lot of hardcore critics (yes, I'd count you among them, Mr. Owen) who, just as you say, have been touting all that new stuff as literal dumpster fires. But I have to say... I had a visceral reaction of disgust and disconnection to the She-Hulk clips that I saw through those critiques, specifically her little rants (like the one with Bruce Banner) where she went oooon about how hard it is to be a woman because "catcall" and "misogyny". I'll just boil all the wonderful arguments I've heard about such particular scenes into this: what a pretentious, spoiled brat. With that referenced comment and my perspective in mind, I shall rephrase: what a shallow, petty, Mary-Sue cardboard-cutout. That's not writing. That's "I had a bad day and I'm going to construct a satisfying rage-fueled narrative in the shower". Most of all, it's just illogical to put that in front of any audience and expect nothing but praise. Rants feel good, sure... but they don't make writing, because they don't have depth. Good writing doesn't seclude itself in an echo chamber; it isn't a stagnant puddle. Good writing explores many perspectives and channels, and finds the best way to flow down the hill for the story it wants to tell.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

My goodness, THANK YOU for this. I felt the same regarding She-Hulk, and re stories written self-indulgently being acknowledged as what they are and not being automatically entitled to praise (especially when they violate the core characteristics of an established character). It seems like both professionals and hobbyists alike are creating wish-fulfillment products and expecting not only praise, but to not be criticized for effectively creating an original character (often a self-insert and/or Mary Sue) but slapping a canon character face & name on it. . But the majority of us go to see new installments in established film / tv series or to read fanfiction in favoured fandoms to enjoy specific, known characters in new situations. Not to be given instead an "out of character" (aka basically an original character by any other name) character acting as a(n obvious) mouthpiece for the author / creator. . In short, if I go to read fanfic, I want to read fanfic, not original fiction under canon names. If I go to see established film franchise movies, I want to see known characters, not author-avatars. . And if I'm enjoying fiction set in a different world, I'd prefer if it could at least be subtle, sense-making and well-woven in details if/when this fictional world makes reference to real-world social politics. Escapism media should not be irl-news and opinion pieces in threadbare cosplay dressing.

[@jace9763]

We're kindred spirits Greg - though you are able to elaborate on these topics much better than I. But it's nice to hear someone solidly convey the frustrations I've been feeling. Your analysis of the contributing factors is incredibly interesting and I love your approach to logically and factually support the premise. It's almost like you are a practical, intelligent adult with critical thinking skills and common sense - an endangered species to be sure! Unfortunately nowadays the loud, emotional, hot-take crowd usually gets the most attention - squeaky wheel and all that. Thanks for helping us hold the line and maintain some level of mature, reality-based sanity!

[@noppornwongrassamee8941]

Never heard the term "DINK" before. The term I've heard is "Whales" which is also a term used in Pay2Win video games: aka, people with lots of disposable money and willingness to spend it. Well, at least as far as money goes. The term "Whale" implies nothing about what relationships the Whale has. Another term is "Pixieduster", which refers to people who are basically Disney Cultists, aka, people who think Disney can do no wrong. Which again AFAICT, implies nothing about what their relationships are.

[@gregowen2022]

True, I’ve seen whales a lot in gaming, and Whaling is killing the industry, especially Blizzard. I have no tears for them, though. There are interesting parallels there, perhaps for a future video. Quantity vs Quality of customers, that kind of thing.

[@alekz8580]

Iirc "whales" is a term that originated in casinos. Whatever the case, it's always a red flag to hear corporate use the term.

[@attiepollard7847]

6:40 Greg I said the same thing about andor. The reason it did not get that much fan aclaim that it should have because after the new Star wars sequels and maybe Obi-Wan we did not trust anything from Disney. I think that was the reason the third season of the mandalorian had low reviews because of the character change and the storyline. When it comes to the mandalorian we already know where they're going to go with this they're going to make bo katana next main heros and we as fans don't want that.

[@GeekOwtLowd]

Hey. That's me! Great video.

[@realistic_delinquent]

I think you made an excellent point, ironically using critical theory concepts against critical theory. The subtler reason media today fails is not because it preaches, it’s because studios assume they are presenting to a world distinctly different from the one containing their actual audience. The Critical Drinker derisively makes this point when he says “made for the Hollywood we live in today”, or more famously “ *Modern audiences* ”.

[@gregowen2022]

You had an excellent comment! Well, it was under my video, so now it’s OUR comment, comrade, lol. Thanks for bringing up such an interesting point

[@anaknezovic6470]

I'm supposed to study but am watching this instead 😭 thanks Greg

[@gregowen2022]

Yessssss, procrastinate with me!

[@markusgorelli5278]

This is perfectly educational. Especially if you decide to study business or marketing later on.

[@MonsterKidCory]

I wouldn’t have considered myself a Disney MEGAFAN (I’ve known those people), but I was certainly an above-average fan. Fantasia is my favourite movie of all time, by any studio in any genre. I went to a Disney Park somewhere in the world for 7 of the 10 years between 2005 and 2015 (including getting engaged at Disneyland Paris and honeymooning at Walt Disney World), had a Disney blog and did a project for that where I watched EVERY Disney movie from Walt’s lifetime in order, and even published a book of the original fairy tales on Amazon that Disney copyright struck(!!). But I don’t do the blog anymore and haven’t been to a Disney Park since 2015. Disney has been working overtime to make themselves as irrelevant a part of my life as possible. Not counting post-Covid financial insecurity, they keep vandalizing or getting rid of everything I like, making the parks somewhere I don’t even want to go. When I pointed out that I LIKE Princess and the Frog but it was ironic that Splash Mountain was based on authentic Black folktales, Disney’s own employees were calling me a racist on social media. They got rid of the Disney Store and Disney Movie Club in my entire COUNTRY, so I don’t even have anywhere to passively spend money on Disney crap. If it wasn’t for Zorro I wouldn’t even keep Disney+, since I otherwise have a better collection of classic Disney films than Disney+ does. There’s been the odd highlight (I actually liked Luca), but I don’t typically watch new Disney films anymore. Any other Disney dollar I have to spend goes somewhere other than the company… Right now I’m halfways planning out a road trip to Marceline, Missouri, where Walt grew up. I still love what I loved about Disney, but that’s all past tense. But the company itself has disdain for the things I loved about them, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@TheLugiaSong]

TLDR: It's not social progression that's the issue, it's the shit handling of it. I have no issue with social progression in media, I am what most would consider left-leaning. The issue around it is not so much in the subject itself but rather just another thing they're handling so shit like they do everything else. I do agree with what was said to some degree, they _do_ shove it in your face with shit dialogue and misrepresenting the underrepresented. They use these identities instead as touting points that they want you to be very aware of so you can applaud them (such as rewriting pre-established characters or race bending, writing very heavy-handed dialogue about the issue when it does not fit with the situation/time period, making the underrepresented seem like assholes etc) rather than including them naturally, and they do this for the purpose of stirring discussion both positive and negative which feels really disgusting. This results in people both progressive and traditionalists being unhappy and it gives social progression and even worse name.

[@teddyhh9947]

Disney's been burning the goodwill not just towards Disney but towards tv and movies in general

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

One of the interesting things about Walt himself was that he had fairly strong personal religious and political views, and those often seeped through (along with his employees) into his films. Fantasia literally ends with the devil (represented by a reinterpreted Slavic elder pagan god form called Chernebog) being driven into hiding on Bald Mountain by church bells and monks in hoods singing Ave Maria. You also had things like the Legend of Jonny Appleseed (which explicitly acknowledges that Jonny Appleseed was an early Christian missionary in pioneer era America) and Der Fuehrer's Face (a satirical comedy making fun of the N-@-z!s starring Donald Duck that ironically hit really close to home on the subject of slave labor in Midcentury Germany at the time) and most disturbing among them, Education for Death (a dive into the unsavory indoctrination and brainwashing techniques of the N@z! German government-run education system and how it was breeding fanatically loyal ideologues for the Midcentury German's War Machine). Thing is, his views and beliefs were explicitly pro-family and pro-American. The modern ideologues staffing the company have the exact opposite views. Walt testified in the House Unamerican Activities Committee about how pro-communist ideologues like Herb Sorrell, leader of a vicious and violent Soviet-backed labor union which had perpetrated multiple Hollywood riots where a lot of people were injured, tried to muscle in and take over the union of his own company's cartoonists (who curiously enough went to Walt to have him defend their union from being taken over by Sorrell). A company founded by an anti-communist and anti-f@sc!st today cow-tows to modern communists in China who run concentration camps and engage in ethnic cleansing like the Midcentury Germans. Walt's probably spinning in his grave so hard that you could wrap him in copper wire, replace his tombstone with a magnet, and get a perpetual motion electrical generator powerful enough to run all the lights in the company's parks and have some left over to sell to the electricity starved State of California.

[@eeyorehaferbock7870]

“Modern communists in China?” Please. China’s every bit as much a capitalist nation as we are, and then some. I don’t care if the ruling body calls itself the Chinese Communist Party; if they were actually communists, they wouldn’t be doing so much business with us to begin with. Even their atrocious human rights record doesn’t make them communists because there are plenty of authoritarian ideologies out there (including, yes, N@zism) that don’t fit the definition of the term. They’re right-wing authoritarian capitalists, pure and simple.

[@markthompson3725]

A very accurate diagnosis. I've slowly lost faith and at this point, i just assume that anything Disney touches will be horrible, period. I've canceled Disney plus and Hulu and at this point, it would take an act of God for me to forgive their horrible writing and cringe characters in every single movie and show over the last few years.

[@Saturn2888]

Talking about families is super important. I grew up being involved with other kids in so many family-friendly events. Today, I look at companies like McDonalds, and I have no reason to go there, and my kids won't grow up remembering the fun times that remain with my parents and me. Disney is interesting because I think people still watching the old stuff, but yeah, people aren't gonna flock to the brand if they start trying to appeal to people with their newer properties. Though, people aren't gonna watch old properties soon either because they now have trigger warnings, and Disney's already censored at least two movies (Fantasia and some other one Criterion had); I'm sure they're gonna do more.

[@m.a6416]

That's how strongly backed their ideology is. They chose social engineering at the cost of satisfying the masses and reaping unimaginable profit. Their vault is large but there's a threshold

[@bondservant4jesus]

I want to keep liking Disney, but it is apparent, that the things I like about Disney are past things.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

Yeah, that's basically it, in a nutshell. Unfortunately. : (

[@bondservant4jesus]

@@iprobablyforgotsomething At least they got Bluey on Disney Plus.

[@adamhunter1064]

Brilliant Greg. I have had many of the same thoughts when trying to assess the failure of Disney as an investment (and as a company) but this is the most comprehensive look at their issues both short and long term. Short term thinking has cost them in both areas, and your video highlights better than I ever could have. Well done!

[@gregowen2022]

Thank you very much! I’m interested to see the earnings tonight. My money says it’s a bloodbath, but not my actual money because I’m terrible at individual investing, lol

[@alexanderyancey7670]

I have 4 children, all married and 9 grand children. All went to Disney but none of my grandchildren will. Disney no longer reflects our values and they will not support it.

[@gregowen2022]

I can’t blame you. They seem to not want you there anyway. Their loss!

[@WillFredward7167]

A very thorough and fair examination. And the sad thing is, I’ve been so turned off by Disney… I don’t know if I want this patient to recover. Maybe if we are talking a “Brain Transplant” where most of the people involved are purged, and completely different people replaced them. Most of the park employees seem great… but erase the rest.

[@billlinden1975]

I live in Florida near Disney and Disney adults are some of the creepiest people ive ever met in my life

[@princessthyemis]

Whoa...😮😮

[@CrackDad]

living in florida is creepy

[@bethanygunnels9036]

I totally agree with your points. Disney has lost all brand integrity for me. I don't "trust" their content enough and as you stated it, it's too much work to "vet" everything before your kids watch it. Until there is a major sea change at the company, my kids will be getting retro disney from dvds ofthe old movies and that is it. I have also heard horrible things about the park experience and how Disney used covid as an excuse to change everything in terms of charges, fast pass, etc. Now the priority is not to make sure guests have a great experience, but to create an experience in which guests have to pay as much money as they possibly can to get a decent experience. IMO this is a big mistake. I went as a kid, as a college student, and once after I got married and had a great time at each visit, but will not be going back anytime soon if ever.

[@MikeGeeks]

I'm hopeful that the market will correct this sinking behemoth and we'll eventually get back to good stories with real values and good production that's not bloated. The question is how low will it go before that correction arrives?

[@gregowen2022]

I’m not sure they have it in them, and Dreamworks and Universal Studios Orlando is ready to pick up the pieces

[@alinaanto]

Disney is a pillar of American culture. I too hope it recovers

[@jdraven0890]

7:00 absolutely correct. I'm part of the "Fandom Menace", and as much as I hated TLJ, Mando S1-2 and Andor were great. I don't hate for the sake of it, it's about quality of content and respect shown for established Canon.

[@realistic_delinquent]

I think the preferred term for “Disney adult” in the modern day (when, let’s face it, there’s no serious reason to be a Disney fan) is “Disnoid”.

[@fiktivhistoriker345]

Thinking of the Star Wars sequels they managed to alienate the older fans by showing the heroes of their childhood as grumpy, disillusioned, divorced deadbeats (i hope, that was the english term i was looking for). To alienate fans of all ages is also an art.

[@alinaanto]

That was the intention: to destroy “old” Star Wars, to erase George Lucas and to put the new “genius” in their place. Yeah, it worked out sooooo well

[@williamjones3534]

I have to say the way you plug for those likes is quite impressive. My motto is depending on how u you ask the worst a person can say is no. your like has been given sir!

[@gregowen2022]

Much appreciated! The funny thing is that it came from an insecurity of asking for the like outright so I wanted to do a joke. Same for the cup, I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Now they are both accidental staples, haha

[@joshuabaker67]

Ironically, I just watched the same episode of Avatar that you clipped right before watching this video. Disney could never make anything as good as Avatar but I wish they’d try even just a little. As apposed to serving me 3 day old cold McDonald’s fries and calling it a 7 course meal.

[@davidglenn2739]

I just found your channel today and I've watched ~4 hours of content so far. Save me from myself!

[@gregowen2022]

I'm going to show mercy for another week and slack off on making videos, but then I'm dumping a ton on you! I do appreciate that you enjoy the videos.

[@ChristianFrates1997]

Bob Iger ruined Disney.

[@ruinerblodsinn6648]

Consumers ruined it as well. These idiots bought their stuff and complained later. Why would these muppets ever stop producing this shite?

[@hrossaman]

Per underlying wokeness: I was listening to the audiobook of the history of the MCU, and a conversation struck me. It was a conversation about the character of Captain Marvel. The writer was talking to Kevin Feige, boiling down her character to: "she always gets up". Feige responded "No, that's Captain America, with the whole 'I can do this all day' thing...". The writer then said that when Captain America gets up, it's because it's the right thing to do, but when Captain Marvel gets up, it's because 'F*** you'

[@deanpowers8393]

Excellent video. You never devolve into the rant zone, but provide fact after fact, carefully laid out, in an easily understandable way. PLEASE teach this to other content makers. Talking heads, I can enjoy. SCREAMING heads, unfortunately, are becoming the majority.

[@lacolem1]

But how can you treat cancer when you're radioactive from within? Disney made an active choice to hire, promote, and prioritize individuals from a transient, mercurial demo who has made it perfectly clear that company and brand loyalty extends as far as their own personal whims. They're unforgiving in their ability to find reasons to not support stuff made for everyone. Creative types have always leaned "woke" (even a Hollywood conservative is pretty much a midwest moderate, or practically a European lefty), but usually were talented, diligent, or reigned in enough to project mass appeal while also not being distractingly moralistic. Not anymore.

[@gregowen2022]

Very true, something has shifted and the creatives are no longer content with individual expression. They want to see the change, but the market is clearly not feeling it. Audiences are ok with little bits like Cobain and Bowey dressing oddly, because they are rockstars and that’s acceptable.

[@WillFredward7167]

@magistersolis.3750I have always hated it when kid characters are presented in the ways you describe. It’s so distressing, with certain crimes involving young victims being generally accepted as max-level monstrous… and yet more and more entertainment subtly pushes people in that general direction.

[@sbed6587]

Great video Greg. Like always. Evaluating Disney through their brand management is a good way of understanding where they are… Here is an idea for a future video of yours: you should look at their brand management history to explain how they got there. In the early 2000’s, the media were complaining about how there movies was promoting the « princess » storyline and was not positive for girls. At the same time, they knew their brand was manly for girls… so the bought Marvel and Lucasfilm to expand the brand to boys. Unfortunately, the brand « correction » and the brand « expansion » got mixed in some lab experiments and the boy brands got transformed in the MSheU and Rey… while messing up the animation (Pixar and WDAS) the lost its appeals to girl. Oh… they also wanted to protect the brand by doing sequels after sequels and going after the « safe » feature films. result: the Walt Disney brand is not as innovative as it used to be. Sad. But keep analyzing this mess through the brand optics. (« let’s make a woke movie so we have good press » goes a long way with the board members).

[@gregsimoes8645]

The final point made about what happened with Chapek proves how malignant this cancer is. I've been turned off by the messaging they've put in a lot of their movies (and some other entirely unrelated things that weren't even mentioned). But when the employees not only are shoving those messages in, but forcing the company ITSELF to make big, PUBLIC comments on divisive issues, well it may just be unsalvageable at this point. You're definitely not saving this company without firing a WHOLE lot of people, because apparently they ain't gonna choke down their opinions in favor of profit without seeing at least a lot of their peers being cut.

[@gregowen2022]

Yeah, that was extremely telling about just how bad the culture is. Maybe it’s because Disney is a more creative type company with more customer relationship, but I can’t even begin to imagine going to one of my company’s big meetings and demanding they issue public statements about my beliefs. That is just insane sounding to me

[@gregsimoes8645]

@@gregowen2022 I was looking into Disney movies in light of their pending earnings release today. Did you know that Brave (which, at the time, was considered somewhat of a "flop" for Disney and is still mostly ignored relative to their other animated films) made over $237 million domestically. And even ignoring inflation made more than: Lightyear, Wish & Strange World COMBINED! (it made more than Elemental also, but that had enough of a long tail to keep it from joining that ignominious trio as part of the combo) But Disney should be more concerned that Rise of Gru did comparable numbers to all four of those films COMBINED (meaning the 3 PLUS Elemental). Between Minions, Mario(Nintendo) and Trolls, Universal is becoming the go-to company for animated family entertainment.

[@jamesbrown3239]

Your video hits the head on something I’ve been saying for ages now. Disney has lost the plot to what their core brand strategy is, and it’s something that started with Walt and continued up until early Iger, nostalgia. While bringing in new blood and selling the younger generation is important, it also relies of the shared experience from one generation to the next. The parks are there to sell product. They are disguised as a theme park but really, it’s about selling you a partial experience and products. (A sort of mall that you pay to go to). Older adults pay for this experience to share with their children. They want their children to see and love the things they have when they were children and the kids usually have some modern IP that they love and want to cross share with their parents. Now, that is how it used to be. Modern times have changed this, likely as a result of social media, posturing and culture wars. Modern Disney allowed itself to become a beacon of employment to ideological radicals. And somehow Iger drank the kool aid himself (or at least it appears as much). Disney hasn’t created a show of their own to lock in the youth. While retelling’s of Pixar movies in sequels has had some reach, it’s a tired horse and isn’t leading people back to the well. YT and other platforms have hooked the youth. But, they should be safe with adults right? Those people can still bring in their kids and sell them on nostalgia for old content. Nope. 1) Disney took to rebranding their old content as problematic at best and remade a lot of their older content for a “modern audience” but in each iteration they concentrated on identity and socio views that divide their fan base, rather than just serving up magical moments with good story. This was further damaged by the ideologues that have taken over their company and their stars who take to social media and attack their fan base or push their own agendas to the damage of Disney. 2) gender politics and other issues. Disney has chosen to center their content around complex social issues that most people do not want in their media consumption. While this may seem very in the moment, of importance, in five to ten years time, it will feel very dated. You cannot create timeless works of art with modern trends. Content created like that feels very flat, dated and ultimately is sidelined and forgotten. But what’s worse is that they chose to do this with two huge brands (Marvel and SW). And the apathy took hold fast. Modern SW fans are so tired of the issues that even when an amazing product comes out (Andor) it nearly failed to generate an audience, even with the great buzz. SW and Marvel need a 10 - 12 year hiatus to allow people to actually miss it and possibly forget just how badly it’s gotten. 3) pricing out their target demographic. This is the one that truly boggles my mind. Disneys main reason for success was the modern family. You hook them all, anchor them as consumers and watch as the younger generation continues the cycle. But Chapek made this decision to pivot (post Covid) from mass numbers of attendance and smaller prices, to a smaller attendance at parks and a higher cost per person for all consumables. The idea being that it’s earlier to have 10 people paying 1000 a pop versus 1000 people paying 10 a pop. (Those numbers are ridiculous of course but just used as placeholders). And to be fair, they actually saw high levels of success with this business model, largely because Disney as a brand has a diverse fan base. From fans who don’t have a lot of money to wealthy fans who are devoted to the brand. But it’s a short term strategy. 4) Short term thinking Here’s the current issue. Higher prices meant to fleece their customer base only works in the very short term. Sending your main audience to other theme parks / content creators who are actually making better content currently, is literally giving away your fan base. This isn’t a short term issue though. If universal and others can deliver a better product and experience for a better price, this will divert that fan base over to Universal / other markets. The younger generations have no strong foothold into Disney beyond a surface level branding. I’ve seen this first hand. They go to the toy aisle or online and they are not attracted to Disney or Disney products. They buy YT marketed toys, they sing songs off tik tok or YT, and their parents purchase and consume those products with them and then take them to universal or other parks and spend money there. And they have just as much fun as they would have if not more, than a Disney park. When the time comes to plan another trip, the kids may pick a Disney park due to brand awareness, but they may elect to do universal for the experiences that they connect with. And parents who may have chosen Disney in the past will do the math and choose from a theme park, to a cruise, or possibly a better option like Hawaii or Europe. And that’s a problem. Because Disney has always relied on their repeat customer base. That is largely why their content has been so subpar and they’ve allowed the company to be infiltrated with set insert ideologues. Largely because they felt invincible. If things don’t change, Disney will not be the powerhouse it is now, within 10 - 15 years.

[@funny4052]

31 minutes!? You beautiful bastard!

[@Degarth]

It's a nice treat indeed.

[@MikeGeeks]

I started watching blind, not even realizing I signed up for a 30 minute journey. I'm not upset about it.

[@gregowen2022]

Thank you guys! I’m you’re enjoying it

[@mariothane8754]

Avoiding the market of families is a major problem because Disney land, all of the toys, all of the loyalty and all of the belief that you can show your movies to everybody is lost in catering to somebody else.

[@matityaloran9157]

24:35, in the 2004 Nickelodeon cartoon Danny Phantom, the main character’s father Jack is normally portrayed as a complete and a total idiot but in the rare circumstances where his family is threatened or in danger (and he knows about it) he always suddenly becomes hyper-competent

[@slayerx3197]

That big long message you showed for a few seconds…👏🏻 someone get him a medal lol couldn’t possibly sum it up better then that

[@Papamarmottin]

It's a pleasure to see you again, Greg. As well thought out and fun as usual. Love from France!

[@popstarprincess123]

Wish is a steaming pile become we literally see the shell of a beautiful movie and incredible celebration that we didn’t get

[@D123-f9k]

That She-Hulk line 😂 “He’s never had to prove his value to a parade of underwhelming men” Excuse me, do they think whichever man in power they’re referring to (as a stand in for powerful men in general) just decided to walk in one day and said “I’m the boss now” and unlike Ken, all the “underwhelming men” who expect her to prove herself to them actually told him “okay bro sounds good to us, we’ll step aside and do what you say even though we have no idea who you are or what you can do”. That’s a terrible way to argue you are being held to an unfair standard.

[@emeraldqueen1994]

Disney’s “WRITING” nowadays sounds like it was done by KIDS (10 and UNDER) In my opinion the last good (not great enough to be a modern day classic) was Mona (the FIRST one)

[@drowemos]

One critique: Barbie was a block buster movie crossing the billion dollar mark. "Woke" is not the problem. "Smashing the patriarchy" is not the problem. There is an audiance for the that stuff. A big audiance. It's just the big audiance for it IS NOT the superhero audiance. The problem is that in catering to the "modern audiance" they made the mistake of thinking of the audiance as a single monolith instead of multiple groups with each group loving certain things and hating the things that other groups love. They thought they could force everyone to love the things they love, and that never works.

[@gmat4380]

It's not often your pro-youtuber move gets beat, but 7:03 was gold with the Ahsoka reference 😂😂👏

[@WilliamCarlson-rh2ri]

Thanks! Surprisingly, I always agree with you!

[@gregowen2022]

Thank you so much!

[@paneraemployee12]

I must admit, while Loki season 2 did drag and have long stretches of nothing happening. I enjoyed it much more than it deserved. I think I enjoyed it so much just because I was happy to see something from marvel be average or above average. I also like comics (only the decent, non-woke, not fan hater comics), so seeing Loki essentially become Loki god of stories was a fun little thing thrown in at the end.

[@LittlePhizDorrit]

The source of this brand cancer is the interesting puzzle. Where is the smoking cigarette that poisoned the lungs of the industry? What makes an industry look at it's core customers and think, "nope, we don't want your money anymore"? The other medical anomaly is what happened to the immune system? Where are the protective bean counters? Did they lose their offices to DEI reps? Where is the study from some economics PhD student showing that online engagement (e.g. fan baiting) is NOT EQUAL to future profits? I have this question about so many things (e.g. How do kids spending $50K+ a year at university have free time to protest and be offended all day? Why would you get rid of physical media when it's cheap to produce and almost all profit and while not selling as it used to, STILL sells?) Are we really in a place where ideology has now replaced basic financial and corporate profit motivations? Has late stage capitalism finally devolved into a bizarro form of communism? If so.....I totally called that.

[@alinaanto]

I know nothing of course, but I speculate that people who call the shots actually think that they are pandering to the majority - or a soon-to-be majority. This must be the result of living in a bubble: they don’t know the actual demographic proportions, they think their bubble is the world.

[@jamesavis1]

Late stage capitalism is actually communism not fascism? That's hilarious!

[@NeOmega83]

Beautiful analysis with amazing allegory about Disney's wellbeing. I agree it's gonna be a long process for them to recover, if they're even willing to do so, or are they simply too far gone to be saved at this point. Only time will tell...

[@reedr7142]

Love the kitchen utensils tucked into the front pocket of your lab coat with each take.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

I didn't even notice until I saw your comment then went back to check and yep! Various culinary tools sure do lend this doctor an air of authenticity and authority. Six out of five stars, I'd totally trust his endorsements. XD

[@jerryrohr5096]

Excellent analysis, Greg. Call the Disney board and offer your solutions to their woes.

[@gregowen2022]

I’d call them tonight, but I have a feeling they will be dodging an angry mob of investors. I’m very interested to see how today’s earnings call goes

[@Toonrick12]

Here's what I think. The problem isn't the LGBTQ+ content, it's how they present it. Nearly every time they add it to something, it's VERY much like a "Big Lipped Alligator Moment". By that I mean it comes out of left-field (literally) does a whole song and dance saying "Look at me! I'm so progressive!" then ends, with no one commenting on what just happened. It's red meat at best who love it when their own sexuality/gender role is shown, but for most, it's distracting and takes one out of the story. Hell, I would argue that making a character's main trait as "LGBTQ+" is as bad now as it was many years ago. The pitch is different, but it's still the same one note as before. Another issue is the overall sidelining of hetrosexual couples. Look, I'm a proud bisexual. But my issue is that most LGBTQ+ representation is homosexual. Not only does it leaves out the straights, but it also leaves out people like me, who you would think WOULD be represented. When you're forcing homosexual couples over hetrosexuals, the "inclusion" excludes some people. Ironic isn't it? It should be treated like spice. Either base the whole dish around the spice or just add a little bit of it to give it some kick, but NOT overwhelm the flavor of the dish. On a different note, you think that executives would think "Hmmm, these movies haven't made their budgets back, perhaps we should lower them?" It's not so much of a "All eggs in one basket" type thing, but there aren't enough baskets to safely store the eggs.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

"Either base the whole dish around the spice or just add a little bit of it to give it some kick, but NOT overwhelm the flavor of the dish." . Good way to put it. Disney keeps trying to cater to everyone at the same time, and pleases no one. You can't serve up a pizza with veggies and pineapple and sausage + pepperoni and expect any (let alone all of) the vegetarians, meat-lovers and pineapple fans to like it. Decide what dish you're making and stick to a sensible recipe, Disney!

[@0giwan]

I have to wonder if part of the solution for Disney is to get back to respecting their customers.

[@gregowen2022]

I wouldn’t say it’s a part of the solution. It’s the whole solution. The company seems to think they know better than us and demands we pay them for it

[@professorlogos5459]

Love your channel. Everything you said in this video is on point.

[@popstarprincess123]

I don’t have a problem with dinks I have a problem with a company that’s anti family even though without families everything will DIE

[@crossgordon4376]

What does ‘queer’ even mean now? My understanding (I’m 35 so my mentality was bred in older ways) was that it encapsulated gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and all the pluses…so why can’t we just refer to them as the ‘queer community’ instead of ‘lgbtq+ community’ when talking about all of them? Serious question here, I’m not tryna start anything nasty

[@o00nemesis00o]

"Queer" has been redefined by the left to mean "socially subversive". It's as simple as that.

[@NapaCat]

Queer is people who are either (or both) not attracted purely to men/women depending on gender or not fitting into the binary framework of male/female. Sexuality-queer people may be attracted to two or more genders, exclusively to one gender that isn't the heterosexual norm (guys to girls/girls to guys), or to no one. Gender-queer people either find their identity doesn't fit into a purely binary framework of gender, was born with an intersex body and therefore is physically a different sex, or is part of the opposite part of the binary than they were born into.

[@colbyreader]

When Disney stops doing stuff like funding wars and catering to bigots, I’ll watch their movies and go to their parks.