Disney's 100th Year Was Its Worst

In this video essay/discussion video, we'll look at Disney's 100th anniversary year and its many unfortunate failures. How did the company get to this point? And can it make a comeback? We'll look at some of the company's biggest box office failures over the last year-from Marvel to Star Wars to Indiana Jones-for answers.
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#disney #disney100 #videoessay #movieessay #discussion #mcu #starwars #20thcenturyfox #marvelstudios #lucasfilm #waltdisneyanimationstudios #waltdisneyanimation #waltdisney #pixar #pixaranimationstudios #pixaranimation #wish #disneywish

[@FrameDevice]

PLEASE READ! (Clarifying some mistakes) EDIT: Several commenters have alerted me to a misattribution at 11:26. These sketches were NOT drawn directly by Walt Disney himself (or at least, not entirely), but by Ub Iwerks, his early partner and co-animator. Regardless of the error, Walt did nonetheless have a central and very direct influence on the character both intellectually and artistically. Also, the story is that these sketches were produced by both Iwerks and Disney together on a train ride in a locked room, so the actual extent to which these designs were the creation of one or both of them may forever remain indeterminable. Nevertheless, I would still say that Mickey Mouse is more Disney's creation than Iwerks' though he did have a significant hand in his design, mainly because Disney conceptualized and provided more elements to his character than just the design. But I just wanted to clarify that Iwerks deserves more credit for those particular sketches. EDIT 2: Another error, about 12:30. Apparently I mixed up some articles and forgot to add an annotation in the video where I explain that while Elemental WAS Pixar's biggest flop ever when it first released, it did eventually become a sleeper hit, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The article presented at this part in the video was to be used later, and I guess in my brain-fogged state while still recovering from my cold I forgot to edit it properly. Nevertheless, my larger point still stands, as many of Pixar's films have been underperforming for years now, and the larger trend of big failures for Disney last year remains intact. Just wanted to clarify that for anyone watching the video who caught that discrepancy and got confused. EDIT 3: One more error at 2:38. The Princess and the Frog was NOT the studio's last 2D animated film, Winnie the Pooh (2011) was. Nevertheless, the box office disappointment of Princess and the Frog was what began the more aggressive push toward CG animation.

[@Naoto-kun1085]

Thanks, as soon as I heard you talk about Elemental being a bomb, I had to check to see if there was a correction! 😅

[@edvaira6891]

According to Dan Murrell, this year’s movie slate LOST THE COMPANY ONE BILLION, THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!! No studio has EVER lost even a Billion in any year…

[@FrameDevice]

True, but this is still Disney. If any studio can financially weather a loss like that, it's them. Also, that's for Disney's entire company, not their studio, and I'm sure other companies have lost that much before.

[@kristinahuchison2511]

I mean, a lot of their movies nowadays cost a lot more to produce than movies like from the 90s. Plus a lot of theaters have been struggling to online releases instead, considering its a lot cheaper and more convenient for a lot of people, especially when you can view the movie for the whole family and pay a fraction of the price of going to a theater, especially if you have kids. There’s a saying “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

[@edmondantes4338]

Disney also has other stuff that can make up for the studio's losses, the theme parks, merch, sports...

[@faeyzaihsanulfikri9975]

@@edmondantes4338if you don’t mind explaining why does sports factor into this

[@edmondantes4338]

@@faeyzaihsanulfikri9975 It's a revenue stream. I was saying that Disney can afford to lose some money on movies because it make money on other stuff.

[@ziggyratonon-laveur]

before (concepts): Starboy and Asha as a couple, Amaya and Magnifico as a Villain couple, and Asha's different look after (the movie's fail): Magnifico isn't really a Villain but Disney made him a Villain, Just a star (almost a marketable plushie), the animation, the lighting/shadowing, quirky humor, and the songs that are a problem THE CONCEPTS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS. DISNEY SHOULD'VE USED THE CONCEPT!

[@marielcarey4288]

We were ROBBED of Starboy i swear

[@unemilifleur]

Elsa was supposed to become the villain, but was changed and the movie had to be reworked around let it go. Frozen’s plot feels really broken to me

[@ziggyratonon-laveur]

@@marielcarey4288 you're right. if they were to use this concept and made it like Nimona (film) style, it would've been a ture 100th anniversary.

[@kellylingro3288]

I'm not defending Disney but it's possible the star boy concept was too similar to Stardust

[@marielcarey4288]

@@kellylingro3288 more similar than Luma?

[@silversamurai0267]

"They've forgotten who they are." *Shows Mufasa and Simba* I see what you did there. 😏

[@FrameDevice]

🦁😏

[@somedudethatripsplanetinha4221]

@glitchon7151 Me neither

[@genericperson360]

⁠@glitchon7151it’s a reference to a line from Lion King

[@EclipseKirby]

@@somedudethatripsplanetinha4221 "Remember who you are" -Mufasa to Simba This is kind of an iconic line to an iconic movie. If you haven't seen the Lion King, go do that

[@silversamurai0267]

@glitchon7151 "Simba, you have forgotten me. You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life. Remember who you are - You are my son, and the one true king. Remember who you are. Remember. Remember." - Cloud Mufasa I now imagine older Disney fans quoting this to modern Disney. 😂 "Disney, you have forgotten me. You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Disney. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life. Remember who you are - You are my childhood, and the one true animation studio. Remember who you are."

[@bjornbesbitt6446]

I'm never going to forgive what Disney did to the Muppets. The stuff they're "premiering" on disney plus is absent of everything that made the muppets unique... No wit, no shabby charm, no genuine character, no CAMP. It's like they sucked out the muppets' heart and soul and stuck an apple store in the cavern left behind.

[@commandersolo]

I miss the REAL Muppets, man😞

[@hanautabob984]

You should definitely add "(so far)" to the title, because I am pretty sure they can do worse. I expect them to learn nothing from their mishaps in the last few years and keep going some more in that same direction still.

[@JG71632]

Unless of course they go bankrupt and end this nonsense once and for all.

[@orcinus2104]

yep, literally the first thing they decided to do to gain money is cracking down on Disney+ password sharing instead of quality improvement

[@Darkprosper]

@@JG71632 They would have to keep going some more in that same direction for a few years to come even close to bankruptcy though.

[@creed8712]

@@Darkprospereven in bankruptcy that kind of shake up might really mess with the landscape as a whole.

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

If disney stripped it back to no more than 2 projects per division per year, and focussed on quality, i'd say they'd make more money than they did in 2023

[@SomePkmnlovingdude]

No they won't.

[@jeaniusbeforenine]

*Any* money is better than -$1B. Lol

[@SeasideDetective2]

That's approximately one release every month. I say that's doable.

[@orcinus2104]

Disney be racebending characters but refused to release Nimona as it was "too gay" says a lot about their faux wokeness. And this is coming from an ex die-hard fan who literally collected their merch, memorised all their classic songs, bought blu-ray releases of all their movies, etc.

[@AzayBae]

Once I learned they thanked China for letting them film stuff for Mulan near a Uyghur camp I knew they don't give a damn about people. Any people. They're monsters.

[@MoistCoke]

I'll never like Disney for what they did to club penguin

[@euphorical1679]

SAME- and the way they won’t allow fans to try to revive Club Penguin because it’s “their IP”? They do realize they were the one that drove Club Penguin into the mud in the first place, right?

[@jeaniusbeforenine]

They own THAT too? Ugh.

[@Aceburn5]

they aren't only driving Club Penguin into the mud but themselves as well@@euphorical1679

[@trevorswims5754]

One thing I'd like to point out that other people don't is that disney switched to 3D films not just because they thought it was better, but also because their last 2D film didn't make that much money. People in the late 2000's and early 2010's didn't want 2D animated movies from Disney or any other movie studio anymore at the time. The problem now however, is that Disney has stuck with that decision for so long that they've decided that 3D animated movies are the only way to go. Im not saying they need to stop with 3d animation completely though.

[@blueflare3848]

You’re right that they don’t need to stop making 3D animated movies completely, they just need to find a balance and bring 2D animation back into the mix.

[@trevorswims5754]

@@blueflare3848 exactly

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

They also did it because it's cheaper, you can do 3D animation completely on a computer, you can't do that with 2D animation

[@SquidwardSmellsGOOD734]

What really bothers me the most about these upcoming sequels like Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2, and Frozen 3 and 4 is that Disney always makes the same, “we have more exciting and creative stories,” excuse. When they’re clearly only green lighting these movies as a desperate attempt to make back all the money they lost throughout the past couple of years. It’s really frustrating because all they’re doing is learning the wrong lessons from their mistakes and I doubt it’s going to change any time soon.

[@jordanmatthews1466]

It hasn't been "one bad year", dude. It's been cataclysm after cataclysm after cataclysm year after year after year.

[@Whyiseveryhandletaken6942]

Gentlemen, it is with great pleasure to inform you that none of the movies released under the Disney umbrella this year made over 1 billion dollars

[@WobblesandBean]

Yaaaaaaay!

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

GOTG 3 is the only blockbuster with +$200 mil budget that made profit last year. But you know what, I'd rather credit that to James Gunn, who is now fully with WB.

[@2l84me8]

Disney has bought so many franchises to use as a crutch and now those are even starting to fail.

[@SomePkmnlovingdude]

It's over for them. =(

[@nikkiralaniakea9527]

I think you really encapsulated everything very well and I love the optimism and positivity that you exuded, it was a breath of fresh air because it comes from the place of being fan and showing appreciation for all the good movies and stories that Disney has produced, because we know that they have/had the capabilities to create genuine art, because they cared. They used to prioritize art and storytelling because there was a passion there for it. I’m hoping they can come back too. Thank you for this, you did an amazing job. 👏

[@FrameDevice]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@obambagaming1467]

If it wasnt directly told to people, no one would guess that Wish is supposed to be their 100th anniversary movie

[@joeboosta6309]

Ralph Breaks The Internet was 100% an annoying sequel, and the disney princess part was just an easy way to make lots of people buy tickets and make it be a cash-grab movie. Lots of the characters in it barely had the same kind of personality that they did in the original movie, and the only part that I like about that sequel is that they didn't butcher what my favorite videogame character,(Sonic the hedgehog) would be behaving like in that movie. He still had the cool and clever personality that he regularily gets shown with. The only way to fix that company up is for Neilson Peltz to succeed in taking over Disney because he's got a plan to fix that company up, and to get Bob Iger to be fired from being the Disney CEO so he can't have the power to ruin any of the unreleased Disney films and any of the upcoming ones from any of the many other studios that that company currently owns. I want Disney to get back to making good films, not go bankrupt and never be able to make new ones! (I'm okay with sequels as long as they are done right, and I don't like it when watching the same 1 movie over and over again becomes the only way to see what any characters who I have interest in are doing, when new story plots for them can also be made.)

[@peterc.hayward8067]

The last traditionally animated Disney film was Winnie-the-Pooh, not Princess and the Frog

[@FrameDevice]

You're right. Good catch. Luckily, it doesn't change the overall timeline of the trend toward CG animation, but you are absolutely correct.

[@WobblesandBean]

They butchered Pooh TBH. It had none of the whimsy of the original.

[@hey_bucklebob]

The thing about having safety nets is that, if anything, they should enable Disney to take GREATER creative risks. All of this corporate meddling with the aim to make their stupidly huge budgets "safer investments" is having the opposite effect.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"There's nothing more demoralizing than being a Disney fan right now." Oh, I don't know. You could be a Disney shill.

[@bingle_loid]

had a sit down watch where me and my gf sat for like a whole hour discussing your points, thanks for making such a well put video that turned into a lovely memory of ours👍

[@FrameDevice]

The couple that discusses Disney video essays together stays together. Glad you both liked it :) ❤

[@DSS712]

When I think of Disney's current state of affairs, I think of the quote from Bojack Horseman "xerox of a xerox"

[@stengon2603]

Walt Disney might have been a shady individual, but when he said “we don't make movies to make money, we make money to make movies” I believe him, is hard to manufacture passion, the man literally waited in line with his guests in the disney park.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

The only good thing that came out of Disney/Pixar in this year was Elemental. Yeah, it was a simple story, nothing bold or deep like Inside Out or the first two Toy Story, but it was cute. At least it tries to have a personality on its own, helped by the fact that it works as semi-autobiography of the director’s life, using the 4 elements as a metaphor for the inevitable culture clashes (both positive and negative). It’s better than Lightyear which they ruined an entirely beloved character. The whole story has nothing to do with his character. Furthermore, there’s already a tv series of the 90’s about him, so what’s the point of making a movie about him? Not to mention, they made the biggest mistake of cancelling Nimona, because “It was too gay”. Really!? They already made the mistake of canceling The Owl House for the same reason (even though they tried to sugarcoat it with “it doesn’t fit the brand”), and yet when the first episode of Season 3 was released on KZbin, it was one of the most viewed Disney videos ever, and they’re forced to admit to be in the wrong, and the Disney CEO responsible for tv series cancellation was fired as result

[@TF2Fan101]

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 also did well.

[@blueflare3848]

Elemental wasn’t even that good, though. It was just as painfully mid and predictable as Wish.

[@user-iu9gv8bk4x]

Honestly if Andy saw Lightyear he probably wouldn’t buy the buzz action figure.

[@euanjones7117]

Not sure why he kept saying Elemental was a failure when it just had a really slow start?? Elemental grew legs- did really well for Pixar.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

@@euanjones7117 of course it was a low start. It was released only in America at first, with the other countries would follow in 2 weeks or more (it was released on late August in the UK)

[@doriecameron4397]

I agree with you that it’s not too late for Disney, that they still have plenty of ways they can turn around this coming year…but it’s all dependent on the folks at Disney actually deciding to make those necessary course corrections. I’m not sure I’m as optimistic about that. If they start the turnaround today, they might regain public trust within a few years. If they maintain their current course for another year or so, they may cut off any chance of regaining their prestige and grandeur. They’re quite a ways off from actually “collapsing”… but this is the first time in living memory where it seems like a distinct possibility, and there will likely need to be some belt-tightening at Disney.

[@henrythef1guy768]

I don’t know if this was Disney’s *worst year ever*, especially considering they were very close to bankruptcy in the 80s. But there is no denying that this was a very bad year for them, worse than 2022. Because at least they had a billion-dollar-grossing movie that year.

[@SomePkmnlovingdude]

2024 will be even worse for them.

[@henrythef1guy768]

​@@SomePkmnlovingdude financially? Lot of merit to that prediction. If they buy Hulu, at least a noticeable portion of their remaining finances will be missing. In terms of box office? We will just have to wait and see.

[@Amigmamale]

Ima be real, I didn't know Wish existed until after it came out and flopped

[@sharpester7277]

What was once a company of hopes and dreams has turned into a hellish nightmare.

[@katef96]

Don’t forget closing Splash Mountain in both California AND Florida (though this topic is divisive. Although, I say they should have at least let the main trio be in Once Upon a Studio if just for half a second)

[@AssassinKillua15]

They closed splash mountain to rebrand. Having Princess and The Frog makes alot more sense now than having Song Of The South. Even just from a marketing/money perspective.

[@Dude-vb4ul]

Disney absolutely cannot recover from this, their slump decades in the past have all come from mere apathy. but their current slump is from both apathy and derision too many of their core audience have come to hate Disney for them to succeed again.

[@FrameDevice]

I can think of three major slump periods that the company went through in its life, and none of them were caused by apathy but by box office failures (much like today). The first major slump would have been after the release of Bambi, which performed poorly at the box office because of WWII, so for many years afterward Disney sufficed by producing lower-budget films that were essentially just short collections, like Melody Time, Fun and Fancy Free, Make Mine Music, and Saludos Amigos. The second slump was after Walt Disney's death in the early 60s, which ushered in a couple decades of movies that underperformed (at least in comparison to Disney's more popular works) like The Black Cauldron, The Rescuers, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Aristocats. The Little Mermaid kicked them out of that slump and ushered in the Renaissance. And the third slump came right after Tarzan, which ended the Renaissance, and then came about a decade of direct-to-video sequels and films that did not perform as well as the Renaissance movies, like Lilo and Stitch, Treasure Planet, Atlantis, etc. Tangled ended that slump period and ushered in the Disney Revival, and now it looks like that period has come to an end as well. Disney tends to have ten-year bursts of creativity and hugely popular movies and then relapses into 10-20 year long periods of relative stagnation. Who's to say if it'll play out the same way this time? I think apathy is actually the newest ingredient to be thrown into the mix here. I do believe Disney cared throughout those earlier slump periods. They just weren't earning as much for one reason or another. But this time, the company needs to reminded of what they should focus on.

[@davidunderwood9728]

The funniest thing to me with Disney in the culture wars is they are way to gay for Conservatives and not supportive enough of gays for the liberals. So they have angered both sides while simultaneously damaging their brand.

[@FrameDevice]

Yep. That's about the gist of it.

[@OppositeGriz]

2023 has been a tough year for Disney. the only good thing they did was elemental's box office from flop to hit, and GOTG: Volume 3 was a huge success. but for wish and its century anniversary, it failed. it would've been better, like what Ziggy (i agree with him) said. can't it at least be in Nimona (film) style? It beated Disney for Netflix.

[@hey_bucklebob]

I will die on this hill. People can try to blame the sheer quantity of their releases or "wokeness" - No. If the TV shows are good, people would watch them. Some people are saying the problem is that people won't go to theatres if the movie will be out on Disney Plus in a few weeks anyway? To which I say, if these are TRULY movies people are interested in seeing, if they drummed up some hype, people would go to the cinema to see them. No Way Home was wildly successful. Guardians 3 was one of Disney's few profitable releases all year. The problem is the poor quality of the writing, worn out tropes, forgettable characters, endless sequels and reboots. You can get a way with one, heck, maybe a few mediocre movies, but each time someone leaves the cinema and goes "meh, it was alright" you've chipped away a bit more of their trust in the studio. Eventually it's hard to get excited about the latest Star Wars thing because there's always a new Star Wars thing, and you've actually seen a few of them and thought they were all a bit rubbish. People stop caring.

[@brose-bg3ks]

Sadly, Stan Lee’s vision for superheroes slowly died out when he did as well. On the bright side, he doesn’t have to witness the horrors of political propaganda called “marvel movies” that we have now.

[@Veylon]

Golden Age superheroes were way more political than they are now. You don't see Superman punching Putin in the face like he did Hitler. Go look up the old stuff that Stan would've read as a kid. It's wild.

[@captainpep3]

@@Veylonthey’re talking about different politics, mate

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

Mate, you don't got enough media literacy to call anything a propaganda.

[@Dotmw]

"We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective.” Eisner may be gone but his ethos is baked into the Disney brand. They don't need to win anymore; they just need to not lose, hence why everything they produce these days is a hollow echo trying to re-create the financial success of Frozen.

[@kaiumeda6341]

This was the final nail in the coffin for the movies

[@jordirapper]

I hate Disney because they just don't seem to care anymore. And to those saying it's a company? Yeah well, this company is losing money because they no longer care. It's doubly funny because Infinity War and Endgame broke box office sales and now The Marvels couldn't break even and their 100th year celebration movie did even worse. Disney can't keep ignoring this. And I will call it as it is. People are also sick of the wokeness in these movies. These movies are bad and clearly have an agenda and that makes a recipe for a bad movie because there is no soul. If Disney doesn't care, then why should we?

[@yeeyeeyeeye]

Genuinely, the only thing I actually liked from Disney this year was "Once Upon a Studio." It was really emotional, and it truly felt like a celebration of Disney's legacy as a whole (plus the blending of 2D and 3D animation was a good bonus). At this point, the only way they'll get back on top is to downsize their horde of IPs and take risks with their movies. However, I have absolutely no hope for that, as it seems like swapping the race/identities of their characters is the only risk they are willing to take.

[@jtszabo1691]

One of the few things I think is better under disneys reign are some of the adult animated shows through 20th animation. I think the simpsons has gotten better the last few years, despite some issues like aging voice actors and the Futurama reboot obviously gave the creators the creative freedom they needed. Not as good as the fox episodes, but much better than the Comedy Central episodes

[@Sarahmint]

"Safe" is DEI score. Controversial but true

[@Kusanagikaiser999]

As someone who love Disney, grow up on Disney animated films, and TV shows and I was on board until I think 2018, Ralph Breaks the internet was the movie that snap me out from lovin Disney, ironically to almost sarcastic degree, Ralph broke indeed the streak for me.....and since then I only have like a few of their own projects, of each of their brands, this year been the hardest to even wanted to watch anything from them. Disney need to re focus on their animation studio, and stop all the nonsense of live action remakes, MCU, Star Wars been the main priority, the magic is almost gone......2024 not look at all promising, and if they haven´t learn their lesson yet........I starting to see the writing in the wall, there is time to turn this back on, but not by keep green light SEQUELS (the one thing Walt himself learned so long ago, by making a sequel of on of his shorts, make the same thing over and over diminish your own creativity), they really need to take RISKS again, stop playing so safe, even their stories have loss the edge they used to have, I hope there is time and somehow Disney retakes their crown.

[@DSS712]

2:20 Oh my good sir, I can pinpoint the EXACT moment of the EXACT scene of the EXACT movie that the downturn began - Frozen, first act, "For the First time in Forever," second verse, first line of dialogue: "What if I meet THE one?" spoken by Anna. Up until this exact line of dialogue, this movie was set up pretty perfectly to be a deeply character driven story about a protagonist who craves connection and an antagonist who fears connection - but the kicker? These two character are SISTERS - and one is magical!? Such an amazing premise! After Tangled a few years earlier had succeeded in essentially perfecting the "Disney princess story" formula, Frozen was Disney's chance to push the the formula in new directions beyond "prince and princess fall in love and defeat the villain." This movie had potential to not only be a story without a romance plot or a traditional villain, but could have been amazing BECAUSE of the absence of those things. This movie could have been a deep dive into the emotional reconciliation between two sister princesses, and it could have been Disney's deepest, most original storytelling in years. BUT - the moment the writers made Anna utter this line and the subsequent verse, thereby introducing the romantic/twist villain sideplots for Anna, Disney had decisively made the choice to sacrifice story quality for the sake of making a self referential callback to other Disney IPs. Frozen had all of the ingredients to be a true work of art, but someone high up at Disney apparently felt really strongly about needing to inform audiences that "Disney as a company no longer advocates for outdated ideas about rushing into marriage with a handsome prince." From this sole motivation spawned a mess of pacing and oversaturation of competing plots, messages, and character arcs that severely weakened the coherency of the movie as a whole. To sum up, Anna's character motivation was established (and very successfully so) up until that moment to be about craving connection in general, but literally all of a sudden with this line of dialogue, the writers specified the exact type of connection she craves - which is a ROMANTIC one. Why? Because it makes sense accoriding to how her character has been developed up until that point? No, not at all - if anything, a craving for a sisterly bond would have more sense. The reason why she specifically identified ROMANCE as the type of connection she craves was so that Disney - as a company - would have an excuse to use this story as a means of giving their updated opinion about a old classic Disney trope. And before someone calls me out on this, YES, Frozen is obviously not the first movie to make callbacks to previous Disney IPs in some form However, this IS the first time that they went beyond a simple easter egg and legitimately changed the entire direction of a story for the sake of self referencing their brand in some form.

[@shrimpgaming1749]

Frozen is amazing, this is all just yapping XD. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Anna wanting to be in a romantic relationship, and it's not a "callback" to previous movies. Romance is like the biggest movie trope of all time, it was not invented by Disney. She can also wish to have connections as well as a romantic connection, it doesn't have to be either or. For example, she wanted to see her sister as well as meet new people. Also, the theme of "don't marry people you just met that day" is honestly a really good one. True love isn't some magical force that happens on the spot. Having him be a villain is obviously a bit overkill, but I like how it's more realistic that she would fall in love with Kristoff who she travelled with for a few days rather than one guy she danced with once.

[@DSS712]

@@shrimpgaming1749 There's nothing wrong with a character having two unconnected motivations - if we are talking about a TV series. In a movie however, everything that a character is depicted doing or feeling needs to be serving a greater plot or character arc. There is a reason there are so many deleted movie scenes on cutting room floors. I agree that "don't marry people you just met that day" is a great message, and I think there is a version of the Frozen script in a trash can somewhere that would have done an EXPERT job at incorporating that idea more organically into a story about Anna's and Elsa's relationship, simply by eliminating Kristoff from the script altogether and throwing in a little more foreshadowing that Hans had ill intentions with Anna. If there is any Disney princess movie that should end without a boyfriend, like....it was gonna be this one. If Anna had ended the story without a boyfriend, the lesson would have been "true love and companionship can be found in sisterly support, not always romance." That would have been not only a GREAT message for little girls seeing the movie, but also a truly revolutionary move for a Disney princess movie. However, since the movie ended with Anna getting a boyfriend by the end anyway, the lesson was more like "When dating, taking it slow and not rushing, will result in finding a more fitting romantic partner." which is great, but my point is that is has NOTHING to do with her relationship with Elsa, and it just mucks up the focus of the entire movie because there are too many things going on - again, as if we are watching a tv series and not an isolated short story. Basically, the movie pays lip service to challenging romantic tropes by having a character verbally say the words "you can't marry a man you just met," but the movie doesn't actually follow through with making a story that challenges said romantic tropes in any significant way. On top of that, what makes it an even weirder move is that Tangled, the most recent Disney princess movie before that point, explored that EXACT SAME lesson on romance but in a much more organic way (having the princess get to now her love interest slowly over the course of spending a lot of time together). It's like they made the same movie again, but...worse? Just as this youtuber explains, the issue with newer Disney is that it "reeks of insecurity," and I really do think that this is the first movie that gave me that type of feeling.It's indecisive, lazy, and messy writing.

[@jaysherman2615]

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, I miss loving Disney. I miss being excited for a new Disney movie. I miss that feeling where I would wish the movie would never end. In the last decade those feelings have faded and have been replaced with a feeling of disappointment. It is the same feeling like when a friend betrays you, like when he steals money or destroys something of yours out of malice.

[@gilramanujan8826]

Imo 2023 was not disneys worst year as they’ve had terrible year even before this time such as the 40’, the 80’s, etc. but this is probably the year it hurts the most since it’s their 100th anniversary.

[@_reigner]

Man I really enjoyed listening to this at work. Agreed with many of your points and, as someone who adored Disney as a kid, also feel like they’ve lost their way. But you were able to explain it a lot better than I can 😂. Thanks for the vid!

[@rincon27weirdoG]

They thought 2023 was bad, this year will be even worse for Disney

[@fishmobsmovietv514]

The question now is, will they learn? Because while they won't go bankrupt in a single bad year, if they keep following that same mentality, then things could get ugly quick.

[@aTomallic]

What annoys me is that Disney is now "risky safe". They're willing to include actors or (god forbid) make characters of diversity but only because the online fire fight means no one will worry about the quality. Avocado toast eating, BuzzFeed which character are you quiz taking, beanie wearing white hipsters will see whatever they make if they slap "diverse" onto it. And if they get enough pearl clutching conservatives to yell against it enough controversy will be caused to make people curious and watch it anyway. All the while no one takes into consideration the quality.

[@Veylon]

Hipsters don't watch Disney. They watch independent films in art houses. The whole point of a hipster is being too good for the mainstream.

[@punnavieira1681]

You know, if I were the producers/directors/animators/writers of Hollywood at this moment, I would stop lying to people about how some movies are considered the worse, in other words, the phrase “Everyone’s a Critic” shouldn’t be taken literally. As you can see, when it comes to online reviews, like with Wish, they actually lied to us, as in, they say Wish is worse than Strange World, and you see what money does to people, it makes them lose their minds, and it makes no sense to make something horrible to earn money and ratings.

[@Muna-Jlore0997]

Wish is not awe inspiring. Disney is doing “playing it safe” thing where they place a whole lots of diverse characters in their story just for the minorities sake. Plus scrapping the villain couple coz Disney thinks that women can’t be evil and it’s same with the love story between Asha and the star boy. To them it’s either offensive or “this is not the 1930s anymore” crap. I’ve never cared for the art style but I’m pretty sure some people do but for me it’s kinda rendered and cheap. Most of the characters are too washed out, especially Asha’s art style. The outfits look bland and nothing special that makes her standout. In the concept art, Asha old design looks good and more Disney princess like. Sometimes Disney should take risk and make a good movie

[@eatatjoes6751]

Hell, I even think Michael Eisner cared more about Disney’s vision than Iger does.

[@No-01E]

To put it simple, Disney had a monopoly on young children and teen girl demographic and wanted to branch out into the teen boy and adult market by buying boy and male brands but never changed their model so they keep stick Princesses in everything our as South Park put it "put a chick in it make it lame and gay"

[@michaelsurratt1864]

More so it's like they took every trait that would be considered toxic in a male character and injected it into a female lead. Lazy boring writing if you want a badass female look at Terminator 2 or the girl in Edge of Tomorrow.

[@michaelsurratt1864]

They look at the struggle that a good lead has to go through in bad traits that make them relatable and think that that means weakness. So you just have a toxic male reskin.

[@No-01E]

@michaelsurratt1864 the only people letting down female characters are the writers then will blame us because "we just don't understand" when in fact we do understand because we have seen it over and over to the point swapping a gender or race is short hand for a hax writer with no faith in their work 🤣

[@michaelsurratt1864]

@@No-01E it's like imagine if the hulk started off in complete control with no struggles it would have been boring as f***

[@MerlinTheCommenter]

Maybe it’s actually the people working on those projects? Remember, the people who made the films you loved, are very likely not working there any longer. The timelines line up. Most of the decision makers and visionaries who made great stuff quietly retired or passed away. It just makes sense that it’s the new generation working at the helm and not understanding what made the classic films great

[@FrameDevice]

Typically, when I look at the films from current Disney that I enjoy, it's usually the fact that the creatives have MORE control over those projects that makes them better. I don't doubt that there are some writers at the company who want to inject their ideology into their projects, but it's important to remember that these people don't have anywhere NEAR as much control over that stuff as so many people think. If Disney as a company wants to project an image of a phony-progressivism (and that's what I call them, because I refuse to use the term "woke", it's completely lost all meaning), then it's the people at the top who are making that decision. And all the people at the top of Disney are ubiquitously conservative. So when people criticize Disney for being "woke," what they're actually criticizing is the scarecrow image of what conservative executives think "wokeness" should look like that's designed to pander to the broadest possible audience, which is liberal.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I love Star Wars, obviously, but I don't want Disney to make so many Star Wars films and tv shows. It's made Star Wars so ordinary and disposable. It's inflation, I care less about Star Wars when there's so much of it, especially the vast majority of the content is so low quality. I would much, much rather they put those resources into making great animated Disney films. I love those, how about Disney focuses on the thing that originally made it famous instead of chasing Star Wars's clout when they clearly don't even understand Star Wars in the first place.

[@TylerMcNamer]

Walt himself should have planned for the hundred year special. He's the man that envissioned his own theme park.

[@themovieguy3642]

As a longtime Disney fan, I can tell you the one thing that has brought Disney down is Their need to want more. i’m not just talking about revenue, every company wants to have more revenue which can either be greed or so that their divisions can be up and running. no simply, Disney wanted to have more. More popularity, more attention, more respect, but most importantly… Disney wanted to be more of an American zeitgeist than any other studio.

[@taffysaur]

“How about a third Avatar? THAT’S something we own now!” Actually, all they “own” is the distribution rights. James Cameron owns the Avatar IP, which is probably the only reason the second film was such a success. By which I mean, James Cameron is one of cinema’s great storytellers, and actually cares about making something that resonates with audiences, rather than being primarily concerned with E.S.G. scores and attempts at social engineering. Crucially, though Avatar 1 & 2 each have fairly heavy left-wing messaging, the stories and characters are appealing and compelling enough that one doesn’t feel harangued and lectured to if that messaging is something with which they disagree. The movies are entertaining, which should be the primary goal. As for Walt being a “businessman,” he was actually a TERRIBLE businessman. He wasn’t that concerned with how profitable his work was, which was why he famously sold his first cartoon series AT COST. This is why his brother Roy felt he had to step in and keep Walt on something of an even commercial keel (while still recognising the importance of allowing the artist to create). As for Chapek, I feel like he has gotten a bum rap, mainly because for some reason the corporate media are intent on running interference on Iger’s behalf. Not only did Iger publicly and privately sabotage the guy, but Iger never actually “left” the company for those 11 months Chapek was ostensibly in charge. Iger hung around the studio like Marley’s ghost (he still maintained an office there), looking over Chapek’s shoulder and cutting him off at the knees at every opportunity, the better that Iger could ride back in at the opportune time and “rescue” the company from Chapek’s supposed mismanagement (which was really only Chapek futilely fighting an uphill battle to try to salvage the company Iger had ravaged). Not saying Chapek was perfect, by any means, but it’s fairly clear that he was a fall guy who was set up to fail. I assume he would confirm this if he weren’t constrained by a non-disclosure agreement, while Iger is free to badmouth him in the press all he wants to this day. The most stunning aspect of Nelson Peltz’s recent letter to shareholders was that the ENTIRE Disney board COMBINED (including Iger) owns a paltry $15 million stake in the company. That is absolutely scandalous. When I learned that, it all made sense. I couldn’t figure out why they were so content to drive the company into the ground if making money was their goal, but it is now clear that not only do they not have any creative or emotional incentive to maintain Walt’s legacy, they don’t even have a FINANCIAL one. Couple this with the fact that the company itself has been almost entirely subsumed by activists, and that all the artists who are supposed to mentor them have been pushed out or left because of the toxic environment, and I don’t think Iger could fix this mess even if he wanted to. Nelson Peltz is in my prayers every night. He seems like our last, best hope at rescuing this company.

[@ebindelgado9660]

The MCU hurt especially since I got into that franchise because I grew with the shows as the kid (spectacular Spider-Man, Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and even some of the 90's shows through reruns). So it hurts to see them miss use those properties to often

[@hothotheat3000]

Streaming services and a deluge of content has taken away from their sparkle. Name something they’ve done in the past decade that has the majesty of the shot at 2:17 in this video. Decades later and that is still a stunning, STUNNING shot.

[@spinosaurusstriker]

When people mention video essays i spect 1 hour minimum, not that your video is bad for being short, nice editing.

[@kiromi790]

a video essay could easily be 30 or 45 minutes but i agree 17 is slightly short? then again it is just reading an essay script so it's understandable based on volume of subject matter if its relatively shorter than some

[@cakecrumb095]

Disney/Pixar movies, Star Wars movies, and MCU movies used to be special. Now they just feel like conveyor belt products. The prestige is gone.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Very accurate summary of events. I appreciate the passionate critical look. I would say I’m pretty much in agreement. Really underrated point about Walt himself.

[@X2011racer]

The only good thing left from Disney is Kingdom Hearts. If Disney does fall to ruin, would Square save the IP, because KH4 would still need more of a decade of development, and it would suck to see all that work go to waste, unless they repurpose the battle system for the next Final Fantasy...

[@robbycooper6787]

How to fix any character in the movie, replace them with a fictional character that you hate because it would be interesting

[@vyvisabastard]

i really think disney needs another person like walt in the seat of ceo. walt wasnt perfect but he was one hell of a creative mind and businessman. he valued the art they put out under his watch, something that eisner, iger, or chapek dont since they dont have any respect for animated films. a big reason the live action remakes even exist is because they dont think any adult actually wants to watch an animated film, that theyre just for kids. its sad

[@picsandpixels6445]

I enjoyed the video but I take issue with the fact that Walt Disney is attributed to drawing the sketches in 11:26 , when it was actually Ub Iwerks who did those drawings, and most all known drawings of Mickey Mouse at the time. Walt was the one who HAD HIM draw them all for him.

[@FrameDevice]

I'm really glad you brought that up, and you are partially correct, but from what information I could find on the subject, it seems that Walt and Iwerks co-created Mickey together and did so behind closed doors (on a train, specifically). While it is certain that Iwerks was involved in the creation and design of the character, it's unclear to what extent he was merely a co-creator or a more central influence. Disney himself was inarguably central to the character's conception and also likely his design, but regardless, you are right that the sketches are attributed to Iwerks. I'll issues a brief correction in my pinned comment clarifying it. But I do think it's fair to attribute the creation of the character both intellectually and artistically to Walt Disney even if that particular sketch was Iwerks'. Thanks for letting me know, though.

[@Bopperann]

They are tripling down. The soulless people at the top actively hate Walt Disney.

[@LordBob]

It's telling that the part of their 100th anniversary people were most excited about was them losing the Steamboat Willie copyright at the end of the year.

[@Sirwest299]

If you hate Ralph Breaks the Internet, you should see The Simpsons Plusaversary because it's just as bad with all the Simpsons and Disney characters coming together.

[@Animtion9toonZ]

If they didn’t put a reference in wish it would be so much better

[@Polychi1998]

To be fair, Strange World was a mediocre movie.

[@FrameDevice]

No argument.

[@alphabloodpaw3233]

Mediocre isn't acceptable for a Disney movie

[@Bmoney902]

Disney may not be bankrupt and dead but it sure is creatively bankrupt and dead. It's sad (as someone who grew up with Disney magic) to see it become what's essentially a zombie. It's alive....sort of.

[@SuperMoviemaster21]

Because people are being too picky let alone impressionable and specious To think for themselves

[@BondforgedSky]

It really sucks to see this happen because to me, the 2010s were a great time to be a Disney fan ( for me anyway ). The Revival era ( which I think ended with Encanto ) was to me what the Renaissance was to those older than me. I loved following the Infinity Saga, had fun with the hype for the sequel trilogy, and loved watching the story driven animated shows on Disney Channel. It wasn't always perfect ( none of Disney's eras have been ), but they were still putting out several successful products that people liked/loved. There's still good stuff coming out ( like Andor, Ahsoka ( in my opinion ), WandaVision, GOTG3 ( and even a couple more mcu installments ), and some of the recent Pixar films ), but this new era doesn't feel as magical as most of the 2010s.

[@neogranzong]

I'd say the revival ended with either Zootopia/Moana or RBTI, after that they only had one good movie (Encanto) and only one profitable movie (Frozen 2).

[@tulip811]

What are the guys from lion king even doing today ?😢 Its such a great film! And what about the guys from don bluth's studio.... Did they all stop creating stuff?

[@facusmendoza1061]

In other words they have to take risk on original ideas whether it's both animated when you have to scrap all your sequels and move forward with new original ideas like Elio Penelope and Bluebeard especially when you want to return to hand drawn and in live action when you leave behind the live-action remakes Marvel and Star Wars in favor of creating a new original story that could possibly become your next Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and then keep doing new ideas from there

[@andyblanton6570]

I don't know, 85 and 02 were pretty rough.

[@devinmay3038]

Yeah it wasn't a good year, but they've been through worse.

[@Princess_-gp3ep]

Both Warner bros and Disney had a terrible 100th anniversary.

[@FrameDevice]

Oh wow, I didn't even realize it was their hundredth too. What a coincidence. I guess that wasn't even on my radar because Warner Bros. has been consistently terrible for the last decade or longer now, so there isn't as much surprise in that. Just feels par for the course with them.

[@cameronjones7747]

​@@FrameDeviceWarner Bros has been good with everything except superhero movies, but the AT&T era and the current CEO have crashed and burned the company

[@SomePkmnlovingdude]

and it's gonna get worse for them, I know it.

[@cameronjones7747]

@@SomePkmnlovingdude 💯

[@cameronjones7747]

The concept art of Mickey at 11:27 was NOT drawn by Walt, it's from Ub Iwerks, Mickey's co-creator

[@FrameDevice]

I know, I mentioned that in my pinned comment.

[@cameronjones7747]

@@FrameDevice whoops I missed that

[@scottcarter8155]

It looks like their going to double down on what they've been doing. I remember Walt introducing the show every Sunday night. It's a shame whats become of it.

[@connermckeone4915]

8:23, Don't dis the Phinieas and Ferb specials, they were great and you know it.

[@FrameDevice]

Phineas and Ferb can be GOAT and still prove my point at the same time :)

[@radiantgale]

They lack focus, and have been for awhile. The execs at the top definitely do meddling, dunno if it's personally or company mandates that everyone has to abide by. It makes a lot of their different franchises feel samey because they want to be safe. That sort of blanket mentality to every franchise they control, and it's not even visual entertainment. They're in the written world too and it's a problem. The fact they gobble up IP and do their damnest to not pay royalties because of some loophole they imagine.

[@michaelmayo]

That's ok. I'm rubbing my hands...

[@WobblesandBean]

7:40 Wait....are they just re-releasing Soul, Turning Red and Luca? I'm confused.

[@FrameDevice]

Yeah, they're re-releasing them in theatres this year because they never got a theatrical release thanks to covid.

[@samjohnson1813]

Well not only that but most people don’t like getting preached to and Disney really started doing that.

[@rosestar1324]

Idk why people keep saying the Princess and the Frog was Disney's last 2d animated movie. They made another one after that, Winnie the Pooh. It came out a whole 2 years after the Proncess in the Frog. I suppose it did so terrible I'm the only one who remembers that movie??

[@kristinahuchison2511]

Nice video! It’s really disappointing to see how far Disney has fallen from what it once was. I noted you said one rotten year isn’t enough to make a company go bankrupt, especially a titan like Disney. However, I will argue its not just 2023 that’s the problem. I won’t lie, the last Disney film that actually amazed me and felt like there was a glimmer of hope of Disney returning to the Renaissance era was Tangled. I do enjoy movies like Moana and Encanto, despite they’re not particularly my cup of tea. Frozen is by far one of the most overrated movies ever, and especially after this nightmare of a year its no wonder Disney already confirmed a fourth movie despite three was just announced, let alone there’s absolutely no news on the plot yet, unless they make Elsa a goddess or something. But the point of having two movies is pretty clear Frozen is a massive safety net for Disney to win back all the money they burned this year by hypnotizing kids with Queen Elsa for an hour and a half, which almost makes me think either three or four is gonna become a Home Video sequel nightmare and soulless cashgrab, or it’ll be on par with most of the remakes, as long as it earns them money they’ll keep making them, even if it receives awful reviews (like Frozen 2) Personally I feel one of the reasons why the studio has been struggling so much is BECAUSE they’re too busy on reinventing their classic movies, not caring at all about how devoted fans are. Walt Disney himself even told them he didn’t want any sequels made, and the point was to show each story has its own lesson and meaning. Nearly every animated movie works so much better as the one movie instead of making soulless cash grabs and lazy copy and paste stories that are dumbed down so much for kids it’s infuriating for adults to enjoy. Movies like Hunchback 2 are prime examples of the studio not giving a single crap about any of the characters and changing parts of the story to make money, like Quasi getting a girlfriend and not even trying to make Madeline a unique character with an actual story and why she’s in the circus and puts up with such a narcissistic and abusive manager.

[@FrameDevice]

You committed a cardinal sin by reminding me that Hunchback 2 exists. I worked for years to scrub the memory of that movie from my mind.

[@cliffturbo2146]

I am currently collecting the Disney movies and even the Direct to DVD ones (I think some of them are great). How come they are known for being bad?

[@FrameDevice]

@@cliffturbo2146 The direct-to-Disney sequels were to millennials what the live action remakes are to the current generation-a quick and easy way for Disney to make money by selling something related to their popular films yet produced with a fraction of the care, budget, or artistic integrity. That's how a lot of people saw the direct-to-video sequels back in the day. Some of them were decent, like Lion King 2, Aladdin 2 and 3, Bambi 2, Little Mermaid 2, etc. But a lot of them were straight dookey. Hunchback 2 was one of the worst offenders, mainly because they replaced Frollo, one of Disney's greatest animated villains, with a one-dimensional uninteresting jewel thief, and also the story was really meh.

[@cliffturbo2146]

@@FrameDevice I guess I somehow avoided them. I wasn't even 10 doing the 2000s, so I was easy to please. I remember liking The Lion King sequels Dalmatians 2 and even Fox and the Hound 2. What I like about the sequel is just how good they look when drawing on digital after Cel Animation. Bambi 2 looked spectacular cuz of that. Of course, they might be seen as unnecessary, but at least they don't just retell a story.

[@FrameDevice]

@@cliffturbo2146 Well, I'd take one of their sequels over one of their live-action remakes any day of the week.

[@jcrowellz2000]

Good video. I don't think they will lose as much in 2024 as they did in 2023, but I think the parents have wised up to the current wave of studio propaganda. So i don't see this year's slate of movies making as much as they could. Also, with the current leadership in all the Disney studios, nothing will change

[@civilprotection3114]

Wish looks like it was made by AI.

[@galaga2x808]

the only good thing from disney from all its division(including theme parks.) was guardians of the galaxy vol 3 and elemental and elemental is pushing it

[@MissMCwuffles]

I really liked this video. You could have torn Disney apart, but you approached the subject more calmly and analytically than other wish reviews I've seen. Disney has and can do great things with their properties, but their philosophy of playing it safe will hurt their creative output in the long run.

[@eschw2444]

I managed to watch this movie last night. Most of it is just....bland and disappointing. The songs were the worst, and it was very pathetic that this was supposed to be a celebration of their 100 years. The movie also didn't look that great, and looked rather cheap to be honest. If you told me it had budget of $70 mil, I'd believe you.

[@Bopperann]

I loved them, but continuing to love Disney now is to be in an abusive relationship. They are so solidified with activists that Disney will have to die to cleanse. It can be resurrected in the right hands.

[@iloveyoutothemoonandback5451]

I really liked encanto myself, but to be honest I saw it on a whim, there was nothing else to see. I just ended up liking it but I swear there was like no advertisement for that movie…working at a theater showed me how awful a lot of movies really did.

[@kingdomtunez5557]

This was a great video! You got a new subscriber :)

[@SomePkmnlovingdude]

I'm sure Disney will be gone next year. There is no way they can recover after this.

[@WobblesandBean]

Magnifico was right all along.

[@bingobunny7862]

At least Loki was good. Sighhhh

[@FrameDevice]

That it certainly was. And Gotg 3 as well, tbf.

[@captainseg]

The reason why im excited for Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 is because the original movies were taking risks. And they paid off. So seeing these original ideas being expanded gets me excited. Frozen 3 and 4 and Toy Story 5 doesn’t. Their just sequels on an IP that used to be risks but are now being played safe. Frozen 2 was made because Frozen 1 was a huge hit. You know what, why not. Toy Story 5 feels like a desperate attempt to earn money despite Toy Story 4 doing so well and was a nice goodbye to Woody.

[@TCMACK]

8:21 That’s only half true. The theme parks have not been seeing much new investment recently. Considering the theme parks bring in the most money for Disney, realistically, that should be the part of the company spends the most on. Not to mention, while not as important as animation, Disneyland is a huge part of Disney’s legacy, with it and Walt Disney World being a much larger focus than animation for Walt Disney in the later years of his life. I do agree that too much money is being put into Marvel and Star Wars, especially since those have started to not be bringing in great results recently.