Over winter break, I was more than 15 minutes late to the showing of “Zootopia 2.” I’m a retired Disney fanatic—my younger self would have been devastated to miss a single moment of any Disney film, but this time, I was not expecting to miss much.
My family and I have always been Disney-obsessed. We always attended the first showing of every new film at Regal Cinemas. It was not just the movies that kept my family hooked. We have always loved the feeling of seeing a new movie for the first time.
The last five Disney movies I watched with my family were all disappointing, so I entered the cinema with low expectations.
I can pinpoint the exact moment when Disney started its downfall. After “Encanto” in 2021, practically every original film from Walt Disney’s cinematic universe followed a downward trajectory. “Luca” contained a generic, repetitive plot, “Wish’s quality felt extremely low-budget and “Onward” contained multiple plot holes.
None of these movies were objectively bad; they were just missing something.
With a sequence of disappointing movies from the last five years, it makes sense for Disney to try and regain some popularity by inventing spin-offs for their biggest hits: “Mufasa: The Lion King”, “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2” were all released in 2024. Although none of them felt necessary, it felt nice to revisit some of the familiar characters from my childhood, and even their old characters and plotlines were usually better than Disney’s new ones.
Unfortunately, when I left the theater after every movie, I was still disappointed. The sequels were subpar at best, and none of the films replicated that nostalgic “Disney” sentiment. Disney assumes that their supporters just want to see the same characters in a million different situations, which is why they clearly prioritize sequels and live action remakes to make as much profit from a singular idea.
The Toy Story collection has been renewed for their fifth movie in June, even though Andy grew up two movies ago and the next movie is centered around electronics, not toys. It’s clear: Disney chooses to stick with their basics rather than finding diverse perspectives and new storylines. If they really focused on what made their company “magical” when we were kids, I truly believe that Disney could create excellent films that would emulate that specific charm.
The magic originates from their effortless and innovative storylines. Old Disney movies used characters and plots that could never be replicated today, many themes that are relevant in our daily lives. In fact, Disney should follow the advice of their own characters, like Moana, Marlin and Merida, and take risks, even if it seems pointless.
“Only the fearless can be great,” Remy from “Ratatouille.”
Stay tuned for the next part in this series!
