We all have our favorite Disney movies, and most are the ones we consider “classics.” The films that are from the older generation are more popular because we grew up with them, and they are nostalgic to us.
Disney has been receiving a lot of backlash and criticism recently. Many of their new movies have been failing at the box office, including films like “Strange World,” “Haunted Mansion,” and “The Marvels.”
The most recent movie that flopped was “Wish.” It was released on November 22, 2023, got mixed reviews from critics, and failed at the box office. The movie was aimed at younger audiences, and its purpose was to celebrate 100 years of moviemaking at Disney. However, many think it was unsuccessful because it lacked originality and included too many obvious easter eggs. This has been a recent trend with Disney’s new movies; critics say Disney doesn’t have the creativity it once did.
The new Disney movies reflect the aspects of previous films and recycle storylines. This can be seen in the movie “Wish”, because the main character, Asha, mirrors the stereotypical Disney princess characteristics that people are tired of seeing. Critics also say that the musical aspects of “Wish” are to blame and that the songs feel bland and repetitive compared to older movie soundtracks. A preview of the villainous song, “This is the Thanks I Get,” from “Wish,” was released on TikTok and severely hated by the online community. Content creators responded to the video, comparing it to songs from older Disney movies to show how uncreative it seems.
There is one theory that Disney is doing something called “hate-baiting,” where a company intentionally produces something bad to get more interactions from the public, even if those interactions are negative. This is a clever marketing strategy that can effectively get widespread reactions. However, based on Disney’s reputation, this does not seem realistic.
The reason for Disney’s downfall is that they have not released a lot of new content recently. Many of the latest Disney movies that recently came out or are scheduled to be released are live-action remakes. Some examples are “Mulan,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Snow White.” These are all already original movies with nostalgic stories. Instead of coming up with something new and fresh, they are being remade into live-action versions that are not as accurate as the 2D versions.
Disney plans to release several new movies in 2024, but based on their current record, these films will hardly hold up to the fan-favorite classics.
