Modern Disney stinks

[Tony the Tigger]

It’s as if no one realizes there was/is a global pandemic that shut everything down at all parks worldwide, reduced cash flow, reduced staff, and on and on.

They get a 2 year pass on perfection from me. I know how hard it was having to temporarily close my little business and all the unintended consequences from doing so. We are still recovering and not at 100%. Same with them.

 

[Prince-1]

for me, the last decent animated movie was probably TS4. not saying everything after that was bad, but they’ve been mediocre & underwhelming at most. it seems they feel ok to give us a so so movie as long as they can sell a ton of merchandise based on said movie. just my opinion.

I know it’s all people‘s opinions but TS4 was pure crap. Pixar has definitely slipped in the past decade but they have put out some really entertaining movies.

 

[Magenta Panther]

We haven't tried Amphibia yet. Trying to get my kid into Dr. Who instead

You might try starting him on the Eleventh Doctor. Matt Smith was the best.

 

[DryerLintFan]

You might try starting him on the Eleventh Doctor. Matt Smith was the best.

First of all, Matt Smith is great but no. He's second best.

Secondly, she loves Rose, so we started with Eccleston.

 

[sedati]

Modern day Disney has a steady stream of things I'm looking forward to when the Disney of my youth delivered such tidings at best annually.

 

[Afterthought]

I agree and disagree.

As for many of the live action remakes, Stinks appropriately describes how I feel about many of them.
As for movies overall, there are still some winners coming about. Coco and Encanto are two of my favorites, and both tell great stories centered around the importance of family. Breaking from the older formula of, main character loses a parent or both parents, or hates their own lame existence, then goes off on an adventure to find their better life, etc.
Instead, main character realizes the importance of their own family and realizes how rich their family makes their life. Frozen even goes that route with sibling relationships.

So I dunno. There have been some disappointments in recent years in the remake department, but some of the original new animated features have been some of the best, imo.

 

[Consumer]

It’s as if no one realizes there was/is a global pandemic that shut everything down at all parks worldwide, reduced cash flow, reduced staff, and on and on.

They get a 2 year pass on perfection from me. I know how hard it was having to temporarily close my little business and all the unintended consequences from doing so. We are still recovering and not at 100%. Same with them.

Didn't realize the pandemic was the reason for pre-pandemic duds such as Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Frozen II, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Raya and the Last Dragons. I have mixed feelings on Moana so I'll keep it off the list, but an argument could be made for it to be placed there. None of those movies have reached the iconic status of Tangled or Frozen. They're on par with Tarzan at best and Atlantis at worst.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Didn't realize the pandemic was the reason for pre-pandemic duds such as Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Frozen II, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Raya and the Last Dragons. I have mixed feelings on Moana so I'll keep it off the list, but an argument could be made for it to be placed there. None of those movies have reached the iconic status of Tangled or Frozen. They're on par with Tarzan at best and Atlantis at worst.

I guess we have different opinions on what is a “dud.”

 

[Consumer]

I guess we have different opinions on what is a “dud.”

I'm mostly just looking at long term icon status. What are kids theming their birthday parties to? Dressing up as for Halloween and Disneyland? Can your average person name the main characters and if so do they like them? Is the music instantly recognizable? So on and so forth.

Tangled and Frozen easily fill these kind of requirements. But what about Big Hero Six? I can't name a single character other than Baymax, and I'd imagine that's true for your average person. Raya and the Last Dragon is worse as I completely forgot the movie even existed. Do kids dress up as Zootopia characters for Halloween? I've never seen a Judy Hopps or that fox character.

Of the modern ones, Encanto is definitely closed to reaching such a status as Tangled, but time will tell. Its story was certainly lackluster and characters were forgettable, but it has catchy music so we'll see what happens.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I'm mostly just looking at long term icon status. What are kids theming their birthday parties to? Dressing up as for Halloween and Disneyland? Can your average person name the main characters and if so do they like them? Is the music instantly recognizable? So on and so forth.

Tangled and Frozen easily fill these kind of requirements. But what about Big Hero Six? I can't name a single character other than Baymax, and I'd imagine that's true for your average person. Raya and the Last Dragon is worse as I completely forgot the movie even existed. Do kids dress up as Zootopia characters for Halloween? I've never seen a Judy Hopps or that fox character.

Of the modern ones, Encanto is definitely closed to reaching such a status as Tangled, but time will tell. Its story was certainly lackluster and characters were forgettable, but it has catchy music so we'll see what happens.

OK, so a movie is a dud based on the experience and memory of your inner circle. Got it. Naturally, that’s an industry-wide standard.

I’m through with this witness.

 

[Afterthought]

I'm mostly just looking at long term icon status. What are kids theming their birthday parties to? Dressing up as for Halloween and Disneyland? Can your average person name the main characters and if so do they like them? Is the music instantly recognizable? So on and so forth.

Tangled and Frozen easily fill these kind of requirements. But what about Big Hero Six? I can't name a single character other than Baymax, and I'd imagine that's true for your average person. Raya and the Last Dragon is worse as I completely forgot the movie even existed. Do kids dress up as Zootopia characters for Halloween? I've never seen a Judy Hopps or that fox character.

Of the modern ones, Encanto is definitely closed to reaching such a status as Tangled, but time will tell. Its story was certainly lackluster and characters were forgettable, but it has catchy music so we'll see what happens.

Agree about Raya. I wanted to like that one, but just couldn't get into it.

Disagree about Encanto being lackluster and having forgettable characters. I thought the main lead was a strong female you could ROOT for. She was an answer to criticisms of Raya, the new Mulan, Rey from Star Wars, and other female leads who were so flawless and boring, with no real character to develop.
Encanto had a likable, relatable lead, not some bland statement on empowerment.

 

[Ghost93]

Agree about Raya. I wanted to like that one, but just couldn't get into it.

Disagree about Encanto being lackluster and having forgettable characters. I thought the main lead was a strong female you could ROOT for. She was an answer to criticisms of Raya, the new Mulan, Rey from Star Wars, and other female leads who were so flawless and boring, with no real character to develop.
Encanto had a likable, relatable lead, not some bland statement on empowerment.

I wouldn't call Raya flawless, but she was very much a "strong female character" whereas Mirabel was a strong character who happened to be female.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

If Disney was not producing movies that were connecting with audiences, this thread may have some merit. Encanto was just a cultural phenomenon that has a good chance of being the most-streamed movie of 2022, Luca was the most-streamed movie of 2021 (admittedly, a Pixar film), and both Frozen films were massive hits fairly recently. It's certainly valid to like or dislike specific movies, but Disney is obviously still producing movies that connect with kids and families today so I don't really know what the argument is beyond "I don't like recent Disney films."

 

[LittleBuford]

If Disney was not producing movies that were connecting with audiences, this thread may have some merit. Encanto was just a cultural phenomenon that has a good chance of being the most-streamed movie of 2022, Luca was the most-streamed movie of 2021 (admittedly, a Pixar film), and both Frozen films were massive hits fairly recently. It's certainly valid to like or dislike specific movies, but Disney is obviously still producing movies that connect with kids and families today so I don't really know what the argument is beyond "I don't like recent Disney films."

I think a heavy dose of nostalgia is also at play in this thread. It’s unreasonable to expect a Disney film made today—even a very good one—to resonate as much as a movie you grew up watching as a kid; childhood breeds a particular kind of attachment that is almost impossible to replicate in later years. We as adults really can’t speak for, or project our own feelings onto, the current generation of children, who seem very pleased with what Disney is giving them.

 

[Afterthought]

Doing some more thinking about this, and the aspect of story and whether or not they are declining or not over the years. Break it down this way. In the early years of Disney animation you had films such as...

Snow White
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

Pinocchio and Dumbo
Achieved their happily ever afters because a little sidekick saved them from literally every scrape they found themselves in.

Cinderella
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

Sleeping Beauty
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

The trend I am seeing in lessons taught in the earlier films... You are born with beauty or lucky to have a smart sidekick.

Moving forward to the Disney Renaissance, which is a favorite era of cinema for many.

Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King.
All achieve their happily ever afters because they are either born into royalty, or marry into royalty.

Now to the modern times, where the stories have shifted to focus more on work and ethics, not luck and beauty.
Encanto, Coco, Moana, Wreck It Ralph, Big Hero Six. More relatable and teaching more of a family-based message in many of these. If anything, values and morale seem stronger than ever if you really look back storywise.

 

[erasure fan1]

Encanto was just a cultural phenomenon that has a good chance of being the most-streamed movie of 2022,

Well the music was a cultural phenomenon anyway. The movie itself seemed like a 50/50 love it or, it's fine, type of thing. It makes sense that it is the top streamed movie. Films with breakout music, like let it go in frozen, always seem to do well on streaming.

 

[LittleBuford]

Doing some more thinking about this, and the aspect of story and whether or not they are declining or not over the years. Break it down this way. In the early years of Disney animation you had films such as...

Snow White
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

Pinocchio and Dumbo
Achieved their happily ever afters because a little sidekick saved them from literally every scrape they found themselves in.

Cinderella
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

Sleeping Beauty
Achieved her happily ever after because a prince fell in love with her beauty.

The trend I am seeing in lessons taught in the earlier films... You are born with beauty or lucky to have a smart sidekick.

Moving forward to the Disney Renaissance, which is a favorite era of cinema for many.

Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King.
All achieve their happily ever afters because they are either born into royalty, or marry into royalty.

These are very reductive readings, particularly of the Disney Renaissance films.

 

[Afterthought]

These are very reductive readings, particularly of the Disney Renaissance films.

Am I wrong though? Name one main character in those movies whose luck of royal connection didn't play exclusively or heavily into their eventual happy ending?
Not saying those are bad movies by any means. I love all of them. Sometimes we need those types of escapism. Princes, princesses, heroes above the normal individual.

I was talking about simple lessons being taught throughout the years in movies, and how we are certainly not in decline in family values, etc in recent years. If people think Disney is slying away from that, they need to rewatch movies like Coco and Encanto and pay attention to what's being taught...

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I think a heavy dose of nostalgia is also at play in this thread. It’s unreasonable to expect a Disney film made today—even a very good one—to resonate as much as a movie you grew up watching as a kid; childhood breeds a particular kind of attachment that is almost impossible to replicate in later years. We as adults really can’t speak for, or project our own feelings onto, the current generation of children, who seem very pleased with what Disney is giving them.

I agree entirely. It's also impossible to know what the current generation of children will form an attachment to, even going by box office or streaming success. For example, there seem to be a lot of people who formed a strong attachment to Hocus Pocus which I don't think anyone would have predicted and Hercules also seems to have more nostalgia attached to it (including an upcoming live action remake) than the initial suggestion would have suggested. Dinosaur, on the other hand, did quite well at the box office and is almost entirely forgotten.

The only thing we can say is that current generations of kids and families do seem to be connecting to plenty of Disney & Pixar movies.

 

[LittleBuford]

Am I wrong though? Name one main character in those movies whose luck of royal connection didn't play exclusively or heavily into their eventual happy ending?

I think what I take issue with is your framing, which implies that royalty is the central theme or motivation of the films. To take Ariel as an example, her aim is to be with the man (and in the world) she loves. Sure, her royal connections help her achieve that goal—her father gives her legs, after all—but royalty itself isn’t a major concern of the film. It’s much more a story about love, belonging, and acceptance.