Wish (Walt Disney Animation - November 2023)

[Indy_UK]

What do think Wish’s agenda was?

I haven't seen Wish, so I'm basing it on quite a few Disney movies of the past. Iger has even admitted it.

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

So do people hate Wall-E and Zootopia for having an agenda? Good grief the internet is breaking people's brains

 

[TsWade2]

So do people hate Wall-E and Zootopia for having an agenda? Good grief the internet is breaking people's brains

I know, right?

 

[TsWade2]

Please do not argue or insult other posters.

Thank you! This has to stop!

 

[LittleBuford]

I haven't seen Wish, so I'm basing it on quite a few Disney movies of the past. Iger has even admitted it.

What did you see in those films that constituted an agenda in your eyes? (I pay no attention to Iger.)

 

[DKampy]

I hope they find it embarrassing. Put different people in charge and ones who can really bring down these production budgets while producing content people actually want without an agenda

The only films that was released by Disney this year that had any sort of agenda(message)was Guardians with an animal rights message and Elemental with it immigrant message…and people seem to like both of those

 

[mickEblu]

What did you see in those films that constituted an agenda in your eyes? (I pay no attention to Iger.)

You guys love to get caught up on the word “agenda.” How about this, DEI botched their approach royally and now the company is suffering for it?

 

[Indy_UK]

They have been putting out movies without an "agenda" and those haven't done any better. So, either the people complaining about agendas aren't going either way in which case Disney should write them off or what is much more likely, that isn't actual the main issue.

Oh I agree, most of Disneys output have been poor.

 

[LittleBuford]

You guys love to get caught up on the word “agenda.”

You’ll note I’m not the one who introduced the term. People should be able to back up their claims before making them.

 

[Indy_UK]

I don’t think it needs to be listed but Disney has had loads of examples of an agenda that doesn’t add anything. As a gay man, I am all for equal representation but was the gay scene needed in lightyear? Lucasfilm went on a tirade on strong female leads in Star wars which fell flat.

I don’t appose representation at all but does it so haphazardly and does seem to be put before family entertainment sometimes.

Regardless of what I even think, they’re box office is on its and they need to change course.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don’t think it needs to be listed but Disney has had loads of examples of an agenda that doesn’t add anything. As a gay man, I am all for equal representation but was the gay scene needed in lightyear? Lucasfilm went on a tirade on strong female leads in Star wars which fell flat.

I don’t appose representation at all but does it so haphazardly and does seem to be put before family entertainment sometimes.

Regardless of what I even think, they’re box office is on its and they need to change course.

But you complained about the “agenda” of a film you haven’t even seen in a thread devoted to that film. It’s just become a generalised complaint at this point, at best vaguely defined and always citing the same few examples.

 

[LittleBuford]

From objective pollsters with no “agenda”:

https://www.axios.com/2023/05/23/disneys-reputation-political-drama-polarization

My question was about Wish specifically. I don’t deny that that there is a larger, ideologically fuelled perception issue.

 

[Indy_UK]

But you complained about the “agenda” of a film you haven’t even seen in a thread devoted to that film. It’s just become a generalised complaint at this point, at best vaguely defined and always citing the same few examples.

I was generalising my feeling about Disneys films the last few years. I haven’t seen wish yet and I haven’t heard people say there is an agenda in the film.

 

[DKampy]

I don’t think it needs to be listed but Disney has had loads of examples of an agenda that doesn’t add anything. As a gay man, I am all for equal representation but was the gay scene needed in lightyear? Lucasfilm went on a tirade on strong female leads in Star wars which fell flat.

I don’t appose representation at all but does it so haphazardly and does seem to be put before family entertainment sometimes.

Regardless of what I even think, they’re box office is on its and they need to change course.

I disagree that there was agenda there… but those were past years… where was the agenda this year that you complain about

 

[Indy_UK]

I haven’t seen an agenda this year only several films that I can understand why they have bombed, they just aren’t that good like Antman 3, Indiana Jones, Pan & Wendy, Haunted mansion. I did actually like the Little mermaid

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

Wish agenda- our society is unjust and broken and must be overthrown to create equity.

 

[mickEblu]

I haven’t seen an agenda this year only several films that I can understand why they have bombed, they just aren’t that good like Antman 3, Indiana Jones, Pan & Wendy, Haunted mansion. I did actually like the Little mermaid

Right so now take the fact that they re not good films to begin with and add the fact that they continue to scenes like you mentioned in Lightyear or race swap recognizable/ beloved characters. Tinkerbell, Ariel and the Blue Fairy in just one short year and think about the perception it creates. Now those movies are bad BECAUSE they did those swaps when in actuality they were bad anyway because the studios priorities were in the wrong place. Side note: why are they only race swapping with one race?

Maybe not the best example but when Hook came out did anyone care that there were Black lost boys because it was great story/movie and different enough from Disneys movie where it had its own identity. Plus they were the Lost boys. Side characters. With these Disney live action remakes they re doing a story beat for story beat remake in some cases but then just race swapping beloved/ highly recognizable characters. Comes across as artificial It's not a good recipe and creates a negative perception. The solution as I've repeated is simple. The diversity should come with new characters and movies like in Encanto, Coco, PatF etc. Otherwise it comes across are forced or artificial. It also needs to be represented in proportion to reality. Not only did that quote from Disney a few years back tell us that their priorities were in the wrong place but it's also not proportional to reality. You remember, the "50% of our characters are going to be LGBTQ.." quote from Disney right?

My example du jour: Percy Jackson ad for the new series popped up on my Instagram feed. 90% of comments are people really confused/ disappointed with some of the casting.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Right so now take the fact that they re not good films to begin with and add the fact that they continue to scenes like you mentioned in Lightyear or race swap recognizable/ beloved characters. Tinkerbell, Ariel and the Blue Fairy in just one short year and think about the perception it creates. Now those movies are bad BECAUSE they did those swaps when in actuality they were bad anyway because the studios priorities were in the wrong place. Side note: why are they only race swapping with one race?

Maybe not the best example but when Hook came out did anyone care that there were Black lost boys because it was great story/movie and different enough from Disneys movie where it had its own identity. Plus they were the Lost boys. Side characters. With these Disney live action remakes they re doing a story beat for story beat remake in some cases but then just race swapping beloved/ highly recognizable characters. Comes across as artificial It's not a good recipe and creates a negative perception. The solution as I've repeated is simple. The diversity should come with new characters and movies like in Encanto, Coco, PatF etc. Otherwise it comes across are forced or artificial. It also needs to be represented in proportion to reality. Not only did that quote from Disney a few years back tell us that their priorities were in the wrong place but it's also not proportional to reality. You remember, the "50% of our characters are going to be LGBTQ.." quote from Disney right?

My example du jour: Percy Jackson ad for the new series popped up on my Instagram feed. 90% of comments are people really confused/ disappointed with some of the casting.

I think this is the biggest problem right now, between Star Wars, Marvel, and now the animated movies we’ve had half a decade of mediocre Disney movies, this mediocrity coincided with their push to feature primarily women and minorities.

Are the movies mediocre because of DEI or is DEI the scapegoat for mediocre movies?

Either way the end result is Disney has been putting out mediocre movies for several years now and audiences have lost faith in Disney.

Disney forgot one of the primarily rules in business… it’s much harder to regain a customer than it is to retain them, Disney is fighting a huge uphill battle now to get those lost customers back.

 

[DKampy]

I don’t think it needs to be listed but Disney has had loads of examples of an agenda that doesn’t add anything. As a gay man, I am all for equal representation but was the gay scene needed in lightyear?

People keep saying this… but I don’t see how a minor character in Lightyear being in a same sex relationship is pushing an agenda…if anything the LGTBQ+ community has been under represented… there is no agenda pushing when adding people who exist in the real world

I could understand if it was Lightyear that came out as gay… but this was a minor character with a blink and you miss it kiss… even if you don’t realize it… I am sure we all know someone who is gay… I myself know a few

 

[Dranth]

Are the movies mediocre because of DEI or is DEI the scapegoat for mediocre movies?

Scapegoat.

Most people don't care as long as they are seeing a good movie/show.

Disney let the quality of the story they were telling drop with some of their releases over the last few years and you combine that with that massive shift in consumption to streaming and Disney was bound to have a down year if they didn't release a bunch of bangers. This year was just not a great slate, not terrible, some decent movies in there, but not great.