Legendary filmmaker John Musker went after his former employer, the Walt Disney Company, over their recent trend of putting political messages at the forefront of their films, rather than focusing on telling good stories.
Musker, co-director of some of the studio’s most popular films, including 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” 1992’s “Aladdin,” 2009’s “The Princess and The Frog,” and 2016’s “Moana,” was speaking to Spanish outlet El Pais last week, while attending the Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria.
During the interview, Musker argued that the company needs to stop pushing woke messaging, focusing instead on the stories and characters that made its brand famous.
“I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters,” he argued.
Musker noted his work on “The Princess and The Frog,” in reference to wokeness at Disney, noting criticism that the film about a black princess was woke.
“We weren’t trying to be woke, although I understand the criticism,” Musker said. He then noted that recent films are more interested in pushing a message.
“The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message. They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think that’s still the heart of it,” Musker said. “You don’t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling.”
The last few years have been fairly damaging to Disney, both for the company’s profit margins and for its public reputation. Critics have frequently argued that the media giant has pushed a far-left agenda, as their films increasingly promote pro-LGBT values and other woke talking points.
Additionally, the company’s leadership has repeatedly clashed with conservative lawmakers, primarily Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The company’s feud with DeSantis began following the release of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which restricted the teaching of gender ideology and sexuality for students who were third grade or younger. Critics, including Disney, labeled the law the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”
In response, DeSantis threatened to remove Disney’s self-governing status within the “Reedy Creek Improvement District,” a special autonomous district within the state of Florida. The district was “designed to grant Disney self-governing status and special privileges,” and was governed by a board, which was appointed by Disney.
However, DeSantis eliminated that board and replaced it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board, which would have members appointed by the governor of the state rather than Disney, meaning they were subject to Florida laws and unable to make their own rules.
While Disney attempted to fight the legislation, they were unsuccessful, and that change continues to persist.
Over the last few years, the company has experienced several box office flops, such as 2022’s “Lightyear,” which lost the studio an estimated $106 million, and 2023’s “Wish,” which lost them an estimated $131 million. Additionally, layoffs across the company, as well as the loss of 2.4 million subscribers from Disney+ have put the company under some hard times.
Most recently, an early May earnings call revealed several disappointing metrics, leading to a 9.6% drop in the company’s stock price over the span of a day.
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Author: John Symank
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