As a child, I absolutely loved Toy Story. What kid doesn't want their toys to secretly have magic lives of their own? Though perhaps marginally less, I loved Toy Story 2. I might have even loved Toy Story 3, but by Toy Story 4, I was wondering if Disney had lost the plot. Was it a bad movie? Personally, I didn't think so, but I did think they were starting to seem a little desperate. I mean, how much can Disney milk classic characters like Buzz and Woody before it just becomes too much? Besides, they could not even be bothered to come up with names beyond "Toy Story" plus a number. Already having poked fun at Toy Story 4, you can imagine my reaction when they announced Toy Story 5. My irritation does not end with Toy Story however. Frozen 3? Moana 2? Live-action remakes of every other movie? You can color this Disney die-hard unimpressed with the direction that their film-making has gone. In the past five years, the collapse of Disney's originality is apparent as they continue making cash-grab film after cash-grab film, relying on past success to drive current sales.
Recent movie releases from Disney have received less than glowing reviews, yet they somehow manage to keep raking in the cash. For example, almost a year and a half ago on Nov. 27, 2024, Moana 2 smashed box office records by grossing over one billion dollars worldwide, making it one of the most high-earning animated films in history. We understand why that would appeal to Disney, right? However, reviews of the movie tell a different story. Receiving only 6.3 stars on IMDb and a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics called the film dull, unimpressive (especially compared to the original Moana) and unoriginal. Having watched Moana 2 when it came out on Disney+, I thought the movie was cute enough. However, it felt like a try-hard. The plot was lackluster, despite the unexpected ending wherein Moana becomes a demigod, clearly setting them up for yet another Moana. The music was the best part, but can it really beat the Lin Manuel-Miranda soundtrack of Moana? I don't think so. Then, almost a year later, Disney dropped this bomb: They were in the process of filming a live-action adaptation of Moana. What does that tell audiences? Disney cares more about the cash than the characters.
Let's be real: Disney's live-action adaptations might be even worse than their sad sequels. Snow White crashed and burned, grossing only $205 million at the box office. Much of the backlash that Disney faced over Snow White can be attributed to a PR disaster with starring actress Rachel Zegler. I like Zegler well enough and even I, a proud Disney superfan, did not go watch this one. The Little Mermaid remake suffered the same fate as Moana 2, receiving criticism for being overdone and boring, although it admittedly received decent reviews, earning 7.2 stars on IMDb.
The root of the problem for me, however, comes from the fact that Disney seems to be relying almost entirely on these films. Within the past three years alone, we have gotten The Little Mermaid (live-action), Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Snow White (live-action), Lilo & Stitch (live-action), Freakier Friday and Zootopia 2. Upcoming releases in the next three years include Zombies 5, Toy Story 5, Frozen 3, Incredibles 3, Coco 2 and Moana (live-action). To me, that just seems like an obscene number of films that are either remakes or continuations of movies that did well in the past. In the past, Disney has been at the forefront of cinematography, consistently featuring clever plotlines and loveable characters. Now more than ever, especially with the rise of AI, the world is in need of original, funny, creative, eye-catching and maybe even satirical works. Disney's choices beg the question: Why back down now? I have always admired Disney as a brand for their unabashed social critiques, but I just cannot get behind this new direction. To quote Walt Disney himself: “I’m an experimenter. To this day, I don’t believe in sequels. I can’t follow popular cycles. I have to move on to new things. So with the success of Mickey, I was determined to diversify.” I imagine he would be pretty disappointed with the sheer volume of sequels that Disney has been putting out. They aren't diversifying, dreaming or moving on. They are just stuck in a rut. With Mickey's 100th birthday coming up in 2028, I hold out hope that the company will return to their roots and return to their message of taking risks and dreaming big before they become just another uninspiring capitalist conglomerate.
‘Hater Friday’ runs on Fridays and centers around critiquing media or culture.
Emily Federovitch is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at eaf258@cornell.edu.
