The movie theaters are commonly known as an escape from everyday life, but one may say they are slowly entering a cycle of “deja vu”. The Walt Disney Animation Studios have recently been in a phase of creating sequels, trilogies and live action remakes of their most beloved movies.
Walt Disney Animation Studios have been releasing films for over eighty years. Are they trying to please their older audiences or are they simply just running out of steam?
For background information, I am no stranger to the magic of Disney. Whether it be the theme parks across the globe or the films themselves, I am familiar with it all. Seriously, my life bucket-list, besides pursuing journalism, consists of drinking around the world at Epcot when I turn twenty-one, visiting every Disney Park, and staying at every hotel. My friends occasionally tease me and tell me how I am destined to become a “Disney-mom”. Seriously, it’s that bad.
But enough about me, why are we seeing so many familiar titles in the theaters from Disney? Are they running out of ideas? Why else would they be planning to release a Toy Story 5, Frozen 3 and have announced they are in the process of releasing yet another live action remake for one of their success stories?
“I feel like they are trying to squeeze out every ounce of their movies. Sometimes you don’t need a second of a movie, you really don’t, just make a new movie at that point,” Junior Claire Truszkowski said. “It is different when the end of the movie is left at a cliff hanger, then you know there will be a second of the movie. But if they didn’t, if the movie wasn’t left on a cliff hanger, then just don’t make a sequel.”
I can’t be the only one questioning the constant repetition we are seeing in theaters. Although, this could be seen as their only option right now. Unfortunately, the other original films Disney has released haven’t been good. Sorry Disney, you’ve been called out.
These films include the flops themselves: “Wish”, “Turning Red”, and “Strange World”.
They received negative feedback or were seen as not entertaining enough for fans to even visit the movie theaters. Not only did these films receive bad reviews from IMDb, a informational database for films and more, but each were listed as Disney’s lowest grossing animated films.
Also, growing up I can imagine we all watched Disney Channel or Disney Junior. These streaming platforms played the films and television shows that shaped our childhoods as we know it. Familiar films and shows include Descendants, Liv and Maddie, Hannah Montanta, Little Einsteins, etc.
Truszkowski said “Something I do strongly believe in is that the new Disney Channel shows are literally the most awful things to have ever been made.”
If the newer stories have not been successful for Disney, what does this mean? Unquestionably, the new pattern of sequels and live-action remakes is in order for Disney to stay in business.
The films scheduled, them being live-action remakes or newer segments of franchises, will without a doubt bring fans to the theaters. They are familiar, we grew up watching them. That is the key to drawing people into the theaters these days.
As some may know, the newest animated Disney film to come out in theaters is Moana 2, the sequel to Moana. The first film, Moana, tells the story of a Polynesian teenager named Moana who sets sail alongside Maui, a demigod, in order to save her people from a curse. My tiny jaw, alongside millions, was on the floor when I saw this in theaters in 2016. The music and story line was nothing short of amazing.
The sequel introduced new characters following a story line that once again sent Moana and Maui on an adventure to fix another issue. With the new movie, came new songs. A major part of the love and success of Moana is due to the music.
Nonetheless, within the sequel the songs did not live up to the standard which I held when walking into the theater… as well as the overall plot of the story. In short, although the movie was entertaining and brought in a lot of profit, it wasn’t that good. A total letdown if you ask me.
In spite of my opinion, economically Moana 2 is approaching being named the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Also, Disney announced last year that a live-action version of the film is in the works.
Alongside the success of Moana 2, earlier this year Disney-Pixar released Inside Out 2, the sequel to 2015’s Inside Out. Inside Out 2 made over 1.6 billion dollars in revenue.
Evidently, this year’s sequels brought in a large audience and received a large profit. The situation was very different from the recent original films that came to theaters. When these films were released, Turning Red for example, my immediate thought was that I would wait for it to arrive to Disney+. Clearly, this was the mindset of thousands of others considering the lack of revenue obtained from theaters.
However after the announcement of Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, I purchased tickets for opening week. Why? The films are familiar and beloved by millions, including myself.
Mr. Stephen Ward, a Disney fanatic and past cast member, said “They’re doing what they need to be a commodity. They’re making the movies that are going to bring in an audience.”
Overall, the trends of continuing franchises and creating live-action remakes is taking over the theaters. For now. it’ll have to do until an attractive original film release reminds audiences of the Disney magic of a new fairy tale.
