Disney, once revered as the producer of the highest quality movies, has recently been under fire for slacking off. The once vibrant animations now seem dull, leaving viewers disappointed with the obvious lack of effort. But, is this narrative really true, or is it the product of nostalgia bias and shifting expectations?
“I definitely think so,” answered sophomore Louie Garces. “I feel like Disney used to spend a lot of time producing movies and really focusing on the little things, but it seems nowadays that has all changed.”
Garces wasn’t alone with this opinion, either.
“I don’t think they try as hard. Maybe the new animators aren’t as good, or their budget isn’t as good,” responded junior Jason Wu. “Either way, Disney has definitely seen a decrease in quality.”
There are a few factors that contribute to this shift. Since 2023, Disney has been experiencing major financial turbulence. Just last year, Disney’s animation studio, Pixar, was forced to lay off about 14% of their staff in order to cut costs. Through three rounds of layoffs, the megacompany managed to salvage roughly $7.5 billion in a desperate attempt to keep them afloat. In 2024, their projected spending was around $25 billion, down a whopping $27 billion from the year before. It’s no surprise that because of this sudden decrease in budget, their shows would take a massive hit as well. This begs the question: why is Disney, supposedly the most prosperous animation company, losing money?
Perhaps it is due to their overreliance on franchise films, and their shift to streaming services.
“I feel like there’s only so much you can do with a movie before it gets boring,” noted sophomore Chase Hochfeld. “I feel like the movies just get boring and lazy after just one remake, and it would be much better if they came up with more stories.”
Disney has long relied on remakes, both animated and live-action, but it is clear that these gimmicks can quickly get old. For example, Snow White has been re-animated by Disney and released just this past month. The movie was met with a 1.7/10 IMDb score, a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 47% on Metacritic, and an 8% on Google User Voting. Other previous films such as the Lion King (The 1994 Release) was met with an 8.5/10 IMDb score, a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 88% on Metacritic. It is painfully obvious that after seeing a movie once, there is nothing else to see, and Disney is reaping the consequences of this risky business move. It seems that viewers and critics want Disney to branch out and create new movies following fresh storylines. One of Disney’s highest rated films was Moana, and a key reason why was because it was an innovative movie and followed its own new path. Additionally, Disney+, Disney’s revered streaming service, is a hit-or-miss financial quagmire. With profits fluctuating, it’s never clear whether Disney is going to profit or lose money.
“I think it’s cool that Disney is trying to branch out, but I feel like they should stick to what they do best, and that is just making cartoons” answered freshman Ethan Kao. “Obviously, what they are doing is very risky, and if it doesn’t work it’s going to affect everything, especially the cartoons.”
The internet seems to agree with the notion that Disney has gotten lazier. Famous influencers such as UFD Tech (over 1 million subscribers on YouTube), and even disappointed viewers have taken to TikTok and Reddit to voice their dissatisfaction.
So the verdict? It’s up to the viewer to decide. Their redundant remakes coupled with the financial burden of Disney+ and other investments has led to significant budget losses, resulting in layoffs. However, to others, Disney’s innovative remakes of classic movies find favor in their eyes. Perhaps one day, Disney can recapture the glory of being at the top, but as for now, they are Tangled in a web of mediocrity.
