Introduction

Many if not all of us, are very familiar with Disney. Like everyone else, I grew up playing Disney DVDs, watching Disney Channel, and collecting all the Disney toys I could find. However, as I grew up I started to notice a slow decline of all the magic and happiness Disney once gave me. 

My all-time favorite Disney movies are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Bambi. Even though I’m very biased because I love princesses, I do know that the art style of these films is something I genuinely admire. 

Art Style 

From 1932 to now, Disney has been experimenting with various art styles. Ones we have come to love. From hand-drawn to 3D CGI we have seen it all. Personally (maybe due to nostalgia) the watercolor art from Sleeping Beauty to 1950´s Cinderella has visually been my favorite. 

Watercolor, hand-drawn, and 2D animation have been the styles our generation has come to expect and admire. However, Disney has made it a point to switch over to more realistic-looking animation. The main film to start Disney´s new 3D CGI era is Tangled. 

Many (including me) completely adored this movie. It was something different yet beautiful. They executed this new way of animating perfectly. Other films such as Frozen and Moana also were executed well. However, I have to argue that they feel colder than say Tangled and past movies. 

For instance, when I watch Bambi or Hercules I´m filled with a sense of warmth and comfort. When I watch the trailers for Wish or Lightyear I do not get that same feeling. One could argue and say it’s because these aren´t the movies I have grown up with, but even newer generations don´t gravitate toward these films. 

I believe that the downhill for these newer animations is the color and amount of 3D CGI being used. When you compare Tangeled to Wish there is a noticeable difference. Tangled has warmth and depth to it well Wish is covered in blues and overall cool tones. Now, cool tones aren´t a bad thing but I don´t think it’s the direction you want to go if you’re trying to make a Disney princess film that is directed towards children. Kids generally prefer brighter, happier movies which Disney has not been making. 

The actual 3D CGI can be disturbing. It is a weird mix of realism and cartoon. With Moana and Tangled it was executed very well however, it seems as though Disney is becoming too extreme with the 3D CGI use as time goes on. I saw this with the most recent Toy Story as well.  

I don´t think realism is a negative thing however it´s not what the people necessarily want all the time. Disney has completely replaced their iconic watercolors for their 3D CGI style. I don´t

believe that they should disregard this new style however, they shouldn´t completely take away their classic 2D style.  

Storyline 

I may be able to dismiss the very artwork if the storyline was exceptional. Unfortunately, this is far from the case. The characters are very bland and extremely corny with their jokes and backstories. 

You would think that Disney would feel more comfortable discussing tougher yet more complex topics. For instance, almost every Disney character is missing a parent which is a good representation but, why not discuss other problems? Like characters with disabilities. This I feel would make a movie or even show stand out as unique and something that would really grab everybody’s attention. Not only that but it would also have a positive impact on the kids that can relate to topics like that. 

Not only their personalities are boring but even their character/costume designs. This counts for both the live-action and cartoon productions Disney has produced.

 The last time I thought of a costume from Disney that blew my mind away was the live-action 2015 Cinderella costume design. That dress truly lived up to the magical beauty of Cinderella. 

At the time I looked forward to all the new live-action remakes however each one became worse than the other. This is surprising because Disney has only grown in money and financing so it’s not like they have a strict budget holding them back. 

Overall, I believe the main reason for Disney’s decline is that its projects are simply cash grabs. They keep making sequels instead of taking the time to come up with new stories and more interesting characters that have yet to be seen.

Conclusion

However, all hope is not yet lost. We can see with movies like Deadpool and Wolverine that there is still a spark in Disney that they have not yet lost and I hope that this spark continues to grow. Disney truly is a great company and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have planned for the future.