While many can remember Disney’s iconic characters from Disney princesses to Mickey Mouse, many are left wondering whether the magical spark of creativity Disney once had has truly died out.
Much of Disney’s older stories captivate audiences of all ages, enacting the use of compelling storylines, intriguing characters, and deep, personal narratives, connecting character to kid.
It was with these very stories which caused such an uproar within the industry, taking what the BBC describes as myths, legends and fairy tales inspiring the creation of the movies, cartoons and TV shows many have grown to love.
However, Walt Disney’s claim to fame was anything but easy.
Having made his first steps in the entertainment industry with small, silent films, Walt Disney was later crossed by his distributor, who had signed all of his animators into his own, separate company. One such loss was of his original character, Oswald the lucky rabbit, who Walt discovered he didn’t own the rights to. D23, the official Disney fan club explains how, “after the loss of Oswald, Walt had to come up with a new character.”
This new creation was christened Mickey Mouse, appearing in two silent films before finally reaching fame in Steamboat Willie at New York’s colony theatre.
Following this success, Walt Disney and his animators set their sights to the classic story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, taking a spin on the original story from the brothers Grimm. As The Elgiva puts it, Disney’s Snow White was a success by all accounts, garnering more than $8 million within its first release.
Even so, Walt Disney continued to make the climb towards stardom, producing a countless number of memorable movies such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Tangled, and much more.
English teacher Courtney Bell adds that, in Disney’s older films, they had, “originality, uniqueness… They’re taking something old and bringing it to a new generation.”
Using charming characters and intense situations of growth and determination, Disney was able to revitalize old stories, taking inspiration from folktales and other such anecdotes, passed down from generations. However, that’s not to say they weren’t changed, as the stories were later modified for larger audiences, creating the characters we know now, entrancing and intriguing people from all around the world.
Disney has been making a lot of live-action remakes of old classics with stories like The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and Cinderella. These movies were originally animated and loved by many people, but now Disney has turned them into live-action films with real actors and the help of CGI effects. While these remakes may bring back nostalgia, they also raise the question of whether Disney is making these movies to entertain or just to make money.
Media Center Clerk, Bobby Sanchez, explains, “I feel like a lot of their movies are starting to feel like ‘let’s get it out there and get people into theaters to see these movies’ and not ‘let’s entertain or let’s tell a tale.’”
Although there may be some negative differences that come with the live action remakes, a positive thing that Disney is starting to add is diversity. These remakes show that Disney is starting to become more inclusive. They’re adding more representation in their movies, which is important to a lot of people.
A good example of this is the new Little Mermaid. In the original animated version, Ariel was a red-haired white mermaid, but in the live-action remake, she is played by actress Halle Bailey, a woman of color.
Courtney Bell, English teacher, states, “I really did love the new Little Mermaid, I thought that was really cute. But I think the reason why I loved it was because of the representation, because they chose to have more representation in the movie.”
This change was meant to show that anyone can be a princess, no matter what they look like. Disney has also made other changes in their remakes, including strong female characters and modernizing their stories.
Using diversity and appealing to a wider audience, Disney claims to promote the acceptance of a wide variety of groups, from varying cultural backgrounds, identities, and sexualities. However, many people have mixed reviews when faced with these new changes.
Sofia Hernandez, a junior, mentions that, “they’re trying a bit too hard to include everyone… it feels forced from time to time.”
But even with these changes, something still feels like it’s missing.
Sanchez also said, “They’re doing a lot of this sequel, live action remakes, but I want to see new stuff.” Fans are hoping that instead of just looking back at the past, Disney will start creating brand-new stories that can become the next generation of classics.
Disney is lacking creativity and original storytelling. Instead of making new movies with fresh ideas, they keep recycling old ones. People already know the stories of The Lion King and Mulan, so watching the same thing again in live-action doesn’t feel as exciting. Disney used to be known for coming up with magical, new worlds and characters, but now it seems like they are just playing it safe by remaking movies that were already successful.
While Disney has always adapted old stories, they used to do it in a way that felt fresh and unique. Now, instead of creating new versions of these stories in animation, they are simply turning them into live-action remakes, which to some people, isn’t as creative.
Freshman Sophia Sanchez, like many others, were disappointed by the lack of new and creative storylines.
She enunciates this point, claiming that, “There’s no art, there’s no passion, there’s no love… only money.” Further contributing to the list of arguments against Disney’s new movies as nothing more than a quick cash grab.
Disney fans notice that it isn’t just the movies that are changing, but the parks and the whole philosophy is something that people are trying to get used to.
Julie Shigo, office Assistant shared, “Management is constantly changing with Disney and there’s so many different opinions about ‘keep the traditions, let them go’ ‘moving forward and how do you keep Walt’s traditions from 1950 into today’s 25 era’ and I think Disney tries really hard to walk that line.” It’s as if Disney is stuck between holding on to its past and trying to move forward.
But it’s not just the workers in Disney who are struggling against these new rules. With price changes and new additions to the park, much of Disney’s overall brand seems to be losing the magic.
From the perspective of guests entering the park, freshman Lily Erazo adds that, “Disney is honestly very expensive… they know people will buy [everything they sell].”
Some people want Disney to keep the same magic and traditions from when Walt Disney was alive, while others want the company to evolve.
Spanish teacher, Johan Cordero says, “Ever since Walt Disney passed away and also his brother Roy Disney, it felt like the creativity level was gone and not there anymore.” Cordero feels that because of this, Disney is struggling to find the right balance between staying true to its roots and trying new things and fans are definitely feeling that struggle.
Through both the good and bad, Disney still remains known as the happiest place on Earth. And as Julie Shigo states, “Disney will always have the magic within your hearts, if you just choose to believe.”
