Disney Removes Failed 'Lightyear' Film From Streaming Platform - Inside the Magic

Disney is continuing to wipe content from its streaming platform, this time a title that has an extremely controversial history.

In an attempt to cut costs, The Walt Disney Company revealed that it would be removing a whole host of content from its Disney+ streaming platform. In the wake of the great content erasure on Disney+, another title has been wiped from the streaming service.

At Disney’s Q1 earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared that Disney+ lost a whopping four million subscribers in the first few months of 2023.

This may come as a surprise, especially when considering just how popular Disney+ has proven to be. Only time will tell how the streaming service performs in the long run. Disney+ is the go-to place to watch all of your favorite classic Disney films and television shows, as well as all things Marvel and Star Wars.  

The latest title to be removed from Disney+ is actually connected to one of Disney’s biggest box office failures of all time, Lightyear. This animated film from Pixar was released in 2022, and while it looked promising, audiences simply did not go out to see it.

Lightyear reportedly lost Disney around $106 million. Through the promotions and release of the movie, Disney paid a whopping $373 million, but the Pixar venture only amassed $267 million in revenue. The film’s box office draw was only $118.3 million domestically and $108.1 million internationally.

This was somewhat surprising considering it starred Marvel’s Chris Evans as well as revolved around Buzz, one of Disney’s most popular characters.

This film is still streamable on Disney+, but its companion documentary Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear is now nowhere to be seen (literally).

This documentary detailed the creation of the movie but is now lost to time. Lightyear was quite controversial upon release, as it featured an openly-gay character. This prompted outrage from select groups, resulting in warnings being issued before the film played at select locations.

This was not the only box office bomb Disney faced recently, with 2022’s Strange World also losing Disney millions of dollars.

Did you watch Lightyear? What’s your favorite Disney animated movie?