As the Disney Parks and movies like the upcoming Snow White have seemingly been spiraling downward, some have referred to this phenomenon as the company’s “Flop Era.” As abysmal as it might seem, all this has happened before.
One of the primary problems facing the Walt Disney Company is its image, and that can be blatantly seen in its recent performance at the box office. With its upcoming Snow White predicted to be a massive flop, there’s a familiar formula afoot.
Waking Snow White
Disney might seem to be going under, but this is a song fans have heard before. Additionally, Disney has already set their comeback story into motion. However, they will have to rise from the ashes first.
Related: Disney Cast Another Snow White for Live-Action Retelling
Hardcore Disney buffs might be familiar with Waking Sleeping Beauty. This documentary pulled the curtain back on the events that led to the Disney Renaissance, arguably the golden era of the Walt Disney Company. They might also know that the circumstances surrounding Disney are eerily similar to those seen in the ’70s and ’80s.
Disney was performing below the norm at the box office, CEOs and filmmakers were causing drama, and a single film nearly tanked Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Animation. Now, history is repeating itself.
The return of Bob Iger and his recent controversial practices, the changes in story and management at Disney Animation, and the studio’s current box office bombs can easily be connected to similar events seen in the documentary, but the nail in the coffin is the connection to The Black Cauldron and 2024’s Snow White.
While their mediums might differ, both films have more than a few things in common. Both films deviate from Disney norms, have a controversial figure attached, and have fans in an uproar. However, one particular element might be what seals the deal for Disney.
While Rachel Zegler is no Jeffery Katzenberg, her film might be the straw that breaks the mouse’s back. Just as the Black Cauldron’s failure caused Disney Animation to restructure, rebuild, and rise again, so will Snow White’s predicted plummet.
While this might sound like a conspiracy theory initially, remember that Disney is already preparing to repeat a similar success story, where their original return to the Disney formula was with The Little Mermaid in 1989; it’s predicted to happen again with Wish.
Let’s review: Disney has had a string of flops that’s inevitably led to a massive critical bomb before returning to the traditional formula with a new animated fairytale. Are we preparing for a new Disney Renaissance, or is Disney putting the cart before the horse?
Could Snow White both stop and save Disney? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!