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Credit: Inside the MagicIn 1937, Walt Disney Pictures released Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, a significant turning point in the history of cinema. This film marked The Walt Disney Company’s first foray into the world of full-length animated feature films, a milestone that not only revolutionized the animation industry but also firmly established Walt Disney Animation as a trailblazer in high-quality storytelling.
Over the course of a century, Disney’s influence has expanded significantly, now encompassing a wide range of content — all conveniently accessible through their dedicated streaming platform, Disney+ (Disney Plus), of course.
Related: Disney Will Abandon Current Approach as New Movie Returns to Disney Tradition
Disney has made an enduring impact on the world of entertainment, whether it’s by crafting vast superhero universes within Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or by captivating audiences with epic science fiction adventures offered by Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise. Furthermore, Disney’s influence is strongly evident in innovative endeavors like James Cameron’s Avatar film series and the pioneering field of 3D animation, as well as by Pixar Animation Studios and beloved franchises such as Toy Story, Cars, and The Incredibles.
Ranging from films like The Lion King (1994), Beauty and the Beast (1992), and Frozen (2013), to unexpectedly popular endeavors like Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney’s collection is brimming with narratives that have delighted multiple generations.
However, this storytelling format might be shaken up for good, following the latest news.
Is Disney in Trouble?
Related: Disney Engineered Their Own “Biggest Flop of the Year”
Well, things certainly aren’t running smoothly for the entertainment giant right now.
With the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike, which has endured for several months without any apparent resolution in sight, Hollywood has all been shut down. After the recent Writers Guild of America/WGA strike has finally culminated in the settling of new, beneficial terms for writers, the rise of employee protests seems to be inevitable now.
Adding to these challenges, Marvel Studios is currently grappling with a major dilemma involving Jonathan Majors, the actor portraying Kang the Conqueror, a character central to the studio’s plans for Phase Five (including Avengers 5, also known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty). Majors is currently facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
Furthermore, Disney’s biggest asset has been struggling of late — with the departure of James Gunn of Marvel Studios, who directed and wrote the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and now holds the position of co-CEO at DC Studios and its affiliated DC Universe alongside Peter Safran. This has has definitely introduced a new level of competition for Marvel Studios.
With Disney already in such a state, it looks like the studio is set for even more turmoil.
Disney Workers Have Had Enough
Recently, Variety reported on the news that employees of Walt Disney Pictures had “unanimously” voted to stand up to Disney, with visual effects/VFX workers choosing to unionize with the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees):
Visual effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures have voted unanimously in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Naturally, members of the public began reacting. Users like EvanAC celebrated the impending “Disney downfall” (with an image attached stating “I need that, We need that”):
Disney downfall
Disney downfall pic.twitter.com/jo9hKykUHL
— EvanAC (@EvanAboutCinema) October 3, 2023
User @thunderxstorm07 stood behind the VFX artist protest, stating that they “put in +10x more hours” compared to other unionized creatives, and ought to get protection as well:
They put in +10x more hours than the actors themselves who are unionized, so they deserve similar, if not more protection
They put in +10x more hours than the actors themselves who are unionized, so they deserve similar, if not more protection
— Vikas ⚡ (@thunderxstorm07) October 3, 2023
Meanwhile user @TheColeBrew bemoaned a possible Disney+ price hike in light of these changes:
Incoming: Disney+ price hike for unrelated reasons…
Incoming: Disney+ price hike for unrelated reasons…
— TheColeBrew (@TheColeBrewTv) October 3, 2023
At the end of the day, with the precedent set by the WGA writers strike, the future of unions in the creative industries seems pretty bright. The major studios on the other hand, are probably starting to feel the rising heat.
What do you think of Walt Disney Studios’ Disney VFX workers unionization? Share your thoughts in the comments below!