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“NOT Disney” Trends Online as Users Share Growing Frustrations With Studio

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Posted on by Amanda Landwehr 1 Comment
Ariel singing "Part of Your World" in 'The Little Mermaid' 1989

Credit: Disney

The Walt Disney Company has produced some of the most influential films of all time throughout its 100-year history, appealing to all generations with timeless classics like Mary Poppins (1964) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Given that the House of Mouse holds an undeniable monopoly over the family-friendly entertainment industry, many have grown frustrated by how many films from other, lesser-known studios tend to fly under the radar, leading social media users to strike back online with a new hashtag.

Kitten in The Aristocats trying to go out a door
Credit: Disney

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If you grew up watching beloved animated classics like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Little Mermaid (1989), then you’re far from the only one. As a matter of fact, most people would say that they grew up watching Disney flicks on VHS, making them an essential staple of pop culture.

Disney’s Undeniable Pop Culture Influence

Today, research shows that 50% of U.S. homes with kids under 10 subscribe to Disney+, suggesting that even more kids are going to be raised with films like Pixar’s Soul (2020), Encanto (2021), and Turning Red (2022) as most studios continue to make the jump from 2D to 3D animation.

Mirabel Madrigal in Encanto
Credit: Disney

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But what about non-Disney endeavors? Do these movies get the same amount of appreciation?

Well, it’s hard to say. Over the years — in the animation department, at least — Sony Pictures Animation, Illumination, and DreamWorks Pictures have all released box office hits, including the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), respectively. 

Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'
Credit: Nintendo/ Illumination

Still, most would argue that these smaller studios don’t benefit from the same brand recognition that Walt Disney Studios does. And following the box office bombs of Strange World (2022) and Wish (2023), people are now taking to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) to show a little love to other animated pics from over the years that may have been forgotten.

“NOT Disney” began trending on X earlier this week after a tweet from user @KhleoThomas gained momentum, in which he called for users to respond to his post with their favorite animated, non-Disney features, accompanied by a GIF from DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt (1998):

Name an animated movie that is NOT Disney that you love.

Immediately, people began flooding the comments with their picks, with a popular choice being Studio Ghibli movies like Spirited Away (2001) and Princess Mononoke (1997), as emphasized by @SpotlightHim:

They only own a portion of the American version but not the original Ghibli Film, Spirited Away.

Sen and No Face

Not crazy for anime but as a kid this touched my soul…

DreamWorks films, including The Road to El Dorado (2000) and, of course, Shrek (2001) also made the cut, along with Illumination’s Despicable Me (2010) franchise, the latter of which is still ongoing.

Name an animated movie that is NOT Disney that you love. I’m so predictable lol

Ultimately, there’s plenty of room for Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, Sony, and other animation studios to all excel at the box office. And with more and more films like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (2023) continuing to break new ground both critically and creatively, the future of animation is looking bright.

While these social media users likely weren’t bashing Disney by any means, it is refreshing to see some, perhaps, lesser-known movies getting the spotlight. And with Disney Animation having suffered an especially turbulent 2023, it looks like other studios might finally have a competitive advantage.

What is your favorite animated non-Disney movie? Let us know in the comments below!

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