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Credit: Edited by Inside the Magic Conservative pundit Matt Walsh has previously expressed disappointment with Disney as a theme park and studio, but in a post, he raises a very valid point. The studio has been off its storytelling game for far too long, judging by recent Disney movies, and it’s becoming a huge problem.
@mattwalsh_ It’s really not that hard
Newsfeeds are stuffed to the with commentators absolutely trashing and thrashing the House of Mouse, and Walsh has not shied from his own criticisms, but he makes a major point when he says,
“Just make movies that are original or at least somewhat original and also not political… Another way of putting it, focus on telling stories. Again… Disney for so many years was a storytelling company. They told stories and get back to that. That’s all you have to do.”
While this might be an obvious claim to some audiences, Walsh isn’t wrong in his critique. Many would agree that the last few Disney movies in the post-Lassetter era have distinctively diminished in quality as they lean towards a more “preachy” direction.
Are Disney Movies Too Far Gone?
As strange as it might sound for an openly conservative to say Disney needs to stop being so political, Walsh isn’t wrong when he talks about how far Disney has strayed from its storytelling-heavy origins. Recent Disney movies have been heavily criticized for pandering to the wrong audience, forcing the studio into something of an identity crisis.
This was heavily seen in the much-maligned Strange World (2021), as many called it out for being Disney’s “wokest” movie. Even Matt Walsh didn’t shy away from calling it out as a flop. That said, it’s not like Disney has sat idly by.
CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, finally got the wakeup call in November of 2023. During the DealBook Summit, Iger stated that he will no longer tolerate the company’s practice of putting messaging over storytelling.
Related: Walt Disney Animation Workers Officially Unionize in Major Blow to Studio
In a report from MSNBC, Iger stated,
“Creators lost sight of what their No. 1 objective needed to be… We have to entertain first. It’s not about messages.”
Iger further stated that Disney would be returning to its roots with a pull towards the entertainment aspect of the company.
“We have entertained with values and with having a positive impact on the world in many different ways. ‘Black Panther’ is a great example of that, like being able to entertain if you can infuse it with positive messages and have a good impact on the world. Fantastic. But that should not be the objective. When I came back, what I have really tried to do is to return to our roots.”
In Iger’s defense, Disney has shown some improvement since its biggest flops. While Wish (2023) stumbled with its reception, Elemental (2023) might be the studio’s ticket to a major Academy Award at this year’s Oscars.
Related: What ‘Wish’ Gets Right
It’s a process, and it’s not something that can be changed overnight, or because media personalities can collectively agree that Disney needs to change direction. However, that doesn’t mean changes for the better aren’t happening.
Inside the Magic reached out to Walsh for further comment, but received no reply at the time of publishing.
Do you think Disney can be pulled back from the depths? Tell us at Inside the Magic in the comments below!