DeSantis "Woke" Wars Blamed for 'Elemental's Box Office Failure

After a disastrous opening for Pixar’s new film Elemental (2023), Disney is looking for answers regarding why it failed. According to some pundits, the answer is clear: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Related: Disney Beating DeSantis in Popularity Among Nation

The battle between Disney and Governor Ron DeSantis has resulted in casualties for both sides. While the Walt Disney Company has a lawsuit against the Republican Governor and pulled surprising legal moves, the Republican Governor has stripped Disney’s control of what was formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

However, it looks DeSantis’ attacks may be affecting more than just Walt Disney World. Pundits think that DeSantis’ wars against “woke and leftism” have directly harmed Disney Studios.

“DeSantis is Destroying [Disney’s] Brand”

Related: Jim Cramer Blames ‘Elemental’ Failure on Boring Animation, Lack of AI

Elemental has been recognized as having the worst box office opening in Pixar history, only making $29.6 million, and everyone’s looking for answers. Some think that nobody wants to see original stories anymore. Others blame Disney+ and a lack of marketing. But according to political commentator Clay Travis, it’s because Disney is trying to “go woke” and battle DeSantis.

According to Travis, “The Disney brand is a disaster, picking woke battles with Florida governor Desantis is destroying their brand. Go woke, go broke.” He went on to compare the failure of the last few Disney movies with Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). “…it just made a billion dollars this summer as an animated movie with zero politics.”

All Disney had to do was make animated movies without political agendas for families to enjoy. Look at freaking Super Mario Brothers, it just made a billion dollars this summer as an animated movie with zero politics. Yet @RobertIger would rather feud with @GovRonDeSantis &…

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 19, 2023

Despite these accusations, many were surprised the Elemental would be deemed “woke.” Twitter user @Nouyoter stated, “How is Elemental woke? It’s literally the most stereotypical straight couple.” Other than that, the issues seem to be that the story is a metaphor for xenophobia, and a minor character was recognized as Disney’s first non-binary character.

On top of this, Super Mario Bros. had moments that would be deemed “woke,” including a strong female lead and a character who dresses in drag. No one mentioned either of those choices as the filmmakers forcing “wokeness” into a story about two guys jumping on turtles. It seems that the attacks are more against a company than actually being worried about what media children are consuming.

That all being said, a film’s failure doesn’t just stem from a single issue; it’s an amalgamation of many problems. Has the Disney-DeSantis feud made people not see the movie? Sure. But is he the sole reason a film from a beloved studio bombed at the box office? Probably not.

Do you think that Governor Ron DeSantis affected Elemental‘s box office? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!