7The Walt Disney Company is currently on a massive course correction across film, TV, theme parks, and streaming. And the House of Mouse’s attempt to simmer tension surrounding the Disney+ content purge has just backfired.
Many fans rejoiced that Bob Chapek was gone when former CEO Bob Iger returned to the helm of The Walt Disney Company at the end of 2022. What followed the shock exit from the polarizing leader of the Mouse House, were calls for Iger — who had already held the position from 2005 through 2020 — to reignite, well, pretty much everything.
Top of mind for the executive was Disney’s industry-leading streaming service, Disney+. Upon its launch back in 2019, Disney+ welcomed fans to the many stories in Disney’s extensive 100-year library, as well as introduced new characters like Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin in The Mandalorian in its original content.
It’s true that Disney+ has gone on to change Disney’s big franchises forever. With multiple entries in the Star Wars universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as extensions of Disney Channel favorites like the High School Musical spinoff, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Disney+ grew its catalog fast.
Now, the potency of Disney+ has seemingly started to wear off. As fans adjusted to watching everything on their television screens during the pandemic, streaming services ate into the traditional theatrical box office. And that behavioral shift has been attributed many times to the difficulties and uncertainty of movie theater-exclusive films.
Iger’s focus is on streaming, and during the last Earnings Call, former Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy stated that Disney+ would be profitable by the end of fiscal 2024. This came after Disney+ suffered a huge multi-million subscriber loss in the same quarter.
As the CEO announced 7,000 jobs were to be cut across all divisions of the House of Mouse, so too have cuts been made in the Disney+ library. And fans aren’t happy.
The historic content purge has seen 2022 and 2023 releases stripped from the service. Perhaps most notable is Lucasfilm’s Willow. A Disney+ streaming exclusive, the Jonathan Kasdan-developed series brought George Lucas’s high fantasy world back to fans over 20 years after the original film’s release. Willow was removed on May 26, 2023.
Joining Willow in the historic Disney+ and Hulu content purge were projects like Big Shot, Turner & Hooch, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Just Beyond, Diary of a Future President, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. At the time of the content purge announcement, McCarthy had said that Disney “[is] in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation.”
Related: Disney Axes Pixar Spinoff After ‘Elemental’ Disaster
But no one really expected the removals to be so severe when it came to current releases. In fact, just recently, it was revealed that the streamer pulled Crater (2023) from the service mere weeks after its debut.
Now, the company is seemingly aiming to simmer tensions by dropping classic content onto the streamer. Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) shared the following on social media:
Bringing back some classics. Starting tomorrow, 27 newly restored shorts featuring Disney’s most beloved characters are coming to #DisneyPlus! #Disney100
Bringing back some classics. 💙 Starting tomorrow, 27 newly restored shorts featuring Disney’s most beloved characters are coming to #DisneyPlus! #Disney100 pic.twitter.com/migWgdcoJN
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) July 6, 2023
The 27 shorts come in four drops throughout the year beginning on July 7, followed by August 11, September 5 through 8, and October 6.
And while the addition of new (but old) content feels positive in the midst of a purge, some Disney fans aren’t having it. @KBtheSass said:
I am a huge fan of Disney. Please stop deleting things off of your platform like Willow and Mysterious Benedict Society. It’s disheartening.
I am a huge fan of Disney. Please stop deleting things off of your platform like Willow and Mysterious Benedict Society. It’s disheartening.
— kb ☀️ (@KBtheSass) July 6, 2023
Ryan M. (@Ryan_Makepeace) alluded to the recent content purge:
Best watch these tomorrow before they’re deleted on the weekend!
Best watch these tomorrow before they're deleted on the weekend!
— Ryan Makepeace (@Ryan_Makepeace) July 6, 2023
@JmJ1812 added:
Y‘all really think that‘s what‘ll bring people back? #SaveWillow
Y‘all really think that‘s what‘ll bring people back? #SaveWillow
— Dr. Tired 🌺🌿⚔️ #SaveWillow (@JmJ1812) July 7, 2023
@SandmannJana echoed the above #SaveWillow sentiment, saying:
I’m sorry, but I no longer have DisneyPlus and until streaming changes and gives series (any series) a real chance to grow, I will no longer be a customer. #SaveWillow
I'm sorry, but I no longer have DisneyPlus and until streaming changes and gives series (any series) a real chance to grow, I will no longer be a customer. #SaveWillow
— Mrs. Sandmann (@SandmannJana) July 6, 2023
In a similar vein to Willow, Cameron B. (@CameronBalling3) referenced the removal of Crater:
How about you bring back Crater??
How about you bring back Crater?? pic.twitter.com/ruYsTrgwpk
— Cameron Ballinger (@CameronBalling3) July 6, 2023
Related: “Harmful” Classic Disney Movies Resurface, May Be Axed in Historic Purge
Disney’s purge of Disney+ and Hulu content will come with a reported $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion content impairment charge. Only time will tell what the future of Disney+ looks like and what already announced projects will actually come out when it comes to franchises like Star Wars and the MCU. Marvel Studios once had six shows rumored for the 2023 slate, but so far, only Secret Invasion has made its debut.
What do you think of Disney’s content purge? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!