Credit: Inside the MagicTo say that Disney movies have gone through a major culture shift is an understatement, and many fans claim that the studio has lost its identity as a result. Although some are eager to chant, “Go woke, go broke,” the shift in the audience’s taste could be linked to how Disney’s portrayal of traditional romantic relationships, as pointed out in the video below by Disney fan, @hiililylani
@hiililylani I want Disney to bring back telling beautiful, romantic stories like they’re actually really good at that #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #disney #wish #disneywish #asha #ashawish #ashaandstarboy #ashaandstar #disneyprincess
The user points out that while the studio’s roots and origins are in timeless love stories of princesses and fairytales, the era of social media has completely warped the Walt Disney Company’s perspective. It’s even gotten to the point that Disney hasn’t had a true-blue romance arc since Tangled (2010), and fans are growing more upset.
The comments on the TikTok above are loaded with similar opinions, how that Disney taking the wholesome romance element out of its movies in favor of the “strong-independent-woman” archetype is doing more harm than good, but many fingers are directly pointing at Buzzfeed for this drastic shift in Disney’s once-magical storytelling.
Backlash Kills Romantic Disney Movies
While the video above is a tongue-in-cheek take on the Disney princess stereotypes, similar takes have completely changed the way many view the classic Disney stories. Even fairytales as iconic as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast have been labeled as problematic thanks to these perspectives enforced by the age of social media.
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One of the biggest examples of Disney’s romance elements declining came with the Snow White remake debacle in 2023, in which Rachel Zegler made several discouraging comments about the prince and the original movie’s plot. While some were quick to call this another example of Disney gone woke, others (like the one seen here) complained that they were being robbed of much-needed love stories.
If there was any doubt as to just how much Disney needs to bring the romance back into its movies, compare the success rates of Wish (2023) and Elemental (2023). Although the former was billed as a love letter to the golden age of Walt Disney Animation, Pixar’s animated romcom was a slow burning success as its competition failed to live up to many expectations.
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Despite Wish’s efforts, it only managed to make $240,257,787 at the worldwide box office while Ember and Wade’s colorful love story took home $496,444,308, knocking Disney’s latest fantasy out of the water. Romance isn’t dead, it’s just not being given the opportunity it deserves for fear of fan backlash.
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The Walt Disney Company itself has more than enough evidence that a romance-driven storyline, like so many of the studio’s fairytales,. However, recent patterns in the productions continue to leave fans wanting. Perhaps as Bob Iger’s promise to return to a storytelling focus unfurls, audiences might find a classic Disney love story someday soon.
Is romance dead at Disney? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!