I wanted to do something new for this blog this year and I thought to myself that maybe I could write some "think pieces" on topics in media that I've been noticing or have thought about for a while. Future posts like these might focus on other topics but I feel like this one I have been thinking about for a while. I remember back in middle school I was not into Disney films as much I am now. I remember being like most middle school students in that I wanted to be treated as more of an adult and a way I and many others saw of doing that was to shun the Disney brand. I went years without seeing a film by Disney or any animation company. But I was at that weird age where Disney or animation films do not appeal to me but I'm too young for films like Frost/Nixon and The King's Speech.
Now, Disney at the time was making decent animated films like Tangled, Princess and The Frog, Meet the Robinsons, and Bolt with its sister company Pixar making animated hits like Cars and Up. But it was also making disappointing movies like Enchanted, Brother Bear, Treasure Planet, and quite possibly the worst, Chicken Little. The early millennium was hit and miss for the Disney company. But for me, as I entered middle school I found that most kids did not want to see Disney films or anything that felt kid friendly. No, those were the days when we thought going to a PG-13 or even R rated movie was a right of passage and that the passage meant that we would never return to Disney as that not what the cool, popular older kids did.
For me, that all changed when I saw Toy Story 3. It was the first time I felt the dark side of Disney and got emotional over a film meant for children. It showed me that an animated film can be for adults and children. I was finally brought back to Disney and I wanted to see what they would do next. Sadly, Cars 2 proved to be a massive disappointment for audiences and the Disney company. Any middle schooler going into high school that said they paid money to see Cars 2 would be seen as kind of a dweeb. So I decided to wait awhile until I saw a Disney movie worth paying money to see. It was around this time I started watching the Marvel movies, and though at the time having mixed feelings about the movies, I awaited the release of The Avengers.
In 2012, the Disney company purchased Marvel studios and now own most Marvel characters. This is where I feel most people started to get back on board with Disney was after seeing The Avengers. From there Disney started to not only become present again in pop culture but it started to dominate it. Once Star Wars was bought from George Lucas, Disney's grasp on entertainment seemed to be complete. But even with franchise juggernauts like those in their grasps, Disney still had to excel where they were lacking for a while, their own films.
Pixar wasn't putting out the best of films for a while so it was up to Walt Disney Animation Studios to carry the animated film banner. With that came Wreck It Ralph, an animated movie centered around video game characters and the world they lived in. It was a critical and financial success but nothing could prepare them and the rest of the world for what came in 2013. In November of that Disney released Frozen and it became one Disney's biggest hits since The Lion King. The film and its merchandise brought in tons of money and thus solidified Disney's control over the pop culture.
But why now? Why weren't they doing this years ago? Well there are many reasons, too much to go into. But I will say I can chalk it up to leadership change with Bob Iger replacing Michael Eisner and with having some of the biggest movie properties with the loyalist of fan bases, Disney had to make sure they did everything right to please the massive fan bases. It's a lot to balance both a cinematic universe and a galaxy far, far away on the shoulders of a mouse. But through will and effort, Disney pulled it off.
No I am not saying Disney is perfect by any means. It's children's programming needs major adjustments and there are times when they care more about the merchandise instead of the movie itself. But when the company puts its all behind a project it can be one of the most amazing things ever seen. Will there be another time when people move away from Disney, yes, but its important to remember that though they may falter at times, you can be sure that right around the corner is another hit waiting to make its way to cultural phenomenon status.
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