Flawed Production in Disney
By Myah Key
Disney has a lot of controversy. In particular, the Walt Disney Studios has been criticized for including stereotypical portrayal of non-white characters, sexism, alleged plagiarism, and the production of exclusive streaming content. No matter how much it costs to produce, exclusive streaming content is a gamble because Disney incurs the expense in advance, so it is too late to avoid it if the content bombs. According to the Postpace blog, “Disney lost some luster in theaters across a slate of films that failed to generate sufficient box office revenues or cultural buzz. The company found itself relying on older franchise installments like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania” rather than new hits.” According to Walt Disney's latest financial reports, the company's total debt is $47.69 B.
Bambi (1942) is controversial for well-known reasons. The most memorable (and traumatizing) scene in Bambi was when the young deer's mother was killed by a hunter and Disney infamously didn't shy away from showing this gruesome scene to their young viewers. The House of Mouse is currently facing several high-profile issues, such as pressure on its streaming unit, Disney+, the actors' and writers' union strikes in Hollywood, falling attendance at its theme parks, lackluster TV assets, and debt levels.
Zendaya, left, with Bella Thorne, right
Child stars on the Disney Channel are often under a lot of stress and pressure to perform well, meet deadlines, and maintain their image. This can lead to high levels of stress, anxiety, and pressure, which can be detrimental to their mental health and overall well-being. According to Quora, stated by Shivputra , ¨Bella Thorne for example expressed that she felt unable to be herself, and that she and Zendaya felt “pitted” against each other. After being photographed in a bikini at fourteen, she claims that Disney threatened both her status on “Shake It Up” and her future career.” Since the show’s cancellation, Thorne has become a successful musician, author and adult film director.
Disney XD, similarly born of a merger between Jetix and Toon Disney, was formerly available around the world. Most of the international Disney XD networks have been closed down from 2019, due to the launch of Disney+. Disney Junior, formerly known as Playhouse Disney, is available around the world. Since 2020, many of these networks were closed in favor of direct customer promotion of Disney+, where Disney Junior's content was moved to.
Although Disney has had many hits and impacted many kids worldwide positively, Disney’s controversy has resulted in many conflicts with social media and its employers throughout the years.
Will these conflicts be enough to shut Disney collaborations down for good?