Question: Has Disney Really Changed Since It First Began?

A lot has been said, written, and insisted upon regarding the Walt Disney Company. With Disney suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (and DeSantis’s board then counter-suing Disney), the story of the National Guard being sent in to block entrances to Disney World, and the general criticisms of “wokeness” that have been hurled at the Mouse House, whether with respect to Theme Park changes or Disney movies, this writer did a little deep dive into Disney’s journey to see what the trajectory of the company has been and answer one fundamental question:

Is the Walt Disney Company really so different at its core than it was when it first began?

The Disney “Wokeness” & Quality Issue

For a while now, many have insisted that the Walt Disney Company has changed drastically because of its “pandering to woke audiences” and “woke ideology” and that it doesn’t make movies “like it used to.” The phrase “moving away from family values” has been used on multiple counts. Disney’s Broadway performances have been hailed as praiseworthy and have been called better than their live-action remakes.

But is it possible that Disney’s products are “safe bets” to experiment with new technology, and they use their sizeable resources to make the best business decisions to test mediums and tropes so that they can continue to be the trendsetters and trailblazers they have been hailed as?

I.e., are they doing what they have always done, just in a new form to reflect the new environment they are operating within?

The Disney Brand & Mission

The Disney brand has always represented America. Whatever else people may disagree on, all of us can agree on one thing. As the New York Times put it, Walt Disney was an “icon of American ingenuity.” He strove to push boundaries and reach new horizons with his work. After the initial success of Mickey Mouse, he took a gamble on Snow White (1937), and then the rest is history.

Why is this relevant to the Disney brand? 

Because the Disney brand has, at its core, been about innovation, fun, and freedom. It’s been characterized by taking risks, striving to push boundaries, and has—a few times now—been saved from imminent disaster. When Michael Eisner took over, he transformed the company from a struggling media company, laying the foundation for Disney become the powerhouse it is today—due credit to Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Disney has seen its ups and downs over the years, especially during the World War II period. Movies like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi were box office failures (in fact, Fantasia nearly drove the Walt Disney Company to bankruptcy), but each time—call it fate, luck, or sound business strategy at just the right moment—the company survived.

Today the Walt Disney Company’s website states that they aim to “entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies.” They have done this by reflecting the American people and ethos (while staying ethically central) and presenting America to the world.

The difference now is that they are playing a global game and reflecting the melting pot and confluence of cultures that is the United States of America to a broader audience.

Innovation, Fun, and Freedom

Tackling each of these individually (briefly, as an entire Op-Ed could be written about these three facets of the Disney brand):

Innovation

For a while now, Disney has been working on pushing cutting-edge technologies—whatever one may think of The Mandalorian, this writer was most certainly impressed with the likeness and sound of Mark Hamill reproduced through CGI. While some movies have certainly not lived up to many fans’ standards—the new Peter Pan and Wendy is a good example of that—the company is constantly testing out new technologies through older live-action remakes and testing out how audiences react to new forms of storytelling with some of its more original works, like Turning Red.

Fun

Another criticism that many have levied at the House of Mouse is that it’s no longer fun because everything is becoming “agenda-driven.” Admittedly, with their live-action remakes, Disney has changed character roles, modified storylines, and, as many constantly underline, cast people of different races for fictional characters. But on the flip side of that, there are also many more people who enjoy seeing themselves on the screen, seeing themselves in Disney Parks, and enjoying the same (albeit rethemed) Disney rides.

We’d also be remiss not to recall that Disney is now a company that owns multiple other properties. They create superhero movies with Marvel, bring to life entire new worlds with the Avatar series, and let people relive their childhood in newly imagined ways with live-action remakes.

Freedom

Fundamentally, Disney has always reflected that people can achieve great things, no matter who they are or where they come from. Walt Disney himself is the quintessential struggling entrepreneur who made it work. This also reflects on their own decisions; they utilize their freedom to try new things.

As Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

The Walt Disney Company in 2023

The reality is that the Walt Disney Company has always been paying attention to the needs of a changing America, and as importantly, in the current environment it’s operating within, presenting America as a global leader on a global platform. While there are certainly decisions the company makes that don’t always go well—as is the case with many businesses—it is also learning, responding to feedback, and moving forward based on its sentiment analysis, while staying true to its core values.

The Walt Disney Company in 2023 is one that has its fingers in many different pies—a global Theme Park presence (with world-class attractions like Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain), movies translated into many languages, stories of people from across the world, a cruise line that caters to an international population, it has to reflect its changed place in the world order.

And maybe, just maybe, the decisions it’s making are reflective of those same core values, but on a larger scale.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.