D23 2024: Is Disney primed for a comeback?



Can Disney return to its former glory?

That was the biggest question in the air last weekend as fans gathered in Anaheim for the studio's annual D23 showcase. The studio has suffered in recent years thanks its penchant for inserting leftist propaganda in its films and TV shows, especially those geared toward kids.

While it's heartening to see familiar favorites among the sequels and remakes, Disney needs to show that this return to form is more than skin-deep.

If rumors that the recent company-wide layoffs are just the beginning prove true, the Mouse House may have finally decided to wake up from its woke trance once and for all.

At the very least, the slate of exciting new projects Disney unveiled for fans offers some much-needed hope.

Some of the most talked-about include:

'Toy Story 5'

While a fifth installment of the beloved series hasn't been at the top of anyone's wish list, 2019's "Toy Story 4" proved that audiences still aren't ready to consign these old faves to the attic. While the last movie ended with Woody riding off into the sunset to start a new life with Bo Peep, this film reunites him with Buzz and the gang just in time to face their biggest rival for their kid's affection yet: electronics. Can they stop a 50-strong army commemorative Buzz Lightyear toys stuck in play mode? Here's hoping Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton can deliver another near-perfect "Toy Story."

'Moana 2'

The sequel to the 2016 hit animated film was only announced in February of THIS YEAR, and rumors suggest the studio is working overtime to turn this former Disney+ show into a theater-ready feature. It sounds rushed, but "Moana 2" starring Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson allayed any fears about corner-cutting with an epic new trailer that did a lot to show just how big this film is going to be. Joining the original duo are a new crew, a little sister, and a threat it will take all of them to defeat.

'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew'

Yes, "Star Wars" is a dead brand fighting for relevance with its own fanbase. Yes, Kathleen Kennedy continues her streak of indifferent incompetence with the latest D+ series "The Acolyte." And yet, the newly announced show "Skeleton Crew" may just prove that the best days of the franchise aren't nearly as far, far away as we thought. The series features a group of kids who accidentally stowaway on a spaceship and team up with a rogue Jedi (Jude Law) to find their way home. The influence of "The Goonies" and other and 1980s Spielbergian touchstones is readily apparent (maybe too apparent), with some suburban neighborhood settings that seem a little too close to home for this universe. Still, it has an undeniable charm that might be just what the once-great Lucasfilm needs.

'Daredevil: Born Again'

Among Marvel's more pedestrian offerings this year, one project really had fans seeing red — as in the costume of a certain beloved, blind, street-level hero. After appearances in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "She-Hulk," ol' Hornhead finally gets a full re-entry into the MCU with the new series "Daredevil: Born Again." The show will continue from where the canceled Netflix series left off, welcoming back not just DD but Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Kingpin, and the Punisher.

'Tron: Ares'

The biggest surprise was an expansive look at "Tron: Ares," the long-awaited third installment in the cult classic "Tron" series. Jeff Bridges (reprising the role of Kevin Flynn) took the stage to introduce Jared Leto, Evan Peters, and Greta Lee and show exclusive footage from the film. He also shared the news that Nine Inch Nails will handle music duties, a good sign that we may get a soundtrack every bit as excellent as what Daft Punk composed for 2010's "Tron: Legacy."

'Snow White'

Then there was ... this: The perfect encapsulation of every poor choice Disney's made over the last few years. It's that not lead Rachel Zegler doesn't quite have the iconic Snow White look — ok, it is that. But it's also that she seems to have no respect for the character, sneering that her version is "not going to be saved by the prince." Hoping to avoid avoid offending real-life dwarves with retrograde stereotypes like Grumpy, Dopey, and the rest of the seven, the filmmakers made things worse by "casting" garish CGI versions — angering dwarf actors who were hoping for a shot at a part. For a "live-action" movie, this trainwreck-in-the-making sure looks fake.

You may recall CEO Bob Iger narrowly avoided losing a proxy war against Nelson Peltz, who warned he'd take another shot at it should Iger not turn things around. If Iger has proven one thing, it's that he still has a lot to prove. While it's heartening to see familiar favorites among the sequels and remakes, Disney needs to show that this return to form is more than skin-deep. Credit to Iger for blockbusters like "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine," both big wins for entertainment over sinister political and social agendas. But if he wants to keep the keys to the Kingdom, he best have a lot more of that Disney magic up his sleeve.

Complete list of projects announced at D3 2024

Walt Disney Pictures

• "Monster Jam" (film)

• "Avatar 3: Fire and Ash"

• "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" — Season 2

• "Freakier Friday" (Freaky Friday 2)

• "Lilo & Stitch" (live action remake)

• "Snow White" (live action remake)

• "Tron: Ares" (Tron 3)

• "Mufasa: The Lion King"

PIXAR Animation Studios

• "Dream Productions" ("Inside Out" spinoff)

• "Win or Lose" (series)

• "Toy Story 5"

• "Hoppers" (film)

• "Elio" (film)

• "Incredibles 3"

Walt Disney Animation Studios

• "Moana 2"

• "Zootopia 2"

• "Frozen III"

Lucasfilm

• "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" (series)

• "Star Wars: Andor" — Season 2

• "The Mandalorian & Grogu" (film)

Marvel Studios

• "Captain America: Brave New World"

• "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"

• "Ironheart" (series)

• "Daredevil: Born Again" (series)

• "Agatha All Along" (series)

'Snow White' star suggests desire to ensure Disney's costly remake is a box-office bomb



Walt Disney Studios confidently released a trailer for its live-action "Snow White" remake over the weekend, only to be derailed once again by its woke leading lady, Rachel Zegler.

Zegler, the actress who plays the titular Snow White and starred in the failed relaunch of "The Hunger Games" franchise last year, took to X this week to express gratitude for those watched the new trailer for Walt Disney Studios' next potential tax write-off.

At the time of publication, the trailer on YouTube had over 6.3 million views, 65,277 likes, and 478,811 dislikes.

"I love you all so much! thank you for the love and for 120m views on our trailer in just 24 hours!" wrote Zegler. "What a whirlwind. i am in the thick of rehearsals for romeo + juliet so I'm gonna get outta here. bye for now."

Zegler, who stars in the film opposite Israeli actress Gal Gadot, could not resist the temptation to issue one more tweet, writing, "And always remember, free palestine."

'People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it's like, yeah, it is — because it needed that.'

While the Hispanic actress appears to have been taking her own advice to actively advocate "for a ceasefire, for a free palestine, for no more lives lost" ahead of pro-Hamas protesters' return to school, the Times of Israel highlighted that Gadot was simultaneously facing an onslaught of criticism online by anti-Semites over her ties to Israel.

Zegler's tweet was immediately seized upon by critics, not only as a dig at her colleague but as further evidence both of Disney's ideological capture and its one-way tolerance for employees' expressions of political views online.

While Zegler's tweet is likely to create a headache for Disney, it is far from the only scandal plaguing the "Snow White" remake.

Early in development, the notion that Disney might provide dwarf actors with gainful employment and screen time in a global blockbuster infuriated actor Peter Dinklage, who is himself a dwarf, as well as other activists.

Blaze News previously reported that Dinklage condemned Disney over its "f**ing backwards" plan to remake the film, stating:

I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me. You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together?

Following Dinklage's inaccurate remarks — the dwarfs lived in a idyllic cottage together as opposed to a cave — a Disney spokesman revealed in 2022, "To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community."

Last year, photographs taken on set revealed that the seven "magical characters" who replaced the dwarfs were men and women of various races, all of an average height except for one actor, who looked the part.

This move generated controversy all its own, prompting the company ultimately to digitally replace the seven with the computer-generated dwarfs seen in the trailer — a costly and time-consuming endeavor.

That Park Place reported that Disney's efforts to spare "Snow White" from the fate of its other box-office bombs required extensive reshoots, which one anonymous source indicated costed more than $30 million to execute.

Disney had on set not only a dwarf problem but a Zegler problem.

Zegler, who some critics suggested was an odd casting choice to play the "fairest of them all," stressed from the start that the remake would be politically correct, telling Vanity Fair in October 2022, "People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it's like, yeah, it is — because it needed that. It's an 85-year-old cartoon, and our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function beyond 'Someday My Prince Will Come.'"

In another interview, Zegler emphasized her disdain for the original's straight love story, noting, "We have a different approach to what I'm sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we like cast a guy in the movie."

Zegler's repeated characterization of the film as a woke remake drove various critics and potential viewers to swear off watching the film.

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Watch actress Rachel Zegler REPEATEDLY contradict herself on ‘Snow White’ adaptation



“Rachel Zegler is someone who in her relatively short career has managed to stir up a surprising amount of controversy,” says Lauren Chen.

Much of Zegler’s pot-stirring has to do with her playing Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaption of the classic film.

You’d think someone playing Disney’s very first princess would be more appreciative of the film that gave her the opportunity to star in such a beloved role, but no.

When Variety initially interviewed Zegler about the remake, she took the opportunity to bash the original movie.

“It’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

“There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird!” she continued.

In another interview, she said, “I was scared of the original cartoon. I think I watched it once and then I never picked it up again.”

The backlash for these remarks was instant and heated.

“Turns out disrespecting a movie while also simultaneously trying to capitalize on the existing fans of that movie is not really a winning marketing strategy,” says Lauren.

While the release of “Snow white” has been delayed due to financial concerns, many speculate that the postponing is actually due, at least in part, to the backlash from Zegler’s comments.

Further, it seems Zegler is using the hiatus to do some damage control, which only adds strength to the theory.

In a recent interview with Halle Bailey, who played Princess Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” remake, Zegler had a much different tune about the 1937 classic she previously bashed.

“The cartoon is so beloved; it's like a monumental moment in film history ... It won honorary Oscars and all of these amazing things that happened for that film are the reason that you and I really get to sit here today because it made Disney what it is,” Zegler told Bailey.

“There's just a very dedicated group of people who love Disney cartoons. I'm one of them ... I love everything that the Disney company has put out in the past ...100 years,” she continued.

Wait. We thought she said the movie was creepy and scary and not worth revisiting? And that the love story was unnecessary?

“Kind of seems like a memo went out that perhaps the best way to promote a new ‘Snow White’ movie isn't by denigrating the original ‘Snow White’ movie,” sighs Lauren.


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'It’s hard being women under the spotlight': Disney's woke princesses praise each other for their diversity

'It’s hard being women under the spotlight': Disney's woke princesses praise each other for their diversity



Disney actresses Rachel Zegler and Halle Bailey praised one another for their ability to deal with criticism, while emphasizing the importance of race and ethnicity in certain movies they have acted in.

The pair of young actresses interviewed each other in a Variety sit-down interview, where they excused their career choices for diversity-driven reboots of "Snow White" and "The Little Mermaid."

The actors chalked up complaints to generic criticism, with each telling the other how well they handled controversy.

"There are always people who have something to say, [but] you proved them wrong, with grace," Zegler told Bailey, according to Bounding into Comics. "I was so inspired by the way you handled anybody who had anything bad to say about it, and I give you, really, so much credit," she continued.

Bailey then jokingly explained that she is an actor and therefore is sensitive but ultimately dismissed the public's complaints as a type of simple dehumanization.

"I think there’s a sort of dissociation – people think that; they start taking you away from being a real human being that has feelings and react to things," she claimed. "It turned out to be a beautiful lesson to me just to block any naysayers or negativity out," she added, before praising Zegler in return.

"The same to you! The way you are so graceful and respond and don’t," Bailey said. "It’s hard being women under the spotlight."

"People are so critical and just say anything that they would never say to your face."

After Zegler explained that criticisms of her remarks are often an attack on her "humanity" and that she should be allowed to have "human moments," the duo exchanged strange, race-centric kudos for their work on recent films.

Bailey explained that after "The Little Mermaid," she felt more comfortable on the set of "The Color Purple," a musical remake of Steven Spielberg's 1985 film about a black, Southern woman who was abused by her father.

Some of Bailey's comfort was strangely due to the race of her castmates, however.

"To get to be on a set of an all-black set where you just feel like you're at a family reunion every day ... was the best thing ever."

"That's beautiful," Zegler replied, before asking what it was like to watch children, particularly "black children," "being so happy" that "The Little Mermaid" is black.

Bailey called the reactions "the only validation" she needed. She then asked Zegler about being "an amazing Latina woman as Snow White."

Zegler called her role "a huge moment" for her community, meaning her race, and mentioned that she hoped it would turn into a "revolving door" situation, where actresses of her background are consistently filling Hollywood roles.

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Disney’s Latest Box Office Flop Signals More Of The Mouse’s Self-Inflicted Demise

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-30-at-6.18.57 AM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-30-at-6.18.57%5Cu202fAM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]Why have American and global audiences abandoned what used to be the go-to for wholesome, family entertainment?