THE NAME’S AKIRA and boy do I have something to tell you. As you may notice, the last films that were released by Disney were from November: The Marvels and Wish. The former came from Marvel Studios whose continuity is already going downhill whereas the latter was made by Walt Disney Animation Studios that is struggling with its new ideas. And after seeing these movies in cinemas, I can honestly say that I am very worried about where the Walt Disney Company is heading right now.
If you have read my previous opinion article “Disney is Flopping in Cinemas,” it may already seem like this one is just pouring more fuel into the fire. But hey, as a longtime Disney fan, I have been very disappointed with how the company is handling its properties. In fact, these two movies just made it seem like they are nowhere near generating any revenue from its established media and franchises.
“…these two movies just made it seem like they are nowhere near generating any revenue…”
Let’s start off with The Marvels starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Teyonnah Parris (Monica Rambeau) and Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) as the titular protagonists. Now, what turned people off from watching it would be two things: the movies or shows that came before it and the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). If you have never seen WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, then you may not understand the new characters. If you were never fan of the first movie Captain Marvel and fully detached from the current storytelling of the MCU, then you might just simply not watch it at all or just wait for it to arrive on Disney Plus.
Just from this movie alone, it shows how dedicated you have to be in order to catch up with everything that is happening right now in Marvel. It’s as if your whole world has to revolve around every television series and movie they create. Why can’t it be like those old times where people make every Marvel movie, whether it’s good or bad, like an event? Why should there be a need for more spin-offs and side stories just to fill in the gap?
And now Wish – what should have been the commemoration of Disney’s 100th year of wonders in the making turns out to be just a good enough, at least for me, or just a mediocre fairy tale that simply checked all the boxes like the tropes we usually see in their movies. While the thought and heart were there in terms of the cast, music, animation and themes, the execution itself alongside grabbing the heartstring all relied on referencing other Disney movies, to the point where Wish does not have its own identity at all.
It just goes to show Disney has yet to achieve something very groundbreaking, come out of its box and offer an actually adequate story. If anything, the film just made me want to watch the very good films that the studio has made before like Aladdin, Frozen, Mulan and Encanto. It’s as if they are too reliant on fan service and nostalgia rather than focusing on the creative process in writing unique characters and stories.
In the end, I am still optimistic for Disney. In fact, I am looking forward to Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and its Frozen’s third and fourth movie. However, it means that they will now focus on making sequels from well-known properties and won’t take risks in telling original stories. I just hope that this can be a learning lesson to the company, rethink their decisions and focus on bringing joy and wonder to the longtime fans of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars fans alike.
Email me at thebedan_newseditor@sanbeda.edu.ph