Many attribute Disney's recent losses to the identity politics it infuses into its films
What’s up with "The Mouse?"
Did it eat some tainted cheese which poisoned its mind to the need to follow sound business practices while giving the vast majority of their audience the entertainment it craves?
"The Mouse" in this case being the Disney Company.
The "tainted cheese" being a self-destructive "woke agenda."
Not only has Disney eaten a slice of that cheese but has eagerly gobbled up the entire wheel while demanding more. All of which begs the very logical question: Does Disney hate its investors and stockholders?
A photo from Disney's upcoming live-action "Snow White." (Screenshot/Gutfeld!)
The latest symptom of this "Let’s punish our investors and stockholders" disease being the pending live-action remake of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Or, as it is quickly and rightfully coming to be known as: "Snow Woke and the Politically Correct Magical Creatures."
It was Disney itself which offered up the label of "Magical Creatures." It did so in part because as the "entertainment" company tried to explain: "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."
OK.
Several questions flow from the explanation: Did Disney poll the "dwarfism community" to ask if it would be offended by a remake of the 1937 classic? By unilaterally deciding to take a "different approach," is Disney denying dwarf actors much needed work? And last, if the remaking of the animated film was so problematic, why make it at all?
The Disney Company and the far-left executives who run it have every right to hold and espouse points of view. But certainly, in a corporation that does have responsibilities to investors and shareholders, there are certain times and places to make such viewpoints known.
We must also assume that Disney made the new "Snow Woke" film to make… money. As in a profit.
Harrison Ford attends the U.K. premiere of "Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny" at Cineworld Leicester Square on June 26, 2023, in London. (Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage)
But then, the same can be said of them regarding the now massive flop titled: "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." They clearly made that film to financially capitalize on the franchise rolled out way back in 1981. A number of credible estimates speculate the latest Indiana Jones film will lose between $200 million to $300 million.
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A loss that is devastating to investors and shareholders.
That on top of losses previously incurred by the likes of "Lightyear," "Thor: Love and Thunder," "Strange World," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "The Little Mermaid" and "Elemental."
Losses, analysts believe – with the marketing budgets added – amount to over $1 billion. As in over one thousand million dollars.
Many people believe those losses – as well as the ones now negatively impacting Disney Plus and its theme parks – are directly attributable to Disney now infusing "identity politics" into almost every single one of their films. Again, its left-of-center executives have the right to hold and articulate any point of view.
But, as they also do have responsibilities to investors and shareholders, might some of those left-of-center or "identity politics" driven points of view be better expressed in documentaries made by Disney instead of being forcibly inserted into films, television shows and attractions meant to entertain billions of people the world over with differing political positions, ideologies and thoughts regarding what might be appropriate for children?
Newsflash to Disney CEO Bob Iger and his stable of multi-millionaire vice presidents: Not everyone lives in a $33 million mansion; has private security; travels in corporate jets; or brings in multi-millions in annual compensation.
Most of the audience Disney targets is struggling to get by in life as it is continually pummeled by the failing policies of the politicians who purport to speak for them.
For that reason and more, those men, women, and children are desperate for entertainment which helps to decompress their already troubled minds. Most don’t want to walk into a movie theater, turn on the Disney Channel, or go to Disney World to be lectured on how "closed-minded," "intellectually inferior," "bigoted" or "climate denying" certain Disney executives or actors believe them to be.
So, to Disney, I would stress that for the benefit of those desperate to be entertained, your investors and your shareholders, please do feel free to make documentary after documentary espousing your various opinions regarding ideology, "identity politics" and "climate change," while leaving "woke" lectures out of films, television shows and attractions meant to entertain.
If you follow this very simple formula, I can all but guarantee future films, shows and attractions will once again be profitable. And if you listen really, really hard, you can almost hear Goofy saying: "Gawrsh, Mickey. It’s just Economics and Common Sense 101. Everyone knows that."
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Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the book "The 56: Liberty Lessons from Those Who Risked All to Sign the Declaration of Independence."
