OPINION:
The Walt Disney Co.’s foray into political activism hasn’t been good for business. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, company leaders disclosed the possibility that a “misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences” with “our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals” might “impact demand for our entertainment offerings.”
That’s an understatement. Disney’s latest high-budget, female-led superhero film, “The Marvels,” opened with a thud, bringing in a paltry $46 million opening weekend, among the worst opening weekend performances for Disney-owned Marvel Studios. Its last “Avengers” film made $2.7 billion over its entire 2019 run, yet the current offering will struggle to recoup the cost of production.
Investors noting the trend have sent Disney’s stock value tumbling by nearly half since the beginning of 2021. They realize that instead of providing wholesome entertainment suitable for all ages, recent flicks like “The Marvels” have sacrificed good storytelling in favor of promoting social goals.
Hollywood’s penchant for needlessly swapping the race and sex of characters to score political points has become so blatant that the crude animated series “South Park” skewered the practice in “Joining the Panderverse,” an episode that references “Disney executives who replace everyone you love with diverse women who complain about the patriarchy.”
The studio’s founder, Walt Disney, wouldn’t recognize this version of his company. Disney became synonymous with family values with its first hit, the 1937 animated musical “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Now, the modern studio is remaking the classic fairy tale with a racially diverse lead actress who has a habit of complaining about the patriarchy.
“The reality is that the cartoon was made 85 years ago,” the remake’s star, Rachel Zegler, explained, “and therefore is extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is fit for in the world.”
In the new telling, Prince Charming no longer rescues Snow White. As Ms. Zegler puts it, a modern woman can’t be saved by “a guy who literally stalks her” — entirely missing the point of the beloved fairy tale. What remains is the sort of dystopian feminist narrative that has become box-office poison.
Disney may yet be revived by a Prince Charming of a different sort. Mega-investor Nelson Peltz, who has Republican sympathies, boosted his fund’s stake in Disney to $2.5 billion in an apparent attempt to land seats on the board of directors. Mr. Peltz wants to refocus on profit, not politics — a sensible plan that ought to appeal to his fellow shareholders.
The Daily Wire is also poised to release “Snow White and the Evil Queen,” its own faithful retelling of the timeless tale. The upcoming motion picture was announced as a means of capitalizing on Disney’s public failures, filling the void in kid-friendly content created by Hollywood’s lurch to the far left.
It’s refreshing to know that if Disney refuses to align its offerings with what the public wants, others are willing to step forward and restore the magic.
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