10 Recent Disney Decisions That Sparked HUGE Controversy

WatchMojo

The House of Mouse has made some questionable calls lately! Join us as we count down the most controversial Disney decisions in recent years. From shutting down beloved studios to filming in problematic locations, these choices left fans and critics alike scratching their heads. Which Disney blunder do you think was the worst?

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at Disney's most baffling and contentious

00:09decisions of recent years, artistic and otherwise, minor spoilers to come.

00:20Now, this was really unexpected.

00:34In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Jimmy Kimmel made a tame joke about President

00:38Trump's lack of true mourning for his supposed friend.

00:41As a result, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr made threatening remarks to the Disney-owned ABC

00:46to punish Kimmel.

00:47ABC then announced Jimmy Kimmel's show would be suspended indefinitely.

00:51The result was a wave of public outrage and boycotting of Disney properties, including

00:56Disney Plus and Hulu.

00:58ABC quickly rescinded the suspension, and Kimmel was back on the air.

01:02Jimmy Kimmel's first monologue from his suspension was watched by millions of people, proving

01:06that censorship will always backfire on you.

01:15Lack of marketing, Strange World.

01:23Disney has long been criticised for its endless remakes at the expense of creating original

01:28films.

01:29The adventure film Strange World, about a group of explorers, should have been a welcome

01:32change from Disney's uninspiring line-up.

01:35We say should, because most people didn't even know it existed.

01:43Despite good critical reviews, the film was a box office bomb, due to low attendance.

01:48The bare-bones marketing, with just a couple of trailers and featurettes, was undoubtedly

01:52part of the problem.

01:53Strange World performed better on streaming, suggesting that it could have done well at

01:57the box office if Disney had gotten the word out.

01:59It's a strange world after all.

02:04Shutting down Blue Sky Studios This computer animation studio was responsible

02:12for Ice Age and Rio, among other hits.

02:15As a subsidiary of 20th Century Animation, it was part of the package when Disney bought

02:2021st Century Fox.

02:21Naturally, Disney breathed new life into the studio with its typically Disney magic.

02:26Just kidding.

02:27On the contrary, it shut down the studio just two years later, citing financial hardship due

02:32to the COVID-19 pandemic.

02:40It also cancelled all future projects, including a film adaptation of the popular webcomic Nimona,

02:45which would find a home elsewhere.

02:47It's a slimy move on Disney's part.

02:53In late 2024, Disney announced the permanent closure of the attraction Muppet Vision 3D,

03:06to make way for the Monsters, Inc. themed area.

03:08A very popular attraction among theme park aficionados, Muppet Vision 3D was also one of the last projects

03:14Jim Henson was involved in before he passed away.

03:21Disney did say they were going to film and preserve the show before it closed for good.

03:25Still, the announcement was heavily criticised by heartbroken Muppet fans.

03:28We hoped the Monsters, Inc. attraction would be worth it, but it's clear the Muppets' popularity

03:33still endures.

03:49Disney's bad decisions, alas, extend to its original raison d'etre.

03:54This remake of their game-changing classic, the first cell-animated feature-length film,

03:58has been plagued with controversy from the start.

04:00The move to replace the actors with CGI dwarves, who are never actually called dwarves, was

04:05particularly a doozy.

04:10Perhaps the most controversial announcement was the casting of Gal Gadot as the evil queen.

04:15Gadot's stilted acting, bad line reading and her past service in the infamous IDF drew

04:20criticism from all sides.

04:22Snow White was a box office bomb, receiving very mixed reviews at best.

04:26One unanimous criticism, however, Gadot's performance.

04:34Using Generative AI and VFX Techniques, Secret Invasion

04:42This move was particularly galling, considering Disney sued AI company Mid-Journey in 2025 for

04:47generating images of Disney-owned characters.

04:50The House of Mouse is not above cutting corners itself, especially in the wake of the writer's

04:54strike.

04:55Disney used AI for the opening sequence of their mini-series Secret Invasion, part of

04:59the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

05:08Disney and Marvel also scanned images of background actors for use in AI, without those actors'

05:13permission and without payment.

05:15Then, there is the ickiness of Disney using the late James Earl Jones' voice for use in

05:20future projects through generative AI.

05:23This is low for Disney.

05:28Disney Plus releases and charging extra for premiere access.

05:39The COVID-19 pandemic hit us all hard.

05:41Disney, for its part, was determined to make it even harder.

05:44During this time, the company offered certain movies still in theatres to watch on its platform

05:49for an extra fee, along with a regular subscription.

05:52This was a whopping $29.99 in the US.

06:00The first movie to join premiere access was the live action Mulan, followed by Raya and

06:04the Last Dragon, Cruella and Black Widow.

06:07Before releasing the latter on streaming, actress Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for breach of

06:11contract in not having an exclusive theatrical release.

06:14Disney has always been noted for its greed, but this is something else.

06:22In 2018, conservative commentators began circulating old, offensive tweets made by director James

06:36Gunn after Gunn publicly criticised Trump.

06:39In response, Disney fired him as the director for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

06:443.

06:45Gunn expressed his contrition over his posts, and his firing led to an outpouring of support

06:49from directors, actors, journalists and artists alike.

07:02He was then hired, however, as director for Warner Bros. The Suicide Squad.

07:07In 2019, Gunn was reinstated as director, and the third Guardians finally released in 2023.

07:13Gunn moved from Marvel to DC, however.

07:15Ugh, what a mess.

07:18What is dying trying going to accomplish?

07:21Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser's Poor Experience for High Prices

07:25Quick, what do you imagine when you hear the word Star Wars Hotel?

07:35Chances are, your imagination was better than this real-life incarnation.

07:38A disappointment for many fans.

07:40Disney merged role-playing with the luxury resort experience in creating Star Wars Galactic

07:45Starcruiser, officially opening in 2022.

07:48This starship-shaped hotel promised an immersive experience, including lightsaber jewels, secret

07:53missions and full costumes.

08:01What some got were app glitches, one storyline and tiny windowless rooms that cost $4,800

08:07for two people.

08:08After two years, Disney closed the hotel for good, and was already planning to convert the

08:13building to a second office space for their theme park projects in early 2025.

08:18Some things are better off left to the imagination.

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08:38Criticism of this live-action remake has been rife.

08:50By far the worst, however, has been against Disney filming some scenes in the Xinjiang region

08:55of China.

08:56There, the Chinese government held native Ouijers and other Muslims in forced labor internment

09:01camps, claiming the policy as part of its counter-terrorism strategy in the wake of the 9-11 attacks.

09:06The government has turned the region into a police state, including bans on headscarves,

09:18beards, burkas, religious fasting and prayer.

09:21In response to intense criticism and subsequent boycotts, Disney claimed it was, quote, standard

09:26practice to acknowledge the cooperation of various entities.

09:30Bending the knee to tyrants, it seems, is now Disney's reflex.

09:34Only a foolish man listening to someone whose very existence is a lie.

09:39So which other decision from Disney do you know caused a storm of controversy?

09:43Let us know in the comments down below.

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