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00:58ABC quickly rescinded the suspension, and Kimmel was back on the air.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