For decades, theWalt Disney Companyseemed untouchable. The animation studio churned out hit after hit. Theme park attendance grew rapidly. Targeted acquisitions of Pixar Animation,Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm paid immediate dividends, with hopes of long-lasting franchises that would make box office bombs a thing of the past.
Fast-forward to 2026, and virtually all of that momentum has been squandered.
The film studio has been inconsistent, to say the least. A few hits have been outweighed by tremendous failures like "Snow White," and even their biggest property, "Avatar," had a very disappointing run at the box office. Animated films, once nearly a guaranteed success, have declined as well. "Lightyear," despite being based on the Buzz Lightyear character and the extremely popular "Toy Story" films, was a gigantic flop. Marvel Studios, which made comic book movies into the most powerful and financially successful franchises in the industry, saw "The Marvels" become one of the biggest financial disasters in movie history, with some estimates placing losses at over $200 million.
The"Star Wars"franchise saw its importance and box office receipts dwindle, to the point where an expensive Disney+ streaming show, "The Acolyte," was canceled after just one season of almost nonexistent viewership.
What's one thing that all of these issues have in common? An obsession with injecting left-wing political activism where it doesn't belong. All either supported, encouraged, or tolerated byCEO Bob Iger. With Iger now on his way out, and Josh D'Amaro on the way in, will that be enough to turn around the sinking Disney ship?
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 17: In this handout image provided by Disneyland Resort, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and The Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger speak during the 70th anniversary celebrations of Disneyland Resort on July 17, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Handout/Getty Images)
Iger is being replaced by Chairman of Parks and Experiences, Josh D'Amaro, who has little in the way of creative experience when it comes to films and television. But several reports have suggested that he excels at building relationships, appreciating details, and connecting with Disney employees. Is that enough though?
Disney Parks have been the most resilient parts of their business, thanks in large part to avoiding the type of unnecessary politicization that's infested other parts of their business. Every movie mentioned previously has some sort of politically divisive connotation to it. "Snow White" lead actor Rachel Zegler has spoken out in favor of left-wing causes, and publicly revealed the film intended to abandon the original story and characterization in favor of appealing to modern audiences.
"Lightyear" put a lesbian relationship in a kids movie, including Pixar's first same-sex kiss on screen. "The Marvels" was a relic of the much-derided "M-She-U," an effort by the film studio to focus on bringing in female audiences. Which, of course, was spectacularly unsuccessful.
"Avatar" director James Cameron called the US an insane country and moved to New Zealand because they agreed with his delusional ideas about climate change, or something. "The Acolyte" was some kind of woke fever dream, a series so laughably incompetent, inept, and politically motivated that it launched an entire subset of critical content on YouTube and other platforms.
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