![The D-Files Part 3: Disney the Killer of Dreams Image](https://cdn-0.filmthreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FEATURE-D-Files-3-300x149.jpg)
Another source noted that Tumblr was “UNEQUIVOCALLY” the base for new talent. Women from the social media site were quickly scooped up and placed on Raya and the Last Dragon, along with other animated shows and features. Talent is now an afterthought. It was more important that these women could pad the quotas and become useful foot soldiers for the cause of DEI. Once in, the activists were asked for referrals, and now they were in a position to hire other artists from their “friend squads.” They were now hiring based seemingly on their politics; these “friend squads” quickly created a powerful contingent not just at Disney.
The existence of these “squads” began to radically shift the power structure at Disney Animation, which led to radical changes in the long-held Disney traditions of animation (more on this in the D-Files, Part 4).
Let’s talk about quality. The vast majority of the newly hired Tumblr talent is self-taught. There’s nothing wrong with that as an artistic starting point. Successfully copying your favorite artists is the first indicator that one has minimal talent. The problem is that Tumblr is not art college and will not give you the proper training required to grow. Tumblr-based artists are constantly being affirmed by fellow Tumblr artists…which breeds an unhealthy level of narcissism and bad habits. Constructive criticism is the key to growth, but online criticism of one’s art is often taken personally and inevitably sparks drawn-out struggle sessions of hurt feelings followed by personal attacks. Best to keep your criticisms to yourself if you want to be part of the “friend squad.”
It is well-known in the art community Tumblr has a bad reputation. In fact, “Tumblr cartoons” is a term for awful animation featuring bad design and uninspired storytelling. One source told me, “Tumblr was Ground Zero for this mess we’re in. Along with a sub-par portfolio, these artists had not yet completed their ‘ten thousand hours,’ and they brought bad art habits with them into the big animation studios.” Some artists also find Tumblr cartoons too preachy or heavy-handed, sacrificing subtlety and nuance to align with “The Message.”
Social media isn’t exactly the breeding ground for building a healthy community and interpersonal interactions. Tumblr communities foster an echo chamber effect where certain ideas or ideologies are reinforced without much critical discussion or diversity of thought. Relevant here is a new form of woke storytelling where villains are no longer needed, or female protagonists don’t need no man to save them. Can someone remind me what the definition of “incel” is? Tumblr became the perfect breeding ground for activists perfect for Disney’s new “reimagined” storytelling.
These recruits had a very specific personality. In them, Disney found their value as influencers, not artists. As one source puts it, “[Disney] was more than ready to hire influencers than a more reserved person with actual talent. Influencers have the potential to bring in their fan base to ‘replace’ whatever old fan base was there before. Unfortunately, Disney gave these influencers too much credit to do exactly that.” In other words, Disney overestimated their artistic talent and underestimated their ability to attract an audience.
“The goal was to clear out as many ‘Old White Guys’ as possible at Disney Animation…”
When the new animators entered the hallowed halls of Disney animation, the veteran staff instantly knew trouble was brewing. The first warning sign was the quality of their work or lack thereof. Who’s Walt Disney? Walt Disney himself inspired the work of these veterans; they studied Walt’s classic features and shorts, and that’s how they got their jobs at Disney. Not true with these recruits. They understood very little about actual animation and bringing art to life. My source said that their influences were not from Walt but from whatever was currently popular with Gen Z and Millenials at the time, which in this case was anime…a very different art form and style. When asked about the classics like Snow White, Dumbo, and The Jungle Book, their response was blank stares.
When these recruits started doing their highly coveted jobs, they struggled to succeed at a job they weren’t qualified to have in the first place. Attempts to offer help or mentoring from the “Old White Guys” were met with an undeniable cold shoulder. One veteran animator described the new hires as having “open disdain for the ‘Old White Guys.'” Comments veterans made during creative meetings were met with snarky replies by the youngsters. In a moment of entitlement, one young female POC said after a notes session, “They won’t listen to MY ideas.”
The turnover at Disney Animation was high among these recruits…and among the veterans as well. Many who realized they were not qualified to animate left feeling dejected…a dream killed. Others had very little passion for animation and didn’t like the work they were given. Instead, they demanded to be promoted to other positions, which was granted. Sources say that they were moved away from art to story. The foundation Walt built for animation was quickly beginning to crack.
During one creative meeting, there was a discussion of why people were leaving the studio in droves. Regretfully, one artist said, “We’re getting tired of being disrespected,” and the response was met with ‘Yeah, but YOU don’t know what it’s like to be a woman!'” The actual details of this interaction are much more disturbing.
[…] Part 2 and Part 3, Jennifer Lee slowly and subversively ushered in her new vision for Disney Animation and its staff. […]
Wow I didn’t know it was that bad. I feel bad of all fired for this new form of Macarthyism. What’s happening is despicable. This will only end when more people come out speak out and tell Their stories like Gina Carano. Great Job Alan.
It’s not McCarthyism, it’s Marxism. This is how they take over institutions.
Wow this is one heck of an article, I never knew it was that crazy. I feel so bad for those taken out under this new McCarthyism. The only way for things to change is for people to come out tell their stories and reveal the truth, just like Gina Carano. Great job Alan!!!!
[…] the last edition of the D-Files, we see that the pieces are now in place to radically change the very foundation of Disney […]
It’s crushing to read all this. Disney’s new Reimagineers are destroying the company from the inside out.
Thanks for the informative series – are there more episodes in the works?
[…] Hollywood insiders blogsite Film Threat, went further with it’s “D-Files” series by interviewing the people forced […]
If even half of this article is true (and I believe the issues are, if anything, being understated), this is a powerful argument to push back against ‘toxic femininity’, which is a workplace situation is ten times worse than ‘toxic masculinity’ could ever be. The latter might mean a very rare fist fight. The former stands for fascism, hatred, racism and sexism… all the defining qualities of the Woke religion.
[…] al popular gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, impulsó un “agenda gay nada secreta” y adoptó los principios de DEI a puerta […]
[…] declared way on popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pushed a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” and embraced DEI principles behind closed […]
[…] declared way on popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pushed a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” and embraced DEI principles behind closed […]
[…] Nevertheless, Raya and the Last Dragon is historically important because the 2021 film marks the decisive turning point in the downward trajectory of Disney. Ace of Spades on Friday linked and excerpted a lengthy recounting of this history by Alan Ng, editor-in-chief of the website Film Threat. “The D-Files, Part 3: Disney the Killer of Dreams.” […]
[…] Nevertheless, Raya and the Last Dragon is historically important because the 2021 film marks the decisive turning point in the downward trajectory of Disney. Ace of Spades on Friday linked and excerpted a lengthy recounting of this history by Alan Ng, editor-in-chief of the website Film Threat. “The D-Files, Part 3: Disney the Killer of Dreams.” […]
The President of Physical production at Disney studios, Philip Steuer, is abusive. That company needs to be cleaned out from the top down.
This is all about keeping the multimedia executive class, and the bourgeoisie that they mesmerize, from creating or supporting an anti-war movement while we’re at war. It’s working.
I am reminded of Scott Kurtz and his fight with Small Press Expo. “A small press comic is a comic that sucks, but that’s OK because it’s art.” These are movies that suck but that’s OK because it’s a political statement. Except Disney is huge.
Thank you guys for doing all this. This [woke] religion has its claws in our culture, and only very real honesty, courage, and virtue can pave the road out of this mess.
[…] The third installment of Alan Ng’s series on the insanity at Disney dropped Wednesday. The D-Files, Part 3: Disney the Killer of Dreams […]
Subbing note:
” In other words, Disney overestimated their artistic talent and underestimated their ability to attract an audience.”
I’m not sure what you mean by this line. It could be
” In other words, Disney overestimated their artistic talent and their ability to attract an audience.”
Or
” In other words, Disney overestimated their artistic talent and underestimated their ability to repulse an audience.”
The way it is originally phrased would be a positive thing from Disney’s perspective, because they’re a business and don’t strictly speaking care if the art’s crap so long as they’re getting that audience.
[…] truly continue the “quota-filling is more important than talent/experience” that we saw in the latest installment of the “D-Files” from Film Threat about such practices at Disney Animation, but these internal rules are […]
Yo Al & Chris/Frank,
IF any of your readers out here have worked for ANY of the owned and operated State Universities in the Continental United States in the last forty years, they will find a remarkable similarity to the descriptions made by these Animators! I KNOW I HAVE! Thank you SO MUCH for this level of Investigative Journalism!! ~Mark~
Alan, thank you so much for spreading the word with these articles. As someone who was hoping to pursue a career in animation as i graduated high school in 2011 I had started seeing the writing on the wall with these awful tumblr cartoons being pumped out seemingly every month and the nasty mean girl cliques that were becoming increasingly becoming the “faces” of these ip instead of, ya know the actual product. Also, anything of quality that managed to slip though the cracks would immediately get tainted and buried culturally by folks who, while not woke per say were instead Travis Bickkle-type addicts that drove the industry into the ground in other ways. The past decade to now feels like watching a loved one die slowly of cancer. Growing up, I had the misfortune to be bullied constantly by tumblr brats and WIA school marm hags and watching these exact same c***s colonize this fraught medium was and still is a giant punch in the face.
Also I’m not sure if indies will be as much of a savior as others might think. The art scene now is too parasitic and political to form an actual alternative unless you do work exclusively for fringe communities. The only real hope I see for new cartoonists is breaking away from the “creative” scenes and doing work in indie lit and its adjacent fields like illustration, but hey who really knows?
There’s YT channel run by visual effect guys, they invite animators to react to animation and tell about their job, how they got to Disney and were mentored by veterans back in the day. None of them works in Disney anymore, I don’t know if it has to do with anything from this article but it got me wondering.
I’d like to watch that channel, if you can provide the info.
This was excellent. I hope Chris rewards you for all your hard work
This whole series of articles makes me sad for these industries and our country but I am so glad that FT has the guts to air out this dirty laundry. It makes more sense now as to why most of the artistic stuff coming out the last few years is horrible. All the regular people can do is speak through our wallets and not support this crap. Going to take a long time I fear to turn this ship around…