Right? Wrong? Such is a debate for another time. What’s not being debated is the inclusion of the LGBT (exclusively L) themes was interpreted as Pixar’s deliberate attempt to alienate its conservative audiences from its brand. Who needs them anyway, right? As they say, money talks, and this new direction led to a steady decline in Pixar’s box office totals, which continues today.
By “Reimagining Tomorrow,” Strange World was Disney’s first foray into the inclusion of an openly gay character with Searcher’s son, Ethan, who is an awkward teen trying to get advice from his father about what to do with his crush, Diazo. Ethan would later go to his grandfather Jaeger for advice on his burgeoning relationship. Hall described Ethan’s sexual identity as merely an aspect of his character, like any other personality trait.
In an interview with Variety, he states, “His gayness is one part of him. He’s also bold and wildly empathetic, which is why he becomes sort of the conservationist in our film.” He added, “Also, he’s impulsive as teenagers kind of are. So to us, he was just a flesh-and-blood, well-rounded character, and I think we can’t wait for the world to embrace him like we did.” Right or wrong, the inclusion of openly gay characters did not exactly draw an audience.
“…the inclusion of openly gay characters did not exactly draw an audience.”
Unfortunately, Strange World was a complete and utter failure, and Disney executives knew it would be long before the release of the film, evidenced by the slashing of its marketing budget and modest press tour and premiere. The movie came out on Thanksgiving weekend and limped in for a $18 million ($12 million domestic) weekend take. The film’s LGBT theme decimated the international box office as multiple countries refused to show Strange World. This box office disaster ultimately lost Disney over $100 million when it was all finally said and done.
The return to Disney Animation after a VERY long Thanksgiving was not good. That Monday, the staff was greeted with a very “glum” Zoom call as a way to soothe everyone’s feelings. One source tells us that the Disney Exec’s message is essentially, “This is a bummer, but the ‘message’ is important, and we will press on with it…” Clearly, the LESSON WAS NOT LEARNED, and Disney Animation would suffer its subsequent massive failure with Wish.
In the next D-Files, we’ll show how Jennifer Lee took it upon herself to sit on Walt’s throne and forge a new legacy for herself and Disney Animation. Also, I made a big mistake in describing the production disaster that was Wish in a way that will surprise you as it did me.
If you work in the industry and have a story to tell or something to add and would like to share your story, on or off the record, contact us.
[…] Part 4 describes the new storytelling mandates put in place not only at Walt Disney Animation but also at Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. Lee’s first feature film with her complete stamp of approval from start to finish was Strange World, which leaned heavily into producing an environmental allegory with a gay teen love story. Audiences stayed home for this one. Tanking at the box office, Lee responded, “This is a bummer, but the ‘message’ is important, and we will press on with it.” And press on they did, which brings us to Wish. […]
[…] like in Hollywood and comic books, feminists used harassment and discrimination allegations to gain power in the […]
I’m currently reading teh 20 year old Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine. Italian, and Mickey playing PI in a noir kind of city. It’s great, and adapting it for D+ would probably work. They’re not going to do it, though, because it’s not woke.
I am always confused by the marketing of these movies. Do they dry run them to identify the market? Do they understand their audience? Do they have data to suggest that the LGBT… community are drawn to these kinds of films? Or is that that they have no idea and are on a crusade to save us from ourselves?
Do you think that MovieBob is going to throw a hissy fit about this, becoming so irate that he skips second lunch in order to defend the honor of a company that currently produces the lowest brow entertainment for mid-40s virgins in the world?
Make a good movie with a good plot. If you want to make a message movie, then release it to the population it was made for. Do NOT release it and try to force the general public to like it by calling them names, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic. Look up the cycle Victim, Victimizer, Victim. That is what Disney created.
Great article as always. Thank you! ありがとう ございます
These insider insights are exclusive here. Congratulations, Film Threat. David takes on Goliath, once again.
Real gay people (not the pretenders created by propaganda making it trendy), make up less than 4% of the population; and those people are much less likely to have children/families. It is no wonder traditional families and people find this alienating and unappealing. I know everyone I talk with is sick of having this endless gay parade shoved in their faces, while they are told how wonderful being gay is. If everyone was ‘queer’ then humanity would die out.
I recall certain people saying the reason Strange World didn’t do well was -because- the advertising budget was slashed. I wonder if it’s just to have something else to blame or if it was a legitimate factor.
I think ‘Strange World’ and other films that include LGBTQIA relationships and other polarizing themes would be much less controversial if they received the PG-13 rating at minimum so at least parents know there will be mature themes present.
That is an EXCELLENT idea that I’ve never thought of. As a former Democrat turned independent with 2 small children, I now read ever single review of every movie before I take my kids. For the past couple years, I’ve been taking my 11 year old to Tom Cruise flicks, Chris Nolan rereleased (Batman Trilogy and Interstellar) and things like Godzilla Minus One (her first fully subtitled film) and she loves it! We have fun together and she gets to fall in love with the cinema like I did as a child. She’s very mature for her age, but that is an option for some preteens and teens.