My sources tell me that the untitled Disney Animation was never supposed to be Moana 2 but a story spearheaded by diverse hire Suzi Yoonessi. Though Yoonessi had several successful live-action films under her belt, she may have found herself in over her head in the world of animation. It appears that Yoonessi’s film was not only paused bu flat out canceled. This film was about to enter the launch sequence when Wish came out but was canceled at the last minute. This left Walt Disney Studios with only two films in theaters in 2024, Young Woman and the Sea at the beginning of the year and Mufasa at the end.
The Yoonessi Project
This begs the question: How did no one outside of Disney know about this project until now? Disney has an incredible PR team, that’s how. After some internet investigation, here’s what we know about Suzi Yoonessi’s film. In her book Disney Princesses: Beyond the Tiara, Emily Zemler speaks with Yoonessi about her chance to create a new Disney Princess. Her animated feature was based on a fairy tale her grandmother told her as a child and a chance to bring Persian culture to the big screen.
From Zemler’s article in HelloGiggles, “Jasmine gave me a moment of such pride in my heritage and my culture,” Yoonessi says, “And especially being from upstate New York, in the suburbs of Buffalo where there was little diversity, it showed me there was a whole world out there that was filled with all these different shades of brown. That, for me, was a defining moment in terms of the princesses and their power. The Disney Princesses were my superheroes.” In a statement about her influences, Yoonessi says her grandmother’s fairy tale has “mythical lakes, talking cockroaches, and deserts that stretch beyond the imagination.” Since helming her project, Yoonessi has been leading and participating in industry panels and presentations under the moniker of Director at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. She has been working on this project for five years.
Courtesy of Disney
It’s Dead, Jim!
Thanks to Disney’s crack PR and legal teams, not much is known about the project’s current status. Anything at this point is pure conjecture, but Disney and Pixar have a history of pivoting and changing course mid-stream and late in the game. Aladdin, The Emporer’s New Groove, and The Good Dinosaur are examples of that.
This one feels different. Disney could have easily blamed the 2023 strikes for delaying the project or made a major announcement of the first Persian Disney feature at this year’s D23 Fan Event. Rumors say that the film was well beyond the development stages and about to head into full production. Rumor also has it that there may have been conflicts between Yoonessi and corporate. These rumors swirl around clashes trying to Dis-nify authentic Persian culture. In other words, she doesn’t understand animation. Again, this is all speculation on my part. Hit me up if you have any facts to share.
Go Woke, Go Broke
Jennifer Lee stepping down should be a warning to all about DEI’s destructive nature. IMPORTANT NOTE: The idea of diversity is not wrong. There are talented people of color who are storytellers, character designers, and animators who have proved themselves in their fields and should be given the opportunity of a lifetime. They have been working at the Walt Disney Company all this time.
Like Lee herself, just because you may be a terrific writer doesn’t mean you have the executive qualifications to run an entire animation studio. Ignoring your veteran talent doesn’t help either. These veteran animators have told me this from the very beginning. Writing and directing for animation is vastly different than writing and directing for live-action.
When you fire/force out veterans because of their race and gender and replace them with filmmakers and Tumbler artists because of their race and gender, you are going to lose and lose bigly.
You should get in touch with Russell Dobular from the Due Dissidence channel to talk about the D files. He’s touched on those topics a few times and did a Star Wars has been dead segment.