At this week’s annual shareholders meeting, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked what he’s doing to prioritize creativity across the company. Iger mostly avoided specifics in his answer but responded with, “Our creativity is, in fact, soaring.”
It was not necessarily Iger’s answer that garnered attention, but the list of films he rattled off next. He mentioned that he was proud of Moana 2 (2024), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and Inside Out 2 (2024). He also mentioned he was looking forward to Zootopia 2 (2025) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025).
There was a familiar pattern to the films Iger listed, and it wasn’t creativity. They were all sequels of familiar properties.
Under Iger, the shift away from new, inventive stories to safe, familiar films is complete, especially with the significant news from the shareholders meeting that Disney/Pixar is working on Coco 2.
But what has forced Disney into this situation, and what will force it to start making new and inventive movies again?
Safe Makes Wall Street Happy
According to Business Insider, the simple answer is safety and pressure from outside sources. The three 2024 movies Iger mentioned all made over $1 billion at the box office, presumably making investors happy with the massive profits.
In the post-Covid, Bob Chapek era, Disney made risky, ill-advised choices on movies like Stange World (2022) and Lightyear (2022) and paid for it by losing millions. Now, Iger is going back to his greatest hits.
Disney’s release schedule for the next few years is littered with sequels and live-action remakes of familiar classics. If they’re going to make money, why deviate from those types of films?
The second reason is the one that Disney fans will find the most infuriating: Disney is facing pressure from Wall Street to make money. Disney’s stock has been relatively static for the past few years, and investors want safe films that make billions.
With the search for Iger’s successor not complete, Wall Street wants to know that the company will remain on stable ground beyond his tenure. Safety in sequels gives investors what they’re looking for.
So, despite what Iger said about creativity soaring, it still has its limits. The company that built its reputation on inventive storytelling will continually roll out familiar characters and storylines that audiences will keep shelling out for.
Disney can still be creative as long as it keeps coloring within the familiar lines.
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