It’s been a strange year for Disney animated films at the box office in 2023 with the majority of them struggling to hit good numbers, we discuss why it’s been a tough year for Disney in the animation department.
When it comes to animated movies Disney have been ploughing money into animated features in 2023 and the budgets just haven’t been recouped let alone made a profit.
We discuss just two reasons why we feel Disney animated films just haven’t hit home in 2024, let’s dive into our first reason.
Lack of Audience Connection
Many of the reviews for Disney animated films this year just haven’t resonated with their audience with many being annoyed at certain ‘woke’ elements thrown into various animated features not to mention forcing real-world issues into an animated feature that is meant to portray escapism not social commentary on the world outside.
There just hasn’t been a film that has grasped audiences and left that fond memory when you’ve left the cinema.
Take Lightyear for example, the film felt so far away from the Toy Story franchise that Buzz felt like an alien to us. There was next to no humour or any heart of the character and going as far as replacing Tim Allen as the voice of our beloved character was enough to disengage 99% of Toy Story fans immediately.
Movies like Turning Red with a storyline that flies over children’s heads and despite some Disney animated films getting it right (Elemental being a good example) there just didn’t seem enough behind it to get it out there and as a result it struggled at the box office despite being a good, solid movie.
With the option of a Disney+ release just around the corner why would you spend your money to see it in the cinema if you’re a subscription holder, you mayaswell just wait for it to come to the platform in a couple of weeks.
This mixed with films that just aren’t resonating with its audience are a surefire way to lead to a box office bomb.
Huge Production Budgets
Budgets for Disney animated films are miles above that of live-action venues.
Animation costs and the price to pay for being at the front of the game are not cheap and the pricing of these features goes vastly under-appreciated by the average moviegoer.
Elemental had a $200 million budget which is absolutely insane and even at times the animation in that particular movie isn’t as sharp or sleek as some other animated films and it cost a fortune!
With the rise of inflation these films are becoming more expensive to produce and at the same time audiences are cutting costs and finding more affordable ways to live which naturally means less trips to the cinema.
This isn’t the case for many other box office successes though however but that’s where the lack of audience reception point comes into play, if someone really wants to see something, they’ll pay for it, if it doesn’t look all too great, families will save their hard earned money.
Disney+ is yet again another reason for this as you’d rather wait and see it on the platform you’re already paying for that paying to see it in the cinema on top of your current subscription. Why pay twice?
Opening weekend results are make or break for animated features nowadays and sadly Disney animated films have for the the most part fallen flat on their face this year.
Not to mention the fact the films need to make nearly three times their production budget to becoming profitable as you have to factor in other costs such as marketing, advertising and all the rest of it.
Disney competitors are decreasing the budget and building on other areas of the animation process, you don’t have to spend stupid money to make a good animated film and the competitors have shown that this year time and time again.
Even independent productions such as Cats in the Museum which is getting a small theatrical run from December 26th shows that you don’t need a big budget to make a fun festive film.
The movie is about Vincent, a young cat, and Maurice, a small mouse, have a chance encounter and make a lucky escape from a flood inside an old harpsichord, which is picked up by sailors and sent to St. Petersburg.
Finding themselves in the Hermitage Museum, Vincent meets an elite feline squadwho have been protecting priceless artwork from mice and other pests for centuries. Vincent dreams of finding a real cat family, but does not want to lose his friend Maurice, who saved his life.
Things becomes even more complicated whenone of the greatest paintings in human history, the Mona Lisa, arrives in the Hermitage, and must be protected. Can Vincent prove his courage, keep his friend,and win the love of a new cat?
You can check out the trailer for Cats in the Museum below. Low-budget doesn’t always mean a terrible movie and maybe Disney need to dial things down a bit in the animation department in order to make some profit in 2024 onwards. Or you know… just keep making Frozen movies until the end of time, they’ll always do well.
