Moana 2 shows that Disney is in the middle of a sweat season

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Yyou might have thought it would be bigger. When Disney announced, on Wednesday, that the popular children’s animation Moana will get a theatrical sequel, less of a triumph than a desperation. The original film, a musical seafaring adventure starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as an unassuming demigod, was a hit with audiences and critics alike. The problem is that Moana 2, released this November, has already been announced for 2020 – as a live-action miniseries. The movie looks like it will be a kind of adjustment with this first project. And Disney did not stop there: the head of the studio Bob Iger also announced the release date Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2 SY Cold 3among others.

The frenzy of the maniacal franchise is so relentless that viewers can’t seem to get enough of it. There are too many things. Disney’s animation wing has had its ups and downs before, of course. The so-called golden age of animation in the 1930s and 1940s slowly waned over the decades. Then came the Disney remakes of the late Eighties and Nineties, led by the acting duo of John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid; Aladdin; Hercules). This was followed by the acquisition of Pixar and the pivot to computer-generated animation. It is difficult to deny that Disney is now in the decline of others: the company has become meaningless with sequels and franchises, with no effect chasing old and familiar highs.

This is not only a problem with Disney animation. The company’s live-action slate goes way back, from identikit Marvel blockbusters to CGI-slathered “live-action” remakes of blockbuster hits. (Direct action Moana A remake, separate from the sequel but still bringing Johnson back, is also in the works.) But there’s a certain sweatiness to the idea that Moana 2. Significantly, Musker and Clements were absent from the sequel, having parted ways with Disney after four decades; Also missing is Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Hamilton composers responsible for much of the early musical effervescence.

In a flurry of franchise comebacks, Disney has released a handful of original releases over the past few years – including Pixar films. Turns red, Luke, your whole soul SY Elementsand non-Pixar animated films beauty SY desire. If there is one big positive to be taken Moana2In reviewing the film, Disney honchos seem to have lost faith – to some extent, at least – in the wisdom of the direct-to-video business model. Removal of films such as beauty a cinematic release is a losing game for everyone involved. Audiences are missing out on the opportunity to experience these movies in the thrilling way they were intended. The cinema does not see the income. Disney misses the box office revenue, often in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And why? It is said that its uniqueness is attractive.

Movies like Elements – an animated romcom set in a city where the inhabitants are physical forms of fire, water, wind or bush – gave convincing evidence of the value of drama production. When Elements first screen in 2021, it was considered a flop. But it went every week, and he always got money; Pixar animation finally made half a billion dollars. desire, Disney’s fantasy epic last year, wasn’t quite as successful, but it still managed to top $200m, despite somewhat lackluster reviews. Disney is now clinging to the epidemic of direct-to-streaming Pixar in cinemas after the fact proves the doubts that arise about the survival of the streaming model. In this case, the Moana the news can only be a good sign.

However, staring down the barrel of a regret-free sequel machine, I find it hard to feel too much. Moana 2 SY Toy Story 5 are the symptoms of a company that chased the “safe option” down a dead-end alley, spending years floundering until there was nothing but bones. If so, I should add that I am not the target of these children’s films. Of course, children will not be swayed by the company’s criticism of these sequels as adults with good critical thinking skills. But children deserve originality and creativity. Whether they realize it or not, they want it too. If Disney won’t provide them, someone else will.

‘Moana 2’ will hit theaters this year