What’s Better: New or Old Disney?
Cecilia Fountain
The multi-million-dollar company has glorious success in producing many movies, shows, and shorts. This company had its ups and downs, building off of princes and princesses. The only company that could fit this role is Walt Disney. But when was it at its best? When was it at the top of its ‘game’? Well, this article can help you decide by comparing new and old Disney movies to see when and which movies were better.
What classifies as old or new? I was born in 2009, so movies after the year 2000 seem newer to me, and anything before seems old.
Now that’s established, we can start comparing. Let’s start with the pros. Old Disney is most known for their classics. Movies like The Lion King, Aladdin, and Bambi. They also had hit after hit with their princess movies like The Little Mermaid, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Additionally, they are consistently praised for their hand-drawn animation style, which makes the movie feel more realistic and gives it a timeless appeal.
However, they also have some pretty big setbacks. One of the first that comes to mind is their discriminatory descriptions of culture and race. Some examples of this are how the Native Americans are depicted as “red men” (even singing about it) in Peter Pan. Or, in Dumbo, which invokes racist caricatures of African Americans by having the main crow be named Jim Crow, referring to the discriminatory Jim Crow laws.
Next are the newer 2000s to 2010s movies. Let’s start with the pros. The biggest pro is that, contrary to the old movies, the new ones have increasingly diverse casting. They make everyone from all ethnicities and cultures feel welcome and accepted. Movies like Lilo and Stitch, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana all represent more than just the white chaotic culture and race. Another big success from the 2000s was music. “Let It Go” from Frozen ranked 5th on the Billboard 100 in 2014. But the real success was from Encanto. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” got massive success, being at the top of the charts, smashing records, and being one of the biggest musical hits in Disney history.
Now come the cons. Arguably, the biggest con is that it’s been lacking creativity and authenticity. The newest movies that are coming to theaters are just remakes or sequels. Some examples would be Mufasa, The Live Action Little Mermaid, and Live Action Aladdin. These unimaginative movies make Disney seem to have lost its imagination that it was most classically known for. The unique and inventive art style that they used to have is gone. In 2013, they laid off all of their traditional animation staff, focusing more on CGI, which, for me, feels more fake and less magical.
What is my final opinion on all of this? It may be different than many, but old Disney wins. The classicness and enchantment of old Disney is what Disney’s all about. Old Disney is what got Disney off the ground; it’s what’s memorable; therefore it wins.
https://www.billboard.com › Music › Chart Beat
